Welcome to Literature Circles!

1. Welcome to Literature Circles! 4th Grade New Life Academy

2. What are Literature Circles? • Literature Circles are small reading groups. Each group has 5-6 students. • Each group gets a novel to read chosen by the homeroom teacher. • Groups are chosen based on CRCT scores from 3rd grade ALONG with assessments administered at the beginning of the 4th grade school year. • Students will meet on Mondays and discuss their novels on Fridays.

3. How Literature Circles Work • Every week (during the group meeting on Friday), each group is given a reading assignment. • In preparation for each week’s Literature Circles meeting, students read their assigned pages/chapters and complete one of five Literature Circles jobs. • The key to success in Reading this year is time management. Do not wait until the night before to read and do the assignment! • Students will be given class time on Mondays to work in class. • What students do not finish must be completed on their time.

4. How are Students Graded? • See rubric. • Students CANNOT receive a passing grade if they did not read! • Just “completing” the assignment does not guarantee a good grade. They must show effort & UNDERSTANDING.

5. What If A Student Does Not Complete Their Reading Task by Friday? • If a student does not have their assignment completed by the group meeting on Friday their grade goes to a 50%. A lot of the learning occurs during the Friday meeting. When students cannot participate they cannot pass. After Monday, the grade will be a 0. • If a student is absent, they will not have a grade penalty if they hand in their assignment on the day they return. • Literature Circles make up a large portion of the reading grade. One zero WILL affect a student’s quarter grade.

6. Literature Circles Jobs • Discussion Leader • Writes high-level thinking questions to kick-start group discussion. • Word Finder • Finds, defines, and explains unfamiliar and/or interesting vocabulary words in the novel. • Connector • Connects the novel to every day life!

7. Literature Circles Jobs • Letter Writer • Writes letters to characters in the book OR from characters in the book. • Illustrator • Draws scenes from the book.

8. Summary • Students must write a 5 sentence summary explaining main characters, setting and important events in the story. If they do not include major elements of the story, they will not receive full credit. • Teachers have read all books so they know if students have read.

9. Literature Circles Meetings • Students meet at their desks or on the floor. Lack of focus will result in the teacher choosing your spot. • Students bring their books and completed job assignments to the meeting. • Students talk about what they read, and they share, one at a time, their job sheets. • Everyone must participate at the meetings!