Activity 1: Using Forum for a book discussion

Aim: Help motivate students by discussing what books to read

Moodle modules: Forum

Extra programs: None

Ease of setup: *

A key element in any activity is motivating our students. This is particularly so with reading, which requires stamina, concentration, and time for many students.

We can use the Forum module to personalize the choice of reading and build up excitement and anticipation.

In this activity we're going to focus on setting up a simple discussion in which students discuss what books to read. Before we do that, we need to think of some good questions to start a discussion. One could be an open question like:

This month our class is going to read and discuss some books in English. What books would you like to read? Post your thoughts and say why you chose your book!

If it's difficult for your students to suggest books themselves, or you would like them to consider a specific set of books, you could suggest some titles, describe them briefly...