Literature Circles

Literature circles can be overwhelming to implement in the classroom. Some teachers fear giving up control of reading activities and assignments. This handout will ease some fears and provide ways to incorporate literature circles and tips to help you along the way.

Literature circles can help students achieve reading goals. They promote critical thinking, peer discussion, authentic conversations, and comprehension of text. This is essential for English language learners and those struggling readers. With this handout, teachers will be encouraged to structure their literature circles in a way that will make the reading block more efficient and will allow teachers to differentiate instruction.

I have been using literature circles for years. Literature circles have helped me significantly by allowing me to incorporate a variety of activities that are essential for student engagement and growth. Although initially it was difficult to hand over the reigns of reading, I learned to enjoy literature circles and so have my students. I have experienced first hand how literature circles truly help students think critically and expand their vocabulary. I hope this handout will do the same for you.

Source: Clipart

When students are introduced to a text as a read aloud they tend to think critically. The teacher would read the introduction to a new book or an assigned text. The teacher reading aloud a text gives the students purpose for listening and then continuing the discussion with their peers. They are able to articulate and make meaningful connections through purposeful discussions (Long & Gove, 2003).

Creating groups based on student interest fosters meaningful discussion and valuable feedback. Allowing students to create groups based on interest and not necessarily level helps students to discuss purposefully and authentically. Students selecting same books will discuss opinions and ask questions that their peers may be able to help understand. Their discussions would help analyze what they are reading and perhaps even motivate a change in opinion based on peer discussions (Long & Gove, 2003).

As adults we like to see what the "end product" is supposed to look like. Students are the same way. They need to be shown what a literature circle will look like and what the expectations are. Allowing students to see another classroom interact during literature circles allows students to set goals for engaging in these types of activities. Teachers can take students on a learning walk to visit classrooms and ask students questions about their groups and interactions. Students can also attain some ideas that can be used for their own learning (Mills & Jennings, 2011).

Literature circles can be a great tool to integrate content area curriculum. The thinking and dialogue shifts and provides students with opportunity to further their questioning skills. Informational texts also offer more visuals to help students understand text and question certain aspects of their topics. After a group has completed their non-fiction literature circle the book can be placed in the classroom library and other students will gravitate towards that particular book. Students can also expand their vocabulary using non-fiction texts (Barone & Barone, 2016).

Most literature circles have certain roles that will help the literature circle take place. Students are assigned roles in order to help students participate in the discussion. The roles within the literature circle include:

• Discussion Director - helps to develop questions about the text
• Summarizer - prepares of summary of recent readings
• Vocabulary Master - finds important words from the reading
• Webmaster - takes all the information you read and create a graphic organizer

These are just some of possible roles students can take within the literature circle. The teacher has discretion on what roles to assign to who based on student need. These roles assist students in their learning and also gives them a purpose for reading (Wilfong, 2009).

Technology has invaded our classrooms and teachers are more than ever understanding the need for technology to conduct discussions, among other things. Technology also allows students to further their reading even in fictional stories. Some students can conduct research to learn more about a subject. For example, a research group conducted a study on the use of technology to extend learning after reading fictional texts. Students were asked to read Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. Students in this study not only read the book but also made real world connections using technology. This book provided opportunities for students to learn about Al Capone, prohibition, Alcatraz, etc. This sparked deep discussions within the groups. Before conducting or extending research, teachers must also ensure that students know research skills and the appropriate technology for classroom use (Bromley, et al., 2014).

Invite students to not only discuss what their expectations are for that day of learning but also what they expect to accomplish or contribute to the group. Students can complete self-evaluation questions at the end of each meeting and determine if they are fully contributing to their group. This will also help to establish goals for the next meeting and allows students to also pose questions pertaining to their own learning (Wilfong, 2009).

