Overview – Background, Books, Overview, Expectations Literature circles

Lit Circle Book Choices 5 books : Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wkatsuki Houston & James D. Houston (1973) Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (2005) Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng (1992) Hiroshima by John Hersey (1946) All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein (1957)

Farewell to manzanar Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wkatsuki Houston & James D. Houston (1973) Memoir, Non-Fiction describes the experiences of Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family before, during and following their imprisonment at the Manzanar concentration camp due to the United States government's internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeJrTHPIxYA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr8EjCxIItM

Hitler youth Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (2005) Non-fiction Study of the Hitler Youth, a paramilitary organization of children dedicated to furthering the aims of the Third Reich, and was organized around interviews with 12 former members and their experiences in the organization. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y81-SzkwwhU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Y9P65fGAE

Hiroshima Hiroshima by John Hersey (1946) Non-Fiction, follows the lives of 6 survivors of the atomic bombing of Japan by the U.S.A. on August 6, 1945. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxWNAM8Cso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-07xiaBl2vk

Navajo code talkers Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng (1992) On the Pacific front during World War II, strange messages were picked up by American and Japanese forces on land and at sea. The messages were totally unintelligible to everyone except a small select group within the Marine Corps: the Navajo code talkers-a group of Navajos communicating in a code based on the Navajo language. This code, the first unbreakable one in U.S. history, was a key reason that the Allies were able to win in the Pacific. (Google Books) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN2oKqa1o04

All But my Life All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein (1957) Memoir True story of a young Jewish girl who faces the nightmare of the Holocaust and is a prisoner in several Nazi labor camps.

Common setting/time period All Lit Circle books take place during World War II and have common themes.

Lit Circle Jobs Literature Circles - Individual and group responsibilities and expectations: Overview of the 4 literature circle roles: Discussion Director Librarian Illustrator Research Team (2 people)

Discussion Director Summarize: Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today’s reading. Your group discussion will start with your 1-2 minute statement that covers the key points, main highlights, and general idea of the day’s reading assignment. Discussion Director: Your job is to develop a list of open-ended, high level (socratic style) questions that your group might want to discuss about part of the book. Don’t worry about the small details; you task is to help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Your role is NOT to “give the right answers” but to promote deep understanding and lively conversation.

Librarian Passage Selection: Your job is to help your group revisit memorable parts of your section in the novel. You will need to identify 2 or more interesting, powerful passages from your section. These passages need to impact the story line or have some important literary device that needs explaining. You should look for things like irony, humor, allusion, imagery, metaphor, symbolism, inciting moments (plot chart) or characterization. Vocabulary Enrichment: Your other job is to be on the lookout for a few especially important words in today’s reading. If you find words that are puzzling or unfamiliar, mark them while you are reading and then later jot down their definition, either from a dictionary or from some other source.

Illustrator Illustrator: Your role is to create an artistic rendering of significance for each group meeting. You may draw from characters, events, mood or other inspiration, but it must be significant and justifiable. You may be abstract or concrete, but either way your job is to explain your art to your group at each meeting. Art may be in the form of drawing, painting, collaging, sculpting, crafting or other mediums. You must utilize a different medium with each piece of art per week. You need to include your explanation in written form on this sheet.

Research Team / Investigator 2 group members will form a partnership and work together to research. Research the following topics: Your job is to dig up some background information on any topic related to your reading. Each time you meet with your lit circle, you should have NEW research to share. Please coordinate with the other Research Team Member. Information about the author – his/her life and other works The geography, weather, culture, or history of the book’s setting Information about the time period portrayed in the book Pictures, objects or materials that illustrate elements of the book The history and derivation of words or names used in the book Music that reflects the book or its time The idea is to find bits of information or material that helps your group understand the book. Investigate something that really interests you – something that struck you as puzzling or curious while you were reading. Whatever you find to share with group must be printed off and included when you turn in your role sheet.

End goal: lit circle presentations The culminating activity for this unit is a group presentation. As a group you will decide on one theme or message from the book. This will be the guiding connection of your presentation. Each member will have to contribute a number of slides to an informational google slides presentation. You will present the project to the class right before finals. More details to come.

Mock Literature Circles: Practice – look through the role sheets and choose one for practice (you are not expected to stick to this role just because you are trying it today and tomorrow). All of the Discussion Directors, Librarians, Illustrators, Investigators, and Research Teams SIT TOGETHER. Read the passage silently and complete the handout for the role you selected.

Mock Literature Circles, cont: After reading and completing the assignment, talk to the people in your group: What types of notes/ideas/questions did you write down? Compare and discuss the work you have completed with those at your table. Be prepared to share during the whole-class discussion (about the passage but also about the role – what do you think about that role?). Whole class discussion (similar to Socratic) (a model for literature circles). Discussion Directors will start the conversation.