The Effects of Nonfiction Book Clubs on Elementary School Students

Abstract

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards has placed an increased emphasis on the importance of students’ exposure to nonfiction text. This research sought to determine if the use of nonfiction book clubs within a library setting could be a viable way to increase the number of nonfiction texts that students self-select. Ten students participated in a nonfiction book club taught by the librarian. Skills taught in book club were reinforced by the classroom teacher during the school day. Students were given a reading interest survey prior to participation in the book club and were given a similar survey following the club to see if their reading preferences had changed during the course of the study. The teacher also made observations of her students’ reading preferences before and after the study. The findings indicate that nonfiction book clubs are a successful method to increase nonfiction circulation within an elementary school library.