I have been following the conversation about literature circles and I too have been struggling with how to truly get a handle on them. I recently read Mini Lessons for Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke and this has helped me tremendously! I implemented new mini-lessons before the actual literature circle starts using short stories so the students get the hang of talking about the different elements of literature. I also made sure there was enough time for the groups to bond. If they don’t feel comfortable with each other, they are less likely to share their ideas. When I first group the students, they start with an ice breaker (such as 3 truths and a lie or something like that) then they come up with their own rules and consequences for discussions. I have found that by giving the students the responsibility of making rules and enforcing them, it is the student that is accountable for themselves as well as the rules and consequences. I must say, some of the students have come up with better rules/consequences than I would. As far as the discussions go, in the Mini-Lesson book, there are various strategies to help the students focus on the conversation as well as take turn. One of the ideas that I liked is called “Save the Last Word for Me.” This is where one student poses a question or quote to the group and they are not allowed to respond in any way until everyone else in the group has spoken. At first this seems a little awkward for the students, but eventually they get the hang of it and they ALL begin to participate in discussion. It is great  In order for students to prepare for discussion, I model and talk about taking active reading notes using post-it notes. This strategy has been extremely successful and most of the student’s come in ready and willing to discuss! As far as supporting struggling readers, before literature circles begin, I make sure there are different choices of a lower leveled text that would appeal to boys and girls. I give book talks and I also talk to the students individually about their choice. Every discussion I assess the student’s reading by the post it notes and reflections afterward. Often times with literature circles I try to focus on 1-2 important elements and/or reading strategies that I want the students to master. The daily assessments help me figure out what groups I might need to pay a little more attention to the next discussion. Check out the book! It is a great resource. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
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