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Literature Circles at Olive B. Loss have become an integral part of the reading curriculum for all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes. We even have a 2nd grade class trying them out this year! While they are not mandatory, literature cirlces provide a very unique experience for our young readers- the opportunity to talk about what they read! The purpose of the circle is to dicuss one's intepretation of the reading and relate it one's own feelings or experiences. It is a time to question the writing and, with the help friends, dig deep into the story to find meaning and value. Students enjoy hearing other's ideas and thoughts while learning and developing valuable reading strategies.
How do they work?
It is simple. A group of students (can be the whole class or a small of group of just 5 or 6 students) read the same book. They complete the reading at home, on their own. While they read, they write sticky notes using specific reading strategies (see below). These notes are used to help guide their discussion, if needed. They are little reminders for what the student wants to discuss. When the group gets together, they have 15-20 minutes to discuss the reading.
What do we read?
All kinds of great books! I try to select up-to-date, modern stories that students will be able to relate to and learn from. The books usually have more than one big issue to discuss- for example, "The Tiger Rising" deals with a parent's death, friendship, a father/son relationship, and acceptance. The books we read for lit circles force discussion. These are also usually books that most students wouldn't necessarily pick up on their own. We are trying to open their minds to new authors and new styles of writing. For example, some of the books, like "Love That Dog" and "Locomotion," are written in poetry format. I am constantly searching for new lit circle books and welcome all suggestions!
Why do we do lit circles?
Well, because they are FUN, of course! But, more than that, students are developing crucial reading strategies such as infering, predicting, questioning, and connecting through the circles. We require THINKING! Lit circles do not have right or wrong answers. We are asking students to form opinions and support their ideas with support and details from the story. Everything we do in lit circles connects to classroom instruction- not just for English Lanuage Arts, but for other subjects as well. We teach students how to work together and listen and respond to other's ideas. In science, they are expected to be able to work in groups for the same purpose.
Below is a copy of the Lit Circle Tip Sheet that is sent home to all students participating in circles. Also, attached is the rubric we use for grading.
"Reading research shows that one of the four essential components that students need in order to be successful readers is time to discuss what they have read" (Allington, 2000).
Literature circles are an opportunity for students to discuss what they have read with classmates. This is their time to share what they think and their opinions about the book as well as listen to others who may have differing ideas. Incorporated into literature circles are a variety of higher-level reading strategies that require critical thinking.
To be prepared for literature circles, students need the following: to have completed the reading, their book, and their sticky notes. While reading the literature circle book, students must keep notes about what they would like to discuss with their group. Here are the strategies that should be used to "sticky":
Questions- focus on OPEN questions that can be answered in many different ways depending on one’s interpretation. These are not questions that can be answered by the book (those are closed questions)- you must THINK about them. Example: Why was the character not able to express themselves?
Connections- text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world and text-to-author. Connections must help the reader understand the text better (can't just be something you have in common with the text, like "I have a big brother, too!") A good example of a connection is: "I have a big brother who is always getting into trouble, just like in the book, so I know how the character feels when she gets caught in the middle between her parents and her brother."
Predictions- using clues and support from the book, you can predict what you think will happen later in the story. Remember, the prediction MUST make sense to the story!
Inferences- reading between the lines. This is when you take the information given in the story, but find the hidden meaning behind it- what do you REALLY think is going on? For example: "The character’s book report was way too long- I think he is up to something…"
Observations- anything in the story that makes you stop and comment, like "Wow! That surprised me!" These should be big moments in the story that you would like to discuss with your group.
EVERYTHING YOU SAY MUST BE FOLLOWED BY "BECAUSE…" WITH SUPPORT/DETAILS
FROM THE STORY!
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| Non Verbal |
Eyes not focused on the speaker; does not listen to other’s; body is inattentive |
Eyes rarely on speaker; sometimes listens to other’s ideas; body is rarely attentive or in control |
Eyes mostly on speaker; listens to other’s ideas; body is mostly attentive and in control |
Eyes consistently on speaker; listens to other’s ideas; body is always attentive and in control |
| Verbal |
Does not participate in the discussion; interrupts the flow of the discussion with irrelevant comments and/or ideas; does not listen or respond |
Sometimes shares ideas; does not provide details from the text to support ideas; consistently tries to change the topic and interrupts the flow of the discussion; rarely listens and responds to others |
Consistently and openly shares ideas; provides relevant details from the text to support most ideas; sometimes changes the topic and interrupts the flow of the discussion; consistently listens and responds to others |
Consistently and openly shares ideas; provides relevant details from the text to support all ideas; discusses one topic at a time and enables the flow of the discussion; consistently listens and responds to others |
| Stickies |
Notes do not show a high level of critical thinking and reading strategies are not evident |
Few notes show a high level of critical thinking and there is no variety of strategies |
Some notes show a high level of critical thinking using some reading strategies such as: Asking open-ended questions; making relevant predictions and connections; inferring author intent and making insightful comments |
Notes consistently show a high level of critical thinking using a variety of reading strategies such as: Asking open-ended questions; making relevant predictions and connections; inferring author intent and making insightful comments |
| Preparation |
Did not complete the reading |
Finished the reading and can participate; does not have reading materials and/or flags |
Finished reading; had reading materials and flags |
|
| Points possible- 15 | |
