Book Club Meeting Plan: "Breakout at the Bug Lab" and Second Grade Book Club Activity

Duration: 60 minutes

Objective: Engage students in discussion about the book’s themes, characters, and plot.

1. Welcome and Warm-Up (5 mins)

• Icebreaker: Have each student share their favorite bug and one fun fact about it.

• Set the Tone: Briefly recap what was read independently. Students expected to read first chapter on their own.

  
  

2. Quick Recap (5 mins)

• Summary: Ask one or two students to provide a brief summary of the plot so far.

• Discuss Questions: Prompt students with a few guiding questions:

  • What are your thoughts on the main characters?

  • What challenges have they faced?

3. Group Reading (20 mins)

Start by reading the first page and have students take turn reading.

• Start by reading the first page and have students take turn reading.

• Focus on intonation and fluency.

• Have students dramatize what they are reading.

4. Character and Theme Discussion (20 mins)

• Character Focus: Choose 1-2 main characters to discuss.

  • What are their motivations?

  • How do they change throughout the story?

  
  

• Theme Exploration: Discuss key themes (e.g., friendship, teamwork).

  • How are these themes illustrated in the story?

  • Can they relate to their own experiences?

    
    

5. Closing Thoughts (10 mins)

• Final Reflections: Invite students to share their favorite moment from the book so far and why it stood out to them.

Activity:

After the book discussion, we will play a fun game called "Musical Bugs" with trivia. This game is similar to musical chairs, but instead of chairs, we’ll have toy bugs placed in bottles, with one bottle left empty. The children will walk around the bottles while music plays. When the music stops, each student grabs a bottle. The person who picks the empty bottle will have a chance to continue playing by answering a bug trivia question correctly. The game continues until only one player is left standing, and the winner will receive a small bug-themed prize.

After the game, we’ll serve snacks, and then everyone will be dismissed.

You can purchase the book by clicking on the following link: "Breakout at The Bug Lab" by Ruth Horowitz

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

second grade book club activity