When I saw this topic added I was intrigued by the title: Social Reading & Book Stuff. So I decided this would be a good topic for me to look at. As I began reading the lesson the first thing I noted was Goodreads. I have been using Goodreads now for a while but it has been more recently that I've actually started using it on a bi-weekly basis. I go on to log the books I'm reading with my faculty book club, fourth grade book club and my fifth grade book club (if I'm doing a new book I've never read). I find it fun to track my challenge and see if I can reach my goal of books for the year. It is helpful to go on at least once a week or every other week. I do subscribe to a couple of the groups on there but I haven't had a chance to fully explore those groups. That will be my next step with Goodreads is to look into the groups.
As I continued through the lesson I then found the topic about Overdrive! I had only heard other librarians mention this resource but I never really understood it. Well let me tell you what I looked in to it this fall and fell in love! I have downloaded the app on my cell phone and now listen to books on my way to work now when I'm in district. This is a great resource and I wish that I would have learned how to use it sooner as it has been a life saver on long car trips. I love that I can go online to the website choose titles and then sync them right to my phone or if I want I can find the books right on my phone. Right now I've just been doing audio books as I'm not a huge fan of eBooks. I prefer to have the book in my hand- I'm sure that'll change eventually. The only set back I've had with overdrive is that I forget to select 14 days instead of seven and sometimes I'm not fully done with the book. It has been a great resource to learn this year and I'm looking forward to using it more throughout the summer. The next step will be to get an AUX cord so that I can plug it in to my jeep and listen to it through the speakers rather than just my phone.
I have successfully implemented a faculty book club, a fourth grade book club and a fifth grade book club in the district I work in. For the fourth and fifth grade book clubs we read at least four books a year as I can only meet with them once a cycle. The faculty book club reads multiple books. We try to read one book every two months. These book clubs have been going strong for two years. The number of participants for my elementary groups varies depending on the book but I always have at least four students to a book. For the elementary book clubs we meet once a cycle and discuss what they liked and disliked about the section they were required to read. So far the students have loved the books they have been asked to read. I love the book club setting because sometimes you get students you never would have expected to have. It is nice for the students to share their opinions and express themselves about the books they like. Many girls have branched out to different genres than what they would normally read. The faculty book club is doing well I have three members that have been with me from the beginning and we have just added a parent member. We meet once or twice a month depending on the book and my schedule in district. We discuss half the book at a time and have snacks. I'm working on branching out to more teachers and members of the community to expand our faculty book club.
I feel that book clubs were and will always be the first form of social reading. Meeting and discussing a book with peers is the best way to socially discuss books. I have very specific rules for my book clubs that the kids must follow and they do a very nice job with it. My fifth grade book club morphed into a book and movie club this year. We read the book and then watch the movie to discuss the similarities and differences between the two. The students love this feature this year. They enjoy seeing just how different the movies can be compared to the movies.
As you can see I've done a lot with different social reading aspects. I love Goodreads to keep track of my books, overdrive to listen to books I don't have time to read and my book clubs are a huge part of my life. This was a perfect topic for me to explore and talk about the achievements I've already been able to reach.
