lit. circles

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lit. circles
By Rhonda

I have done lit. circles with 3rd and 4th graders and I found that they "catch on" very quickly and are very excited to be a part of them

I spend a whole day going over the "role sheets" with the class and we practice filling
them out about a book or a chapter we have already read. This makes it clear as to what I expect and what a "good" role sheet looks like.
The next day we role-play an actual discussion with me as the Discussion Director. We talk about the "rules":all students must have a completed role sheet to come to the discussion, you must bring your book with you, you must take turns, the

Discussion Director "runs" the group for the day, and you must participate.

Each student has a schedule and I also create a journal with a higher level thinking question for each chapter.

I alternate days. One day is a "work day" where they read the chapter(s) and do their role sheet. The next day is a "discussion day" where they meet w/ their group and discuss. Since each group gets done at different times, they are instructed to go back to their seat when they are done and work on their journal.

I wander the room and listen in on groups' discussions and also encourage appropriate behavior. I keep a check list of inappropriate behavior as well as students who really participate so they can also receive a grade for their discussion work.

It is a lot of work initally, but once they are started, Literature Circle run themselves.

I grade each role sheet with a rubric (usually 1 through 5) and I also let the students share their journal answers and use it as a topic for discussion.

Let me know if you want to see any of my role sheets, rubrics, a schedule, etc.

Hope this helps and I haven't gone on too much.