Literature Circles

Lennie GarciaSheryl.Garcia@ectorcountyisd.org

Carla StringerCarla.stringer@ectorcountyisd.org

NormsParticipate and fully engage in activities Respect different perspectivesUnplug yourselfHave funTake care of your needs

CPQ:How can I use

Literature Circles to enhance the learning

of my proficient readers?

Agenda:A day with my favorite characterUltimate goal What are Literature Circles and the research behind themSteps for implementationKeeping the energy alive in your Literature CirclesTypes of Mini LessonsScheduling OptionsDLIQ Reflection

A day with….

Think about your favorite book character. If you could spend a day with him/her, what would you spend your time doing?

What is your ultimate goal for your students?

What are Literature Circles?

Literature Circles are to students what Book Clubs are to adults. The ultimate goal is to provide a life-long love for reading. Through student choice and self-motivation, Literature Circles aim "to allow students to practice and develop the skills and strategies of good readers (DaLie, 2001)”.

What does research say about Literature Circles?

Book club-type discussions have been linked to higher reading achievement at a variety of grade levels and among students who are poor, inner-city, bilingual, ESL, or incarcerated (Daniels, 2001).

The National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that kids who do large amounts of independent reading score about 10 percent higher on reading tests than kids who read little or not at all (Daniels and Steineke, 2004).

Furthermore…

Schooling that’s filled with solitary and mechanical work, frustration, and failure doesn’t bond kids to reading. People who read and think and grow for a lifetime typically fell in love with books at an early age, and often, a teacher was the matchmaker (Daniels and Steineke, 2004).

Getting started with Literature CirclesCreate an environment where students feel safe sharing ideas openly. Choose a variety of novels at varying levels.Have a book talk-introduce novels to students, read a synopsis of each, and let students peruse. Put students into groups and assign jobs. Students will set deadlines for when each section of the book should be completed.Facilitate and watch your students excited to learn!

Create an environment where students feel safe sharing ideas

openly.

In your groups, create a mini-lesson to teach the skill that was assigned to you. Use the chart paper to help express your ideas.

3

Choose a variety of novels at different levels.

RS T

Z

How do I pick novels?Just remember to SWIPE a good

book!Size of print/# of pagesWell-written

Interesting/meaningful

Pictures

Emotions

Is the book long/short enough? Is the print large/small enough?

Is the book written in a style that I would want my students to mimic?

Does the book cover topics that are interesting to my students? Are there ideas that mean something in the life of my students?

Are there pictures? Can my students use the pictures to refine literary skills?

Will the book evoke strong emotions from my students? Are these emotions appropriate subject matter for my students to explore?

Have a book talk-introduce novels to students, read a synopsis of each, and

let students peruse.Buffet of booksBlind date with a bookRank the summariesRead summariesFavorite First Lines

Put students into groups and assign jobs-students will set deadlines for when each section of the book should be completed.

Literature Circle PacketsFoldersRoles can be based on the needs of the students (driven by data)

Facilitate and watch your students excited to learn!

Keeping the energy alive in your literature circles-

Revisit your groups after each novel. Teach mini-lessons throughout the year based on needs.

CommunicationAnnotating textAsking good questionsEtc.

Allow students to hold more responsibility.Choosing novels to be selectedChoosing roles that need to be completed

Mini-Lessons5-15 minute lessons that cover topics as needed

Social skillsCognitive skills and strategiesSmart reader strategies

Different purposesIntroduce a new skillPractice a newly taught skillDemonstrate a helpful variation on previously taught skills/strategies

“Effective social skills, active reading strategies, and good

books are the foundation of all kinds of engaging classroom

(and life) activities (Daniels and Steineke, 2004).”

“I’ve noticed a problem…”

“Let’s try something new…”

Teacher explains why it matters

Teacher connects to own reading

Students brainstorm solutionsTeacher adds own ideasStudents choose a solutionStudents commit to implement

Define skill/strategyPractice with short textShare responsesStudents commit to implement

Groups meet and apply mini-lesson

Debrief outcomes

OR

AND

Schedule OptionsLiterature Circles should meet on a predictable schedule 1-3 times weekly.Literature Circle discussion days:

You can pull a small group to the table while your students are engaging in their Literature Circle discussions.

Mini-lesson 5-15 minutes

Literature Circle-discussion

20-30 minutes(or longer)

Debrief/mini-lesson

5-15 minutes

Schedule OptionsLiterature Circles should meet on a predictable schedule 1-3 times weekly.If you want to monitor students while they read and work in the beginning stages of implementation, you could allow time daily (during your whole group instruction) for them to work and you to provide mini-lessons.Students read silently

(complete role)15 minutes

Mini-lesson 10 minutes

Whole group lesson 35 minutes

DLIQ-Reflectionid

earnednterestinguestions

Fold your paper into four sections and label. As you reflect, answer the following questions:

*What did I do today? *What did I learn today?*What did I find

interesting?*What questions do I still

have?

Resources

Daniels, H. and Steineke, N. (2004). Mini-lessons for Literature Circles. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Johnson, N. J. and Noe, K. L. (1999). Getting Started with Literature Circles. Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.