Questions, assignments, and tips for literature circles with students in grades 4-6.

1. Literature Circle Materials
This is a set of materials that can help students in grades 4-6 have meaningful discussions
about fiction books.
The idea
Each week, students will work with their groups to decide which pages to read for
the upcoming week. Encourage them to aim to read enough each week to be able to finish
their books in four weeks.
There are four weeks of generic questions that students can use to frame their
discussions. Be prepared for some bumps along the way to brilliant conversations!
Learning how to talk about a book requires time, patience, and modeling. Not every
discussion will be wonderful, especially the first week. Build from what you see and use
that as a teaching point for the next week.
Book selection
Offer students choices about which books to read. I did a two-minute book pass—
kids looked at each book for two minutes, and then passed them on. After this, students
wrote their top three choices on a slip of paper. I put together the groups based on student
choices and my knowledge about which groups of students work well together.
What about when students finish their books?
This is the whole point! If students want to read ahead, I let them. Each Monday,
when we have our discussions, I use the last five minutes or so to pull kids who have
finished their books to form a new group. It gets a little messy, but we survive. I made the
“Master List” of questions to allow for groups that are at different points in their books.
What about students at very different reading levels?
This can be a problem. I usually try to find books that are a middle ground for
reading level. Because most kids are motivated to read and keep up with their
conversations, students who are a level or two below the book will often manage to do fine.
I also have assigned kids to partner read with a more capable reader (usually a friend). If
you have access to books on CD, these can really help the struggling reader to keep up with
the group and engage in more complex discussions.
Choice Time
I like to keep a close watch on readers, especially during the first few weeks. I use a
“Choice Time” approach. Each day, students have about 15-30 minutes of Choice Time to
work on assignments. I create a menu of activities for each week that includes 2 required
items (usually our shared reading activity and the Literature Circle questions) and 2
optional items that students can select from a list of 4-6 choices. During Choice Time, I can
meet with students who are having trouble, offer hints on different activities, or listen in on
readers.
E. Kissner 2011

2. When students don’t complete their assignments
Students who don’t read or complete their notes for their discussions are directed to
write paragraphs to answer the questions. While the other students are meeting and
discussing, they are sitting alone and writing paragraphs. For my students, just one
experience with this is enough to encourage them to put in more time the next week!
Shared Reading
I incorporate Literature Circles into my class when we are reading short stories
together. For example, in Week 1 of Literature Circles, we all read the short story “Juggling”
by Donna Gamache to talk about dialogue and story elements. The literature circle work
became their independent practice.
Week 1
In the first week of literature circles, help students to cope with difficult dialogue in
their books. Use “Understanding Dialogue” and “Looking Closely at Dialogue” to look at
how authors show which character is speaking.
Week 2
This week, dialogue will move to an independent skill, as students answer a
question about dialogue in their literature circles.
Whole class lessons will focus on making inferences about characters. Model this
with high quality picture books or a shared short story. Students often have trouble
identifying how they use background knowledge to make inferences.
Week 3
Students should be well into their books by now! This is a chance to look at how
characters are changing. Students often don’t think about how characters change their
attitudes throughout a book. Use the “Character Change” chart to talk about how characters
can change traits, emotions, and attitudes throughout a book.
This is also an excellent time to work on theme. Use the picture books or short
stories that you have read throughout the sessions to talk about different themes and how
different books can show the themes.
Week 4
In Week 4, we put the pieces together to make meaning of our books. How did the
story progress? What could we learn from the story? How do we compare our stories?
Week 5 and beyond
Literature circles can become a useful background activity, even after your
classroom focus changes. Try continuing with the master list of questions.
E. Kissner 2011

3. Literature Circle Assignment
Week #1
1. Read pages _________ - __________. (You may read ahead if you like, but limit your
discussion to these pages.) You will have time to read during class, but you should
also plan to spend time reading at home.
2. Complete the notes for your discussion group. Remember, your answers do not have
to be in complete sentences, but you should include page numbers of specific details.
a. If you do not have your notes completed, or you forget them on the day of
your discussion, you will need to write paragraph answers for ALL of the
questions.
3. Participate in your group’s discussion.
Questions
1. What is the setting (time and place) of
your book? Which setting details are the
most interesting to you?
2. Choose a character. Identify at least
two traits of that character. Be sure to
cite specific evidence from the text to
support your details.
3. Choose a favorite sentence or quote
from what you have read so far. Be ready
to explain how it is important to the
reading and why you like it.
4. Do you like this book so far? Why or
why not?
E. Kissner 2011

