Literature circles start to finish

Literature Circles Start to Finish

Katie McKnight, Ph.D. [email protected] www.KatherineMcKnight.com

Twitter: @LiteracyWorld Facebook: Katie McKnight Literacy

Here’s the Plan Today

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•  Some background information about literature circles.

•  Getting started with literature circles in your classroom

•  Creating and structuring mini lessons

Why Literature Circles?

•  It is a translation of the adult reading group.

• Offers a genuine and authentic reading experience.

• Literature Circles are also known as book clubs, and reading groups.

Literature Circle Consistent Elements

•  Students choose their reading materials. •  Small Groups are formed, based on student

choice.

•  Grouping is by text choices, not by “ability”or other tracking.

•  Groups meet on a regular schedule.

Literature Circle Consistent Elements (continued)

•  Different groups choose and read different books.

•  Members write notes that help guide both their reading and their discussion.

•  Teacher-Led Mini Lessons should be scheduled before and after literature circle meetings.


•  The teacher does not lead any book, but acts as a facilitator, fellow reader, and observer.

•  Personal responses, connections, and questions are the starting point of discussion.


•  The classroom has a spirit of playfulness, sharing, and collaboration.

•  When books are completed, the literature circles share highlights of their reading through presentations, reviews, dramatizations, book chats and other activities.


•  New groups are formed around new reading choices and the cycle begins again.

•  Assessment is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation.

Why Young Adult Literature?

•  http://www.adlit.org/media/mediatopics/youngadult/

Mini Lessons

•  All mini lessons can cover the following: – TEAM BUILDING

– READING STRATEGIES

– LITERARY STRATEGIES

TEAM BUILDING

•  Obstacles •  Overcoming the Obstacles

•  Mini Lessons that teach social skills so that the students can collaborate in a literature circle.

•  How do you build classroom community?

Reading and Literary Mini Lessons

Structure of an Effective Reading or Literary Mini-Lesson A mini lesson provides direct, explicit instruction for one specific teaching point. The teacher engages students in strategy with a demonstration and modeling of skill using a think aloud. The structure of an effective mini lesson is as follows:

Reading or Literary Mini Lesson

1. Connect lesson with lesson from the day before stating what will be learned and setting the purpose.

2. Teach the new strategy using a mentor text and modeling with think aloud. Be very explicit and model what proficient readers do to comprehend text.

Reading Strategies

•  Visualize—Making pictures of mental images or sensory images as they read. Student Sample from Tuck Everlasting

•  Connect—The reader and experience connection.

Student Sample from The Book Thief •  Question—Interrogating the text. •  Infer—predict, interpret, synthesize. •  Evaluate—Critique and make judgments.

Reading Strategies (continued)

•  Analyze—Examining the author’s craft. •  Recall—Retell, summarize, and remember.

•  Self Monitor—Using individual skill set to understand and interpret the text. Overcoming obstacles independently.

Sticky Notes

•  We want students to listen to the voice inside their head.

•  Comments, questions, connections. •  Students record the “voice in the

their head” on sticky notes.

•  *****Teaching Kids How to Use Sticky Notes----see this lesson

•  Teaching Student Annotation: Constructing

Meaning Through Connections •  http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/

lesson_view.asp?id=1132 •  This lesson teaches students how to annotate text

and there are some excellent guides and assessments. There are also several student annotation samples

Stop and Write

•  Students stop and write.

•  First, they should summarize, What I read”.

•  Second, they should reflect, “What I think”.

(Sample “Stop and Write)

Literary Letters

•  Reader writes letters to teacher, other readers, or friends and relatives outside of the classroom.

•  Provides students with the opportunity to consider their own questions, comments, and connections with another person.

•  Here’s a sample….

Literary Mini Lesson

•  Story Cubes •  Story Trails

•  Character Biographies

•  Character Questionnaire

Here are some more samples…

Story Trails

Topics for Mini Lessons

•  Let’s brainstorm mini lesson topics that we want to cover in our literature circles.

Literature Circle Demonstration

•  http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/video/videoClip.aspx?clipID=3&segmentID=8

Reading Logs (In addition to mini lessons)

•  A reading log---What is it? •  Students should write in the log every time

that they read. Emphasis is on analysis and discussion. Avoid excessive summarizing.

•  The teacher or a student peer can respond to the reader’s entries.

