Literature Circles

Introduction

The Team Members

Start here

Novel Lists

Genres

Need Help Choosing?

Getting Started

WHAT ARE LITERATURE CIRCLES?

Literature circles are the “new rage” sweeping the teaching of literature. Are they really a new idea? No, probably not. Do they work? Absolutely. To understand them better, you need to realize that there are as many ways to do literature circles as there are books, but they all have some fundamental similarities.

First off, they should involve small groups of students studying the same work, usually (but not always) fiction. Students may be grouped according to reading level, choice of literary work, the teacher’s familiarity with the students and their work ethic/leadership skills, etc. Usually groupings are no larger than 3 or 4 students per group, though you may have more than one group studying the same work of literature. The whole class breaks into these little pods, or “circles,” when the activity begins.

A second similarity involves the requirement of a student response to the work. This might be formal or informal, structured or unstructured, but some key aspect of the experience must require students to respond, on a personal level, to what they are reading. Some people call literature circles “lit logs” or “response journals.” Teachers might assign certain forms of writing which the student must use to respond, like a letter, postcard, or journal, or might leave it up to the student to select a method. Often the “3 R’s” of retell (summarize), relate (compare and contrast to other materials), and reflect (respond with personal opinions, experiences, and observations) are used.

The third common thread in literature circles involves the motivation for doing them. Literature circles foster excitement about reading, allow students to work with peers and increase social skills, expose students to a new method of learning over which they have some control, give students more individualized attention from teachers, and personalize the student’s connection to the work. They have been proven to increase reading interest and excitement in students, and many students describe them as their favourite part of language arts classes. Personally, I find them particularly great for raising students from a level 2 to a level 3, or a level 3 to a level 4. The individualized responses students get from teachers who journal back and forth with them can often target areas where a student continues to be weak, and the one-on-one aspect allows the teacher to remediate that student’s particular weakness in a subtle and concentrated way. There is a great deal of teacher satisfaction when you can see students growing and improving, and see the enthusiasm with which they come to literature circle classes.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Sample units, rubrics for lit circles (with expectations right from the curriculum documents), some other ways to do lit circles (with assigned roles, for example), some suggested books for various levels, etc.

Take these back with you and you can get started right away! Good luck!

GETTING STARTED

Get started with these goodies.

                                                                           ^ Top