With credit to Tracy Hardwell, Pearl Public School District

Literature circles reinforce:

Independent reading Cooperative learning Student voice and

choice Multiple Learning

Styles, Intelligences, and Preferences

Literature Circles are small, temporary discussion groups of students who are reading the same text.

Literature circles give students an opportunity to work independently (reading and activities) and cooperatively (discussion groups)

Read independently or with their group

Participate in group discussions

Each group member has a specific responsibility during discussion sessions

The circles meet daily/weekly and the discussion roles change at each meeting

Students all read the same text (in groups)

The text genre can vary (short story, novel, internet documents)

Texts which evoke more than one interpretation or connection are usually more successful

Everyone is free to offer comments and questions

Students choose their own reading materials▪ Small temporary groups are formed based on

book choice

Different groups read different books▪ Groups meet on a regular, predictable schedule

to discuss their reading

Students use written or drawn notes to guide their reading and discussion▪ Discussion topics come from students

Group meetings are open, natural conversations about books▪ Students can play a rotating assortment of task roles

Teacher is a facilitator, not a group member or instructor

Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation

A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room

Readers share with their classmates when books are finished, then new groups form around new reading choices

The teacher is a model. The teacher speaks as one seeking insights.

The teacher helps students to participate in conversations.

The teacher helps move the conversation forward.

The teacher supports literary learning by supplying students with concepts and terms.

IllustratorSummarizerLiterary Luminary/Passage

MasterWord WizardConnectorDiscussion Leader/Director

Create a visual representation related to the reading—could be a sketch, cartoon, diagram, flow-chart, stick-figure scene, sculpture, or 3-D object from “found” materials.

No Standardized Kids

A Tribe Apart

•Prepares a brief summary of “today’s reading” which conveys the main highlights or the key points in the pages read. •Great language-learning reinforcement.•Great discussion-starting role.

Points out important passages within the reading—could be interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, poignant, related to other concepts or passages.

Looks for words in the text that are unusual, interesting, or difficult to understand.

Defines and discusses these words with the group.

Finds connections between the reading material and the outside world—such as personal experience, school, community, a topic studied in another class, or a different work of literature.

Directs and/or closes the discussion.

Helps people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions (could be thoughts, feelings and concerns which arise).

Writes questions that will lead to discussion by the group. Questions must be higher level thinking

questions! Students will need practice developing these questions.

Questions that cannot be answered with just yes or no.

Requires thought by each member of the group.

How did you feel about…What would you have done if…

How are you like or unlike the main character?

What would you have done differently than the main character?

What did you think about…

Amazing Actor: develops a skit or role play

Career Counselor: determines an appropriate career path for a character in the text

Biography Buff: prepares a short biography for “real” characters in text

Experiment Generator: finds or develops an experiment or lab to demonstrate science concepts in the text

Health Investigator: researches any relevant health issues in text

Music Critic: finds songs or creates soundtrack for text; explains choices

Style Detector: analyzes the writing style of the author

Cartographer: creates a map of the story; passes map to next cartographer

Concept Connector: connects material from text to general or specific concepts teacher or group identifies

Pencil Pusher: Records notes and questions for the group, questions for the teacher, or calculations for math-related texts

Associated Press Person: Finds news stories and other current events related to the text

Teach each role to the whole classEncourage student to ask questions

from the perspective of their roleChoose only the most useful roles

for a particular discussionRotate students through the roles

STUDENTS SHOULD:Actively participate.Explain their role to the group, ask

group members questions, and answer questions from each group member.

Ask for clarification on any material that may have been confusing.

On literature circle day, the first 15-20 minutes will be spent in discussion groups to give the students the opportunity to share their job responsibilities with the group.

New jobs and reading assignments will be assigned for the next class meeting.

Reading the text individually or as a group

Working on activities dealing with the text.

•Choices are nominated and students choose the order they want to read in.•Teachers choose books aligned to curriculum goals and students select among the choices.•Teachers choose shorter texts that everyone reads.

Read a book of their choice with group members who have also chosen this book.

Brainstorm with their group to identify questions they will answer while reading.

Discuss the book and work out a shared understanding of it.

Pass on this understanding to the whole class group, working through all the steps in the information skills process.

Choose a book. Play a role in discussions

of the book. Keep a diary in response

to the book. Present as a group, a

short response to or review of the book.

Possibly create an extension project to tie this reading to other course topics/concepts.

Having reading completed and roles prepared each day and being ready for discussion group.

Teacher evaluates student understanding by observing during discussion and sometimes collecting role sheets.

Rubric aligned to language development for final project/presentation when book is finished.

Students evaluate their own (and their peers’) progress at the end of the literature circle.

Participate!!Keep up with their reading

assignmentsKeep up with their role in the

groupRespect others and their

opinionsTreat group members in a

positive way—the way they want to be treated

How did the assigned role help or not help you read and prepare for your discussion?The Good“It made me look for specific elements and questions. As a discussion director, I looked for things that would spark discussion not just questions to answer about content.”

The Bad“I think it hurt me because I was reading and constantly looking for my role instead of absorbing the entire book.”

Overall comments about our book discussion groups

“Productive use of time; many perspectives were given that led to thorough discussions.”

“I really liked having small group discussions rather than whole class discussions because it was more personal and easier to talk.”

“Good. Our group is fairly lively and opinionated, which makes for good debate.”

“They were fun and a helpful way to discuss the book. I enjoyed them thoroughly.”

“Very balanced; everyone participated.”

“The group gave me a deeper insight into the novel.”

“I like differing perspectives; they help me sort out my final perspective.”

“They were very productive. We learned a lot about one another and how we differ on our views of adolescence.”

“Our group worked really well together. We brought a wide variety of perspectives that kept our discussions constantly moving.”

“This group project has been awesome! The assignment lends itself well to group work and our group has worked very well together.”