blog : Getting Started with Literature Circles

05/22/2012

Literature Circles, also known as book clubs or reading groups, offer students a genuine, authentic reading experience. Their set up and execution is simple. And Literature Circles can easily be incorporated into almost any schedule and adapted for any curriculum.

Although each classroom has its own personality, there are some consistent elements to all Literature Circles. In each case, the students choose their own reading material and small groups are formed based on that choice. Tracking by ability is not necessary. The groups, each reading a different book, short story, play or poem, meet on a regular basis for discussion and Learning Center activities. Literature Circle members write notes and maintain reading logs to help guide both their own reading and group discussions. The students’ personal responses, connections and questions are the starting point of discussions. When books are completed, the groups share highlights of their reading through presentations, reviews, dramatizations, book chats and other activities. New groups are formed and the cycle begins again. As students get comfortable with the Literature Circle procedures, classrooms become imbued with a spirit of playfulness, sharing and collaboration. The teacher does not lead discussions; rather s/he acts as a facilitator, fellow reader and observer. Of course this doesn’t mean the teacher is uninvolved in the process or unable to do adequate assessments. Teacher-led Mini Lessons, 5-10 minutes each, are scheduled before and after group meetings. These lessons cover traditional reading, literary, and team building strategies.

Team Building Mini Lessons teach social skills so that all students are equipped to collaborate in Literature Circles. Social skills vary between different age groups but shyness, combativeness, and student cliques or alliances are typical issues that can be addressed during Team Building Mini Lessons. A Reading Strategy or Literary Strategy Mini Lesson provides direct, explicit instruction for one specific teaching point. In order to be most effective, these Mini Lessons should reference the previous day’s lesson and clearly illustrate the connection between lessons. They’re short and always have a clearly stated objective. New strategies are taught using a mentor text and modeling with a Think Aloud. It’s essential that students see the teacher model the steps that proficient readers use in order to comprehend written material. Reading Strategies that are commonly presented as Mini Lessons are those that help students visualize, question, evaluate, analyze and recall the text. Students are taught techniques that will help them to infer (predict, interpret and synthesize) and personally connect with the material. And, perhaps most importantly, Mini Lessons teach students to self-monitor and overcome obstacles independently. Some examples of Reading Strategies include Sticky Notes, where students “listen to the voice in their heads” and record these comments, questions and connections on sticky notes that are affixed directly to their books. Stop and Writes are an example of a Reading Strategy in which students are encouraged to stop at various times during their reading and take a moment to summarize “What I read” and reflect on ”What I think.” Examples of effective Literary Strategies include Literary Letters, in which students write letters to the teacher, other readers, or friends and relatives outside the classroom. These provide student readers the opportunity to consider how their own questions and comments connect them to another person. Story Trails, also known as storyboards, enable student readers to use their own words and illustrations to visually order story events. Questioning the Author, which prompts readers to consider the novel from the writer’s point of view, Compare Myself to a Character, Story Cubes, Newspaper Stories and Character Questionnaires are examples of other effective Literary Strategy Mini Lessons.

Reading Logs, an integral component to Literary Circles, are not the same as Mini Lessons. They’re used in addition to Mini Lessons. Students should write in their log every time that they read. Emphasis is on analysis and discussion. Students should be encouraged to avoid excessive summarization. The teacher or a student peer can respond to each reader’s entries on a regular basis. These Reading Logs, in addition to fulfillment of Student Reader Contract requirements, and specific rubrics for evaluating final projects, form the basis for consistent and accurate Literary Circle assessments.

Harvey Daniels’s traditional approach to Literary Circles specifies roles that students perform during group discussions: Discussion Director, Vocabulary Enricher, Literary Luminary, and Checker. Yet the same outcomes can be achieved through the use of Learning Centers. These Learning Centers, with their emphasis on differentiated instruction, have the advantage of keeping all readers engaged regardless of their various strengths and weaknesses. The teacher sets up various stations, like Listening Stations, Story Trails, Vocabulary Detectives and Illustration Stations, throughout the classroom. Student groups move from station to station and perform a various task at each one. It typically takes 2-3 days to complete all Learning Centers. But at the end of that time, each student will have explored his or her text in various ways.

Scheduling Literary Circles is flexible and easy. Once the basic routines are understood and mastered, many teachers find that each class can do at least ten per year. Each book cycle takes approximately 2-4 weeks for completion. Groups typically meet 3-6 times during that cycle. An average Literary Circle class consists of a 5 minute introductory Mini Lesson, followed by a 20-30 minute student reader group discussion or group activity, and ending with a 5-15 minute sharing time.

Literature Circles change the classroom dynamic from teacher-centered to student-centered. Initially this may feel a little challenging. But 21st century students are up for the challenge. Contemporary students have proven, time and time again, that when they’re put in charge of their own learning, they’ll read because they enjoy it. Students who enjoy reading become lifelong learners – and that’s the goal.

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