What are Literature Circles?

"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.

What is its purpose? "Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to books. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response."
Schlick Noe, K. L. & Johnson. N.L., Getting Started with Literature Circles , 1999 Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. p. ix.

What students should do?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Select members for the Literature Circles (discussion groups). Assign roles for the members of each circle. Read the parts of the book before each meeting. Participate in all the discussions Be prepared for their roles in their circle. Write the reports requested previously by the teacher. Listen and respect the other students opinions and analysis.

Some roles may be: discussion director - develops questions for the group to discuss passage picker or literary luminary - chooses a selection that the group rereads and discusses because it is interesting, informative, the climax, well written.... vocabulary enricher - chooses words that are difficult or used in an unfamiliar way connector - finds a connection between the story and another book, event in their personal llife or the outside world illustrator - draws a picture related to the reading summarizer - prepares a brief summary of the passage read that day travel tracer - tracks the movement when the characters move a lot investigator - looks up background information related to the book

Assessment and Evaluation Considerations As teachers evaluate a discussion group, they should monitor that students are not only progressing in reading and writing strategies but also in discussion etiquette: attending to the topic. participating actively in the group. asking questions. "piggybacking" on others' comments. allowing all members of the group opportunity to participate. disagreeing constructively. supporting opinions with evidence.

Adapted fro the site http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/literaturecircles/index.html