Literature Circles: The Key to Reading Success in Grades 3-8
Agenda
What are Lit Circles?
Purpose of Lit Circles?
How do they Contribute to Student Learning?
Ready, Set, Go
How Do I Choose a Text?
How Do I Form Groups?
Literature Notebooks
Management!!!!!
What is the Teacher’s Role?
The Almighty Agenda- Three Components
See it in Action- The Passion, the Intellect, the Enthusiasm!
Taylor Ramsey
SLA 2001
(225) 772-0760
What are literature circles? (The pedagogical answer)
Literature circles are known by many other names, including literature clubs, lit clubs, book clubs, literature study, and reader’s circle. Despite which name you choose it refers to a specific instructional approach which can include up to, but not all of the following elements:
Student facilitated discussions of literature.
Small heterogeneous or homogeneous groups reading the same text
Collaborating with group members to reflect on, analyze, and criticize literature.
Integrating previously learned skills into literature circle meetings to extend comprehension.
Student self-selection of books
What are literature circles? (the non-pedagogical answer)
In my classroom literature circles were four homogenous groups of eight students. I assigned each group a book according to their reading level. Everyday the group met for a 50-minute block. All four groups met at the same time, and were spaced throughout the room as to not disturb each other. Different jobs were assigned to the group members. There was a facilitator, writer, and supplies manager. Every day each group was provided with a teacher-created agenda that led students through skills based comprehension extensions (to be discussed in greater detail later). The facilitator would lead the group through the agenda, the writer would record anything that needed to be written and the supplies manager was in charge of collecting and returning supplies at the beginning and end of the block. Phew! That is a very general description. Let’s now go into more detail.
Purposes of Literature Circles (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001)
Increase students’ enjoyment of reading.
Make students aware of the value of their personal responses to what they read.
Engage students in meaningful literary discussions.
Provide rich experiences with a range of genres representing many different periods and cultures.
Expand students’ knowledge of authors and background knowledge.
Deepen students’ understanding of the qualities that make well-crafted literature.
Demonstrate new ways of interpreting and analyzing text.
Foster critical thinking.
These purposes are achieved through the activities outlined in the daily agendas.
How Literature Circles Contribute to Students’ Learning(Fountas and Pinnell, 2001)
1. Expands reading comprehension strategies. This is only as good as you make it! Your agendas should guide your students in using a range of comprehension strategies. They make connections between the literature they read and their own personal knowledge, world knowledge, and text knowledge. They use what they know to make inferences from the text as well as analyze, summarize, synthesize, and criticize.
2. Learning to think critically. Guided by their own interpretations as well as yours and their peers, students learn to make decisions about the relevant information in texts. They also consider and explore a variety of perspectives.
3. Appreciating the aesthetic qualities of literature. Learning to enjoy and respond to literature helps students develop an artistic appreciation of reading. They learn to appreciate the way writers use language to evoke emotions and create images that “show” rather than “tell” about life.
4. Develop communication skills. Students develop their ability to communicate with their peers. They learn to listen to other perspectives and defend their own with specific examples from the text.
5. Extending writing skills. Students learn to make rich connections between the texts they read and their own writing. They discern the qualities of powerful models and analyze them in ways that help them use language creatively to express ideas, support arguments, and organize facts.
Warning: Literature Circles are only as good as YOU make them. Skills based agendas and holding students accountable is KEY. (more about this later)
What do you need to get started?
Book sets (either for the whole class or for groups of 5-8)
Space to have groups
Markers
Literature notebooks that allow paper to be added daily (clear plastic report covers, binders, three pronged folders)
Teacher created agendas
Journal supplement pages
How do I choose the texts my students are to use in Literature Circles?
(Fountas and Pinnell, 2001)
Well, depending on the resources at your school, availability is going to be the number one factor. Once you have located the book sets available to you consider the following criteria.
Texts for Literature Circles should:
Be developmentally appropriate.
“Teach” and “stretch”.
Include layers of meaning.
Exemplify worthwhile issues.
Reflect a variety of perspectives.
Represent our diverse world.
Encompass a variety of authors.
Encompass a variety of genres.
Encompass a range of levels.
Exemplify special features (figurative language, poetry, flashback, etc).
The Ability to Teach and Stretch (Fountas and Pinnell, 2001)
Because students will be working without your direct guidance you want to select books that are in the students control, but offer them opportunities to learn more about how books work. If the books offer them new features for them to notice and use in their search for meaning, simply reading the text will, in a sense, “teach” them. Texts that offer new ways of using language will stretch kids because they will need to expand their present abilities. Literature circles are a scaffold that makes the task easier.
