This document provides an overview of literature circles, which are small discussion groups of students who read and discuss books together. It defines literature circles as groups of 3-5 students who read, discuss, and respond to books to become critical thinkers and engage meaningfully with literature. The benefits of literature circles include promoting student independence, fostering authentic discussions and a love of reading. The document outlines how to structure literature circles, including assigning roles, setting agreements, and assessing discussions. It also provides resources for learning more about implementing literature circles.

1. Educators’ Network
Literature Circles
By
Sarah Pickles
March 31st 2012
Lincoln Community School,
Accra, Ghana

2. Tuning In:
What are Literature
Circles?
Turn and talk to the person next to you and
explain what your understanding of
Literature Circles is.

3. What are Literature
Circles?
Groups of 3 -5 students read, discuss and respond to
books
Facilitate focused discussions on books
Way to become critical thinkers
Engage students in meaningful response to literature
Motivate students to read
Teacher is observer/facilitator

4. Why have Literature
Circles?
Student centred
Foster a love of reading
Promote student independence and responsibility
Promote authentic discussions about books
Encourage students to learn from one another
Foster critical thinking

5. Why do Literature
Circles?

6. Finding Out
What kind of things do you think students
can discuss about books?
Turn to the person next to you and discuss
your ideas

7. What are Literature
Circles?

8. What do they look like?
Share what makes sense
Share what doesn’t make sense
Use others’ ideas to help think about books
Ask questions
Share our stories, connections, that help us
understand the characters
Discuss insights
Discuss language
Discuss writer’s craft

9. Making Connections
Text to text
Text to self
Text to world
Promote a deeper understanding of books

10. Discuss language
Learn new vocabulary in an authentic way
Identify figurative language e.g. metaphor
and simile
Identify and share examples of descriptive
language

11. Ask important questions
Teaches students to ask discussion questions
rather than comprehension questions
Different perspectives on the books

12. Discuss characters
Discuss character traits and back up your
ideas with evidence from the book
Discuss how characters change and why
Discuss what motivates characters

13. How does it fit in with
your teaching?
Literacy program
Your students
Your style of teaching
Your classroom routines
Your teaching day

14. How do you start?
Structure and scaffolding
Through read alouds, model the questions
and connections you want the students to
make
Through strategy lessons teach students
strategies, e.g. making personal connections
to the texts, and then get students to
practise doing that with shared texts or with
their reading books

15. Essential Agreements
What agreements do you think you have to
have to ensure smooth discussions?

16. Structure of Literature Circles:
Before the discussion
Students choose a book and form a group/
groups are formed and books distributed
Read at home – students agree how many
pages they will read before the next session
Have a job to do on the pages read/or take
notes
Bring journal and book to Literature Circles

17. Structure of Literature Circles:
During the discussion
Discussion Director facilitates discussion
Students share and discuss their notes and
their ideas

18. Structure of Literature Circles:
After the discussion
Students agree on pages to read for next
session
Students rotate jobs
Students record pages to read and jobs in
journals
Feedback and reflection session

19. Scaffolding
Read along and listen to me read a short
text

20. Scaffolding
Now I will put you in groups
Reread the text and make any notes,
recording any of your thoughts
Discuss in your group

21. Reflection
What went well?
What didn’t go so well?

22. Have a go
Read the short text in front of you
Each of you will be given a job
Reread the text through the lens of your
job
Make notes according to the job description

23. Have a go!
Now you have read the text and written
some notes according to your job, get into
your groups and the ‘Discussion Director’ will
facilitate the discussion.

24. Assessing Literature
Circles

25. Time for reflection:
Students
Student self reflection:
What went well?
What could be improved?
What are your group’s goals?
What are your individual goals?

26. Assessing Discussions:
How and Why?
Anecdotal records
Rubrics
Checklists
Set goals for individuals and groups

27. Assessing Journals:
Teacher
Share exemplary work
Post exemplary work in your classroom
Set goals

28. Going Further
Visit www.disting.blogspot.com for the
presentation and resources shown today
Read: Noe, Katherine L. Schlick, and Nancy J. Johnson. Getting
Started with Literature Circles. Norwood, MA: Christopher-
Gordon, 1999.
Read: Day, Jeni Pollack. Moving Forward with
Literature Circles: How to Plan, Manage, and
Evaluate Literature Circles That Deepen
Understanding and Foster a Love of Reading.
New York: Scholastic Professional, 2002
Visit http://www.litcircles.org/
Try out Literature Circles with your students!

29. Thank you
for coming
to this
workshop!