Putting The ‘Oomph’ Back Into Reading

Literature Circles, blogging and Twitter - the key to developing a

passion for readingJustine Hughes

@cossie29 http://k12motivation.blogspot.co.nz

What Are ‘Literature Circles?’•A way of fostering a love of reading•Modified version is particularly

suited to engage boys•All about personal reading and

reading responses•Likened to an adults’ book group

Why ‘Literature Circles’ and not ‘Literacy Circles?’ •Literacy Circles implies a focus on

all aspects of literacy - this is what we do in our day-to-day teaching and learning

•Literature Circles - the focus is on literature and is all about promoting a love of reading

Why Did I Choose Literature Circles to Foster

a Love of Reading?

• A need to encourage reading• Students, in general, were not that interested in

reading for pleasure• Reading was seen as something ‘done’ in the

classroom• Purpose of learning to read well through classroom

teaching and learning was not clear - the ‘why’ of becoming a confident reader

• Engagement through discussion - oral language focus

How Do I Set Up Literature Circles?•Most important stage•Don’t rush it - take your time•Clear explanations and modelling •Lots of discussion, questions, etc -

getting the students to take ownership - ‘What would an effective Literature Circles session look like, sound like, feel like?’

•Be clear about the purpose•Range of books is key to success

Who Chooses the Books?Perhaps the most important part!

•Students MUST choose their books•Teacher chooses sets - no more than 5 books per set•Choose a wide range - around 10 sets to start with - depending on class size•You may need to support, encourage•Crucial to engagement

How Do They Choose The Books?

•Teacher does a ‘book sell’ on the sets of books - to engage, model, promote - get the excitement going!

•Five finger method•Take time to read the first chapter or

two•Freedom to change in the first session•As sessions progress, encourage book

suggestions from students

•Read the blurb•Title, known author, illustrations,

etc•Recommendations from others as

the programme continues•Don’t forget to introduce new

authors

Do I need to have activities to back up the reading?

•Digital tools can promote discussion•Discussion is the main ‘activity’•Definitely NO WORKSHEETS - kills

the enjoyment - we don’t complete a worksheet when we read a book.

•Research from many students shows that this is what puts them off reading in the first place

How often do I meet with the groups?

•Teacher roves around the groups•I always ask if I can join in the

discussion•Support discussion if needed -

usually not needed•I try to join in for a whole session

twice a week•My role is to listen•Students drive the discussion

What do they talk about?

•Sometimes I want them to reinforce comprehension strategies learned in the classroom teaching and learning programme

•Other times, they have something they are really wanting to discuss

•Shared teaching and learning philosophy

A link to our NZ Comprehension Strategies

• Developed by the University of Otago Literacy Team

• Has Learning Intentions and Success Criteria• Used in the teaching and learning programme

throughout all curriculum areas to show connections - gives reading a strong purpose - students explicitly know the connections

• Linked to the New Zealand Curriculum and other curricula globally

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByurP5fdVrIoa2o2M25BdFdIY00/edit?usp=sharing

A note about Post-It Notes

•Jot down notes, questions, things they want to discuss - great for when they’re reading at home and want to add to the discussion the next day

•Note any vocabulary they found tricky / want to know more about

What students have said about Literature Circles

Literature Circles helped me get back into reading. I think Literature Circles are awesome. Katie G

I think Literature Circles are marvellous because I used to be bad at reading and didn’t like it either. But now I love reading. Anna E

I didn’t used to like reading but now I like it because there’s more variety and there’s lots of topics I like. Jamie S

I enjoy it because I get heaps of meaning from the books I read. Josh A

What tech tools / strategies, etc could I use to support my Literature Circles

program?•MyChatPack•Blogging•Twitter •Facebook•Voicethread•ePals Global Community•Quad Blogging•Google Docs / Drive•Skype

MyChatPack•A newly developed tool to promote

excitement for reading•Great for book sells / reviews•Videos less than 1 minute can be

shared straight into someone’s email•Longer videos can be uploaded to

YouTube, Blogger and Facebook•Create a script to give confidence in

presenting ideas

MyChatPack contd

Click the link to the Literature Circles blog below for an example:

http://bit.ly/1eZLqzV

More about MyChatPack:www.mychatpack.co.nz

Blogging

•Share and recommend books•Discussion of the week•Question of the week•Author of the week•Blogs are great places to save links•Check out the link below to our

Literature Circles blogwww.hendersonliteraturecircles.blogspot.co

.nz

Twitter and Facebook•Twitter - summarize your book in 140

characters! A challenge but amazing for being able to organize your thinking and be succinct in your ideas!!

•Facebook - recommend books, book reviews, etc

•How else could you use this in your classroom or library - would it help to engage students and their families?

Voicethread

•Use to create a group review•Share with others•Feedback in many forms

See more at:

http://voicethread.com/

ePals Global Community

•Join the community and share books globally to connect students - and teachers - create an online book group

www.epals.com

Quad Blogging

•Join up with three other schools•Use digital tools to run your

Literature Circles program•Skype your discussions

Google Docs / Drive

•Create a doc that can be used at school and at home to flatten the classroom.

•Post questions for students to join in - if they want to

•Conversations - online

Skype

•Link up with other schools•Run your Literature Circles globally•Share new perspectives•Recommend books

A few more quotes from the students

Even though I’ve always loved reading, Literature Circles has made me read even more. Alyssha H

Literature Circles brought me back to reading. It has so much variety. It felt really easy to socialise in the discussion groups. It kind of brought the oomph back into reading. It helped me read more widely and not just read comics. It helped me talk politely with other people and not just drop a bomb on someone’s conversation. It gave me a useful way to use my time and it made me ask questions about the books I read. Caleb D

You go to talk with people and they can trigger a lot of ideas which can make the book more exciting or sad, depending on what they said. There is a great range of books and it has made a lot of my class like reading even more. Amy W

Discussing it gives you a better understanding of the book. They have changed how I feel about books because of the great range. Samantha C

Literature Circles has changed my thoughts about reading so I can’t wait until the next Literature Circles discussion. Reading has changed how I think about books when I see them. I start reading and then I can’t stop. It’s awesome. Maddy

If you want to know more...

I’m passionate about getting students to develop a passion and excitement for reading and would love to answer any questions. My contact details are:

email: justine.hughes29@gmail.comTwitter: @cossie29LinkedIn: Justine HughesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jussie18Skype: justine.hughes18Blog: http://k12motivation.blogspot.co.nzClass Blog: http://room4learningjourneys.blogspot.co.nz