an introduction…

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 roles Literature 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

 Creative Connector  Discussion Director  Story Mapper or Illustrator  Summarizer  Vocabulary Finder 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: Being sure each person has their turn to speak, to contribute to the discussion Gently reminds that it’s someone else’s turn when anyone talks tooooo long Guides 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 imagine 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: In 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. Example #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 culture Example #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 four to five b)If there are less than nine members, the group can decide which of the nine roles to combine or eliminate

1. The list is given to the group 2. 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! Mrs. Shores 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!]