Digital Literature Circles
What are literature circles?
· small groups of students gathered together to discuss a piece of literature in depth
o discussion is guided by students' responses to what they have read
o students talk about events and characters in the text, elements of literature, personal experiences related to the story, etc.
· literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to a text
· collaboration is at the heart of a successful literature circle
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Overview:
· Each group will have approximately five to six students
· Each student will be responsible for completing his or her assigned task
· Each student will receive an individual grade based on his or her contribution
· You will be given a calendar so you know how much you need to read and are aware of relevant due dates
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Tasks:
· Discussion Director
o write 7 questions that the group will discuss (avoid superficial plot questions, yes or no questions)
o facilitate all aspects of the discussion
· Character Tracker
o identify passages in the text that trace the nature of the characters featured in the assigned sections/chapters
o must speak in depth on at least 2 characters per reading assignment and cite something significant they said or did while providing a thorough explanation of what those things reveal about the characters’ personalities
· Theme Tracker
o must find at least 2 excerpts from the text that contribute to the development of an overarching theme on any of the subjects provided (see list of subjects)
o must provide an explanation of how the excerpts from the text support the development of a theme
· Extender
o make a connection between what is happening in the text and something else from our world like a song, video/film, photo, news story, magazine article, etc.
o must come in with at least 1 concrete example (link to song lyrics, link to news or magazine article, specific examples from a film, link to an excerpt from another literary work) that connects the night’s reading to something else
· Vocabulary Builder
o identify and define unknown or problematic words in the reading
o must come in with 5 words and direct the group’s attention to the location of the words in the text and provide explanations of what the words mean including a synonym for each word
· Recorder
o responsible each day for taking notes on the following and posting it to the group’s page in MBC:
§ the questions posed to the group by the Discussion Director (do not have to post answers)
§ key points made during the discussion about the characters, themes, and outside connections to the text
Ø NO SUMMARY OF THE TEXT – this section should include the essential information from the group’s analysis and evaluation of the reading with focus on the areas listed above
§ brief discussion of the group’s overall personal reaction to the reading
* Discussion Director/Vocabulary Builder will be combined in groups with 5.
Removal from the Group Temporarily and Permanently:
· If you do not come prepared with your assigned task, you will be asked to work independently of the group; this will result in loss of group participation points
· If you are absent 4 days in a row during this unit or your absences, though not consecutive, add up to 6 or more during the course of the unit, you will be removed permanently from the group and all work will be completed independently
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Step-by Step Instructions for Literature Circles
1. Read the assigned sections/chapters (see calendar)
2. Be prepared each day with the work completed for your assigned task (see tasks)
3. The following is to be done every time the group meets in this order:
a. Discussion Director calls on one member of the group to give a brief overview or summary of the reading.
b. Discussion Director poses his or her questions one at a time to the group for discussion.
c. Discussion Director asks the Character Tracker to share his/her findings.
d. Discussion Director asks the Theme Tracker to share his/her findings.
e. Discussion Director asks the Extender to share his/her findings.
f. Discussion Director asks the Vocabulary Builder to share his/her findings.
g. Recorder takes notes during the discussion and will upload the key information from the group’s
discussion to the group’s page in MBC.
4. All of these tasks must be completed within a 35-40 minute time frame.