Example from Textmasters: Bringing Literature Circles to Textbook Reading Across the Curriculum (Wilfong, 2009)

Sometimes getting the conversation started within literature circles can be intimidating. Some students are shy and don't know how to get the conversation started. In order to help students get over the hurdle of getting stared, teachers can provide students with conversation starters. These starters are simple but can really get the students involved in discussion. Some of those starters include:

• I noticed...
• I wonder...
• I made a connection...
• I was surprised by...

These sentence starters are just a few. Many teachers use discussion stems that can certainly be used in literature circles (Mills & Jennings, 2011).

Teachers sometimes do not wish to give up control over classroom discussions. In literature circles however, teachers need to allow students to lead discussions and learn from their peers. Students leading discussions gives their learning authenticity. This also allows for sharing of ideas that they may not normally want to share in whole group or teacher led discussions. Students will also be more responsive to opinions from other students and bring forward point of views and disagreements (Long & Gove, 2004).

English language learners benefit significantly from literature circles. One thing that has helped ELLs is the development of vocabulary and oral proficiency. Peer discussions increased opportunities to articulate what the student learned during their reading session. Additionally, when students are given reading material on topics that interest them, it enhanced their comprehension and language development (Elhess & Egbert, 2015).

Children benefit from oral communication. As early as you can imagine, children are listening to you and this will help them develop those skills they need to become good readers. Exposing children to words and diaglogue helps develop literacy skills (Shanahan, n.d.).

Have your child read to you. It can be a daily activity you engage with your child as you're cooking dinner, doing laundry, or completing other tasks. If your child isn't fluently reading and sounds a bit choppy, have them reread the text. It also helps to ask questions as they read to you. If a short story is read, you can ask them to retell details or summarize what the story was about (Shanahan, n.d.).

Some questions you can ask are:

• What do you think would happen if...
• What prediction do you have about the ending?
• Why do you think ____________ said/did that?
• Does _______ remind you of anyone you know?

Children get excited about seeing movies that are books. One thing you can do to help your child read is reading the book before the movie premiers. After you read the book, watch the movie and discuss what were the differences and similarities of the book and the movie. Ask which version your child liked more.

Public libraries have lots of events throughout the year especially during long holiday breaks and summer breaks. Your child can benefit from these programs that encourage reading and give you a nice activity to do when it's too hot or too cold to do anything outdoors.

Picture: Irving Public Library has an inviting atmosphere appropriate for all ages.

Reading and writing go hand in hand. Children benefit not only from reading but also from writing. Writing also helps with developing language skills such as vocabulary. Encouraging writing doesn't have to be formal. Writing can be done in a variety of ways such as with pictures. Things to write about:

• Write a note to a friend
  
• Write about your day
• Write about something you are looking forward to
• Write a birthday note to someone
• Write a letter to your favorite author

These are just some ways to get your child writing. Sometimes just allowing your child to write about whatever they want is good practice.

Laura Candler offers ideas and ways to implement literature circles in your classroom. In order to help you start your literature circles, Laura Candler shares her webinar filled with information and common questions. Laura also offers some free items to get you started. Additionaly, book club information is included on the site. This resource is helpful espeically for teachers who have never tried literature circles.

http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/litcircles.php

Read Write Think has a fantastic lesson plan for teachers starting literature circles. The lesson comes fully ready with the different roles within the literature circle. This site also has other resources such as standards per state and extra links for additional help and guidance. Additionally, there is a link for an online reflection students can complete to self evaluate as recommended in the tips section of this handout. This is a free website with many resources to help teachers with literacy.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/literature-circles-getting-started-19.html?tab=3#tabs

Literature Circles Resource Center is a site to help teachers with literature circles. This site not only offers ideas on how to get started on literature circles but also how to structure and make the best of the groups. Teachers can also read about the changes literature circles undergo as students get acclimated with them. Teachers can also find research based references to fully grasp the benefits of implementing literature circles in the classroom. One helpful thing in this site is that the information is differentiated based in grade level. What works for a 5th grader may not work for a 2nd grader so the examples in this website are very helpful.

http://www.litcircles.org/

This article was interesting to read because the author did research on literature circles and how students process information differently in group settings and in independent settings. Students who participated in the study were challenged and improved their discussion skills. Students learned to justify their answers to questions discussed in the groups and also practiced evaluating their own learning. Literature circles created a "community of readers" (King, 2001). The texts students were exposed to also gave them a purpose for reading.

