Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses: ���

Literature Circles at Work Kamloops  Secondary  Teachers  

Faye  Brownlie  

April  21,  2015  

There is great success in engaging students with text and conversation

using literature circles

Literature Circles

STUDENTSWithin these groupings,

choose their own

books

are never assigned

rolesread at

their own pace

engage in conversations

keep journals about readings

and conversationsare taught comprehension

strategies

Day 1: Introduction of book conversations

• Model and practice with poems or short texts

• Ask the students: “What comes to mind when you

read this? SAY SOMETHING.”

This is My Rock ���- David McCord

This is my rock And here I run To steal the secret of the sun;

This is my rock And here come I Before the night has swept the sky

This is my rock, This is the place I meet the evening face to face.

Day 1: Start with the books • choose 5 or 6 books with multiple copies

• choose books that cover a wide range of reader interest and level of difficulty

• choose books that lead to further reading (series, author)

Day 1: Introduce the books • read an excerpt

• describe the kind of reader who might enjoy this

• Describe the font, text features etc. including “notice that’s”

Start Reading!!!

Students choose 2 texts each. (One as a back up)

Day 2: Meeting with the groups • meet with a group who are reading the same book, while the other students continue reading

• students come to the meeting with a brief passage prepared to read aloud

• After a student has read, others respond by: SAYING SOMETHING

about what they thought.

Literature  Circle  Assessment  Rubric  for  Group  Discussions  English  Gr.  5/6  

Response Logs  

Generally

this is a 10

minute write

Students respond

in writing twice

a week, reacting

to their books.

Initially students write at the same time, but as the process becomes

familiar, most will write when it is appropriate

Criteria for an effective group discussion:

•all voices must be included

•everyone must feel included

•everyone’s ideas are respected

•the discussion should move us to new understandings

Response Journals

!  double-entry journals !  initially, written in class, together !  develop criteria for powerful responses

Response Logs

Create Criteria

SHAREWrite in front of the students. Have them analyze your response – what works? Create an initial criteria list from their ‘what works’. Students attempt their first response, following this criteria. Give descriptive feedback on their response. Revise the criteria as needed.

Generally this is a 10

minute write

Students respond in writing twice a week, reacting to their books.

Initially students write at the same time, but as the process becomes familiar, most

will write when it is appropriate

Read and respond to selected student responses. Not all responses need to be responded to by a teacher.

From Student Samples Creating Criteria

1

2

34567

Choose3-6 student responses including a variety of forms (webs, paragraphs, pictures) and turn them into overheads

Accept

“I have chosen a variety of responses to use as samples. These samples will help us build criteria for what makes our responses effective”

Say

Ask

Only positive comments

“What did you notice that really works in a response?” “What strikes you as powerful about this response?”

Revise

Reorganize

The list as important new criteria emerge

The list to guide further work with responses for the next 4-6 week period

The list into a more coherent formPost &

Use

Coast Reads 2014-15 Grades  8-­‐9  and  Brian’s  Grade  10  Class          Grade  12  

The  Last  13                      A  Tale  for  the  Time  

The  Edge  of  Nowhere                    Being  

Steelheart                      The  Orenda  

Grades  9  (higher  readers)  and  10  

The  Fault  in  our  Stars  

Where’d  You  Go,  BernadeQe?  

Grades  10  (higher  and  more  mature  readers)  and  11  

Where’d  You  Go,  BernadeQe?  

The  Fault  in  Our  Stars  

A  Tale  for  the  Time  Being  

Grand  ConversaTons,  ThoughUul  Responses  -­‐  a  unique  approach  to  literature  circles  -­‐  Faye  Brownlie  

     Portage  and  Main  Press,  2004  

Student  Diversity,  2nd  ed  -­‐  Brownlie,  Feniak  and  Schnellert        Pembroke  Publishers,  2005  

It’s  All  About  Thinking  –  in  English,  Social  Studies  and  HumaniTes  –  Brownlie  and  Schnellert,  2009  

" Webcast:  

"  Literature  Circles  in  the  Middle  Years  

" www.bced.gov.bc.ca/literacy  " Webcast,  part  2