The Wonderful World of Literature Circles

The Wonderful World of Literature Circles

We love talking about Gregs experiences in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. When we read Chrysanthemum, we spent a lot of time discussing how we would feel if we were Chrysanthemum. We love to tell each other about the books weve loved and recommend. Thats exactly what good readers do!

A Literature Circle is a group of readers who come together to read, discuss, and share a book. Different groups read different books and all group members have a different discussion job. What is a Literature Circle?

Word WizardWrite down any words you dont know. Also write down words the author used that you think are especially interesting or vivid. Use a dictionary to find word meanings. When your group meets, help your group members talk about the words you have chosen.

Question QuizzerYour job is to develop a list of questions that your group will want to discuss about the piece. Dont worry about the small details; your job is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share feelings. The best questions are H.O.T questions, that can not be answered in one or two words.

Cool ConnectorYour job is to connect the text to something in life or to another text. Does this story remind you of anything? Identify whether your connection is text to text (TTT) or text to world (TTW).

Super Summarizer

Your job is to write a brief summary of the story. That means that you are retelling the key points in a shorter version. Include the main ideas, but leave out small details.

Literary LuminaryYour job is to point out interesting or important passages within the reading. These passages can be passages you have found interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling or important.

Remember: Do your job with excellence!

Do your part to enable your group to have a meaningful conversation about your book.

Stay on topic as you talk.

Share your ideas and enjoy the conversation.

Were Finished ReadingNow What? Every Literature Circle ends with an extension project. These projects will provide you with different ways to revisit what you've read, continue the conversations (and the discoveries), and create even more meaning from the text. We will discuss possible extension activities at the end of your Literature Circles.