Worthwhile Issues
My students most enjoyed books that dealt with issues that were relevant to them. For instance in the book Maniac Magee, the boy is confronted by racism, homelessness, alcoholism, illiteracy. In Yolanda’s Genius , Yolanda and her brother weave their way through drug dealers, bullies, and school shootings. My students had amazingly thought provoking discussions about these topics and were passionate about it. Some other themes to look for in books are:
Taking responsibility.
Being your own person.
Working for goals.
Fighting against oppression.
Appreciating differences.
Looking below the surface.
Thinking critically.
How do I form groups?
You have several choices:
Homogenous by ability level- In this group you would assign a book that matches their reading level and write agendas accordingly.
Heterogeneous ability grouping- a mix of high, low, and medium. In this group you might think about personalities that clash, or book interest. You could have different groups reading different books based on student selection or interest.
I would suggest doing homogeneous, teacher selected groups the first time and then working up to student-selected heterogeneous groups.
Literature Circle Notebooks- Student Accountability
Each student should have a notebook designated specifically for Literature Circles. It should allow for paper to be added to it each day (binder, 3-pronged folder, plastic report cover). In these notebooks students will keep all of their assignments generated from the daily agendas. Students will put any graphic organizers, journals, writing assignments you give them in the notebooks. I would advise collecting them once a week and using it as assessment. You can also use them as dialogue journals. This is where you ask students to write a letter to you about a given topic, (the part of the book they most identify with, the funniest part of the book, a part of the book they didn’t understand, etc.), and then write back to them, asking them probing questions to increase critical thinking. This also makes students accountable for the quality of work they are producing at Lit Circles.
The BIGGIE: Management
As you have probably already realized, in order for Literature Circles to be effective routines and rules must be in place. Here is what I did in preparation for Lit Circles.
Day 1 Explanation and Practice:
Explain what Lit Circles are and why you are doing them (look to purposes if you have forgotten!)
Explain the role of the facilitator, writer, and supplies manager.
Put a sample agenda on the overhead and model how the facilitator would guide their group through the agenda. Explain that the facilitator for the day decides who reads when. Students should raise hands for facilitators attention.
Designate a spot in the room for supplies and agenda pick up. Check for understanding by having students demonstrate where and how to get supplies (quickly and quietly, etc)
Distribute Lit Notebooks and books to be read.
Establish a cue. Example: You say, “Lit Circle Ready” and all students have one minute to take out their Lit Notebooks, books, and a writing utensil.
Assign each student a group and show them where in the room they will be sitting.
Practice getting the desks in to place. Establish a cue. Example: You say, “Desks in place” and assigned students move desks into groups”.
Practice walking to Lit Circle groups. Establish a cue. Example: You say, “ Group 1 walk” and those students walk to Lit Circle group and sit. So on and so forth with all the groups. I would highly suggest having students sit in the same place everyday! Practice this 6-10 times!!!!!!!!!!!!
Practice having students return to seats after Lit Circles.
Day 2: More Practice/ Dry Run
Have students practice responding to the cues for getting out Lit supplies, getting to Lit Circles and returning to desks.
Have students conduct a short Lit Circle Session. Provide every group with a short and simple agenda (20 minutes)
Praise groups that are following procedure.
Remind groups of routines that need it.
Evaluate Lit Circles- ask students what they did well, and what needs improvement.
Day 3: More Practice/ Dry Run
Have students practice responding to the cues for getting out Lit supplies, getting to Lit Circles and returning to desks.
Have students conduct slightly longer Lit Circle Session. Provide every group with a short and simple agenda (30 minutes)
Praise groups that are following procedure.
Remind groups of routines that need it.
Evaluate Lit Circles- ask students what they did well, and what needs improvement.
Day 4: HERE WE GO!
Students should be able to travel to and from Lit Circles according to procedures.
Group members should do their jobs.
Agenda should be approximately 50 minutes to complete.
What is the Teacher’s Role during Literature Circles?
Rotating Observer/Occasional Guide- You are moving about the room listening in on group discussions and interjecting when necessary. You stop to observe, but try to limit interruptions of the group. You are monitoring for behavior and procedure adherence.
The Almighty Agenda- Actualizing the Learning Goals of Lit Circles
While Lit Circles allow for increased student independence the teacher does have his own agenda, both figuratively and literally. The efficacy of Lit Circles is going to depend greatly on the quality of the agendas you provide for your students. The agenda is where you are actualizing the intended purposes and benefits of Lit Circles. You should be taking the skills taught in direct instruction reading lessons and integrating them into your Lit Circle agendas. Agendas should have three basic components: reading and discussion questions, skills based activities, and response journal questions. It will be your job to write the groups’ daily agendas. Let’s look at a sample agenda and work from there.