4. Character Traits: An Incomplete List
kind brave mean
considerate courageous cold-hearted
thoughtful noble stern
caring foolhardy (doing thoughtless
warm-hearted things that are rude
friendly not wise) impolite
sociable bold unsociable
loyal daring unkind
generous stingy
intelligent responsible irresponsible
clever prudent lazy
smart careful careless
quick-witted persistent sloppy
devious (clever studious messy
in a scheming disorganized
way)
shy confident imaginative
timid talkative creative
meek outgoing inventive
humble impulsive practical
nervous
E. Kissner 2011

5. Looking Closely at Dialogue
Directions: Look at the photocopied page from the literature circle book. With
your partner, decide which characters are speaking. Assign each a color. Then,
show the different colors
Character name Color
What were some of the speaker tags that were used in this selection?
How could you tell who was speaking? Use specific text details!
Write down your favorite piece of dialogue. Use correct punctuation!
Understanding Dialogue
Read the passage below. Use a colored pencil to underline the
E. Kissner 2011

6. dialogue.
Julia: blue
Anna: yellow
Robert: green
Mr. Myers: orange
This scene is from a story in which two girls become friends as they work on a
reading project.
When we got to Anna’s house, we were both hungry. We hadn’t eaten
anything since our lunch at school.
“Want to make a milkshake, Julia?” Anna asked.
“Sure!” I said. I wasn’t ever allowed to use the blender by myself at home.
“Let’s see,” said Anna. “I do this with my brother Robert all the time. Ice
cream, some milk, and some strawberries.”
“Wow,” I said. I was beginning to realize something about Anna. She wasn’t
quiet and boring at all. She was funny. And she could cook!
Anna measured it all into the blender. “And now,” she said, “all we have to do
is plug it in.”
But there was one tiny problem, one tiny thing that Anna had forgotten to do.
She plugged in the blender and pressed the button. The blender roared to life.
Suddenly, pink goop erupted. It was like a strawberry ice cream volcano.
Globs of it went everywhere, onto the ceiling, the floor, all over us.
Anna pulled her finger away from the button. The blender went silent. We
stared at each other in horror.
“I forgot the lid,” Anna whispered.
Footsteps came into the kitchen. An older boy, about eighth grade or so, stood
in the doorway. “You two are in so much trouble.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Anna squeaked. To me, she said, “This is my brother,
Robert.”
“You both look ridiculous,” Robert said. “Anna, you’re going to be grounded
for years. I bet you’ll never see the light of day again. When Dad sees this, he is
going to go completely off the deep end.” The more Robert spoke, the more Anna’s
eyes widened in horror.
“When I see what?” said another voice, and Anna’s dad came in. He just stood
there and looked for a moment, taking in the pink globs on the ceiling, the
stalactites of ice cream hanging from our faces, the goop all over our clothes.
I almost ran out of the room right then. I never get into trouble. Now here I
was, in someone else’s house, with a brother and a father I had never met, about to
get into trouble with a girl I hardly knew. I was having trouble breathing, I felt so
panicked.
But then something surprising happened. Anna’s dad laughed.
Robert laughed, too. They both thought the whole thing was funny!
E. Kissner 2011

7. “Hm,” said Anna’s dad. “Is there something you’ve learned here, Anna?”
“Always use the lid?”
“That’s a good rule to remember,” he said. “And you’ve gotten your new friend
covered in this—what is it, milkshake? Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Mr. Myers,
Anna’s dad.”
“I’m Julia,” I said. I wished that I could sink through the floor.
“I’ll tell you what,” Mr. Myers said. “Anna, Julia, I’ll help you clean up this
mess. Then let’s go out and get some dinner and some real milkshakes. Julia, will
that be okay with your mom?”
“I’ll call her,” I replied.
So then we had to clean the milkshake off the ceiling, the floor, the sink, and
every surface in the kitchen. It had even gotten onto the light!
Think about it!
Find three different speaker tags used in the passage. Write them below.
Find a piece of dialogue where a speaker tag is not used. Circle it. How did you
know who was speaking?
E. Kissner 2011

