Ø Small, Temporary Discussion Groups
LITERATURE CIRCLES
Key Elements
Ø Small, temporary discussion groups.
Ø Groups meet on a fairly regular basis.
Ø Students take notes which help guide both reading and discussion; these “notes” (role forms) are their tickets to participate in the group discussion.
Ø Students rotate roles.
Ø Discussion questions come from the student, not the teacher.
Ø Teacher does not lead any group; he/she visits and serves as a problem-solving facilitator.
Ø Evaluation is by teacher observation, completion of role sheet or notes, and student self-evaluation.
Roles of Literature Circles
Ø Artful Artist – Draw some kind of picture related to the reading. It does not have to be great art; it can be a sketch, a cartoon, a diagram, a flow chart, a stick-figure scene, etc. You can draw a picture of a person, item, or event that is described in the reading; you can mix drawing and words if you want to. Any kind of drawing or graphic is okay. The only guidelines are that your drawing must relate to the story, should be based on some significant element or aspect rather than something totally trivial, and should try to offer some insight into what we read.
Ø Connector – Your job is to find and explain connections between the reading assignment and the world outside. This means connecting the reading to your own life, to happenings at school or in the community, to similar events at their times and places, or to other people or problems that you are reminded of. You might also see connections between this story or book and other writings on the same topic or by the same author. There are not right answers here – whatever the reading connects you with is worth sharing! Plan to find and explain at least four or five connections per book (one for each meeting).
Ø Summarizer – Your job is to prepare a brief summary of the reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to give a concise (one-to-two minute) statement that conveys the key points, the main highlights, the essence of today’s reading assignment. It is a good idea to make a list of main ideas or events during or after reading and then review the list to see what you think is worth including. This should not be a “daytime drama”-style summary that includes EVERY little detail; you will need to use your judgment on what parts of the reading to include and what parts to gloss over.
Ø Word Wizard – Your job is to be on the lookout for a few especially important words in today’s reading. If you find words that are puzzling or unfamiliar, mark them while you are reading and then later jot down their definition, either from a diction or some other source. You may also run across familiar words that stand out someone n the reading – words that are repeated, used in an unusual way, or that seem key to the meaning of the text. Mark these special words too, and be ready to point them out to the group. When your group meets, help members find and discuss these words. Have definitions and page numbers for each word ready.
Ø Discussion Director – Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about the current reading. Do not worry about the small details; your task is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and to share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns as you read, which you can write down during or after your reading. For instance, if while you are reading you find yourself surprised at a particular character’s action, you might jot that down and later turn that into a question: What do you think made this particular character do this? Your assignment is to write down and ask ten questions which are specific and significant in some way. That is, you may ask why someone did something or what they might have been thinking, but do not ask a trivial question like, What color was X’s jacket? or What was X’s middle name? A higher level question could be Is there any significance in the fact that X’s jacket was that color? Include a page number reference for each question.
Ø Highlighter – Your job is to locate a few special sections of the text that your group would like to hear read aloud. This idea is to help people remember some of the interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important sections of the text. You decide which passages or paragraphs are worth hearing and then jot plans for how they should be shared. You can read passages aloud yourself, ask someone else to read them, or have people read them silently and then discuss. (The first two methods are more effective in getting any ideas or points open for discussion.) Remember to write down the beginning of the passage and include the page number. Plan to choose 8-10 quotations in all, approximately 2 per meeting session.
Tips for a Meaningful Discussion
Ø Make sure everyone participates in the discussion
o If someone is not participating, ask that person by name a question, such as John, what do you think the author is telling us?
o If someone is dominating the discussion, politely say, Sandra, let’s find out what Ashley thinks? or Ashley, do you agree with Sandra?
Ø Model respect for others’ opinions,
o People will share their ideas more readily if they know that no one will make fun of them.
o Everyone must be role models of positive, polite behavior.
Ø Remain on schedule.
o Decide on how much time you will spend on each area of discussion.
o Assign a “time keeper” to alert the group when time is running out.
Discussion Director
While reading the selection,
Ø Your job is to direct the group discussion. Your duties are to:
o Make sure everyone has an opportunity to share.
o Keep discussion on target.
o Ensure that all group members are treated with respect.
Ø Jot down questions you can use to help your group review the selection.
o What is going through your mind while you are reading?
o What was discussed in this section of the book?
o What questions did you have when you finished this section?
o Did anything in this selection surprise you?
o What are the one or two most important ideas?
o Did you enjoy this selection? Why or why not?
Ø Remember to use your annotation skills while you read to mark questions or feelings.
Ø Make sure to include Level 2 and Level 3 questions.
After reading the selection,
Ø Possible questions to ask in the group discussion include:
o Identifying important elements:
§ What is one or two of the most important ideas from the selection?
§ What was the author trying to tell you about life?
§ What do you think was the most important part of this selection?
§ Who was the most important character? Why?
§ Who is an important character, not the main character, in this story? Describe this person, explain his/her relationship to the protagonist, and tell why he/she is important.