Agenda—Day 12 Yolanda’s GeniusStep 1: HW Discussion Questions (facilitator reads)
What does Yolanda’s mother think about Yolanda’s piano performance? What adjectives from the story allow you to infer this way?
Why do you think Yolanda looks for her father when she sees police officers?
Step 2: Read pages s 164-170 aloud and then ask the following discussion questions (facilitator chooses readers and asks questions)
What does Yolanda hope might happen if Andrew meets one of the musicians at the Blues Festival?
On page 168, Yolanda things to herself that, “White ladies are easier to con than black ladies”. Why might Yolanda have this perspective? Do you agree with this assertion? Why or why not?
Step 3: Facilitator, read this to the group: “On page 170 Carol Fenner uses great descriptions of the people at the festival. Choose one person to read the third paragraph about the chubby woman out loud”. As a group do the following tasks.
What adjectives does Carol Fenner use to describe this woman?
What similes does she use to describe this woman?
What words and phrases does Carol Fenner use to give the reader a good mental picture of this woman? List these words and phrases on the chart on the journal page provided to you today.
Step 4: Now it’s your turn to be Carol Fenner. Choose one person from your group. Write a descriptive paragraph about this person. Use similes and adjectives in your description in order to give your reader a clear mental picture. Remember to describe the inside and outside of this person! Your paragraph should be recorded on today’s journal page.
According to Fountas and Pinelli there are four paths to meaning: talking, writing, reading, and visual and performing arts (charting, mapping, drawing, acting, music). I try to integrate all four of these into all of my agendas.
What skills are being addressed in the above agenda?
Inferring
Similes
Descriptive writing
Author’s craft
Character development
Planning and Writing an Agenda
When writing an agenda it may be useful to use this template in order to effectively include the three components of a good agenda: reading and discussion questions, skills based activities, and journal response questions.
Agenda TemplateReading assignment for the day- Pages: ______
Discussion questions:
______
______
______
Skill to be Addressed: ______Graphic Organizer Needed: ______
Skills Based Activity:
______
Response Journal Topic: ______
The Three Components of a Good Agenda:
1. Discussion Questions: This is where your students will monitor their own comprehension and engage in meaningful literary discussions. This will give students an opportunity to listen to their peers’ perspectives and defend their own. For a wildly comprehensive list of possible discussion questions look to the end of this packet.
2. Skills Based Activities: This is where you will take the skills you have taught in direct instruction reading and incorporate them into your agendas. Here you should be pushing higher-order thinking skills in the activities you assign. Here are a list of possible skill based tasks:
Timelining- groups make a timeline of the important event in the story
Story map- students use graphic organizer to list story elements
Webs- central ideas, characteristics, relationships between characters
Context Clues- have students identify 5 words they don’t know, copy the sentence its in and make guesses as to its meaning and then look up actual meaning.
Character Report card- students give characters a grade on responsibility, honesty, etc, students must use specific examples from book to justify grade.
Cause and Effect Charts
Venn Diagram- compare characters, compare themselves to characters, compare periods of time, compare cultures.
Rewrite the end of chapter or book.
Character Trait Map
Writing a dialogue between two characters
Make a list of actions that were justified and unjustified, why?
Many of the graphic organizers used in these activities have been included in the back of this packet.
3. Response Journals- This serves as an assessment tool for the skill being taught. This should be more than just meaningless writing. Students should know that this writing will be assessed and possibly responded to. I would take good response journals and make examples of them. Copy them onto overheads and point out what make s it a good response journal. You may also want to do a mini lesson on how to write a quality response journal. For a list of great response journal ideas look to the end of this packet.
What kids say about Literature Circles?
“I liked Literature Circles because it give us time to express our feelings” – Alex Johnson, 5th grade
“ I did like literature circles because we got to be the leader at some point in time. I also liked it because we got to share out ideas” – Dakota Fisher, 5th grade
“ I like literature circles because I had a chance to talk about different things in the book” – Christian Jones, 5th grade
“ I liked literature circles because we were in small groups and I work better in small groups” – Jarvis Jack, 5th grade
Bibliography
Fountas, Irene, and Pinnell, Gay Su, Guiding Reading and Writers Grades 3-6, Heinemann,
Portsmouth, NH, 2001
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