8. Literature Circle Assignment
Week #2
1. Read pages _________ - __________. (You may read ahead if you like, but limit your
discussion to these pages.) You will have time to read during class, but you should
also plan to spend time reading at home.
2. Complete the notes for your discussion group. Remember, your answers do not have
to be in complete sentences, but you should include page numbers of specific details.
a. If you do not have your notes completed, or you forget them on the day of
your discussion, you will need to write paragraph answers for ALL of the
questions.
3. Participate in your group’s discussion.
Questions
1. Find an example of dialogue that
shows what a character is like. Explain
how the dialogue shows the character’s
traits.
2. What is the main problem in the book?
How is the character attempting to solve
it?
3. Find a place where you agree or
disagree with a character’s decision.
Explain the event, and your feelings
about it.
4. Which character in this book is the
most like you? Why?
E. Kissner 2011

9. Inference Chart
Inference Story Clues Background knowledge
A statement that isn’t What clues in the story How does this relate to your
directly stated in the story, helped you to figure this out? own experiences?
but that you can figure out
E. Kissner 2011

10. Literature Circle Assignment
Week #3
1. Read pages _________ - __________. (You may read ahead if you like, but limit your
discussion to these pages.) You will have time to read during class, but you should
also plan to spend time reading at home.
2. Complete the notes for your discussion group. Remember, your answers do not have
to be in complete sentences, but you should include page numbers of specific details.
a. If you do not have your notes completed, or you forget them on the day of
your discussion, you will need to write paragraph answers for ALL of the
questions.
3. Participate in your group’s discussion.
Questions
1. Share an inference that you made.
Explain the text details and background
knowledge that helped you to make the
inference. (Your inference should be
somewhere in the second half of the
book.)
2. Find a word or phrase that is tricky to
understand. Explain what the word or
phrase means. (Be sure to write down
the page number.)
3. Find some details that describe the
setting. How is it important to the story?
Would the story be different in a
different time and place?
4. What big ideas can someone learn
from this book? Come up with at least
one to share.
E. Kissner 2011

11. Character Change Chart
Title of text
Emotion: How a character feels Trait: A word to describe the character’s personality
Attitude: How the character feels about another character, a place, an event, etc.
Character What changed? Explanation
_____ emotion ___________________________________________
_____ trait ___________________________________________
_____ attitude ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____ emotion
___________________________________________
_____ trait
___________________________________________
_____ attitude
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____ emotion ___________________________________________
_____ trait ___________________________________________
_____ attitude ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
E. Kissner 2011

12. Themes
The theme of a text is an underlying message or moral. In other words, it
expresses what the author wants you to learn or think about after you read.
Many of the same themes are expressed over and over again in fiction. Some
common themes are listed below.
How we relate to each other
 Others may help us, but we must figure out who we really are on our
own.
 Family is more important than popularity, wealth, etc.
 Sometimes we must go against what everyone else is doing and make our
own path.
 A true friendship can withstand tests.
 Fighting doesn’t solve problems.
 Working together solves problems.
 Helping others is its own reward.
How we relate to nature
 Nature can be a healing force.
 We need to pay attention to the natural world.
 People need to take care of nature.
 If you love something, let it go.
Life in general
 Good can come from bad.
 Persistence and effort pay off in the end.
 Cheaters never win.
 Honesty is the best policy.
 There are more important things than money and success.
 Good will triumph over evil.
 You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes things still work out.
E. Kissner 2011

