Co-presented at the SEA of BC conference, Crosscurrents, with Lisa Schwartz who added another layer of working with primary lit circles. Into and refresher session for lit circles with no roles, no static groups, a focus on journaling and deep conversations.

1. Grand Conversations, Thoughtful
Responses:
Literature Circles at Work
SEA
Crosscurrents
Conference
2014
Faye
Brownlie
with
Lisa
Schwartz
AM,
Feb.
21,
2014

2. Literature Circles
There is great success in engaging
students with text and conversation
using literature circles
choose
their
own
books
are never
assigned
roles
Within these groupings,
STUDENTS
are taught
comprehension
strategies
read at
their own
pace
engage in
conversations
keep journals
about readings
and conversations

3. WHAT?
Literature Circles are…
Literature Circles are not…
Reader response centered
Teacher and text centered
Part of a balanced literacy
program
The entire reading curriculum
Groups formed by book choice
Teacher-assigned groups formed
solely on ability
Structured for student
independence, responsibility, and
ownership
Guided primarily by student
insights and questions
Intended as a context in which
to apply reading strategies
and writing skills
Unstructured, uncontrolled “talk
time without accountability
Guided primarily by teachers or
curriculum based questions
Intended as a
place to do
skills work

4. Day 1: Introduction of book conversations
•
Model
and
practice
with
poems
or
short
texts
•
Ask
the
students:
“What comes to mind when you
read this?
SAY SOMETHING.”

5. Day 1: Start with the books
•
choose
5
or
6
books
with
multiple
copies
•
choose
books
that
cover
a
wide
range
of
reader
interest
and
level
of
difficulty
•
choose
books
that
lead
to
further
reading
(series,
author)

6. Day 1: Introduce the books
•
read
an
excerpt
•
describe
the
kind
of
reader
who
might
enjoy
this
•
Describe
the
font,
text
features
etc.
Students choose 2 texts
including
“notice
that’s”
each.
(One as a back up)
Start Reading!!!

7. Day 2: Meeting with the groups
•
meet
with
a
group
who
are
reading
the
same
book,
while
the
other
students
continue
reading
•
students
come
to
the
meeting
with
a
brief
passage
prepared
to
read
aloud
•
After
a
student
has
read,
others
respond
by:
SAYING SOMETHING
about what they thought.

8. This
is
My
Rock
-
David
McCord
This is my rock
And here I run
To steal the secret of the sun;
This is my rock
And here come I
Before the night has swept the sky
This is my rock,
This is the place
I meet the evening face to face.

9. Response Logs
Students respond
in writing twice
a week, reacting
to their books.
Generally
this is a 10
minute write
Initially students
write at the same
time, but as the
process becomes
familiar, most
will write when
it is appropriate

10. Criteria for an effective group discussion:
•all
voices must be included
•everyone must feel included
•everyone’s ideas are respected
•the discussion should move us to new
understandings

11. Response Journals
 double-entry
journals
 initially, written in class, together
 develop criteria for powerful responses

12. Left side
Right side
Notes
Early Stages
1. Title of the book
One sentence I can read from the book
2. Title of the book
(After reading a pattern book) A sentence of my
own following the pattern of the text
3. Title of the book
Writing is very limited in the early
stages.
My opinion
(e.g. The part I like best…
My favorite character is…)
End of grade 1/ Beginning grade 2
4. Summary (what
happened)
My thinking about what happened
Initially, expect a lot more writing on
the left side than the right.
Later
5. Two events
My thinking about these events
Gradually expect the length of the
writing to become more balanced on
each side
6. A quotation from the text
My interpretation thinking of the meaning of this
quotation
By intermediate, expect 1-2
sentences about an event and a
paragraph of personal response

16. Tyson ESL 2/3
Event
Bud and Todd had a fight
Thinking
Fighting is really bad because it
can make you bleed, get bruises,
might break your bones and can
hurt you really hard/bad. What
I’m thinking that Bud (not with
Todd’s family) will get
punishment like get no food or
get kicked out of the house for the
rest of the day (because Todd is
blaming Bud that Todd is badly
hurt) I might also think that
Bud is going to take revenge by
getting Todd to do a thing he
never did like wet his bed because
Todd never wet his bed(it said in
the book) so I’m 90% sure that
Bud will get Todd to wet his bed,
but 10% sure he will do something
else.

