From our required reading this week, I learned how to conduct literature circles in the classroom. The author of the book list a total of eleven key components for literature circles (Daniels 18). I am going to focus on three parts that I defining want to include in my classroom.
Temporary book groups based on books
I strongly believe that using partnered and group work in education is really important for students. It gives students the ablity to combine ideas and learn how to work with others. These groups will have a mix of different ability levels so students can learn to understand people are different from themselves. The students pick the group based upon wanting to read the same book. In seventh grade, my teacher did this by giving six different options (sports, historical-fiction, romance, action, fantasy/science-fiction, mystery) to the class. It was a really neat experience because I got to pick the book with my friends. We chose to do The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I enjoyed going to reading class every day to discuss books.Have the groups meet regularly
Daniels talks about how teachers should not need treat literature circles as "an occasional treat" (30). By having the groups met on a regular basis, it allows students to discuss and build relationships with each other. It is also important to make sure that students have enough time to be able to fully read and discuss the different readings. Again, my seventh grade teacher had a "Discussion Friday" which students meet for the whole period and just talked about what we were learning and what we thought about the book. By having these sessions, I was able to go deeper into the novel and understand my fellow students thought.Topics and group discussions from the students
As teachers, it is really tempting to write out every single question or discussion point for the group. However, some of the questions need to be student-lead. Daniels points out that most of the time students often think of similar questions that the teacher would have thought of (22). This allows our students to look into the reading deeper and make their own interpretations. I think this is a great idea to frequently use in the classroom. Yes, I believe that teachers should ask questions while students are reading. However, I feel that student-lead questions are equally important because I will not always be there to generate questions for students. This is a skill that students need to cultivate on their own.
I think you chose three great points here. How have you observed literature circles working with your Luhrs students so far?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that you need groups of all abilities. Students are able to learn from one another especially through discussion in a small group instead of a larger group.
ReplyDeleteYour seventh grade teacher was awesome. And I thought it was a great idea there were several genres for the students to choose from. On top of that, I agree with your statement about groups meeting reguarly to build relationships. Because if it's done on too inconsistant of a basis, the students will never fully become acquainted with one another.
ReplyDeleteThe first component that you focus on also allows students to work with a new group in each unit, since the groups are temporary. This is another positive, allowing the students to hopefully make connections with as many different classmates as possible!
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