Literature Circles

1. Literature Circles Grade 11 English Adapted from Allen

2. Responsibilities • Over the next four weeks you will be: • Reading a novel of your choice • Writing in a journal • Meeting with a small group who is also reading your novel • Writing in your journal (again) explaining how discussion has helped you understand the novel better, or reinforced your original thoughts

3. First Step…. • Choose your novel: • Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte • Lord of the Flies, by William Golding • Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood • Brave New World, by Aldus Huxley

4. Novel Choice • Read through your novel choices on the pink hand out • Indicate your top three choices, by putting a number 1 beside your first choice, a 2 beside your second, and a 3 beside your third • Make sure your name is on the top right corner of your paper before handing in NOTE: you may not get your first pick, but you will be assigned one of your top 3 choices.

5. Preparing for Group Meetings • The next three weeks of classes will follow this schedule: • Before every meeting you will have 2 classes to read your assigned section, write a 1 page journal response, and complete an ‘assigned role’ • Every 3rd class you will be meeting and discussing your novel and your journal writing with your literature circle • After each meeting you will write a ‘final response’ explaining what your group discussed and how your understanding of the novel changed or was reinforced through hearing others’ perspectives

6. Setting up your Literature Meetings • With your literature groups you will need to set your reading goals and each group members’ responsibilities for the next 3 weeks of class • You will be participating in 4 meetings, so you must decide on the following: • How many pages or chapters must be read for each meeting • Who will be designated each role (Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Illustrator, Connector, Vocabulary Wizard) for each meeting---You may NOT repeat any of these roles.

7. Discussion Director • As the discussion director you are required to develop 3 questions about the section of the book you are assigned • Questions should be based on ‘big ideas’---theme, character, plot, language, style, symbolism, etc. NOT insignificant facts or questions that require only one answer • Why do you think a character acted the way they did? • How has a specific character influenced another? • Has the setting affected the mood, character(s), storyline) • Symbolism? Theme? • If anything was surprising, shocking, interesting, revealing, etc---you may want to question how that particular event or moment affected the rest of the story, characters, or the reader themselves. • If you make specific connections between the text to the world you live in, you may ask a question that requires your group to discuss that connection further. NOTE: you are REQUIRED to provide responses to your own questions. This will help you lead your group in discussion and their responses will help assist you in your final journal response.

8. Literary Luminary • The literary luminary identifies 3 passages or quotations that they feel are significant to the development of character, setting, plot or theme • Reasons for selecting a passage include: it contains important, information, it is surprising, controversial, funny, well written, confusing, thought provoking, etc. • Literary luminary is expected to provide a rationale for their passage selection---why did you include it? How is it significant, confusing, thought provoking, etc. ? • By providing your own rationale, you will be able to lead group discussion, and have an easier time writing your final journal response • NOTE: you will need to write down the page number of your passage or quotations, read the passage out loud to your group, encourage them to provide their own comments, and share your rationale

9. Illustrator • The illustrator is required to create a visual representation relating to a ‘big idea’ in your assigned section of reading. • The visual can be a metaphor or a symbol for a main idea, theme, character personality, setting, plot development, etc. • Your representation could be a comic strip, drawing, collage (cut outs from magazines), diorama, etc. • With your drawing you will have your group speculate on the meaning of your representation • Then you will provide your own rationale for your choice NOTE: You MUST also provide a written rationale explaining the connection of your visual to the big idea identified from the novel ---it needs to be a solid paragraph (at least ½ a page)

10. The Connector • As the connector you must find 3 connections between your reading and the outside world • Connections can be made to: • Your own life (or others experiences that you have witnessed first hand) • The school • The community you live in • Other people you know • Problems people face • Other books, films, articles you have read • Events occurring around the world (events you have read about in newspapers, seen on the news, learned about in other classes) NOTE: You are required to provide 3 written paragraphs explaining how the ideas from the text connect to the world/society you live in ***Encourage your group to elaborate on your connections in order to write your final paragraph effectively.

11. Vocabulary Wizard • As the vocabulary wizard you will be reading to increase your own vocabulary and will be working towards using your new language in everyday situations • You must select 5 words from your assigned reading section to bring to the group • You will record the 5 words and the page number you found them on • You must include the dictionary definition of the new vocabulary • And…. You must create 5 sentences (not from the novel) using the new words to demonstrate you understand their meaning

12. Meeting Responsibilities • You must come prepared to participate!!! • Prepared means: you have read your assigned section, completed your journal, and your assigned role for the week. • If you are not prepared, you will be working on your own and unable to meet the expectations of group discussion

13. During the meetings • Bring your novel, journal entry, and assigned role • Each student takes turns reading and discussing their journal and assigned role • Each student participates in discussion • Each student needs to take notes on what is discussed during each meeting (these notes will assist you in writing your final journal response)

14. To be handed in…. • Your Journal; each section (4 in total) must contain: • 1 page journal response • Assigned role • Notes from your meeting • Final journal response Follow your notes handed out in class, and refer back to other student exemplars for assistance.