Six Ways to Use Goodreads in the Classroom

We read to know we are not alone. --C.S. Lewis


Here are six ways you might use Goodreads in the Classroom:

1. Use the student group feature. There are well over 3000 student groups underway at Goodreads! Teachers can use the group feature to post topics or extend classroom discussion. Students could use also use this feature to post their progress with independent novel choices or to post reader response journals. Separate lit circle groups could be established to keep the in-class discussions going. Student groups would be an excellent option for extra-curricular book clubs at your school.

2. Research reading selections. Students can use the overviews and user reviews to select potential novels and add them to their to-read bookshelf.

3. Have your students join the Reading Challenge, set their targets and record their progress.

4. Use the fan feature for active goodread authors and follow their updates and posts. This would be a great option if you chose a recently published novel for your class and were lucky enough to establish contact with the author ahead of time. Perhaps the author would be willing to answer a few questions the class comes up with.

5. Discuss the public rating and review features of the site to have your students generate the criteria for creating meaningful book reviews. Your students could then write and post reviews based on that criteria. Those reviews could be shared, "liked" and commented on by classmates.

6. Use the public discussion feature to have you students post to threads about the novel they are reading. A little diligence would be required here to select threads that are active and worthwhile.

Could you use Goodreads in the classroom? What features appeal to you?