Literature Circle Jobs

Character critic

Word Wizard

Conscious Connector

Sketch artist

Fact Finder

Math specialist

Inquisitive interviewer

Savvy summarizer

Pick the job that mosts interests you. This will help the discussion go the best. You do not have to do every job this unit, but you should rotate through jobs each day.

Choose your job

Literature Circle

The Conscious Connector shares the connections they made between what they read in their literature circle book and events from either:

• their own life;
• events and situations in the real world;
• or other texts, movies, shows, etc.

Example

Pooh using the balloon to get to the honey made me think of a time when I was little and I wanted to reach the top cabinet in my kitchen. I engineered a device with spare pieces of wood and some string. I was able to get to my favorite cereal each morning.

The Math Specialist uses the characters in the story in word problems or creates word problems based on information and events in the book.

Example

If one helium balloon can lift 1/4 of a pound, and Winnie-the-Pooh weighs 10 pounds, how many balloons does Pooh need to reach the honey in the tree? If each balloon holds 14 grams of helium, how much helium is needed?

Example

Word Wizards identify literary elements, record sentences, or define important or unknown words based on their context. They will explain the significance of literary elements, discuss the importance of certain sentences, and look up the dictionary definitions of unknown words.

Literary Devices

• onomatopoeia: Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
• alliteration: "if Bears were Bees," "if Bees were Bears"
• rhyme scheme: Isn't it funny / How a bear likes honey? / Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! / I wonder why he does?

These literary devices help create a light and cheery atmosphere, which reflects Pooh's character.

The Sketch Artist draws images that help illustrate the story and its characters.

Example

The Character Critic makes notes of how characters change throughout that section of the novel. Additionally, they can explain the purpose of each character in the book.

Example

Pooh does not really change throughout the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh, but I think he could as the story progresses. He seemed a little impatient and did not think through his ideas completely, but maybe as he tries to get more honey, he will take his time and develop a plan that will help him be successful.

The Savvy Summarizer explains the main events that occurred during that set of pages. Summaries should be concise and focus on what happens in the text, not personal opinions.

Example

In Chapter 1 of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, we are introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh. One day, he came across a tree and heard buzzing. He realized that the buzzing sound meant there were bees, and bees make honey. He tried climbing the tree to get to the honey but kept falling. Winnie-the-Pooh went to get his friend Christopher Robin for help in getting the honey. They decided to use a balloon that was left over from a party. Pooh held onto the balloon and it lifted him up to the honey in the tree. Once he got the honey and came back down, his arms were so stiff that they were straight up for a week. Every time a fly came and landed on his nose, Pooh had to blow it off, and that is why he is called Pooh.

The Inquisitive Interviewer will create interview questions for different characters in the novel and then answer them based on the character's perspective. Create questions that would allow your character to share thoughts and feelings that are not directly stated in the novel.

Example

Q: Pooh, how confident were you that your balloon plan would work? A: I was very confident at first. Bees would never be able to tell the difference between a balloon and a cloud. They are both round! Q: Was Christopher Robin as confident as you were? A: He was a little more nervous than I was, but Christopher Robin has faith in me because we are best friends. Q: Will you try the balloon again even though it made your arms stick up straight for a week? A: Oh yes . . . I will try anything to get to the honey.

The Fact Finder researches information connected to the story. They can complete a deep dive into a certain topic or research short but interesting facts about a variety of topics.

Example

Real bears love honey just as much as Winnie-the-Pooh does. However, brown bears and black bears will also eat the bees and larvae that are inside the beehive because they are a good source of protein. Bears also eat meat, vegetation, insects, and berries.