13. Literature Circle Assignment
Week #4
1. Read pages _________ - __________. (You may read ahead if you like, but limit your
discussion to these pages.) You will have time to read during class, but you should
also plan to spend time reading at home.
2. Complete the notes for your discussion group. Remember, your answers do not have
to be in complete sentences, but you should include page numbers of specific details.
a. If you do not have your notes completed, or you forget them on the day of
your discussion, you will need to write paragraph answers for ALL of the
questions.
3. Participate in your group’s discussion.
Questions
1. Discuss the theme of the book. What is
the big message? Why do you think this?
2. Choose a character who changed—
either in emotions, traits, or attitudes.
How did the character change? Why was
this important?
3. How is the conflict resolved?
4. What is the most important event
from the book? Why do you think that
this is important?
E. Kissner 2011

14. Literature Circle Questions
Anytime Questions
A1. Choose a character. Identify at least two traits of that character. Be sure to
cite specific evidence from the text to support your details.
A2. Choose a favorite sentence or quote from what you have read so far. Be
ready to explain how it is important to the reading and why you like it.
A3. Find an example of dialogue that shows what a character is like. Explain
how the dialogue shows the character’s traits.
A4. Which character in this book is the most like you? Why?
A5. Share an inference that you made. Explain the text details and background
knowledge that helped you to make the inference.
A6. Find a word or phrase that is tricky to understand. Explain what the word
or phrase means. (Be sure to write down the page number.)
Questions for the beginning of a book
B1. What is the setting (time and place) of your book? Which setting details are
the most interesting to you?
B2. How does the author begin the book? Is it an effective introduction? Be
ready to explain your ideas.
B3. Why is the conflict in this book? What guesses do you have for how it will
be resolved?
Questions for the middle of a book
C1. What is the main problem in the book? How is the character attempting to
solve it?
C2. Find a place where you agree or disagree with a character’s decision.
Explain the event, and your feelings about it.
C3. Find some details that describe the setting. How is it important to the
story? Would the story be different in a different time and place?
C4. Choose a character who is not the main character. How is this character
important to the story. What role do they play? Would the story be
different without this character?
Questions for the end of a book
D1. Discuss the theme of the book. What is the big message? Why do you think
this?
D2. Choose a character who changed—either in emotions, traits, or attitudes.
How did the character change? Why was this important?
D3. How is the conflict resolved?
D4. What is the most important event from the book? Why do you think that
this is important?
E. Kissner 2011

15. Literature Circle Questions
1. Read pages _________ - __________. (You may read ahead if you like, but limit your
discussion to these pages.) You will have time to read during class, but you should
also plan to spend time reading at home.
2. Complete the notes for your discussion group. Remember, your answers do not have
to be in complete sentences, but you should include page numbers of specific details.
a. If you do not have your notes completed, or you forget them on the day of
your discussion, you will need to write paragraph answers for ALL of the
questions.
3. Participate in your group’s discussion.
Questions Notes
E. Kissner 2011

16. Choice Time Assignments
These assignments need to be completed by _____________________________. You will have time
in class to work on these, but you will need to do some work at home as well.
Required
Questions and reading for Literature Circle Week ___________. (You
will have time for this in class, but you may need to complete some
work at home as well.)
Choose 2 of the items below
You should spend your time wisely during Choice Time. If you finish all of your required
tasks, you may start an additional one.
E. Kissner 2011

17. Choice Time Assignments: Master List
Teachers Note: Select 4-6 of these choices for your students for each week. Simply copy and
paste them into the chart on the previous page. (Remember to save each one as a separate
document for ready access next year!) It works well to have some items required one week
(such as an Inference Chart) and then optional in weeks to come.
Complete an Inference Chart.
Complete a Character Change chart.
Complete a Character Emotion chart. (Find more about this on my
blog post.)
Draw a picture of a character from your book. Write five traits of
the character around the picture.
Create a picture of the setting in your book. Label at least five
specific details from the text.
Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two characters in
your book.
Create a poster to show the theme of the book. Your poster should
include the title, the theme, and at least two details that support the
theme.
Create a poster to persuade other students to read your book.
Create a one-page Readers Theatre script to show some of the
action in your book. (Note: You may work together with others in
your group to prepare this to present. It will count for everyone.)
Suppose that two characters from different stories that we read (or
your literature circle books met. Imagine what their conversation
would be like. Write down a page of their imaginary discussion.
Write a letter to a character in your book. Include three paragraphs.
You may ask questions, offer advice, or tell about yourself.
E. Kissner 2011