Literature Circles Book Study of Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles By Harvey Daniels & Nancy Steineke Renee Finley, MS Reading Specialist Alexis Swinehart, HS Literacy Coach

Membership Grid Discuss the following question with your group. Take notes about your group members’ responses. (You do not need to record your response.) What experience or knowledge do you have about literature circles?

Goals for the study group Introduction – Warm up Share ideas and experiences with literature circles Explore key features of literature circles Read and discuss text Discuss the thinking and social skills involved in effective literature circles Discuss management techniques and assessment options Questions/Concerns

Ground Rules 1. Maintain a positive attitude *Variation of “Home Court Advantage” on pg 43

Did you know ? The first recorded literature circle was held by Anne Hutchinson in 1634 aboard a boat bound for the colonies.

Eleven Key Ingredients Read the two assigned key ingredients. Annotate the text for meaning. Illustrate your responses on the “Eleven Key Ingredients Jigsaw” sheet. Underline the most interesting, important, or provocative sentence.

Why Literature Circles ?

Why Literature Circles ? The Rationale Behind Them Promote a love of literature and positive attitudes toward reading. Reflect constructivist, child-centered model of literacy Encourage extensive and intensive reading Invite natural discussions that lead to student inquiry Support diverse responses to text Provide choice and encourage responsibility Expose children to literature from multiple perspectives Nurture reflection and self-evaluation Source: Literature Circles and Response, Hill, Johnson, Noe

Research on Literature Circles Greater gains in reading comprehension (Klinger, Vaugn & Schumm,1998) Improved reading achievement in high poverty schools (Knapp,1995) Enhanced students motivation to read (Guthrie & Alvermann,1999) Benefits for second language learners (MacGillivray,1995) Increased student enjoyment of and engagement in reading (Fox & Wilkinson,1997) Increased multicultural awareness (Hansen-Krening, 1997) Promoted other perspectives on social issues (Noll, 1994)

What Really Matters for Struggling Readers 1. Reading volume 2. High-success reading opportunities 3. Engaging in literate conversation (what do you think? NOT what happened?) 4. Useful, explicit strategy instruction (mini-lesson) -Richard Allington

What’s New with Literature Circles? De-emphasis on role sheets. Instead capturing kids’ responses using post-it notes, text annotation, bookmarks, journals. More use of drawn or graphic responses to text. More explicit teaching of social skills. Not just novels. More use of short text- stories, poems, articles, charts, graphs, cartoons. More nonfiction text, from articles through adult trade books.

What’s New continued... Reaching out across the curriculum: book clubs in science, social studies, etc. Sparking or supplementing out-loud discussion with written conversations. Multi-text literature circles (jigsawed text sets, theme sets multigenre inquiries New forms of assessment. Fewer reports and book talks. More performances (reader’s theater, tableaux, found poetry, song lyrics, etc.) Source: Harvey Daniels, 2008, Heinemann workshop

3-2-1 Break Card 3 hopes for literature circles 2 obstacles that you might face with literature circles 1 question you have about literature circles

Read & Reflect Read, “The Custodian” Reading Purpose : Mark the text with any questions and/or reactions about the text

Thinking Skills – Social Skills

Where to Start? Create a Classroom Community Ice Breakers Membership Grid/Partner Grid Advertise Let the students know it’s coming Book Talk

Where to Start? Model & Practice Use short stories, articles, cartoons, whole class novel Focus on Good Discussion Skills Questioning Skills Social Skills Establish Classroom Guidelines General routine/procedure Daily materials (journals/post-its/organizers/highlighters)

General Literature Circle Structure 5-10 minutes: Mini-lesson on thinking and social skills minutes: Group meetings (and/or reading time) 5-10 minutes: Sharing/Debriefing

Do Not Assume

Gradual Release of Responsibility Teacher modeling I Do Guided Practice Collaborative learning We do Independent Practice Application of the Strategy You do Fisher & Frey, 2007

Silent Literature Circle Membership Grid New Topic – What is your stance on global warming? Write Around

Processing What were three things your group did today that helped with the discussion and enabled everyone to get along and enjoy each other’s company? Processing Letter/Journal Checklist Compliment Letter

Goal Setting What could we change and do better for the next meeting? Compile class list of improvement areas, and then have groups quickly meet to create a improvement goal.

Goal Setting When groups select improvement goal, they must identify 3 specific actions that all members can take to achieve the goal. Example. Goal: Included everyone equally 1. Let the person who talks the least go first 2. Address each other by name 3. Take turns in the discussion rather than letting one person ask everything from his notes Group improvement goals are authentic assessment

Assessment Options Observation Anecdotal records Checklists Conferences/Interviews Portfolios/Work Samples Daily Stamps Group Improvement Goal Student self-evaluation

Obstacles?

Ideas to remember “The teacher’s main job is not to translate or interpret the books, but to facilitate the work of the group.” (Daniels, p.42) “Book clubs are for independent pleasure reading, not skills lessons.” (Daniels, p.80) Books need to be at students’ independent reading level, or accommodations should be made for reading.

Ideas to remember Investing time initially in teaching both the social and thinking skills is critical to success. Teacher preparation and time demands dramatically decrease as children become proficient in literature circle groups.

Gradual Release of Responsibility Teacher modeling I Do Guided Practice Collaborative learning We do Independent Practice Application of the Strategy You do Fisher & Frey, 2007

Trial & Error

For Next Time Briefly skim Chapter 2 -Getting Ready for Peer Lead Discussions ChapterReading Purpose Ch. 3 Practicing with Short Text: Tools for Thoughtful Response Pick one tool/strategy to try with your class. Be ready to share experiences, examples, and questions. Ch. 5 Refining Discussion Skills: Creating Deeper Comprehension Ch. 8 Assessment and Accountability