1. Literature Circles
Objective: Increase students’ understanding of literature through meaningful analysis, discussion, and presentation. There will be a BIG final project!

2. Literature Circles are small groups of students who meet together to talk about books they have read.
Each member of the group has a job with certain responsibilities.
If the group is to work effectively, each person must do his job.
Participation and self-control are important ingredients in successful Literature Circles.

3. Take Notes Topic: Lit. Circles Expectations
Habits of Scholarliness
Different Roles
Task
Meeting Guidelines
Set up Roles & Page Assignments
Group Project/Presentation

4. Scholar’s Expectations
Have intellectual courage by:
Taking risks
Respectfully challenging others
Actively participating
Display intellectual leadership:
Take the initiative
Encourage each other to accomplish the tasks
Tactfully challenge others to be thorough and insightful in their responses.

5. Habits of a Scholar… Demonstrate intellectual humility
Practice scholarly behavior by listening actively; don’t interrupt others or have side conversations
Do not steal others’ opportunities to learn and think
Be open-minded
Show intellectual aggressiveness
Defend your thoughts with evidence after thoroughly reading, interpreting, and analyzing
Refer to the literature/text for evidence
Actively participate

6. Everyone has a job and task
Discussion Director
Passage Master
Summarizer
Connector
Investigator- (if more than four)
Illustrator- (if more than five)
*Take notes of of the expectations/tasks for each job..

7. Discussion Director Help all actively participate in the discussion.
Keep discussion focused- scholars stay on task.
TASKS:
Create a double bubble map comparing two ideas.
4+ UTS questions:
Theme
Change over Time
Plot, Character, Setting
Unanswered Questions
Share questions with group and write down their responses.

8. Passage Master
Help people notice the most interesting, funny, sad, puzzling or important sections.
TASKS:
Choose 4+passages from the assigned reading.
Create a dialectical journal. (quotes on left; significance on right)
Share your passages (reading aloud, ask a member to read, or have group silently read).
Discuss responses with group.

9. SUMMARIZER
Summarize BIG stuff.
Analyze its impact and discuss different causes and effects.
TASKS:
Identify major events (written summary)
Create a Multi Flow Map (Cause & Effect)
Share your summary and thinking
map

10. Connector Connect the book to the real world. TASKS:
Create a Circle Map divided into four sections:
Self
Family
School
Community, society, or world
Make a connection for each
quotation
3. Share circle map and write down two more connections from your group.

11. Determine roles for each meeting
Discussion Director
Passage Master
Summarizer
Connector