Lit circles

start

All Things: Literature Circles

@companyname

I know we have 1,000 questions on how to make this work for you. I have ideas, but it will take some time to get into it.All questions to the Padlet by clicking the lightbulb, if your question is not answered in this session, it will be in the 201 session.

Patience Please

8. Your Task

7. Other Considerations

6. Discussion

5. Student Jobs

4. Example

3. Overview

2. Objectives

1. Activate

Index

Take 2 minutes to write in the chat what you think a literature circle is.Have you taught them before?

Literature Circles

1. What a literature circle is
2. How it is structured inside Edio
3. What the learners will be asked to do
4. How to facilitate circles inside Guided Instruction

We will discuss:

Book Lists

It gives you the flexibility and personal feel of a book club, paired with the support and structure of the class community. The primary goal is to encourage learners to read, analyze, and discuss books with their peers.Each learner received a variety of novels to read.The unit is short: there will be discussions and reading days, assignments, and a final project within 15 days (Plus live classrooms).

Literature Circles

Learners: Group up, read the portion of the book, complete their job, and have a discussion with their group.Teachers: Provide short lessons each day on reading skills, model the different jobs, reinforce active reading strategies, and guide learner collaboration.

Each Class

• Set their reading schedule provided in the workbook (individually)
• Rotate through jobs to gain a deeper understanding of each, and see the book from a different perspective.
• Take notes in their workbook

Students Groups

+ info

Each learner should pick each job one time to get the full experience. Students do not need to talk to be an active participant. Students may choose to do the same job as others in the group, but that is okay.

Literature Circle Jobs and Explanations

+ info

Example Discussion

In Edio it is a discussion board.I would suggest swapping it to a Padlet. Do what works for your learners.

Discussion

1. They probably won't finish the book, but that is okay!
2. They can come back to this book during the final 6 days of school for their passion project (more to come on that closer to April!)
3. The point is to get them to discuss reading with their peers; that can be done even if they only read a paragraph a day.

Let's Look at it!

✍️

Lit Circle Novels

How are the learners going to read a novel that is 300+ pages in 15 days?

Question

Can I work with a group all at once?

They don't have to finish the book for this

Make it work for you and your learners!

They can read any book they choose!

+ info

+ info

+ info

+ info

"But the kids won't read the book!"

301: Let's see it in action and get prepared with any areas you may need to reinforce norms, or structure things differently for your learners.

201: We will get more technical, looking at what is being tasked each day and how to set that up in your classroom for the 50-minute time period.

Upcoming Meetings

@companyname

Let's chat!

Questions?

• Blue Highlight= Highest Lexile for that grade
• Purple Highlight= Lowest Lexile of that grade

Lion of Lark Hayes Manor ( recommended grade level is 3-7)See you in the Cosmos - 1120L (gr 7-8)Freak the Mighty - 1000L (Gr 5-6)The Crossover - 750L (Gr. 3-4)Return to Sender - 890L (Gr. 4-5)The Elephant Whisperer - 840L (Gr. 4)

Wednesday Wars - 990L (Gr 6)The Giver - 760L (Gr 3-4)The Unteachables 740L (Gr 3)Out of my Mind - 700L (Gr 3)A Wrinkle in Time - 740L (Gr 3) Call of the Wild - 1120L (Gr 7-8)**Note, many of these texts are low Lexile but have more difficult subject matter despite "simple" wording

El Deafo - 420L (2nd Grade and Graphic Novel) The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling - 1000L (Gr 7-8) The One and Only Ivan - 570L (Gr. 3) Percy Jeckson and the Lightning Thief - 740L (Gr. 3-4) Tuck everlasting - 770L (Gr. 4-5) Fish in a tree 550L (Gr. 3)

8th Grade

7th Grade

6th Grade

Regardless of the book they select, they will have the opportunity to read and respond to their peers' posts, engaging with the themes and content discussed by their classmates. Even if they have not read the book in question, they can still actively participate in the discussion. In fact, it may even spark their interest in reading the book.

Giving the Struggling Learners Choice

There is a wide range of book options available across various genres, providing learners with the opportunity to find something that piques their interest. If they are unable to find such a book, you can assist them in exploring alternative options that align with their interests. It is important to emphasize that the objective is for learners to engage in reading and participate in discussions about literature, rather than being compelled to read material that does not resonate with them.

Sketch Artist

Character Critic

Word Wizard

Conscious Connector

Lit Circle Roles

Fact Finder

Math Specialist

Inquisitive Interviewer

Savvy Summarizer

Make this Work for You!

If you are confident in your learners' ability to manage a breakout room discussion on their book, that is great! If not, it is also acceptable for all the learners to remain with you to read their portion of the novel according to their reading schedule and post their responses to the discussion board you have used. You can have them read before class and then have a more structured discussion where they can interact with you using Peardeck or Nearpod. You can select responses to display for the whole class to discuss in the chat.

• No matter how you structure this, the goal is to get the learners to be excited about reading. If you want additional support with instructional strategies to do that send me a chat to schedule a one-on-one or small group meeting!

• respect
• ideas, not individuals
• appropriate language
• inclusive atmosphere
• personal experiences
• active participation

Literature Circle Norms

Learners Set Their Reading Schedule

That means some students may read the book in 15 days. Most students will not finish the book. Some may only read 1-2 pages a night.

• Keeping it with what they can do will make them more willing to participate
• Even with a single page, they can complete their job, read through their classmates' posts, and learn something about the literature!

Can we group together?

You want to pick a book and let your class know that you'll be leading a group on the book together in the main room? YES! Want to read it out loud together and work through the discussion together and keep it more explicit? YES! Force everyone into one pathway and make it a novel study? Nope! Give the learners a choice and let them try.

• This first year is new for you and them. The goal is just to be excited about reading, and talking about books. We don't need in depth analysis of these novels, you'll do that with the learners in the other units.

Padlet Help!

Padlet thoughts: Check out the examples below; feel free to take and remake either or use neither!

Learners do not have to comment on posts from learners reading the same book. If you have learners reading something not on the list, they can still participate in the discussion with the other books.

• The Lion of Lark Hayes Manor-Aubrey Hartman
• See You in the Cosmos-Jack Cheng
• Freak the Mighty-Rodman Philbrick
• The Crossover-Kwame Alexander
• Return to Sender-Julia Alvarez
• The Elephant Whisperer-Lawrence Anthony

8th Grade

7th Grade

• Wednesday Wars-Gary D. Schmidt
• The Giver-Lois Lowry
• The Unteachables-Gordon Korman
• Out of My Mind-Sharon M. Draper
• A Wrinkle in Time-Madeleine L'Engle
• Call of the Wild-Jack London

6th Grade

• El Deafo Cece Bell
• The Incorrigibles (Book #1 - The Mysterious Howling)-Maryrose Wood
• The One and Only Ivan-Katherine Applegate
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief-Rick Riordan
• Tuck Everlasting-Natalie Babbit
• Fish in a Tree-Linda Mullaly Hunt