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Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles

Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles. Chapter 1: Joining the Book Club. Elements of Lit Circles. Students choose their own reading materials Small groups (3-6) are formed based on book/work choice. Grouping is by text choices, not by “ability” Different groups choose and read different works

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Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles

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  1. Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles Chapter 1: Joining the Book Club

  2. Elements of Lit Circles • Students choose their own reading materials • Small groups (3-6) are formed based on book/work choice. • Grouping is by text choices, not by “ability” • Different groups choose and read different works • Groups create and meet on a regular schedule.

  3. Literature Circles in HS

  4. Lit Circles Elements, cont. • Members write notes that help guide both their reading and their discussion • Discussion questions come from the studnets, not teachers or textbooks. • The teacher does not lead any group, but acts as a facilitator—fellow reader and observer • Personal responses, connections, and questions are the starting points of discussion.

  5. Lit Circles Elements, cont. • A spirit of playfulness and sharing pervades the room. • When works are finished, groups share highlights of their reading with classmates through presentations, reviews, dramitizations, book chats, or other activities. • New groups form around new reading choices. • Assessment is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation. • http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/video/videoClip.aspx?clipID=3&segmentID=8

  6. What do Book Clubs Look Like? • 1. A brief introductory mini-lesson led by a teacher. • 2. A long chunk of meeting time for the students, during which the teacher monitors and assists. • 3. A short mini-lesson or debriefing session conducted by the teacher at the end. • http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/girls-read-online-literature-970.html

  7. What are Mini-Lessons? • “Short, focused, teacher-directed activities used before and after each meeting of literature circles, book clubs, or any student-centered reading discussion.” • From 5-15 minutes to introduce a single skill, practice a new strategy, or demonstrate a helpful variation. • A few 20-30 minute lessons if they include practice time using real literature, not because the teacher talks more.

  8. Why do we need them? • Literature circles are complex • We need to provide a period of training, especially if collaborative small-group work is unfamiliar or difficult. • We need to make sure students have enough social, coginitive, and literary skills to begin functioning in peer-led groups. • Need to be partnered with ongoing, systematic strucutre.

  9. What Topics do they Cover? • The social skills necessary for effective small-group discussion. • The cognitive strategies that help readers to understand texts. • The literary lenses smart readers use to examine and appreciate what they read.

  10. Social Skills • See list of skills on page 8, which include the following: • Take turns • Listen actively • Include everybody • Honor people’s “burning issues” • Piggyback on ideas of others • Speak up when you disagree • Support your views with the work

  11. Reading Strategies • Visualize: make mental pictures or sensory images • Connect: connect to own experience, events, other readings • Question: actively wonder and interrogate text • Infer: predict, hypothesize, interpret, draw conclusions • Evaluate: determine relative importance, judge, critique • Analyze: notice author’s craft, text structures, etc. • Recal: retell, summarize, remember • Self-Monitor: recognize and act upon uncertainty

  12. Literary Analysis • Focus on the craft of authorship (see chapter 7) • Powerful language • Taking notes on strong verbs • Examining the setting with research • Predicting plot and character • Looking at characterization • Relate to “reader response theory” – response precedes analysis. • Highlight other approaches? Archetypal?

  13. When do You Teach Mini-Lessons? • Sample: • 5-15 minutes: introductory mini-lesson • 20-30 minutes: small-group meeting time • 5-15 minutes: sharing time or closing mini-lesson. • See pages 13 and 15.

  14. Mini-Lessons in Book • Name of lesson, time needed, and rationale • Teaching the Lesson • Getting started • Working the room • Reflecting • What can go wrong? • What’s next, and Variations.

  15. How to teach them well • Adapt them to your class (grade level, schedule, unit concept, students) • Provide students with journals: think of these as double column response logs. • Be ready to switch roles from coach to instructor • http://www.slideshare.net/KatieMcKnight/literature-circles-start-to-finish

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