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Integrating Reading Power into

Novel Studies and Literature Circles

Adrienne Gear

IMPORTANT:• This is an opportunity for students to APPLY their understanding

of the Reading Power strategies to the books they are reading THEREFORE direct instruction in the Reading Power strategies FIRST is critical for success.

PLANNING MY YEAR: Suggestion

TERM ONE: Reading Power strategies are taught (or reviewed) using picture

booksTERM TWO:

Whole class novel – Teacher guides students through format Students still meet in small groups weekly, but all are discussing

the same book. Teacher provides “mini lessons” for each additional activity

TERM THREE: Lit. Circles – students are grouped according to reading level,

each group has a different book If possible, chose books connected to a similar theme – ie.

Children in War; Social Justice; Overcoming Adversity Students work more independently because they are more

familiar with the format and activities

GETTING STARTED: • Group your class into three or four ability groups, based on

reading assessment (R.A.D., D.A.R.T., D.R.A., Whole Class Reading Assessment, etc.)

• If possible, arrange with your resource teacher or T.L. to be involved (take one of your groups)

• Block off two 1hr. Blocks in your weekly schedule for Lit. Circle • Select appropriate leveled novel for each group (read them!)• Divide each novel into 6-8 (depending on how long you wish to

spend) even sections (note page numbers) to ensure everyone finishes their book at the same time. Some books divide by chapters, others by pages.

ie:

Copyright 2016 Reading Power Gear, ltd. For Classroom use ONLY

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Lemonade War Week 1 – pages 3-15 Week 2 - pages 16-28 Week 3 – pages 29-36.

Recommendation: Ideally, Lit. Circle groups should have between 5-7 students in them. Depending on your class size, it is recommended that you have a maximum of 5 groups.

Weekly Reading ScheduleDivide each novel into 8 (or 6) sections. Record the pages for each section and give this schedule to each Lit circle group to copy.

NOTE: This schedule is based on an 8 week Lit. Circle study. In addition to the 8 weeks of reading, you should allow one week for an introduction to the unit, and one week at the end for the students to complete all the activities. This equals 10 weeks (approximately one term). If you wish to make your unit shorter, then divide the weekly schedule (above) into SIX weeks rather than EIGHT.

Lit Circle Groups


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Group 1 (high level)Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group 2 (mid-high level)Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group 3 (Mid level)Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group 4 (mid – low level)Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group 5 (low level)Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Group 6 ( ) ? Title: __________________________Students:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Title: ____________________________________ Group 1


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Week 1

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Title: ____________________________________ Group 2

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Title: ____________________________________ Group 3

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Title: ____________________________________ Group 4

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Title: ____________________________________ Group 5

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Title: ____________________________________ Group 6

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Lit. Circle LessonsLESSON One

• Each student receives Lit. Circle booklet, small stack of post-it notes.• Teacher explains format of literature circles and explains expectations:

Weekly assignments for students:1) Read assigned pages of your novel according to your weekly

schedule. 2) While reading, pay attention to your thinking (connections,

questions, etc.) Using a post-it note, mark one passage where you found yourself thinking about the story. You may want to jot down a few ideas on the post it note that you will be sharing during Lit. Circle discussion time.

3) Complete one “Weekly Thinking Page” from your Lit. Circle Package

4) Add 1-3 new words to vocabulary page5) Work to complete one additional activity per week

Assessment will be based on:


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1) Weekly written work and Lit. Circle booklets (teacher marks)2) Preparation and discussion during Lit. Circles (teacher keeps track

of student progress on Lit. Circle Discussion Record)

• Students receive their novels and complete page one of booklet: Question/ Prediction page

• Students record their weekly reading assignments on their sheet.

ADDITIONAL Lit. Circle ACTIVITIES (Introduce one new activity per week)

• Characters I Will Meet – as new characters are introduced, students record their names, who they are, a picture and personality traits describing them.

• Character VENN – students compare themselves with the main character. Words should include both descriptors of themselves – ie: girl, student, only child, plays hockey AND personality traits – ie: brave, funny, kind, determined.

• Setting Map – students draw, label and color a map of the setting of the book. Students brainstorm places in the story to include on their maps first, ie: school, house, park, store, church, friend’s house. This should be done as a semi-bird’s eye view. (teacher can model)

• Photo Album – “You are the illustrator of this book. Choose 5 moments/events/images from this book that you would like to capture. Draw and color your illustrations and include a caption and page number”

• TRANSFORMING My Thinking – students complete this sheet. They will need to have had some previous background and practice in this strategy. Remember to include how their thinking has changed now that they have finished reading the book.

• Letter to the Author – students write a letter to the author. The letter should include – an introductory paragraph introducing themselves to the author, their response/reaction to the book, the parts they liked and why, their personal connections. Included should be questions they would like to ask the author and a closing.

• Vocabulary page – students record any new words they encounter during reading. Definitions and sentences for each word should be included.

• Title Page – create a front cover for their package. Include the title of the

novel (block or 3-d lettering is encouraged), THEIR name, a border and some colored coloured illustrations. Remind them they are not to copy the pictures from the original cover of the book.