17. Event
A crate came to Eddy’s
house.
Carol-Anne
Thinking
I wonder what is inside it? I
wonder who it is to? I hope it
is Eddy’s new bike that got
stolen so he will get to ride it
to school because I think that
he does not want to go to
school on the bus because of a
bolly or someone he is afrade of
or something is bothering him
and so he want to ride his bike
or get a ride with his aunty or
someone. I hope it is not a
trick gift from someone that is
always mean to Eddy and his
family. What if it is a bomb
then his house will be gone and
his family will die and so will he
and he will never get his new bike
back.

18. Jennifer
Event
Bud and
Todd had a
fight
Thinking
That made me think like crazy and it was true.
In some parts of the world like in Africa, Kid’s
have no parents and they have to take acre of
themselves. Little 5 years olds or six years have
to be like an adult. Which made me feel amazed
sad and shocked all at the same time. Little sic
year olds doing work’s of an adult. My Gosh!
Here in Canada when you life is 6 and 5 it’s a
breeze. Why there is a good book called Pit Pony
and Willy mom dies and Nancy his sister was
sort of like his mother ans she’s only eighteen.
Just imagine a little 6 year old. Sox years olds
are supposed to enjoy life and play with the sun.
It kinda reminds me of slaves. The little kids
who do such hard work. I am soo glad that at
least my class and maybe the whole school at
least get to see and play with the sun.

19. Primary Literature Circles –
Lisa Schwartz,
Teacher Consultant, Richmond

20. Literature
Circles
in
the
Primary
Grades
• Book
choice
• Time
to
talk
• Read
at
own
pace
• Focus
on
reading
and
talking
about
books

21. Students…….
• Have
choice
in
books
they
read
• Read
at
own
pace
• Gather
in
groups
to
talk
about
books
without
jobs
or
roles
• Reflect
on
what
is
being
read
in
a
journal
or
leOer
wriPng
format
(not
daily)
• PracPce
reading
strategies
(connecPons,
inferring
and
asking
quesPons)
in
the
context
of
real
reading

22. Teachers……
• Use
gradual
release
of
responsibility
to
teach,
model
and
pracPce
book
talks
• Give
children
choice
• Provide
mulPple
copies
of
a
variety
of
books
• Give
students
Pme
to
read
• Read
with
students
and
join
conversaPons
to
see
what’s
working,
what’s
not,
what’s
next….
• Explicitly
teach
reading
and
response
strategies

23. Introducing
the
Format
• SPcky
note
strategy
• Whole
class
discussion
• Small
group
discussion
• Build
criteria
together
• Response

24. Focus
for
Discussion:
RaPngs
• Provide
a
raPng
for
their
book
on
a
scale
of
1
to
5
and
give
reasons
for
their
raPng
Strategies:
• Rate
that
Book
• Share
your
Five
Book
• RecommendaPon
Chart

25. Great
Books
for
Discussion
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grandfather
Twilight
Barbara
Berger
The
Day
Eddie
Met
the
Author
Lousie
Borden
The
Wednesday
Surprise
Eve
BunPng
Oliver
Buon
is
a
Sissy
Tomie
dePaola
Pancakes
for
Breakfast
Tomie
dePaola
Why
is
the
Sky
Blue?
Sherry
Garland
Amazing
Grace
Mary
Hoffman
Yo!
Yes
and
Ring!
Yo!
Chris
Raschka

26. Focus
for
Discussion:
ConnecPons
• Students
share
their
connecPons
to
the
story.
• Begin
with
text
to
self
and
work
towards
text
to
text
and
text
to
world
Strategies
SPcky
note
strategy
Quick
connecPons
vs
deep
connecPons

27. Making
ConnecPons:
WriOen
Response
Ms.
Fenn’s
Grade
2/3
Woodward
Elementary

32. Focus
for
Discussion:
Inferring
• Infer
the
feelings
of
characters,
the
meanings
of
words
and
use
what
is
observed
combined
with
experience
to
make
sense
of
what
is
being
read.

