Literature Circle
Description
Literature circles are essentially book clubs, where students meet to purposefully discuss text, independently applying the reading comprehension strategies explored with teacher support during Guided Reading. Students are placed into small, heterogeneous groups based mainly on book interest and loosely on reading/skill level. They meet every Tuesday and Friday to discuss the portion of the book assigned to that reading period, completing the book over the course of 3 weeks. During the meetings, each student takes on a specific role (i.e. job) to support their thorough and varied exploration of the text. There are 5 roles in total:
Each student starts on a different page of a folder outlining each role, ensuring they take on each role once while reading the book.
A general outline of this approach to Literature Circles can be found here.
Activity: Mini Literature Circle Jigsaw (prior to starting Literature Circles)
Following the completion of their book, each student will submit their Literature Circle folder containing the work they completed for each role, as well as complete a self-assessment during the last meeting focusing on the following:
Process
Never (0 times), Rarely (1-2 times), Sometimes (3-4 times), Always
- Had appropriate materials and information prepared for meeting
Never (0 times), Rarely (1-2 times), Sometimes (3-4 times), Always
Comprehension
The use of self-assessment in this instance is to once again foster independence in students. This conveys to them that you trust their judgement and expect them to reflect purposefully on their learning experiences. Additionally, the questions incorporated assess both the students' process and product, in terms of reading comprehension, as well as the literature circle as an activity.
Literature circles are essentially book clubs, where students meet to purposefully discuss text, independently applying the reading comprehension strategies explored with teacher support during Guided Reading. Students are placed into small, heterogeneous groups based mainly on book interest and loosely on reading/skill level. They meet every Tuesday and Friday to discuss the portion of the book assigned to that reading period, completing the book over the course of 3 weeks. During the meetings, each student takes on a specific role (i.e. job) to support their thorough and varied exploration of the text. There are 5 roles in total:
- Discussion Director: Develops questions for group
- Summarizer: Summarizes or retells the selected text
- Word Wizard: Identifies and defines new and interesting words
- Literary Luminary: Selects particularly interesting sections or quotations to think about more deeply
- Connector: Makes text-to-self, text-to-world or text-to-text connections to the text
Each student starts on a different page of a folder outlining each role, ensuring they take on each role once while reading the book.
A general outline of this approach to Literature Circles can be found here.
Activity: Mini Literature Circle Jigsaw (prior to starting Literature Circles)
- Read a short story aloud to the students.
- Following the reading, explain to students that they will be completing a jigsaw to explore the various roles each of them will take on during their Literature Circle. Briefly go over what will be expected of each role and split students into heterogeneous groups to complete the task. This should take approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Split students into new groups that include at least one student from each of the role groups. Each student is responsible for sharing the role they practiced, the responsibilities of that role, and examples of what their group came up with.
Following the completion of their book, each student will submit their Literature Circle folder containing the work they completed for each role, as well as complete a self-assessment during the last meeting focusing on the following:
Process
- What was the most helpful role? Why?
- What was the most challenging role? Why?
- How do you feel about using a Literature Circle to explore text? What do you like? What do you dislike?
- How could you, personally, improve for next time?
- Rate your participation on the following:
Never (0 times), Rarely (1-2 times), Sometimes (3-4 times), Always
- Had appropriate materials and information prepared for meeting
Never (0 times), Rarely (1-2 times), Sometimes (3-4 times), Always
Comprehension
- What was your favourite part of the book? Why?
- Who was your favourite character? Why?
- List 3 new things you learned after reading this book.
The use of self-assessment in this instance is to once again foster independence in students. This conveys to them that you trust their judgement and expect them to reflect purposefully on their learning experiences. Additionally, the questions incorporated assess both the students' process and product, in terms of reading comprehension, as well as the literature circle as an activity.
Ontario Curriculum Connections
Balanced Literacy Food Groups: Reading Comprehension Strategies, Motivation for Literacy, Oral Language & ELL, Knowledge Building, Vocabulary
Balanced Literacy Food Groups: Reading Comprehension Strategies, Motivation for Literacy, Oral Language & ELL, Knowledge Building, Vocabulary
Language Arts: Reading
Making Inferences/Interpreting Texts
1.5 develop interpretations about texts using stated and implied ideas to sup- port their interpretations |
Analyzing Texts
1.7 analyze increasingly complex texts and explain how the different elements in them contribute to meaning (e.g., narrative: contribution of characters, setting, and plot to the theme; |
Elements of Style
2.4 identify various elements of style – including voice, word choice, and the use of hyperbole, strong verbs, dialogue, and complex sentences – and explain how they help communicate meaning |
Reading Familiar Words
3.1 automatically read and understand most words in a range of reading contexts |
Reading Fluently
3.3 read appropriate texts with expression and confidence, adjusting reading strategies and reading rate to match the form and purpose |
Metacognition
4.1 identify the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading and explain, in conversation with the teacher and/or peers, or in a reader’s notebook, how they can use these and other strategies to improve as readers |
Interconnected Skills
4.2 explain, in conversation with the teacher and/or peers or in a reader’s notebook, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read |
Social Studies: Communities in Canada, Past and Present; Canada’s Interaction with the Global Community (depending on the content of books chosen)
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