LITERATURE CIRCLES

Read, Share, Grow

What is a Literature Circle?• "In literature circles, small groups of students gather

together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story."Schlick Noe, K. L. & Johnson. N.L., Getting Started with Literature Circles , 1999 Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. p. ix.

• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/pd/instr/strats/literaturecircles/index.html

Learning GoalsStudents will:

• Read a novel• Participate in discussion groups by fulfilling various roles• Make connections between the literature and other texts,

films, stories, world events or personal experiences• Research a relevant issue that exists in the novel• Present their research to classmates• Prepare a media response to the novel

So what novels will we read?• You will have the choice of 4 novels• After viewing the slide presentation featuring the novels,

write down your first, second and third choices on a piece of paper: which novel can you see yourself reading, talking about, writing about?

• After reviewing the choices, I will assign groups for each novel

The Fault in Our Stars• Topics:• Dealing with illness• Teenage love• The power of story

Brief Summary:• Hazel, the narrator of The Fault in Our Stars, is a cancer survivor. Brave

and indomitable, she is an unforgettable character. As is Gus, whose arrival at the Cancer Kids Support Group turns her whole life upside down. Both stay with the reader long after the novel is over.

• A heart-warming relationship forms between Gus and Hazel. They visit each other's houses, play games and talk about life. United by their passion for reading they talk a lot about the books they devour and recommend to each other….

• We follow the novel's narrator on this roller coaster ride that is at the same time funny, unbearably sad, and deeply brave in the face of impending catastrophe.

• Green brings alive for us a sense of place. It is almost as if we are there with Hazel and Gus.

• http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2013/nov/24/review-the-fault-in-our-stars-john-green

An excerpt:• “Then Augustus Waters reached into a pocket and pulled

out, of all things, a pack of cigarettes. He flipped it open and put a cigarette between his lips… (19-20)

Reviews from goodreads.com

One reader’s response to this book!

5 BEAUTIFUL STARS!!!

An epic buddy re-read of one of my all time favorite books! I loved it even more the second time around! SO AMAZING!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ A book everyone should read!

Coming out as a movie in June, 2014.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars

A Review…• “An electric portrait of young people who learn to live life

with one foot in the grave. Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy, The Fault in Our Stars takes a spin on universal themes — Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark on this world? — by dramatically raising the stakes for the characters who are asking.” — Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister’s Keeper and Sing You Home

• http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781455869879

Some Reviews…• “A smartly crafted intellectual explosion of a romance.” -Kirkus,

starred review• A blend of melancholy, sweet, philosophical, and funny. Green

shows us true love…and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.” -New York Times Book Review

• “Green writes books for young adults, but his voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. The Fault in Our Stars proves that the hype surrounding Green is not overblown.” -NPR

• “A pitch-perfect, elegiac comedy…it will linger long and hard in the minds of teens and former teens.” -USA Today

• “An achingly beautiful story.” -SLJ, starred review• http://johngreenbooks.com/the-fault-in-our-stars/

Twisted• “High school senior Tyler Miller used to be

the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.” http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123106.Twisted

http://epicbooknerd.blogspot.ca/2010_09_01_archive.html

• Anderson’s new novel, “Twisted,” isn’t set in the same suburb [as Speak], but it might as well be. We find ourselves again in an upper-middle-class public school ruled by an iron-fisted social elite. But this time our guide is a guy — the world-class loser Tyler Miller, who at the start of his senior year is just wrapping up a community service stint imposed in punishment for what he calls “the Foul Deed.” (It involved spray-painting graffiti all over school….

• Tyler isn’t eager to return to school; in fact, he prefers manual labor. “I was good at digging holes,” he notes. It’s the rest of life he’s not good at.

• He may be enrolled in three A.P. courses and calculus, but Tyler is seriously troubled. He immediately begins doing poorly in most of his classes. His nerdy best friend, Yoda, is looking to date Tyler’s sister. And Tyler is in love (or lust, anyway) with Bethany, whose dad runs the company Tyler’s dad works for. Tyler’s dad, an accountant turned executive who is routinely humiliated by his boss, is at home a venomously cruel man prone to rage and emotional abuse. His and Tyler’s tortured relationship is the axis on which “Twisted” turns.

• http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/books/review/Green-t.html?_r=0

http://www.baconismagic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/graffiti.jpg

Topics:• Rebellion• Respect• Responsibility• Teen

relationships with parents

• Teen romance

Click here for a sample of a student-made trailer for Twisted

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

• Topics:• Racism• Being marginalized• Self-worth• Finding oneself, expressing

oneself• Creating one’s own path in life

http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/07/book-review-the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian-by-sherman-alexie.html

• Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author’s own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character’s art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

• http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/07/book-review-the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian-by-sherman-alexie.html

• An example of Junior’s diary

• The book has many graphic art illustrations as an additional way to tell the story

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-parttime-indian

The Absolute True Diary• Link to a student-made trailer for The Absolutely True Diar

y of a Part-Time Indian

Thirteen Reasons Why• Topics:• Suicide• Teen relationships• Bullying• Self-realization: getting to

know oneself and the effects of one’s actions on other people

http://fic-talk.com/2011/06/thirteen-reasons-why-by-jay-asher-reviewed-by-heather/

• Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

• On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.

• Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

• http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/thirteenreasonswhy.html

• Here is a link to some readers’ reviews of the novel Thirteen Reasons Why:

• Click here

http://www.glogster.com/mclovin1995/thirteen-reasons-why/g-6mb54d6uoftnu4fgbj7dsa0

Here is a link to a video of Hannah’s voice recording in the early pages of the novel (from Jay Asher’s website):click here