Literature Circles

Day 1: Surveys and getting to know the books

  • Listen/read the descriptions of the books
  • Follow the directions on the handout you’ve been given.
  • Return survey to teacher.

Day 2-3: Organizing your group

  • Choose roles for each discussion day of your book (everyone needs to do eachrole at least once). You must have, at the minimum, 6 discussion days. There are nine possible scheduled days for discussion. This means you may spend all of those days discussing, or you may spend some days reading and some days discussing. Your group may choose what will work best for them. You must have, at the minimum, 6 discussion days.Report decisions to Ms. Okey.
  • Decide consequences for members who come unprepared (see role sheets). Report these to Ms. Okey.
  • Set reading schedules for book (see table below). Report these to Ms. Okey. She’ll copy them and return them to you.
  • Set discussion schedules and roles for book (see table below). Report these to Ms. Okey. She’ll copy them and return them to your group.

Day 4-13: Reading and Discussion meetings

  • Meet in groups, read, and do roles assigned by group.
  • Use role assignment sheets to complete discussion work for each day
  • Fill out short student-responsibility sheets for yourself and members of your group (turn these in EACH day)

Day 14-17: Final Projects(instructions handed out later)

  • Discuss and assign workloads for final projects (everyone must have equal amounts/time of work)
  • Decide what your group will do if you finish projects before allotted class time to work on projects is over
  • Work on final projects, prepare a 6-minute presentation for class with written notes for each member

Day 18-19:

  • Present group projects to class
  • Turn in all final work for projects, including final self and group evaluations
  • If you’re absent on the day your group presents, you’ll lose 70% of your final project grade

NOTES / (Day 1)Date: ______
Get to know the BOOKS / (Day 2)Date: ______
Organize group assignments/reading schedules. / READ only
(Day 3)Date: ______
Finish organizing group assignments/reading schedules. Begin reading.
Today you will spend whatever is left of the class, reading your book and preparing your first round of roles for the first discussion day. / READ
(Day 4)Date: ______
Today you will just read your book and prepare your roles for your first discussion day. / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 5)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator:
READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 6)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 7)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 8)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 9) Date:______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 10)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator:
READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 11)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / READ or DISCUSS?
(Day 12)Date: ______
Have book read to ______by today
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / DISCUSS
(Day 13)Date:______
LAST DAY TO DISCUSS. Book finished by today.
Discussion Director:
Knowledge Enricher:
Sketcher:
Passage Illuminator: / (Day 14) Date: ______
Finish all discussions.
Organize project work, and begin final project work with group. / (Day 15)Date: ______
Work on projects
(Day 16)Date: ______
Work on projects / (Day 17)Date: ______
Work on projects, if time is needed. If it is not needed, we will begin presentations. / (Day 18)Date: ______
Present to class.
If you’re absent during your group presentation you will lose 70% of final project points / (Day 19)Date: ______
Present any other group projects that were not done yesterday.