Literature Circles

Lauren TuckerEDUC 6418-640

Professional Book Project

Literature Circles

• By Harvey Daniels

Book Overview• Many teachers throughout the country,

conduct some sort of “reading group,” “book club,” or what is now know as “literature circles.”

• This means that now millions of students are involved in some kind of small, peer-led reading discussion group.

Book Overview• Throughout the book, the author takes the reader

into several classrooms and allows them to experience literature circles throughout the country.

• I found several chapters very interesting and most intriguing. I loved reading about how actual literature circles take place. In order for you to fully understand how a literature circle works, you must first know some basic principles that should guide them. These things will help you create wonderful discussion groups centered around reading.

• Let’s Begin!

A Closer Look at Literature Circles

• There are 11 key ingredients to make the recipe of Literature Circles successful.

Key Ingredient # 1• Students choose their own reading

materials. This allows for discussion to flow more easily.

• If you like literature circles and need ideas for the books you want to teach, Click on me to find a helpful website!

Key Ingredient # 1 Continued • A way to allow students to choose a book they

want to read and to still have some say in the grouping process, the teacher can choose 8 or 9 books and do a book preview. Allow students to choose 3 books they would be interested in and have them list them on a secret ballot. The teacher can then take the ballots and give each student one of their top choices to ensure that groups will work harmoniously together.

Key Ingredient # 2• Small temporary groups are formed,

based on book choice. Groups are not to be based on reading level, ability grouping, teacher assignment, or curriculum mandate. The optimum group size would be four or five.

Key Ingredient # 3• Different Groups read different books. Children need

substantive opportunities to develop and pursue their own tastes, curiosities, and enthusiasms in the world of books.

Key Ingredient # 4• Groups meet on a regular, predictable

schedule. If kids are going to self-assign parts of a book, read with a purpose, make notes in a reading log, and come to class ready to take an active part in the discussion, they need a sensible, predictable schedule.

Key Ingredient # 4 Continued• Daily and weekly meetings are

important, too! • Any successful literature circle needs a

good chunk of time – for meeting, reading, discussing, or even a little of each.

Key Ingredient # 5• Kids use written or drawn notes to guide

both their reading and discussion.

Key Ingredient # 6• Discussion topics come from the students. In

these challenging discussion groups, kids must perform all the acts that real, mature readers do – from picking their own books to making their own assignments to selecting issues for discussion, all the way through to sharing and expressing their views of the book to fellow readers.

Click the icon to see how!

Key Ingredient # 7• Group meetings aim to be open, natural

conversations. • The following are good opened questions

that should be asked.– Does this book seem true to life?– How is this character like me?– Does this family remind me of my own?– If faced with this kind of choice, what would I

do?– Could the people in this book have risen above

their circumstances?

Key Ingredient # 8• The teacher serves as the facilitator. Aside

from initial mini-lessons and closing debriefing sessions (which are important but brief), the teacher isn’t on stage. Instead, the teacher roles in literature circles are supportive, organizational, and managerial. In some cases, teachers can even join in as a fellow reader.

Key Ingredient # 9• Evaluation is by teacher observation and

student self-evaluation. Since the teacher is not the center of attention, they actually have time to conduct more qualitative forms of evaluation. – Examples: kid-watching, narrative observational

logs, performance assessment, checklists, student conferences, groups interviews, video/ audio-taping, and the collection in portfolios of the artifacts created by literature circles.

Key Ingredient # 10• A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades

the room. Who said learning can’t be fun!?!? Having fun within the learning atmosphere keeps the students engaged.

Key Ingredient # 11• New groups form around new reading

choices. This allows every one of your students to work together at some point.

Book Overview• The reason this book is such a hit for all

teachers interested in literature circles is because it takes those 11 principles and shows the reader how to apply them to each specific grade. – This allows you to see how other teachers

conduct literature circles.– It also allows you to see how to mold these

ingredients into your own classroom!

In Conclusion • There are a lot of teachers that have

said Literature circles are a great idea and they wish they had the time to incorporate them into their classrooms. After reading this book, I don’t see how we as teachers can afford not to do literature circles in our classrooms.

The End