CULLMAN, Ala. – East Elementary School in Cullman launched a brand-new reading initiative this year, with fifth-graders serving as the kick-off group for a new book club remixing an old-school approach to get kids excited about reading comprehension.
Students meet once a week during lunch with Library Media Specialist Savannah Wood, who reads aloud to them, while students read assigned chapters at home. As they work their way through the book, students examine the book and flex those literary muscles to learn how to think more critically about the material.
“We discuss genre, author, plot, theme, characters and storylines, while completing fun, connected activities,” Wood explained. “I select high-interest books with rich themes that naturally spark curiosity and deep questioning. Our goal is to build a lifelong love of reading by turning an academic task into an interactive, social community experience.”
Students are currently reading the kid-friendly mystery novel “A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall,” written by Jasmine Warga.
“The kids are deeply engaged with the mystery format,” Wood said about the book selection. “Every fifth-grader uses a dedicated detective notebook with a ‘tech note’ section. They actively track clues, map out storylines and write down their predictions and ‘wonders’ throughout the read.”
Wood noted the book club setting is a way to take the pressure off of reading, giving students a more custom, “exclusive” club feel to make reading fun, as opposed to feeling like an assignment.
“Using tools like detectives turns passive listening into active, critical investigation, while making predictions and tracking ‘wonders’ forces students to analyze subtext and evaluate character motives,” she explained. “When a whole grade reads the same book, literary conversations naturally spill over into recess and hallways.”
