Literature Circles

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Literature Circles
By Mary in MA

The program you are describing sounds like Literature Circles. I have used this format very successfully at both the fourth and sixth grade levels. Each group (I assigned 4-5 students, preferably of mixed reading ability,
per group) was using the same trade book, although in the original concept each used a different novel. The students assumed a different "job" each day, on a rotating basis: discussion director, vocabulary specialist, investigator/connector, passage picker, and illustrator. They each read the assigned pages/chapters and complete a"job sheet" specific to their role for the day. When

they are finished within the group with their individual tasks, they discuss what they has taken place within the story. The person who is the discussion director for the day has composed 5 questions to be discussed by the group which go beyond mere facts or details; these questions are supposed to get the students thinking about cause and effect, character analysis, motivation, etc. at a higher level. The teacher's job is to facilitate discussions within the groups, only if needed. I would usually work with one or two groups per day and once a week have a whole class discussion of the story. Literature Circles allows the kids to be in charge of their own learning and assessment takes place both individually and as a group.

Overall, I found this program to be an excellent way to get the students really involved with the reading and, by rotating the jobs each day, they all developed skills in looking at the story from different perspectives. Best of all, the children really enjoyed it, to the point that they were VERY disappointed if other requirements prevented us from "doing Circles" on a given day.