33. Strategy
for
Teaching
Inferring
Using
Pictures
Learning
Inten+ons:
1. I
can
look
at
a
picture
and
infer
what
is
happening.
2. I
can
provide
because
reasoning
for
my
inference.
• Using
the
picture
book
Dude
by
Christopher
Aslan

36. Strategy
to
Teach
Inferring
the
Meaning
of
Unknown
Words
Learning
Inten+ons
1. I
can
use
pictures,
my
background
knowledge,
rereading
and
talking
with
others
to
infer
the
meaning
of
unknown
words.
2. I
can
confirm
or
contradict
my
inferences
as
I
conPnue
to
read.
Book:
Nancy
Clancy:
Super
Sleuth
by
Jane
O’Connor

37. Focus
for
Discussion:
QuesPons
• Readers
ask
quesPons
before,
during
and
ader
reading
to
predict
what
might
happen,
understand
the
story
and
clarify
ideas.
• Asking
quesPons
while
reading
helps
us
keep
our
brain
focused.

38. QuesPoning
Strategy
Learning
Inten+ons:
1. I
can
create
a
list
of
quesPons
while
reading
to
promote
understanding.
2. I
can
categorize
my
quesPons.

39. QuesPoning
Strategy
• Record
quesPons
on
chart
paper
• Code
quesPons:
• A=
answered.
BK=
answered
from
background
knowledge.
I=
inferred
answer
from
text.
R=
a
quesPon
that
needs
to
be
researched.

40. Set
Up
• Begin
ader
spring
break
(term
1
and
2
guided
reading)
• Pre-­‐teaching,
modeling
and
pracPce
takes
Pme
• Three
Pmes
a
week
for
45
minutes
• Use
resource
support
to
support
emergent
readers

41. Possible
Format
1
• Teacher
reads
with
one
group
while
other
groups
read.
• Students
use
sPcky
notes
to
mark
a
place
in
the
book
they
want
to
discuss.
• Discussions
are
focused
on
quesPons,
connecPons
and
inferences.
• Students
also
rate
the
book
and
give
reasons
why.

42. Possible
Format
2
• Opening:
Review
criteria
for
discussion.
• Everyone
reads
at
the
same
Pme
(20
minutes).
• During
reading,
teacher
reads
with
students
to
give
feedback
and
noPce
areas
of
growth.
• Everyone
discusses
books
at
the
same
Pme.
• Closure:
How
did
it
go
today?
Reflect
on
our
discussions.

43. Create
Criteria
Together
• Create
an
anchor
chart
about
literature
circles.
• What
does
literature
circle
discussions
look
like?
• What
does
literature
circle
discussions
sound
like?
• Refer
to
chart
at
the
beginning
and
end
of
sessions.

48. TroubleshooPng
• Different
from
year
to
year
• Format
changes
depending
on
needs
of
class
and
support
• Slow
readers
• Speed
readers
• Mini
lessons

49. Say
Something
• Turn
and
talk
to
someone.
• What
is
something
you
would
like
to
try?
• What
is
something
you
are
sPll
wondering
about?

50. Grand
ConversaPons,
Thoughiul
Responses
-­‐
a
unique
approach
to
literature
circles
-­‐
Faye
Brownlie
Portage
and
Main
Press,
2004
Student
Diversity,
2nd
ed
-­‐
Brownlie,
Feniak
and
Schnellert
Pembroke
Publishers,
2005
It’s
All
About
Thinking
–
in
English,
Social
Studies
and
HumaniPes
–
Brownlie
and
Schnellert,
2009

51.  Webcast:
 Literature
Circles
in
the
Middle
Years
 www.bced.gov.bc.ca/literacy
 Webcast,
part
2