Building a Reading Community in the Classroom Before Starting Books Clubs

When students come into our classroom, they enter with all types of thoughts and opinions about reading. Some will be avid readers who would rather bury themselves in a book than do work. Some will completely shut down the moment you pull out a novel. This can make book clubs a real challenge. Before you can dive into reading, you have to focus on building a community in the classroom that celebrates reading and makes it the norm.

I want to share some of the strategies I recommend for getting students on board with reading, so you can have success when it’s time to turn students loose and begin book clubs.

What are Books Clubs?

Before I get too ahead, I want to make sure we both have the same definition of book clubs. In a nutshell, book clubs group students based on their book preference, assign a certain amount of reading per week, and provide guiding questions to encourage discussion. Book clubs are fairly independent and require that students invest in the process.

Of course, there are different variations on book clubs where students have more freedom, such as pacing themselves, choosing their own work, and even reading different books at the same time. If you’ve wondered how to get students to read, book clubs are my go-to. While it is more independent, allowing students to have choice and freedom can really change the attitudes and feelings around reading.

The Importance of Building a Reading Community in the Classroom

Of course, not all students are ready to dive into book clubs. A lot of students don’t consider themselves “readers”. They might see reading as a punishment, a chore, or something they’re not naturally good at. If you don’t address this viewpoint before starting book clubs, you’ll have lots of disengaged and sleeping students.

One of the hardest things to tackle is the “cool kids don’t read attitude.” It can feel impossible to figure out how to get these students to read. However, students need to see reading as the norm and expectation in the classroom. When everyone is reading without judgment, it can start to chip away at that belief.

Beyond the reluctant readers, you’ll also have students who simply don’t know the types of books they like or what genres interest them. This can be exciting as the teacher because you get to unlock student interests and find books that they will enjoy.

Finally, it’s crucial to make reading a part of the daily classroom routine so that when it’s time for book clubs, it’s not out of the ordinary (aka you aren’t pulling teeth to get started).

How to Build a Reading Community

Now that you know why it’s important, let’s talk about how you can build a reading community and how to get students to read in book clubs.

#1 Make Reading A Habit

Before you begin book clubs, students should be able to read independently for at least 10-15 minutes per day. However, I like to aim for closer to 20 minutes because this is likely what students will experience in book clubs. The reason for this is that students need to be in the habit of reading alone since book clubs require independence.

When reading is a routine in the classroom, students will build the habit. Set a timer each day, and slowly build students’ stamina for reading.

#2 Allow Students To Explore Books

A big reason book clubs are successful is because students have some autonomy over what they read. Of course, if students don’t know what interests them, that makes choosing a novel kind of hard.

To help students find the books they like, take students to the library, host book talks, and have an assortment of genres in your classroom library. You can also encourage students to bring books from home or share books they’ve read with their classmates.

#3 Have Conferences

Another important part of building a community in the classroom is to be personally invested in students’ reading journeys. Having conversations about books with students will allow you to figure out a student’s feelings and thoughts about reading in general and will help you learn their likes and dislikes so you can recommend certain books, genres, or series. 

During independent reading time, you can sit down with students and have a quick chat. You can also implement these 1:1 conferences in the hallway, during warm-ups, or any other downtime in the classroom.

#4 Make Reading Exciting

If we don’t want students to see reading as a chore, then we can’t introduce it that way, like forcing strict reading logs. You can make reading exciting by sharing a book you’ve recently enjoyed, introducing students to new books (like which books are being turned into movies), and giving students time to talk about books in class. 

One of my favorite ways to make reading exciting and build a classroom reading community is to host book tastings. Book tastings can be as involved or as simple as you want them to be. If you have the extra time, you can set your room up to look like a café, complete with something to sip on while students check out the various books. If you’re running a bit short on time or resources, you can simply set up stations for students to “taste” several different books and genres. 

Before you can dive into book clubs, you want to focus on building a community in the classroom where reading is enjoyed and celebrated. If you’ve always loved reading, show up with that excitement. If you were a more reluctant reader in school, think about what you would have needed to embrace reading. Once you build that classroom reading community, getting students to engage in book clubs will be much easier.