Literature+Circles

= **Literature Circles ** = Literature Circles are one way to promote literacy through active engagement with text because learning is student-driven. There is no set prescription for literature circles. In fact, the beauty of this method is the flexibility that makes literature circles applicable to any teacher, all students, and every classroom. On this page you will find helpful tips and resources to assist you in discovering which approach fits best with your teaching style.

Transactional Literature Circle (TLC) Approach
Reading is a process of transactions. As mature readers we naturally make transactions with books that we read. In the classroom, we can model and teach how to interact with text. According to research, there are three key players in this approach and each have different responsiblilities. || * reading strategy instruction ||< * text-self connections || * provide scaffolding
 * ~ Player ||~ Responsibilities ||
 * Teacher
 * validate cultural perspectives of students
 * model use of strategy
 * build background knowledge (schema) ||
 * < Student
 * actively respond in reading log
 * practice strategies
 * adopt a stance ||
 * Peers
 * authentic understanding
 * oral language development
 * help promote higher-level thinking ||

Traditional Role-Based Lit Circles
In role-based literature circles, students are grouped by common book choice and engage in discussions around prescribed roles. Some of the common roles include Students can read independently or with a partner and they complete their task before a predetermined deadline. They share their findings and then switch roles for the next segment of reading.
 * Discussion Director
 * Summarizer
 * Vocabulary Enricher
 * Travel Tracer
 * Question Maker
 * Illustrator

Reading Strategy Based Lit Circles
Teachers may spend hours of planning time creating higher-level questions for students to discuss after reading in their anthologies. However, do students engage in authentic discussion and do they grow significantly in their own use of comprehension strategies with teacher generated questions? Researcher Susan Litwiller Lloyd (2004) found in her classroom that use of roles produced more of a task centered result from students and thus, discussion was more forced. Her research suggests that when students create their own questions, they become more active readers and participate in more meaningful and natural discussions. While the questioning strategy lends itself to discussion, it is not the only strategy that readers use. In fact, mature readers use a variety of strategies simultaneously. Therefore, the end result of instruction should be that students are naturally employing a variety of strategies in their reading logs in order to communicate about their reading during discussion.

This model of Literature Circles aligns with the TLC approach and includes:
 * a gradual release of responsibilities to the learner
 * active reading in a literature log
 * student generated open-ended questions
 * discussion that is relevant to student interaction with text

Read this article to find out more.

**Take it Online! . **

 * View examples linked here Online Literature Discussion or Online Reading Log.
 * Choose an application (Wikispaces or Thinkquest) from the navigation bar.
 * Design your own wiki to promote literacy in your classroom.

Resources:
No matter which method you prefer, Laura Candler's website has explanations, management ideas, and printables you will probably find helpful.