“THIS IS TH

E FIRST B

OOK

I’VE READ!” :

USING

LITERATU

RE CIRCLES IN

THE CLASSROOM

B R I A N N A K E A N E

WI L M

I N G T O N H I G H S C H OO

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ROAD MAP1. What are literature circles?2. Why should I use them?3. How do I implement them?4. What does this look like in action?5. What can I expect as an outcome?6. What additional resources are available?

WHAT ARE LITERATURE CIRCLES?• MANY different formats and ways to conduct them.• Here’s one way I’ve conducted lit circles in my classroom:

• Students are split into groups of 3-4, each group has a different book tied to an overarching theme.

• Students spend 3-4 weeks reading, responding and reflecting on their text in their small groups.

• Teacher sporadically leads whole-group lessons & discussions introducing new skills, concepts, and texts to be applied in small groups.

• Students work on reading, writing, leadership, speaking, listening and collaboration skills.

• Students produce a final project on their text – book talk, I-search, annotated bibliography, etc.

WHY USE LITERATURE CIRCLES?• Increases student motivation• Creates an environment that values reading• Improved student comprehension• Student-led learning Meets the Danielson evaluation tool

expectations• Opportunity to practice social and leadership skills• Provides a way to incorporate nonfiction, informational texts at

a minimal cost Complements the Common Core Standards

References: Burns, Cameron, Sportsman, Stein

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LITERATURE CIRCLES?Prior to Reading:

• Students need to be taught how to conduct discussions on their own, without teacher-intervention• We create a set of rules together and model

conversations• Students need to feel comfortable using reading

strategies independently• We spend the beginning of the school year

revisiting how to summarize, make connections, make predictions, and ASK QUESTIONS!

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LIT CIRCLES?Prior to Reading con’t:

• Learn about your students reading levels, interests and dynamics• This will help you determine which books will be

a best fit and which students will be most compatible together

• Begin thinking about possible themes and book lists.• Optional, but highly recommended: read your book

list ahead of time!

HOW TO SELECT BOOKS• Thematic?• Ask around:

• Librarians• Students• Facebook• Colleagues

• Websites:• Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com • English Companion Ning: http://englishcompanion.ning.com

• Award Winners:• Abraham Lincoln Award

SAMPLE BOOK LIST: HERO’S JOURNEYRATS SAW GOD by Rob ThomasTHE ALCHEMIST: THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL by Michael ScottTHE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C. S. LewisOH MY GODS! by Tera Lynn ChildsTHE LOOKING GLASS WARS by Frank BeddorTHE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert CormierTHE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. PearsonTHE HOBBIT by J.R.R. TolkeinNOBODY'S PRINCESS by Esther FreisnerTHE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan

Source: Reagan Mauk, Leon County Schools

SAMPLE BOOK LIST: SOCIAL ISSUESTANGERINE by Edward BloorTHINGS NOT SEEN by Andrew ClementsTHE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne CollinsHOLE IN MY LIFE by Jack GantosTHE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark HaddonPAY IT FORWARD by Catherine R. HaydeSOLD by Patricia McCormickNINETEEN MINUTES by Jodi PicoultTHE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold

Source: Tera Gebhardt, Wilmington High School

SAMPLE BOOK LIST: BULLYINGEVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. KingBRUTAL by Michael HarmonCROSSING LINES by Paul VolponiFREAK SHOW by James St. JamesHATE LIST by Jennifer BrownTHE JULIAN GAME by Adele GriffinTWISTED by Laurie Halse AndersonSTAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES by Chris CrutcherTHIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay AsherBURN by Suzanne Phillips

SAMPLE BOOK LIST: WORLD WAR IIMAUS by Art SpiegelmanNIGHT by Elie WieselTHE BOOK THIEF by Markus ZusakSARAH’S KEY by Tatiana de RosnayTHE BOY IN THE STRIPPED PAJAMAS by John BoyneNO-NO BOY by John OkadaMILKWEED by Jerry SpinelliDEAR MISS BREED by Joanne F. OppenheimBEYOND COURAGE by Doreen Rappaport

BRAINSTORM & SHARE OUTTake some time to discuss with a neighbor or

two… what themes could you use in your own classroom?

