A Book a Minute!

I wanted to share an idea I tried out today in a Year 7 Library Lesson that I think will be a big hit with the students.

I originally saw super librarian Carol Webb do a version of this game with some year 7s three years ago here at Glenthorne when she visited me.

The game is called " A Book a Minute" and is derived from the BBC Radio Show "Just a Minute" where contestants are given a topic and must talk continuously about it without hesitation, repetition or deviation.

 

 

To start, I say to the students: "Pretend you want to convince your best friend to read a book that you love, but you've only got one minute to do so. What are the things you should cover in that one minute to get them hooked?"

 

The things I'm looking for are:

 

Plot

Characters

Setting

Author

Title

Why they loved it

 

There are always a few extra things added in but these are the main ideas. I write these ideas on a flip chart and ask if anyone wants to try and talk about their favourite book.

 

The catch is that they aren't allowed to look at the board and they must try to mention all of the things listed there in under one minute without hesitating, without repeating themselves or without deviating from their topic.

 

"It's too hard!" you say. Yes, it is hard, and of course I give a lot of slack when it comes to time limit,  hesitating or repeating but I don't let them look at the board. They do get to try and commit it to memory for 5 seconds before they start.

 

As they mention things like Plot, Setting etc, I put a check mark beside them. There is also a timer running on the big screen which adds to the tension.

 

The students love trying to nail all of the topics and are very eager to talk about their books to their classmates.

 

Not only does this create a buzz about many different books in just one lesson, it allows me to see what the students are currently reading and how well they're absorbing the information they're taking in.

 

It's a great addition to our House Reading Challenge and a program I'm excited to continue.