Literature Circles

an introduction…(adapted from Harvey Daniels'

book of the same name)

Holly Dilatush February 6, 2009

a collaborative way of approaching reading and learning

about what you are reading

useful for any reading groups, study groups or book clubs,

a way that involves everyone!

literature circles “rotate” (in circles ), with each person

trying each of the rolesW

hat are roles? (see the next slide!)L

iterature circles help readers engage meaningfully with the texts they are reading!

Literature circles can be used with any writing sample, from

paragraph to news article to chapter to books (fiction or

nonfiction) -- with any written text!

learn more

discussion director

creative connector

vocabulary vitalizer

idea illustrator

character captain

literary luminary

essence extractor

rigorous researcher

travel tracer

The easiest way to begin to understand the power of literature circles is to learn and understand the various roles

Facilitates discussions when group meets; is responsible

for:B

eing sure each person has their turn to speak, to contribute to the

discussionG

ently reminds that it’s someone else’s turn when anyone talks tooooo long

G

uides the conversation from one person to another, if/as needed

Might “recap” and repeat outline of what’s been said

(is also welcome to share and contribute their own

thoughts to the conversation)

Selects three to five phrases or passages in the reading that reminded them of something/someone else and briefly shares the phrase/passage and the connection.

Example # 1: You are reading about a mother and daughter relationship and a particular line spoken by the mother reminds you of a conversation/situation you experienced with your mother – share your story and talk about your feelings and how you image the character feels at that point of the story.

Example # 2: The story mentions a particular place and it’s a place you’ve visited before, talk about that – try to connect specifics in the reading to your real experience.

Selects ten to twenty vocabulary words or idioms

Researches their meaning

Provides the list and definitions/explanations to the

group (may provide photos or drawings, too)

Selects three or more from the list and writes new

sentences, using the words or phrases in a new

sentence that illustrates the meaning.

Selects three or more specific passages or themes from

the reading and:I

n a face-t0-face class, draws pictures or sketches “webs” (mind-mapping

illustrations) that relate to their thinking

In an online class, these sketches might be scanned and

shared – or online tools (such as clip art and Microsoft

Office’s Smart Art) might be used.

**Note! The drawing talents of the idea illustrator are not

so important – it’s the connections made that are

important (however, if you are one of those lucky people with a talent for

drawing, here is an opportunity for you to shine! )

Selects one or more characters and develops

detailed descriptions

Follows their chosen character(s) through the entire reading passage and shares their observations

Example #1: might track a character’s emotions and list how they change throughout the passage

Example #2: might compare two characters, noting similarities and differences that they observe

Use your imagination and find your own ways to deepen the understanding of certain characters!

Selects three to five short passages from the reading – passages which the luminator thinks are among the most important and/or powerful – and:

Reads them aloud to the group (giving page number location of the passage)

Explains why they chose them

Tries to capture the major theme or themes of the

reading and describe it in ten words or less.

Hopefully will encourage response and debate from others in the circle –

This may sound like one of the easiest roles, but can be one of the most difficult! So, collaborative discussion is especially helpful!

Place the story in the world!

The travel tracer might:

draw a map might find a map and “trace” the route (or routes) of the story on that

map may simply write a list of the places, in the order they appear in the

reading – and provide that list with a map, pointing to each place as he/she shares his/her list

The travel tracer begins with the “world” (it may be

outer space, it may be the earth, or a virtual world)

and then “maps” the story in that world.

Selects three to five topics from the reading to

research in depth.E

xample #1: If the reading references a language or culture unfamiliar to

most of the group (or unfamiliar to the

rigorous researcher), he/she might learn more about the

language or cultureE

xample #2: If the reading references many names of unfamiliar foods,

games, plants, clothes, music (or other things), the

rigorous researcher might find photos and/or

descriptions of those and share them with the group

1. A coordinator will make a schedule with the list of the roles and a list of the participants in the reading group

a) Most people prefer groups of five to twelve b) If there are less than nine members, the group can

decide which of the nine roles to combine or eliminatec) If there are more than nine members, the group can

decide which roles to assign to partners OR can create new roles

d) In a larger class, different groups can work on the same reading or different readings and then periodically share with the full group or have groups meet together and exchange ideas

1. The list is given to the group2. The roles are reviewed and practiced (usually

using a story everyone is familiar with, or a new short shared reading) with Q & A

3. A new reading is assigned! Let the literature circles begin!

4. AT ONE OF THE FIRST GROUP MEETINGS, IT’S IMPORTANT to agree how long each role will be assigned (sometimes the teacher will decide) – some groups decide that the same participants will keep the same roles for one chapter, others per class, per week, etc.

Welcome everyone!

Q & A (help each other!)

Discussion Director takes the lead and selects someone (or asks for volunteers) to start – then makes sure each person has a turn!

The discussion director might determine how many minutes each person has for the first round of reporting and announce that each person should try to keep their presentation to ___ minutes.

The discussion director might determine (or ask the group for their opinion – OR the teacher might stipulate) whether or not questions should be held until the presenter is done, or whether questions should come “popcorn” style (as they “pop”/as they occur to you)

continued…

So the ‘circle’ of role reporters checks in – and time is

allowed for follow-up questions and comments after (or

during) each report

Hopefully, group dynamics will be strong and the results

will be amazing!T

he teacher will monitor and “guide on the side” as little as possible,

allowing each group to grow and find their strengths – and

to enjoy their enriched understandings of the readings

Any participant may also add information to the other

roles reports– as time and discussion director direction

allows

When I use Literature Circles with younger students, I create

laminated symbols for each role and distribute them to each

participant when the groups meet. This helps everyone

know who is responsible for what (and keeps things fun!)

A “microphone” made of a toilet paper tube wrapped in black, with one end ‘stuffed’ with a wad of crumpled tin foil

Puzzle piece for Creative Connector A photocopy of a section of a page from a dictionary for

Vocabulary Vitalizer A paint pallette and paint brush for Idea Illustrator “characters” images for Character Captain (or a captain’s hat) A lightbulb for literary luminary -- [use your imagination and create your own!]

http://www.literaturecircles.com/

Should you wish to start using literature circles for

an online global reading circle (reading and

communicating primarily in English), and have

openings for members, please contact me!

[email protected]

Skype ID: smilin7

Twitter ID: hollydilatush