Literature Circles

Literature circles are a way for students to discuss a particular piece of literature. In my opinion, there are many ways to set these circles up in your classroom. For me, I try to make it as simplistic and student-centered as I can.

First, which book should the students read? (This is probably a good topic for another blog post.) In my room, I start with everyone reading the same book. To be honest, I struggle with this because it doesn’t allow student choice. However, it does permit us to take the time and set up the expectations and discuss the given book. Figure out which book is best for you, or how you can integrate student choice into your classroom.

I have created a literature circle pack that has helped me organize this part of my classroom tremendously. It is easy to grade, simple for the students to keep track of, and allows for choice.

I’m going to walk you through how I’ve designed it and show the options provided. To view the product, click HERE.

When you download this pack, there are three ways that you can organize it:

Once you have this figured out, it is smooth sailing! I have tried each option, which also allows for differentiation. From there, make sure that you take a lot of time to practice, practice, practice. I go over expectations very clearly. I model for the students what a literature circle should look and sound like. We talk about norms and the goals that should be met from literature circles.

From there, I introduce the schedule and jobs:

I keep this consistent so the students know what to expect.

When the students meet on Monday, I allow them to choose their job for the week. They are responsible for keeping track of what they have done and those that they need to still complete. With some books, I let them choose their pages, too. Currently, we are reading Refugee, and I have paced the book for them.

Now, the students are on their own! They are responsible for their reading and work. I check in with each group on Friday. I pull small groups every day during the week, but on Friday, I sit with each group to hear what they have to say. (I highly encourage you to do this!)

Here are examples of the half-sheets for their jobs:

 

If you would like to try a sample of this, I have a freebie for you in my store. You can click HERE to snag it!

Thank you so much for your continued support. Please let me know if you have any questions about how I set up literature circles.