Key Takeaways:
· Scholastic Book Clubs slump? Low student participation? Use these teacher tips to get back in the game and reenergize your account!
· Easily increase family engagement in 10 minutes or less each month!
· When families order more, you earn more FREE Books for your classroom library, develop stronger home-to-school connections, and grow kids’ love of reading—all at the same time.
Start the New Year off with a fresh sense of excitement for Scholastic Book Clubs both inside and outside of the classroom! Need new and easy ideas? Here’s what teachers across the country are doing to get the most out of Scholastic Book Clubs in their classroom:
Let students browse the flyers with classmates.
“Kids LOVE to browse through the flyers with their friends in class. It’s really fun to watch them talk to each other about what books they like. One kid almost fell off his chair when he saw the latest book in The Bad Guys series—He had to show EVERYONE!” —Scott B., 4th Grade Teacher, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Encourage students to make a wish list.
“Have the kids create a wish list! Give kids five minutes of class time to look through the flyers and make a list of the ones they like.” —Andrea C., 4th Grade Teacher, St. Louis, Missouri
Recommend books.
“I attach a ‘Mrs. Shafer Recommends’ letter to the flyers each month. (Thanks to Pinterest for the idea!) I tend to highlight three to four books—new books that I know kids will love, books connected to what we’re learning, or just my personal favorites.” —Niki S., 5th Grade Teacher, Freedom, Wisconsin
Let families know how easy it is to order online.
“Try emailing the link to the digital flyers instead of sending home the paper flyers! I did it for the first time this year and my families are LOVING the easy online access!” —Teresa B., PreK, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Personalize everything. (Or just this one thing!)
“Many first grade families want to know how to choose books ‘at their kids’ level,’ so when I send the flyers home, I attach a letter from me and include a few recommendations for books. For a handful of kids, I personalize the letter a bit more and add books that match their level best.” —Helen M., 1st Grade Teacher, Rowland Park, California
Send reminders.
“First, send a brief note with the flyers (write your own letter, google other teachers’ examples, or simply print the one in the catalog). Then, send lots of reminders—emails, texts, notes, phone calls. Reminders are key!” —Kerry-Ann R., 4th Grade Teacher, New Rochelle, New York
Show students all FREE Books they earned for the classroom.
“Make sure you let your kids know how many FREE Books the classroom has earned and which ones they are! My kids know that when they place an order for books, they are also helping to expand our classroom library!” —Kyndel E., 5th Grade Teacher, Mobile, Alabama
Make Book Box Day a reading celebration!
“When the Book Box arrives, I make a BIG deal about it and share all of the books I got for the class with the kids. They get so excited!” —Laura H., Kindergarten, Allendale, New Jersey
It’s that simple! Which of these easy tips do you want to try first? Log into Scholastic Books Clubs to get started and check out all of the new website features to make ordering even easier for teachers and parents alike. With your first order of the New Year, you’ll begin earning FREE Books for your classroom with every order and grow kids’ love of reading at the same time. Plus make sure to follow Scholastic Book Clubs on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more tips, tricks, and special teacher content to bring reading excitement into your classroom!
Ready to try out these ideas, but don’t have an account? Get started today!
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