Getting students to engage in discussions about books is super important in improving their reading comprehension skills — and it makes reading more interesting and relevant for them.
Educators don’t need to re-invent the wheel by coming up with new discussion topics and activities. There are tons of resources out there that great educators can use as a launching point for their classes.
Here are some excellent free options from publishers, nonprofits, and other educators:
From Publishers
- Scholastic Lesson Plans by Book – search by title, author or keyword to find free lesson plans for select books from this publisher.
- Reading Group Guide by Simon & Schuster – Pretty self explanatory. Great discussion questions and guides for select books from this publishers by excellent authors like Andrew Clements, Kathy Applet, and Laurie Halse Anderson,
- Candlewick Press Resources – discussion guides and other activities for popular titles including all books by Kate DiCamillo and the Timmy Failure series.
From Nonprofits
- ReadWorks – nonprofit dedicated to improving reading comprehension that creates amazing, Common Core aligned lesson plans and guided questions for select books. You can search by grade level or by title.
- We Give Books.org – check out the activities by grade level to extend learning with any book on the Educator Resource page. This site is sponsored by the Pearson Foundation and Penguin Books.
From Other Educators
- LitWits – click on a book title to see ideas for discussion and activities for classic books. They also sell for a small price (currently $8) LitWit Kits with more ideas and props for going deeper with students about a book. Great for parents or homeschoolers as well as teachers.
Know other great resources? Comment below and let me know.
