Literature Circles

1. Literature Circles R4.B.1.1.1

2. Literature Circles are small groups of students who meet together to talk about books they have read. • Each member of the group has a job with certain responsibilities. • If the group is to work effectively, each person must do his job. • Participation and self-control are important ingredients in successful Literature Circles.

3. Discussion Director Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group will want to discuss about the piece. Don’t worry about the small details; your job is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share feelings. Usually the best questions come from your own thoughts and ideas as you read.

4. Sample Questions • What was going through your mind as • you read this piece? • What was the topic or theme? • Did anything surprise you? • How did you feel about • the characters?

5. Character Analyzer Your job is to choose a character and complete a character map on each character. Does this character remind you of anyone? What is your opinion of the character? What does he look like, and what does he do? Identify some of the character’s traits and give evidence from the story to support your ideas.

6. What does he look like, and what does he do? Identify some of the character’s traits and give evidence from the story to support your ideas.

7. Summarizer Your job is to complete a story map of the story. That means that you are retelling the key points in a shorter version. Include the main ideas, but leave out small details.

8. Vocabulary Finder Write down any words you don’t know. Also write down words the author used that you think are especially interesting or vivid. Use a dictionary to find word meanings. When your group meets, help your group members talk about the words you have chosen.

9. Passage Picker Your job is to pick parts of the piece that you want to read aloud to your group and discuss. You might choose a: - Good Part - Interesting Part - Confusing Part - Funny Part - Important Part - Surprising Part - Scary Part - Good Description -Good Writing Sample

10. Passage Picker Your job is to pick parts of the piece that you want to read aloud to your group and discuss. You might choose a: - Good Part - Interesting Part - Confusing Part - Funny Part - Important Part - Surprising Part - Scary Part - Good Description -Good Writing Sample

11. Remember: • Do your job with excellence! • Do your part to enable your group to have a meaningful conversation about your book. • Stay on topic as you talk. • Share your ideas and enjoy the conversation.

12. Literature Circle Steps • Teacher chooses literature circle groups and assigns roles to each group member • Teacher assigns reading • Students read assigned texts • After completing the reading, students should begin finding the information necessary for their assigned role • After all group members find the information needed for their assigned roles, the entire group will gather and each present their findings to the group. • After this step is complete, students will evaluate their groups progress.