Cindy, I apologize for taking so long to respond to your question. You asked, "About how much do you have kids read between discussions, or how often do they stop to discuss?"
As usual, there is no 'cut and dried' answer. I understand your concern about students staying with the flow of the book - it is so important! I really try very hard to respect my students' rights as readers and I infringe on those rights as little as humanly possible. As such, I don't set restrictions on children for when they have to "stop" reading. (If I did, I know there would be students - thankfully - just like me who would keep on reading anyway! Love 'em!) In general, I allow students (as partners or groups) to set their own dates for discussion of a certain portion of the text. However, my kids know that they may continue to read past that point. There are always some students who will finish a book in the first week (or weekend) and others who read in chunks and take more time for whatever reason (some are reading multiple books at once). I always ask students who have finished early to revisit the section that they will be discussing prior to the discussion date so that they are fresh and ready to share their thinking. Depending on the book, some partnerships/groups choose to meet to discuss every chapter, several chapters at once, at the half-way point, or only at the end of the book. They also sometimes call an emergency meeting if they encounter problems and need help from the group to sort things out. Literature circles can really bring so much energy to your classroom! I have seen kids make such deep connections as a result of having so many "common texts" to discuss with one another. Amy Swan 3rd Grade Teacher Cedar Creek Elementary (913)780-7360 CHECK OUT OUR CLASS WEBPAGE!! http://teachers.olathe.k12.ks.us/~aswancc/ >>> " Cindy & Ryan Pickering" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 03/26/08 4:49 PM >>> I did literature circles for the first time this year and did not assign roles, though I did assign specific response questions. As I'm getting more familiar with the Literature Circles, I want to turn more of the decisions over to the kids. I'm just getting into strategy instruction, so I think next year they'll have more of the tools they need. I did find that some students lost the flow of the book by only reading so much at a time. Many wanted to read ahead. Plus, it took longer to complete the book then it might have otherwise, which I think affected some of their understanding. About how much do you have kids read between discussions, or how often do they stop to discuss? Thanks, Cindy 6th Grade, Middle School, Reading Beverlee, I completely agree with you when you say, "Which brings me to my favorite pet peeve - when a teacher breaks apart a well-functioning group and assigns roles, etc. to teach cooperative learning!!" And, I know I'm walking on thin ice with this comment, but...I also cannot bring myself to assign literature circle roles anymore. (I'm not necessarily saying that roles are a bad thing, they just don't fit with my current schema for strategy-based book talks.) I start literature circles within the first few weeks of school. They sort of flow from the read aloud and shared reading experiences in the classroom. The discussion stems from whatever strategy is being modeled, practiced, and shared whole-group. Then, it is approximated by students in small-groups. With scaffolding and modeling by myself and peers (along with reading conferences), students start building fluency with the strategy and it begins appearing naturally in their responses to text that is read independently. As we add to our repertoire of strategies, the discussions become more and more complex. When I make decisions about instruction, I try to keep the 3 R's in mind (rigor, relevance, and respect.) I also try to think about myself as a reader. In my book clubs, I would not enjoy being told ahead of time what kind of thinking/response I had to create when I read. For me, this is not necessarily relevant and is not respectful of my right as a reader to have a genuine response to text and share it in a way that makes sense to me. I have found that kids are much the same! All kinds of sharing is "allowed" during literature circle, but if I try to give groups a springboard question based on our current focus strategy. (For example: "In your literature circle today, please begin your conversation by sharing any mental images that helped you discover something about the story, the world, or yourself as a reader.) I welcome comments/discussion regarding the value of assigned roles - I have done this every other year that I've taught. This is the first year that I've "broken the mold" and went free-style with my kids. We have all loved it! Warmly, Amy Amy Swan 3rd Grade Teacher Cedar Creek Elementary (913)780-7360 CHECK OUT OUR CLASS WEBPAGE!! http://teachers.olathe.k12.ks.us/~aswancc/ ********************************************************************** CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message is from the Olathe District Schools. The message and any attachments may be confidential or privileged and are intended only for the individual or entity identified above as the addressee. 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