Third, fourth and fifth graders in Chapel Hill Elementary's 21st Century Community Learning Center program are taking part in a new literacy initiative called CHES Cheetah Champions Book Clubs.

Claire Cooley, the school's master teacher and 21st Century coordinator, created the clubs to build a love of reading, strengthen comprehension skills and encourage collaborative discussion among the program's 34 students, known as Cheetah Champions.

Staff spent the past several months collecting book sets matched to students' Lexile levels, a measure of reading ability. Students are grouped into clubs by reading level and interest.

Students take turns reading aloud, track their minutes on Beanstack and share thoughts on character actions and plot developments in small groups around shared tables, Cooley said. Reading rugs and cozy corners add a friendly atmosphere to the space.

Students wear colored Beanstack Bracelets based on grade level as an accountability reminder. They work to fill pompom jars by meeting Beanstack goals and use Book Club Bingo cards to guide their reading responses.

"The energy in the classrooms has been contagious, with students expressing overwhelming excitement about this new opportunity," Cooley said.