Sell your Book: Using Student-Created Booktalks for Student Book Selection

I love booktalking, but I always find it frustrating; I prep 3-5 booktalks, go into classrooms for the day, and pitch the book. It's great for a couple periods, but after a while, I run out of copies of the books I'm promoting. It feels silly to booktalk books that aren't available to be checked out, and creating booktalks is a TON of work, so it's not practical to just switch to different booktalks in the afternoon. 

The "Sell Your Book!" activity is my answer to this problem.

It's a fresh, new alternative to speed-dating or book-tasting selection activities. This book selection activity asks students to "sell" a book by working collaboratively to create a booktalk they present to the class. The lesson takes 40-45 minutes, requires both independent and collaborative work, and harnesses the power of student voice and student choice. 

Because STUDENTS are creating NEW booktalks every period, it solves my booktalk problem; we never run out of books, and students get to decide what's worthy of promotion.

This resource is available in my TPT store.

If you'd like to create your own version, here are more details about the steps:

1. Students sit in groups. Each group is provided with one book per person. Students spend 2 minutes reviewing their book, using the provided graphic organizer to summarize their feelings, then pass it to the next person in their group. This continues until everyone in the group has reviewed each book.
2. Each group then votes, selecting their favorite book to "sell." Working collaboratively, they create a Google Slide about their book, using the provided template.
3. Next, the groups present their books, using the Google Slide they created to pitch the title to the class. As the audience listens, they rate each title on the provided handout.
4. Finally, when it's time for book checkout, students can select any of the titles - either ones they reviewed independently or titles other groups "sold."