Mentoring Book Club

We have partnered with school counselors and the curriculum & instruction team in the school district to carefully craft a mentoring book club to help a select group of 5th grade students improve their reading comprehension skills while also addressing the students' social-emotional challenges. The 12 week program is held each spring. Book club leaders use a pre-selected book as a catalyst for discussion with students. Volunteers guide students as they read together and discuss connections between the story and their own lives.

​If this is interesting to you, we ask that you begin building a relationship in a 5th grade class by volunteering through RCP. We will ask all 5th grade volunteers their preference to move forward with support of a book club at the start of the calendar year.

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Jessie Wilson

When Jessie Wilson began volunteering with RCP in 2015, she immediately saw the need for social-emotional skill development among the Ravenswood students, as well as academic support. They often shared heart-breaking stories about the challenges they were facing. Jessie felt a deep need to equip them to navigate the difficulties and ideally feel more hopeful about their future.  

Jessie decided that a 5th grade Book Club would be the solution. With the district’s guidance, a book was selected that tells the true story of a 10 year old girl who faces struggles that mirror those of the Ravenswood students. Jessie helped design the Book Club curriculum with dual goals of improving reading comprehension and creating a social-emotional toolbox for the students. 

Now in its fifth year, the Book Club is a hit among teachers, volunteers and students. After experiencing the 12 week program, the students are empowered to face the challenges ahead with confidence and optimism. As the Project Coordinator, Jessie says “Witnessing the students’ growth throughout the Book Club program is the highlight of my volunteer experience.”

Jay Siegel

Jay Siegel began tutoring students with Ravenswood Classroom Partners in 2015 and joined RCP’s Board of Directors in 2017. Jay was one of the original volunteers leading a 5th grade book club. He found the experience especially rewarding because it enabled the type of discussions that let him really get to know the students and connect with them.

​Jay also enjoys regular one-on-one tutoring. One year, Jay worked with a student who was struggling to read but enjoyed Pokémon, a game centered on fictional creatures. Jay thought that selecting a high-interest topic for the student to read would boost his enthusiasm, so Jay got a copy of the Pokémon manual which they read together for many weeks. The student loved to read the characters and his reading skills quickly improved. Eventually the student became fascinated with the Harry Potter books and cheerfully dove into those fantasy novels. 

Jay says, “Although you are primarily working on reading and comprehension skills, it’s the social-emotional support the student receives which creates a real boost in enthusiasm and self-confidence.”