What themes could you recommend to content area teachers in order to encourage their participation in lit circles?

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LITERATURE CIRCLES?Getting Started:• Create a booklist and give students an opportunity to

explore & preference books• Place students into heterogeneous groups of 3-4

students each• Create your own calendar of what you’d like to

accomplish and when. Provide students with a copy and have them decide their own reading schedule.

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LITERATURE CIRCLES?Day-to-Day Activities:

• I like to have a period of silent reading either at the beginning of end of class. I hand out a reading log where students keep track of their active reading generate questions, summarize, make a connection, make a prediction, write a significant quote.• I split the class in half & half of the groups work on

a silent writing assignment (reflect on literary elements such as protagonist, antagonist, conflict, etc.) while the other half meets in their groups and discusses the book with each other and me.

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LIT CIRCLES?Day-to-Day Activities con’t:

• In discussion groups, each student plays a role which they determined in a previous class discussion director, summarizer, vocabulary enricher, illustrator, investigator, travel tracer, etc.• I also provide a prompt with some additional

questions they can discuss if they get stuck opinions so far, make a prediction, if you could talk to one character, what would you say to them and why?

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LITERATURE CIRCLES?More Day-to-Day Activities:

• If we have a whole group theme, sometimes I will do a whole group lesson plan and ask them to apply that knowledge to their novels in their small groups. For example w/ bullying:• Whole-group lesson plan: Actively read a

nonfiction article about the bully, bullied and bystander• In small groups: Categorize characters that fit

each of these roles… how do you know this? What could the characters do to change these roles?

• Use this as an opportunity to talk about real-world, meaningful topics that maybe don’t apply directly to their texts, but do tie into the overall theme (i.e. the dangers of stereotyping)

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LITERATURE CIRCLES?Assessment:

• Book talk sell your book to the class! Create a hook, discuss plot and themes without spoilers, explain who would enjoy this book• I-Search papers & annotated bibliography

Have students generate questions related to their book that they would like to explore further & conduct a research project in order to answer those questions. Have students find various sources with information about their topics and analyze the information provided.

HOW CAN I IMPLEMENT LIT CIRCLES?• Assessment con’t:

• Portfolio Scrapbook, mixed tape, Facebook page, cover letter & resume, etc.• Utilize resources available My school uses

Reading Counts, a program that provides quizzes on many books. I use these quizzes as part of a final assessment. Ask around/use the internet or English Companion Ning/etc.• Create your own! I pull reading strategies and

activities from textbooks and create my own lessons.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

DAY ONE PROGRESS• Kids are:

• Actively reading• Applying reading strategies we’ve used before• Producing thoughtful work• Writing in response to texts• Conducting discussions on their own• Using evidence from the text to support their opinions• Listening and responding meaningfully to each other• Participating!!• Enjoying reading!!

WHO CAN USE LITERATURE CIRCLES?• EVERYONE!

• I work with 9th-12th grade so that’s what I’ve focused on• Research teachers doing successfully this with elementary school

students• NOT limited to English class

• Social Studies• Science• World Languages• Art• Math?!

• I try to do this around 3rd quarter so students are settled, understand our classroom expectations, and are more independent.

• Share with your colleagues! Give students the opportunity to read and write across the curriculum.

QUESTIONS??

Brianna KeaneWilmington High School

email: briannakeane@gmail.com

website: http://litcirclelove.weebly.com

REFERENCESBurns, B. (1998). Changing the classroom climate with literature circles. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42(2), 124-130. Cameron, S., Murray, M., Hull, K., & Cameron, J. (2012). Engaging fluent readers  using literature circles. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 20(1), i-viii. Sportsman, E.L., Certo, J.L., Bolt, S.E., & Miller, J.A. (2011). Literature circles: social and leadership development among at-risk students. School Psychology Forum, 5(1), 13- 28. Stien, D., & Beed, P.L. (2004). Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction in the literature circle setting. Reading Teacher, 57(6), 510-518.