Timber Lane Elementary School 2737 West St., Falls Church, VA 22046
Telephone: (703) 206-5300 FAX: (703) 206-5397
News From Our Book Clubs
Book club members Dana, Flavia, and Christina report, "Our book club read Eager by Helen Fox. It takes place in the future where everyone has robots. Eager is a robot with feelings, who learns from experience like a child.
"Then Ms. Simon took us to see the Robotopia Rising exhibit at the Kennedy Center. We saw lots of futuristic robots. One was an android who looked extremely human-like. She could answer certain questions. When Christina told her that she was so real it was creepy, the robot responded, 'that hurt. Robots have feelings too.' We also saw a robot that can play a trumpet, a yellow robot who talks and exercises, and a dog robot (Flavia’s favorite) who responds to commands. Dana and Christina’s favorite robot was a robotic stuffed animal seal that is used in hospitals to comfort and relax people. We liked going to Robotopia Rising. It was fun and unique!"
Ms. Connolly's Book Club read Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Ms. Connolly talked a lot about her dog as they discussed the book. As a special treat, Ms. Connolly brought her dog in to meet the club members.
Mrs. Savage's book club read Phineas L MacGuire Erupts by Frances O'Roark Dowell. A big part of the story's plot revolved around a science experiment. So when the students finished the book, they used water, sugar, and string to make rock candy as a science experiment.
Miss Jackie's Book Club read Main Street by Ann M. Martin. In this book, the main characters, Flora and Ruby, spend a great deal of time in their grandmother's sewing shop. Miss Savage, the library media assistant and an accomplished textile artist, showed the girls smocking and embroidery. Then we all did a craft activity to simulate the creativity of the characters in the book.
One of our members appeared on our television news show and said: "I never used to be really drawn into books. But when you discuss a book with your friends, it turns out to be fun, and you want to read more.
"Take for instance, the book my club just read: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins. This book is about a boy who goes to the Underland, a city under New York. The Underlanders have a prophecy that Gregor has to fulfill. So he goes on a journey to fulfill it. Gregor has lots of adventures in this book, like saving his friend from a whirlpool and slaying a giant squid. This book is adventurous and full of action. Talking about this book was fun because each adventure gave us something new to talk about. So I recommend the book to anybody who likes adventure and I recommend joining a Book Club for the same reason. "
We have book clubs at Timber Lane for students in grades 4-6. Each group meets during lunch time, approximately four times a quarter, to discuss a book of their choice with an adult leader. Every student in the book club receives the book to keep. The books are purchased from a PTA allocation and profits from the Scholastic Book Fair.
Here are some more pictures of our book clubs with the books they are reading:
Book club members Dana, Flavia, and Christina report, "Our book club read Eager by Helen Fox. It takes place in the future where everyone has robots. Eager is a robot with feelings, who learns from experience like a child. 
"Then Ms. Simon took us to see the Robotopia Rising exhibit at the Kennedy Center. We saw lots of futuristic robots. One was an android who looked extremely human-like. She could answer certain questions. When Christina told her that she was so real it was creepy, the robot responded, 'that hurt. Robots have feelings too.' We also saw a robot that can play a trumpet, a yellow robot who talks and exercises, and a dog robot (Flavia’s favorite) who responds to commands. Dana and Christina’s favorite robot was a robotic stuffed animal seal that is used in hospitals to comfort and relax people. We liked going to Robotopia Rising. It was fun and unique!"
Mrs. Savage's book club read Phineas L MacGuire Erupts by Frances O'Roark Dowell. A big part of the story's plot revolved around a science experiment. So when the students finished the book, they used water, sugar, and string to make rock candy as a science experiment.
Miss Jackie's Book Club read Main Street by Ann M. Martin. In this book, the main characters, Flora and Ruby, spend a great deal of time in their grandmother's sewing shop. Miss Savage, the library media assistant and an accomplished textile artist, showed the girls smocking and embroidery. Then we all did a craft activity to simulate the creativity of the characters in the book.
One of our members appeared on our television news show and said: "I never used to be really drawn into books. But when you discuss a book with your friends, it turns out to be fun, and you want to read more.
"Take for instance, the book my club just read: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins. This book is about a boy who goes to the Underland, a city under New York. The Underlanders have a prophecy that Gregor has to fulfill. So he goes on a journey to fulfill it. Gregor has lots of adventures in this book, like saving his friend from a whirlpool and slaying a giant squid. This book is adventurous and full of action. Talking about this book was fun because each adventure gave us something new to talk about. So I recommend the book to anybody who likes adventure and I recommend joining a Book Club for the same reason. "
