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Literature Circles

Literature Circles. Natalie Dupuis March 2008 dupuis.natalie@gmail.com. Topics of Discussion. Literature Circles Defined Organization – how do you get started? Modeling – daily reading Book Selection Groupings Timeline Role Sheets Assessment Questions. Literature Circles Defined .

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Literature Circles

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  1. Literature Circles Natalie Dupuis March 2008 dupuis.natalie@gmail.com

  2. Topics of Discussion • Literature Circles Defined • Organization – how do you get started? • Modeling – daily reading • Book Selection • Groupings • Timeline • Role Sheets • Assessment • Questions

  3. Literature Circles Defined • student centered reading activity for a group of 4-6 students • Members are assigned roles for guidance and discussion • The group members determine • what topics and questions will be discussed, and • how they will share what they have learned. • LC provide an opportunity for students • to control their own learning; • to share thoughts, concerns and • their understanding of the events of the novel.

  4. What they ARE vs. ARE NOT • Literature Circles are: • Reader response centered • Group formation • Structured for student independence, responsibility, and ownership • Guided primarily by student insights and questions • Flexible and fluid: never look the same twice • Intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills

  5. What they ARE vs. ARE NOT • Literature Circles are not: • The entire reading curriculum • Teacher and text centered • Teacher assigned groups formed solely by ability • Unstructured, uncontrolled “talk time” without accountability • Guided primarily by teacher or curriculum based quesitons • Intended as a place to do grammar skills work • Tied to a prescriptive “recipe”

  6. Preparing for Literature Circles • Model good discussion behaviour • Have students brainstorm in small groups what they imagine good discussion to look and sound like • Introduce the books • Allow students to touch and spend time with selections before having them make ranked choices • Determine how to be a group leader • Determine pace of reading. Establish time limits. • Discuss and Assess

  7. Model good discussion behaviour& have students brainstorm • Through your daily reading activities • Brainstorming activity such as the one we did earlier to determine elements of a good discussion

  8. Elements of a good discussion • Active Listening • Active Participation (respond to ideas and share feelings) • Piggybacking off others’ ideas • Disagreeing constructively • Supporting Opinions with evidence • Encouraging others

  9. Group Discussion • Helps promote students’ acceptance of others’ opinions • Enables more students to take risks to actively participate • Provides opportunities for students to make meaning before reading, during reading and after reading • Develops critical literacy skills

  10. Introduce the books, browsing and selecting • Book introduction • Picture walk through • You will like this book if… • Allow time to handle, see print size etc.

  11. Small temporary groups are formed, based on book choices.

  12. Teach them how to be a leader • Discuss qualities of a good leader • Model a mini session with teacher as discussion director • Rotate the role of discussion director

  13. The teacher acts as a facilitator initiating mini-lessons where necessary.

  14. What does the teacher do? • Models • Organizes • Informally assesses with assessment sheets in hand • Moderates when necessary • Sits with each group for a few minutes • Mini lessons • Jot down great comments or questions to share with the class afterwards • Formal observation

  15. Modeling • Extremely important • Each task needs to be modeled in isolation • Start with the easiest • Artful Artist • Word Wizard • Super Summarizer • Discussion Director

  16. Timeline • How many sessions/classes • How much to read each session, or each week at home • Decide who does which job – let students decide?

  17. Assessment • Observations • Conferences • Portfolios • Mini – Lessons • Self and group assessments • Projects – To do or not to do? • Rubrics

  18. Assessment - cont’d.Student Self-Assessment (Scoring Guide)* * “Literature Circles, Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups by Harvey Daniels, (Second Edition, 2002)

  19. What supplies do I need? • Multiple copies • Post-it notes • Chart paper • Self assessment forms • Teacher assessment forms • Copies of role sheets • Student folders • Journals (optional)

  20. Literature Circle Assessment

  21. Some ideas to add a little more fun: • Have each group give themselves a name • Have each group perform a totally self-made skit of an important scene from the book • Always display the illustrator roles • Do end of unit activities – group collage, group play, group speech, sharing ‘character’ journals, movie…. • Involve students in the assessment process

  22. Resources • http://www.literaturecircles.com/ • http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/lang_lit_circles.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature_Circles • http://www.litcircles.org/ • http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/circles.htm

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