(Sample Reading Log Entry)

Literature Circle Roles Discussion Director

creates questions to increase comprehension asks who, what, why, when, where, how, and what if Vocabulary Enricher clarifies word meanings and pronunciations uses research resources Literary Luminary guides oral reading for a purpose examines figurative language, parts of speech, and vivid descriptions Checker checks for completion of assignments evaluates participation helps monitor discussion for equal participation Source: Read Write Think.org http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson19/lit-circle-roles.pdf

Scheduling

•  2.5 weeks is PLENTY of time for the students to read the assigned book.

•  5-15 minutes-introductory mini lesson

•  20-30 minutes-small group activity

•  5-15 minutes-sharing time and closing.

•  About 2-4 weeks is enough per book.

•  Meet about 3-6 times per 2-4 week cycle.

Monday General Class Expectations and Overview Purpose of Literature Circles Discuss Assessment and Evaluation Discuss how to select a book Students should complete the reading survey and book choices.

Tuesday Mini Lesson: Think Pair Share with Reading Survey Give the students folders that will be used for their literature circles. Discussions Explain how to complete a quick write

Wednesday Explain how to check in and out books Lit Circle groups should divide the book into pages for homework Discussions Mini Lesson: Explain the reading log and model HW-Read

Thursday Mini Lesson: Reading Strategies: How to Fix it When I’m stuck Discussion HW-Read

Friday Mini Lesson: Character Quote Discussion HW: Read

Beyond the Role Sheets

Literature Circles: Original Model • Mini Lesson • Literature Circles Meet Roles: Connector, Director, Vocabulary Enricher, Illustrator Daniels, H. (1994). Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. Stenhouse Publishers: York, Maine.

Literature Circles: Differentiated Instruction Emphasis • Mini Lessons • Learning Centers McKnight, K (2009). Literature Circles in the Middle and High School Classroom. National Council of Teachers of English. Webinar presented on November 4, 2009.

Literature Circle Learning Centers

•  Listening Station •  Story Trails (These are story boards).

•  Student Sample •  Vocabulary Detectives •  Discussion, “Whatcha Think?” •  Character Analysis •  Illustration Station

Assessment and Evaluation for Literature Circles

•  Contract •  Rubrics

•  Teacher Notes from Conferencing (sample Rubric)

Both of these assessment rubrics are part of the READ WRITE THINK lesson: Girls Read: Online Literature Circles http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=970 In generations past, women met in quilting circles to share their dreams; today’s girls share their thoughts in virtual communities. Multicultural literature with strong female protagonists serves as the focus for e-mail exchanges and classroom discussions in this lesson. Students select and read one of five novels presented by the teacher, and discuss the novel in exchanges with e-mail pen pals and in classroom literature circles. Students then participate in an online literacy community where they can respond to questions and post reviews, allowing them to expand their perspectives and converse with a wider audience. This is a student self-assessment for Literature Circles: http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson970/self.pdf Here is a teacher self-assessment: http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson970/teacher.pdf

Another variation of Literature Circles from READ WRITE THINK http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=877 Literature Circle Roles Reframed: Reading as a Film Crew http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=877 Students interact with a range of different kinds of texts in the classroom, but for many, films and movies are the favorite. Because of their interest in the films, projects related to these movie texts often result in a higher level of engagement. Capture this enthusiasm, and transfer it to reading and literature by substituting film production roles for the traditional literature circle roles. After reviewing film production roles—such as director, casting director, and set designer—students work together in cooperative groups to read and discuss a piece of literature, each assuming a film production role.

Response Chart for Literature Circles http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson1136/responsechart.pdf Student Sample Response Chart for Literature Circles http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson1136/SampleResponses.pdf

I also recommend Daniels, H. & Steineke, N. (2003). Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Looking for Books? http://www.alan-ya.org The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is an independent assembly of NCTE. Founded in November 1973, ALAN is made up of teachers, authors, librarians, publishers, teacher-educators and their students, and others who are particularly interested in the area of young adult literature. ALAN, which is self-governing, holds its annual meetings during the NCTE annual convention in November and also publishes The ALAN Review. The website features authors and titles for adolescent readers. The books are reviewed monthly.

How to Reach Me •  Email: [email protected] •  Website: www.KatherineMcKnight.com •  Twitter: @literacyworld •  Facebook: Katie McKnight Literacy For more materials and updated powerpoint, see my blog at www.KatherineMcKnight.com and http://goo.gl/J242X for additional materials.

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Education

Literature circles start to finish