LITERATURE CIRCLES: Voice and Choice in the Student- Centered Classroom Harvey Daniels Stenhouse, 1994

LITERATURE CIRCLES What are literature circles? What is their purpose? How are they formed? How can they be used at different grade levels and different content areas?

TYPES OF READING INSTRUCTION RR= Traditional Round Robin GR= Guided Reading; lecture/discussion typical in secondary English classes SSR= Sustained Silent Reading RW= Reading/Writing Workshop (Atwell) LC= Literature Circles PE= Literature Study Groups (Peterson and Eeds model)

Defining Literature Circles Students, not the teacher pick the readings Students, not the teacher make the daily assignments Not everyone is reading the same book at the same time Groups are temporary and based on interest Texts are real books, not basals or excerpts

Literature circles are small, temporary discussion groups who have chosen to read the same story, poem, articles or book. While reading, each group member prepares to take specific responsibilities in the upcoming discussion, and everyone comes to the group with the notes needed to help perform that job. The circles have regular meetings, with discussion roles rotating each session. When they finish a book, the circle members plan a way to share highlights of their reading with the wider community; then they trade members with other finishing groups, select more reading, and move into a new cycle.

Purposes Balance between teacher-guided and self- directed reading. Balance between wide and close reading. Balance in the kind of social interaction experienced around books.

Student-Directed Teacher-Directed IndividualWhole ClassSmall Group Extensive Intensive SSR RW LCPE GR RR SSR RWRR PE LC GR SSR RWLC GR TR PE

Key Ingredients Group activities are well structured Groups have genuine autonomy and responsibility Discussion tasks or prompts are open-ended Students main job is to construct new knowledge together and build meaning and interpretations not to teach predetermined conclusions or results

Forming Literature Circles Ideally, students choose based on interest Be aware of group dynamics for size Set a consistent schedule over time Set an ending date

Self-Contained Elementary MonTuesWedThurFri 10:15- 11:00 Groups meet 10:15- 11:00 Read & Roles or logs 10:15- 11:00 Groups meet 10:15- 11:00 Read & Roles or logs 10:15- 11:00 Groups meet

Primary Schedule MonTuesWedThurFri 10:15-10:30 Read& roles 10:15-10:30 Read& roles 10:15-10:30 Read& roles 10:15-10:30 Read& roles 10:15-10:30 Read& roles 10:30-10:45 Groups Meet 10:30-10:45 Groups Meet 10:30-10:45 Groups Meet 10:30-10:45 Groups Meet 10:30-10:45 Groups Meet

Middle School Read/LA English Groups Meet Read & Roles Groups Meet Read & Roles Groups Meet

High School (training) Mon LC Groups Meet LC Read and Roles LC Read and Roles LC Groups Meet LC Groups Meet TuesWedThursFri

High School (after training) LCEnglish FriThursWedTuesMon

Can be Used for Fiction Non-Fiction Content Area Reading (i.e., social studies, science, math, health) Thematic Study

Assessments Kidwatching/Anecdotal Records Checklists Interviews/Conferences Portfolios/Work Samples Performance Assessment Classroom Tests

Scaffolding: One Model Read first chapter of a book together as whole class Pass out different roles to individuals Individuals fill out roles as best as possible Groups of same roles get together and share their responses Report out to whole class Divide into groups with one of each role Provide directions for groups