What is a literature circle?

In a literature circle, a group of students meet and discuss their reading.  Each group member takes responsibility for contributing a different thinking task, rotating through all the roles.  With the teacher acting as facilitator, the group discussion is led by students.  Students prepare and use notes to guide their discussion.  Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-evaluation.

Core Blog	Sword in the Stone	Samurai's Tale	Juan de Pareja	This Week in Core
Summarizer	Discussion Director	Literary Luminary	Connector	Word Wizard

What are the roles?  

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Directions	How It Looks in Your Journal
Summarizer HOMEWORK:  Your job is to prepare a brief summary of the day’s reading. The other members will be counting on you to refresh their memory, and summarize the main ideas, the essence of the selection.  Five sentences is a good length.  Begin with a topic sentence.  Don't overdo and tell the whole story.   DISCUSSION STEPS:   In the literature circle, read your summary.  Ask each participant if he agrees with your summary. Is there anything essential that should be added? Anything unnecessary?	Summarizer Example Summarizer Black Beauty ch. 3,  p. 10-16 (Skip a line)  When Black Beauty is four years old, he begins training.  He is patiently trained to wear a saddle, bridle, and harness, which are uncomfortable.  He is fitted with horse shoes. He spends time near a railroad track to overcome his fear of trains.  His mother hopes his future masters will be as kind as Squire Gordon.
Discussion Director HOMEWORK:   Your job is to develop questions to stimulate your group to discuss this part of the book. Use our questioning guide to help you develop questions which stimulate different levels of critical thinking:  facts (recall, comprehend)  and interpretation (apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate).   Write TWO questions:  one fact question, and the second at the interpretation level. DISCUSSION STEPS:   In the literature circle, ask each person in  turn to answer your question, or comment on a previous answer.   Help people talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Make sure that you respond to each person's contribution.	Discussion Director Example Discussion Director Black Beauty  ch. 2 (Skip a line) 1. (comprehension)  When Black Beauty says,  "but 'twas all for one little hare,"  what conclusion can you draw about his opinion of hunting? (Skip a line) ch. 3-6 2.(synthesis)  Devise an ideal method of horse training that would teach a horse without harming or frightening him. (Skip a line)
Literary Luminary HOMEWORK:   Your job is to locate an interesting section of the text that your group would like to hear read aloud.  Give the page number and the paragraph number you plan on reading aloud.   Copy the quotation into your journal, at least the first and last sentences.  Write your reflections.  Five sentences is a minimum length for your written response. DISCUSSION STEPS:   In the literature circle, take everyone to the right page.   Read your selection aloud.   Then ask each group member to interpret the significance of the passage.   Finally, share your own reasons for selecting it.	Literary Luminary Example Literary Luminary Black Beauty ch. 6  (Skip a line) p. 29 ¶1: Quote: "I was quite happy ... it is hard never to have a bit more liberty to do as you like." (Skip a line) My Interpretation: I chose this quote because Black Beauty explains so eloquently how difficult it is to lose his freedom.  As a colt, he was free to gallop around the pasture.  Now he has to stand in a stall until he is summoned to work.  He has energy, but can't use it freely.  We might not think that horses have feelings, but if they do, this is how I imagine they might express themselves. (Skip a line)
Connector HOMEWORK:   Your job is to find connections between the book and the world outside. What does a character or event remind you of?  Connect to your own life, to happenings in the community, to similar events at other times and places, or to events in other literature.  Five sentences is a good length. DISCUSSION STEPS:   Read your journal entry aloud.   Ask each group member to respond in some way.  How do they feel about your connection?  Do they see another connection?  What can they add to another member's reponse?	Connector Example Connector Black Beauty ch. 6  (Skip a line) p. 30: In this chapter, Black Beauty is the equivalent of a 10 or 15-year-old.  When he describes feeling "spirited" and "skittish," it sounds like the way I feel when I have to sit at a desk too long.  Just like him,  sometimes I just can't sit still and keep quiet.  I could use a good run like a horse, to relieve the pent-up energy!   Does it make me a misbehaving student because I want to follow my nature?  (Skip a line)
Word Wizard HOMEWORK:  Your job is to find TWO significant, meaningful words in today's reading.  Note the page and paragraph number, identify the word, and quote the sentence context.   Write a valid dictionary definition.  Then use the word in a new sentence at least ten words in length. DISCUSSION STEPS:   Take everyone to the right page and paragraph.   Tell them the word.  Then read the sentence context.   Ask all group members to speculate about the definition of each word, and add to the group meaning.   Then share the dictionary definition and new sentence example that you have prepared.   Finally, ask each group member to compose a new sentence orally.	Word Wizard Example Word Wizard Black Beauty  ch. 6  (Skip a line) p. 33, ¶1:  wrenched Context: " ... then another took my under jaw in his hard hand and wrenched my mouth open, and so by force they got on the halter and the bar into my mouth..."  Definition:  (verb) to open or move by force of gripping hard and turning, as with a wrench. New sentence: After losing his balance on the steep slope, the skier wrenched his knee as he hit the packed powder.  (Skip a line) (Follow this pattern with a second word.) (Skip a line)

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