§ What surprised you in this story? Why was it a surprise? What did you expect?
§ Does the title fit the story? Explain.
o Noticing the author’s craft:
§ If the author were in the classroom today, what questions would you have for him/her?
§ If you could change this story, what would you change?
§ Did the author use special elements (figurative language, flashback, point of view, imagery, etc.) to enhance the story’s theme?
§ Why did the author write this story?
o Making personal connections:
§ Of what did this selection remind you?
§ What is one connection you can personally make with the characters or story?
§ Compare at least two characters to yourself, your family, or your friends.
§ Is there a character in this story that would make a good friend? Explain.
§ Is there a character in this selection like you? Explain.
o Expressing feelings about the story:
§ What emotions did you experience as you read the selection?
§ Will other students enjoy this story? Explain.
§ What was going through your mind as you read this story?
§ Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
§ What was your favorite part of this selection? Least favorite part? Explain.
§ Which character did you like best/least? Explain.
§ Did your feelings change as your read this story? How? Explain.
During the group discussion,
Ø Keep the discussion on track.
Ø When members start talking about other topics, remind them to stay on task.
Ø Be certain all members participate and that you model respect for others’ opinions.
Ø Remember that many questions can have more than one answer.
Highlighter
While reading the selection,
Ø Your job is to locate at least two special parts of the text that your group would like to hear read aloud.
Ø The idea is to help people remember some interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, thought-provoking, well-written, or informative portions of the selection.
Ø Use your annotation skills to mark these passages and make marginal notes about them.
After reading the selection,
Ø Record the page and paragraph numbers of the passages you want to read.
Ø Practice reading what you have chosen several times.
Ø You want to read fluently and with expression.
Ø Ask your group what makes this selection special?
Ø Write one additional question about what you have chosen to read – a question that you want your group to discuss.
During the group discussion,
Ø Introduce your passage
Ø Have all members find it in their books to follow along while you read.
Ø Ask your questions.
Ø Encourage discussion.
The Connector
While reading the selection,
Ø Think about how the ideas, events, and experiences in the selection apply to young people today.
Ø Consider the kinds of problems that are facing the character
Ø Ask yourself the following questions:
o Is one character jealous of another one?
o Does someone feel lonely, worried, etc.?
o Is a character trying to prove something to him/herself or to others?
After reading the selection,
Ø Your role is to help your group recognize the connection between their lives and the selection.
Ø Be sensitive to the idea that someone in your group may be in a similar situation.
Ø Write your ideas along with questions to start the discussion. List page numbers that relate to discussion topic.
o What ideas or experiences in this selection relate to current world/personal situations?
o How do these ideas or experiences relate to our lives or other subject areas?
o You may have other questions that are more relevant to your particular book.
Ø You should have at least one connection per meeting.
During the group discussion,
Ø Ask your questions to help group members see the same connections you did.
Ø Encourage others to share their opinions and reactions.
Ø Remember that others may see other connections in the reading than you did. Invite these differing associations.
The Summarizer
While reading the selection,
Ø Outline the reading selection, writing down the main events or key points.
Ø List some of the details; you can always eliminate them from your summary later.
After reading the selection,
Ø Look back over your key points and choose 2 or 3 that describe the main events.
Ø You may omit some of the points you included while reading.
Ø Write a summary of the selection, using complete sentences.
During the group discussion,
Ø When you are reading your summary, keep eye contact with your listeners.
Ø Ask anyone if he/she would like to add to your summary.
Word Wizard
While reading the selection,
Ø Look for words, phrases, and/or great examples of figurative language or imagery the you could discuss with your group.
Ø These words/phrases may or may not be listed as new vocabulary for the selection.
Ø If you are not sure what a word means, look it up in a dictionary.
Ø Find out the history of the word, as well, as that can help explain its meaning and use.
Ø These words might be
o Crucial to the story.
o From another language.
o Unfamiliar.
o Familiar but used in a new way.
o Surprising.
o Related to an interesting occupation.
After reading the selection,
Ø Present your words and/or examples of figurative language one at a time to your group.
Ø Help them find the words by giving the page and paragraph number.
Ø Wait until all members have found the word or phrase before discussing.
Ø If you have chosen figurative language or imagery, you must be ready to interpret it to the group.
Ø Write the words so you can find them more easily.
LITERATURE CIRCLE EVALUATION
1. Preparation (role sheet completed) 30 _____
2. Self-Evaluation (completed by student) 30
1 = Sometimes 2 = Most of the time 3 = Always
a. Speaks loudly enough _____
b. Speaks to all group members _____
c. Listens to group members _____
d. Encourages others to speak _____
e. Contributes fair share _____
f. Not easily distracted _____
g. Shows respect for others’ opinions _____
h. Asks for clarification _____
i. Is prepared to discuss the selection _____
j. Relations selection to things that have _____
happened in the outside world or in
other literary works that have been read.
3. Teacher Observation 40 _____
Total Points 100 _____
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Bjornson 2005