Literature Circles

1. Review the rules of Discussion Circle

2. Direct the group’s discussion.

3. Develop a list of 5 (FAT) questions that you think your group would like to talk about.

* Set the tone “I would like to thank…”

* Review the rules

* No interrupting

* #2 voices

* Show respect

* State the topic

* The questions is..” or

* “I would like the summarizer to begin today…”

• Share thoughts

“Who would like to begin…”

“ Anything to add?”

* What we have learned

ONE WORD ANSWERS

*Have more than one word answers.

*Add to it…”Why or Why Not.”

*Require thoughtful answers, meaning most people will think before they speak.

*Promote discussion about feelings and/or reactions to the pages read.

*Think about characters, predictions, problems, author’s point of view..etc.

Prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. It will be a paragraph that tells the key points or main highlights of the reading assignment. You will use the 5 squares on the back of this paper to create the key points for your paragraph. REMEMBER, your paragraph will have AT LEAST 5 sentences.

Beginning (who, what, when, where, why)

Middle (main event or events)

Ending (what is happening to the characters at the end of the reading?)

Group Members:_______Book Title _________________

Child’s Name Tally Marks

SUMMARIZER: Please keep a record of how many times a child contributes to the group. Below write any questions or concerns your group has for your teacher. Thank you.

Connect the book to the outside world using 5 FAT questions. FAT meaning you will have more than one word for an answer or add “Why or Why not or Explain.” Thinking of what you would do, think, change…etc if it was you in the story. You are trying to promote discussion about connections you make while you are reading. This means….

Draw some kind of picture related to the reading. It can be a sketch or a cartoon. You can draw a picture of something that’s discussed specifically in the book, or something that the reading reminded you of. USE COLOR!!! You may use a separate piece of paper for your drawing or the back of this sheet.

Write a paragraph about your drawing. It should include the 5 W’s (Who, What, Why, Where, and When). Your teacher should be able to read your paragraph and know what is going on in your drawing.

Have a plan for sharing with the group. You might want people to guess what you drew, describe what you drew, and/or figure out why you thought this was important to draw. If you think of another way to share that is fine!

To enhance the group’s understanding of the book.

1. Figurative Language Focus:

2. Choose ONE vocabulary word for the group.

3. Choose TWO passages in your reading and TELL WHY YOU PICKED THIS PART?

4. Have a PLAN FOR READING:

Metaphor: compares two things saying something is another.

Simile: compares two things using like or as.

Alliteration: all words start with the same letter.

Idiom: An expression made up single words not having the meaning (Ex. “piece of cake” means something is easy)

Pick one that you encountered or find in your reading. Write for the group THE SENTENCE on your sheet and tell which focus it is.

back

This is a word you did not understand, was used in a different way or is important to the understanding of the text. WRITE THE DEFINITION, COPY THE SENTENCE and tell the meaning in the sentence.

back

Interesting, important, puzzling, surprising, funny, scary…can you think of any other reason? Then tell what was funny or why it was interesting. back

You decide: These parts of the text will be:

* read aloud,

* choral read,

* read silently,

* or select someone to read for the group.

Create an alphabet book that focuses on key events, characters, ideas, and information from your book. Include and illustration on each page as well as one to two sentences explaining each letter of the alphabet.

Design the front and the back cover for a CD to capture the theme or spirit of your book. Be sure the name of the book, plus the title of the hit single, appears on the front cover along with an appealing sketch or design. On the back, list the other songs from the CD, making sue they relate to the book and to the characters’ experiences. (Adaptation: Write lyrics to the hit single.)

Select a key character or scene, or focus on an important theme from your book, and develop a stamp to commemorate that character, scene, or theme. Include a picture, a selected phrase, and the stamp’s value.

•Collect artifacts representing ideas, events, characters, and/or themes in your book. Prepare a display of these items. Label each artifact and briefly write about its importance to the book. You may also want to include a quote from your book for each of the artifacts.

Create a quilt square featuring a chapter or significant scene from your book. Include a border with a repeated design or symbol that represents a key idea from your chapter or scene. Select an important quote (or write a brief summary) from your chapter and write it inside your quilt square. (Adaptation: Design a character quilt featuring both protagonists and antagonists, and major and minor characters from your book.)

Create a bookmark featuring either your favorite character or the character you consider to be most significant in your book. Be sure to include the book title and author as well as the character’s name and “portrait” or illustration. Adaptation: On the back of the bookmark, explain why you selected your featured character.

Choose five to seven significant scenes from your book. Make an illustrated-shaped book that reveals the sequence of your book’s story line. Include some written descriptions, such as: What’s happening in the scene? Why is this scene important to you?

Must be approved by the

teacher before

starting project.