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Student: Date: TOTAL:

Passage /5Selection:Individual /5Sharing:Group /5Participation:

Comments:



Comments:



Comments:


Lit. Circle Discussion RecordNOVEL: ______________________

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Lit. Circle Assessment RubricsNAME: NY A M FM ExComes to Lit. Circle prepared with a thoughtful passage to share and readily contributes to the group discussions.Applies a variety of comprehension strategies while reading his/her novel, such as making connections, visualizing and questioning. Demonstrates both a literal (“re-tell”) and inferential (“re-think”) understanding of their novel.

Each student in your class will need a Lit Circle Package which includes all of the weekly activities to go along with their novel.

Pages 10 – 21 are the pages you will need for the Intermediate Lit Circle Student Package. (The first page of the package is a blank cover page) When making copies for your class, please note that you will need to include


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multiple copies of some of the templates (see note in top right corner of page)


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Name: ______________________

Literature Circles

Name: __________________________ Grade: _________

Title: ______________________________________

Author: ____________________________

Number of pages: ____ Publication date: ________Before you begin your novel, study the cover closely. Look at the illustration and read the title. What are you wondering about this book? Record your questions below:

I’m wondering…1. __________________________________?2. __________________________________?3. __________________________________?4. __________________________________?5. __________________________________?6. __________________________________?7. __________________________________?Now choose one of your questions and try to predict the answer. What do you think? Question #____Maybe… ____________________________________________________________________________For each chapter you read, you are responsible for completing the following…

One “thinking page” per week


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1-3 new words added to your vocabulary sheet Choose one passage from the chapter where

your thinking voice was loud. Mark it with a post it note and be ready to share your passage and your thinking when we meet in our Literature Circles. Passage selection /5 Sharing your thinking /5 Participation in Lit. Circle discussion /5

Other Activities:Weekly Activity NM M FM ExCharacters I Will MeetNew WordsCharacter VennSetting MapPhoto AlbumLetter to the AuthorTransforming My ThinkingTitle Page Before and After Thinking

( X 6 or 8 copies) Weekly Thinking PageChapter: _____________ Pages: _____

So far… (tell briefly what happened in this chapter)

This reminds me of… (tell about any connections you have to the story or character)


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I’m wondering… (write 3-4 deep-thinking questions you have about this chapter)

Maybe… (answer one or two of your questions by inferring or predicting)

My strongest image: (sketch one image and label or write a sentence telling about it.

I think… (make a prediction of what you think might happen in the next chapter. Explain why you think this)

( X 2 copies) Characters I Will MeetName of character:______________Who is he/she? __________________Personality traits: (describe what this character is like) ____________________________________

__________________

Draw and color a picture of this character:

Name of character:______________

Draw and color a picture of this character:


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Who is he/she? __________________Personality traits: (describe what this character is like) ____________________________________

__________________

Character Trait Word ListPositive Traits Negative Traits

artisticathleticambitiousbeautifulbraveboldcapablecalmcaringcautiousclevercharmingcarefreecourageousconfidentcreativecuriousdeterminedeasy-goingempatheticfriendlyfunnygentlegood workergood friendhappyhard working

intuitivekindlevel-headedlikeable loyal mysteriousmischievousmotherlyoptimisticorganizedout-goingout-spokenpassionatepersuasivepleasantpolitepracticalproudresourcefulrespectfulresponsiblereasonableself-reliant shrewd sensitivesensibleskilled

aggressivealoofangryargumentativearrogantawkwardbelligerentbitterboringboastfulbossyclumsycoldconfusedcowardlycrankycrueldependentdeviousdishonestdisorganizedevilfollowerfoolishfussygloomy

meanmiserablemoodynervousnuisanceobstinateobnoxiousoutspokenpessimisticquick temperedrepulsiverecklessruderuthlesssadsassyshrewdshyslysneakysnobbishspoiledsolemnstubbornstupidtalkative


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helpfulhonesthopefulhumorousimaginative independentinsightful

thoughtfulthoroughthriftytirelesstoughtrustworthywise

grouchyhatefulhelplesshesitantjealouslazyliarlonely

thoughtlesstoughunfriendlyunforgivingviolentwickedweakworried

( X 4-6 copies) NEW WORDS

Title: _________________ Author: _________

New word: ___________________________ page: ________

Definition: ________________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________

New word: ___________________________ page: ________

Definition: ________________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________

New word: ___________________________ page: ________

Definition: ________________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________

New word: ___________________________ page: ________

Definition: ________________________________________

Sentence: _________________________________________


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Character VennCreate a Venn diagram, comparing yourself with the main character of your book. Include

basic information such as gender, family, school, age, interests, talents, as well as personality traits.

Me __________ ______________

Setting MapIn the space below, design a map showing the setting of your story. Include the important places that are included in the book. Color and label your map.


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Photo Album


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_________________________ _______________________

____________________

__________________________ ___________________________


Letter to the AuthorOnce you have finished reading your novel, write a letter to author about their book. Your letter should include:

Date Greeting Brief introduction to yourself (name, age, school) The title of the book you read and how you came to

read it (read it in class in a lit circle) Your opinion about the book Your favorite part and why Your favorite character and why Connections you made to the story Something that surprised you Questions you would like to ask the author Closing (thank author for writing, etc.) Signature

_______________________

Dear _________________________,

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________

Transforming My ThinkingTitle: ____________________ Author: _________________

At first I thought this novel was about…

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But then I realized that it was really about…

I think the author wrote this book because he/she wanted us to think about…

I already knew that…

But this book has changed the way I think about…

My first thoughts about…

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My transformed thoughts about…

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