Approximately 30 students from throughout the Lynbrook Public Schools gathered at the Lynbrook Public Library on Aug. 27 for an engaging book discussion about their summer reading book, “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown. This was the first year that the district implemented a book club event during its summer reading program and encouraged all students in grades K-12 to read the same book. 

Coordinated by elementary curriculum specialist Allison Curran, students were placed in discussion groups during the event. Older students facilitated the groups and used guided reading questions to spark conversation. Together, the students discussed characters, plot, themes and more. Curran also displayed the Flipgrid entries that were submitted during the summer break. Students were encouraged to utilize Flipgrid, a video sharing platform, to create videos about “The Wild Robot” or other books they read. Students and staff could comment on the videos, reply with their own video, take a picture or click a “like” button to show feedback.

In addition to the discussions, students enjoyed refreshments and had fun taking pictures with props related to the book. The districtwide event allowed students from all the schools to connect through literature and form a reading community. 

“I was looking for something to pull us together as a community of readers for grades K-12,” said Curran. “I wanted to be able to discuss the same book and this particular book connects itself to an exciting plot for young readers. There was also so much for older readers in terms of imagery, multiple themes and contrasting themes that I thought ‘The Wild Robot’ would be successful at holding all readers interests.”