1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Elementary Education
photo of Beth Lewis

Beth's Elementary Education Blog

By Beth Lewis, About.com Guide to Elementary Education since 1999

How to Start an After-School Club

Tuesday October 6, 2009

When I first entered the classroom, I organized an after-school Writers Club for the students at my school. The idea and momentum came from a pair of particularly enthusiastic students who loved to write short stories for fun at home. They heard I was a writer and the spark was lit!


The Writers Club became an extended Teachable Moment that inspired a small group of young students to take themselves seriously as writers. I hope that this experience gave them the motivation to maintain a lifelong passion for the written word.


So, I speak from experience when I tell you my tips for How to Start an After-School Club. The topic could be stamp collecting, music, chess, animated novels... whatever! The important thing is that you and your students work together to further your collective love for a given topic.


I'm curious... has anyone else successfully started an after-school club? What is your favorite tip for club success?

Comments

November 20, 2008 at 10:44 am
(1) Lindsey says:

This is such a great idea! It is widely known that students who participate in extracurricular activities do better academically. Sometimes, however; the school doesn’t provide enough extracurricular activities for the younger students. It is great that you started your own club where you saw a need for one. Have you ever thought about entering the students in your writing club into some writing competitions?

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Explore Elementary Education

About.com Special Features

A Smarter Future

Tips that will help finance your education, excel in the classroom, and advance your career. More >

How to Ace the GRE

Being well prepared is the first step; here are more essential suggestions. More >

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Elementary Education

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.