Boys Book Club

 

Boys Book Club improves reading skills and so much more

Roberta Bibbins, media center coordinator at Forest Hills Global Elementary School in Wilmington, was so inspired by the NCCAT seminar “Teaching Reluctant Readers: Bringing Boys to Books” that she wasted no time putting what she learned at NCCAT into action.

Bibbins attended NCCAT in October; by November, she had eleven boys in her newly established Boys Book Club. “The first time out, I met with teachers and handpicked eleven fourth-grade boys for the club,” Bibbins said. “I chose some boys who were struggling readers, some strong readers, some with discipline issues, and a few who just needed a place to belong.”

The club met once a week. “Most of our students don’t have access to transportation after school, so my principal allowed me to hold the club during a planning period.” Bibbins let the boys choose the books they would read. They read them together and then discussed.

“Through our discussions, the boys found out how much they had in common,” Bibbins said. “They enjoyed the meetings and reading together. There was no pressure. No tests. They were reading for pleasure and developing community through conversation.”

At the end of the semester, Bibbins did have the school’s reading coach test the boys’ skills. All eleven showed growth in reading, oral fluency, and retelling.

Just as important as the academic skills, Bibbins feels, is how the club helped the boys socially. “One of the boys with discipline issues now comes to my library once a week to help kindergarteners read,” Bibbins said “He is so loving with those little guys. I can only imagine how this experience will set the stage for both the kindergarten boys and my helper to become lifelong readers.”

This spring, Bibbins brought together a new group of boys. “The club became so popular from word of mouth that I couldn’t accommodate all the boys who were interested,” Bibbins said. “So I had to handpick again.” The success of the club has also led to Bibbins developing a workshop to show other educators in her county how to develop a Boys Book Club at their schools.

To learn more about the Boys Book Club, visit Bibbin’s book blog at http://www.bibbinsblurbs.blogspot.com.

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