Middle School Literacy

Literature Circles Basics                                       

Dorchester School District Two

102 Green Wave Boulevard

Summerville, SC 29483

 

Lisa Cuthbert

Middle School Literacy Interventionist

 

 

Phone: 843.873.2901 ext. 3006

E-mail: lcuthbert@dorchester2.k12.sc.us

 Utilizing Literature Circles in the classroom provides students with the opportunity to select novels (with some teacher guidance) and explore those novels on their own terms. Literature Circles are small, temporary reading response groups who are reading the same story, poem, article, or book. Each collaborative group is made up of three to five students. The students form their groups based on their readiness for or interest in a particular book. Once in groups, students are given roles. These roles may vary with the purpose of the Literature Circle. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Some roles include:

 

· Discussion Director

· Word Wizard

· Metaphor Maker

· Connector

· Passage Picker

· Illustrator

 

A role sheet accompanies each role. The role sheet is a tool the student can use to record his or her thinking. These roles and role sheets scaffold their ability to authentically discuss the book. Once students have mastered each of the roles, the role sheets should be gradually let go. If the purpose of the Literature Circle is to get students to support their opinions and discuss books authentically, then as soon as they can do that, they should not be bound by roles and role sheets. Materials Needed:

 

· Hard copies of all modeled readings

· Modeled readings scanned into Smart Board

· Literature Circle Novels

· Book Pass Form

· Book Choice Form

· Role Sheets/response journals

· Evaluation sheets for teacher

· Self-evaluation sheets for students

· Reflection Sheets

 

The best handout is a blank piece of paper! Don’t feel bound by the role sheets. You can always use index cards, sticky notes, chart paper, …

 

Getting Started

 

· Build Interest. Give brief book talks about each book. You may want to do a Book Pass after you talk up the books, so that students can get a first hand look at each choice.

 

· Select Books. Have students complete a Book Choice form to rank their book choices based on their abilities and interests. If you are limited by the number of books you have you will not be able to give every student his/her first choice.

 

· Model Each Role. Before you have the class actually do Literature Circles, model each role with the whole class. Use high interest, accessible text. Give students their own texts to follow along as you read from a copy of the text on the Smart Board. Read the text and model your thinking as you read. If you are modeling the Illustrator role, then think out loud as the “artist.” Complete the role sheet on the Smart Board as well. Repeat for each role.

· Model the Literature Circle. Use the fishbowl technique and a few willing students to model a literature circle in action. Arrange desks in concentric circles with the inner circle being the Literature Circle. Use a text that the students are familiar with. A picture book would work well for this activity. As the “fishbowl” circle discusses the text and shares role sheets, take notes with the students in the outer circle. Once time is up, debrief the students by asking reflective questions such as…

How were the goals of the Literature Circle apparent in the action?

What did you notice about the Literature Circle talk?

What did you notice about the role sheets?

What worked in the Literature Circle?

What needs improvement in the Literature Circle?

 

· Assign Groups. Assign students to groups based on book choices, Lexile level, etc.

 

· Set a Schedule for completing the novel. Discuss how often you will allow the Literature Circles to meet (every other day). Let the students set a reading schedule.

 

· Assign Roles. Assign the first set of roles to students in each group. Explain that the roles will rotate with each meeting of the circle.

 

· Explain Evaluation. You may consider giving a grade for attendance, for completed role sheets, for reflective writing after each meeting. How you grade your students is ultimately up to you, but be sure to make how you will grade them clear from the start.

 

Be the Guide on the Side. Step back and let the groups begin. Be sure to circulate among the groups to listen in. Try to be in the midst of conversations so you can offer support and model that you value the Literature Circle talk. Lend more support to struggling groups as needed.

Adapted from Lee Ann Spillane http://www.laspillane.org/

BACK to Literature Circles Home Page