I found this article very useful and helpful in understanding the value of literature circles. This article focuses more on how literacy teachers must slow down their teaching so students are able to reflect correctly to their reading. One way this is done is by the use of literature circles. Students learn better when their thoughts and opinions are "nurtured and respected". (Sanacore, 2013). Students will also develop confidence in their reading and discussions when reflective time is given.

This article was very interesting because it provided some ways to incorporate literature circles with science. Typically this works best when little to no hands-on labs are available. The literature circle would have similar roles as they would in reading however, some extra roles would be added. Some of those include:

• Everyday Life Connectors - try to connect what they are reading to their everyday life.
• Historians - research their topic and find out the history of it.
• Science Skeptics - challenge findings and discuss variables and bias.

Students are more likely to learn new vocabulary from cooperative learning groups. This is extremely important for English language learners.

Barone, D., & Barone, R. (2016). “Really,” “Not possible,” “I can't Believe It”: Exploring informational text in literature circles. The Reading Teacher, 70(1), 69-81. doi:10.1002/trtr.1472

Bromley, K., Faughnan, M., Ham, S., Miller, M., Armstrong, T., Crandall, C., & ... Marrone, N. (2014). Literature Circles Go Digital. Reading Teacher, 68(3), 229-236. doi:10.1002/trtr.1312

Candler, L. (n.d.). Laura Candler's Teaching Resources - Interactive Teaching ... Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.lauracandler.com/

Colburn, A. (2010). Literature circles. The Science Teacher, 77(1), 8. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.uta.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uta.edu/docview/214619549?accountid=7117

Elhess, M., & Egbert, J. (n.d.). Literature Circles as Support for Language Development. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/english-teaching-forum-volume-53-number-3#child-1983

Fink, L. (n.d.). Literature Circles: Getting Started - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/literature-circles-getting-started-19.html

Noe, K. (2013). Literature Circles Resource Center. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://litcircles.org/

King, C. (2001). "I like group reading because we can share ideas": the role of talk within the Literature Circle. Reading, 35(1), 32.

Long, T. L., & Gove, M. K. (2004). How engagement strategies and literature circles promote critical response in a fourth-grade, urban classroom. The Reading Teacher, 57(4), 350-361. Retrieved fromhttps://login.ezproxy.uta.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.uta.edu/docview/203276933?accountid=7117

Mills, H., & Jennings, L. (2011). Talking About Talk: Reclaiming the Value and Power of Literature Circles. The Reading Teacher, 64(8), 590-598. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uta.edu/stable/41203458

Sanacore, J. (2013). “Slow Down, You Move Too Fast”: Literature Circles as Reflective Practice. Clearing House, 86(3), 116-120.

Shanahan, T. (n.d.). 11 Ways Parents Can Help Their Children Read | Reading Rockets. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-literacy/11-ways-parents-can-help-their-children-read

WAYS A PARENT CAN HELP A CHILD WITH READING. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2016, from http://www.fortheteachers.org/ways-a-parent-can-help-a-child-with-reading/

Wilfong, L. G. (2009). Textmasters: Bringing Literature Circles to Textbook Reading Across the Curriculum. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(2), 164-171.

My name is Blanca Jurado. I am a 4th grade bilingual teacher in Irving ISD. This is my 7th year teaching. In addition to 4th grade I have also taught 5th grade. So far my favorite of the two is 4th. I enjoy teaching and watching my student grow academically. Year after year I see what kind of difference teachers make. I plan to continue teaching and eventually becoming a reading specialist or reading interventionist. I am currently pursuing my masters in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in literacy. I plan to graduate in 2018.

§I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington's tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence. I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or that I contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.