In the 2012-2013 school year, Classroom Law Project started our first Book Club in the Portland Metro area. Since then, educators have joined every year to read a series of books together and enjoy in-depth conversation together — over food and drinks!
There are 6 Book Club meetings per school year, usually with 5 books and one film event. We pick themes, often connected to We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution units as a way to guide connections and conversations (use of We the People in your classroom is not required). Books are picked with an eye towards feeding teachers’ brains and having adult conversation (not necessarily for use in the classroom).
As a bonus, each meeting is worth 3 PDU hours, for a total of 18 per school year. In addition, members of the Book Club can register at a reduced price for 1 credit from Lewis & Clark Graduate School.
Interested in Starting a CLP Book Club in YOUR area?
Here are some tips for starting a CLP Book Club:
- Someone needs to volunteer to be the Club Coordinator for the year.
- Pick a venue that is easy for people to get to (it’s fun if you can include food and drinks!)
- You can use the agenda for each meeting provided by CLP or come up with your own.
- Share with us what your Club thought about that month’s book!
- CLP will arrange with the Coordinator for your Club members to earn their PDUs and register for Lewis & Clark credit should they choose.
Contact Cari Zall if you would like to start a CLP Book Club in your region!