INDIANA UNIVERSITY Department of Language Education Practicum in Language X425/L525 Dr. Hope Elkins, Ph.D.
Syllabus HOME PAGE	Literature Circles
	Introduction Readers need time to read both extensively for enjoyment and information and intensively to think deeply about life. Extensive reading engagements such as read-aloud and uninterrupted reading allow readers to read widely and gain reading proficiency. These engagements need to be balanced with intensive experiences such as Literature Circles that support readers in thinking critically about books. When readers talk about books with others, they can savor a book so that it becomes a significant part of their life experiences. Through conversation and dialogue, readers have the opportunity to explore their own half-formed ideas, to expand their understandings through hearing others' interpretations, and to become critical and inquiring thinkers. Readers need to understand that a variety of interpretations exist for any piece of literature and that they can collaboratively explore their interpretations with one another to reach new understandings. Literature Circles help readers become literate. Literature Circles support reading as a transaction, a process in which readers actively construct meaning from a text by bringing meaning to as well as taking meaning from a text (Rosenblatt, 1978). The reader brings his or her understandings and experiences to a book and engages in a "lived- through" experience with that book that results in the reader constructing an interpretation of that book. This interpretation is a new text that the reader can continue to explore and change over time through interactions with other readers. There is no one meaning to be determined, but many meanings to be explored and critiqued within a community of readers. Readers do not come to a Literature Circle to answer the teacher's questions, give a summary of the book, or fill in a worksheet. Readers do not en, gage with books to determine literary elements or extract a piece of information, but rather, first and foremost, to learn about and experience life. Readers bring their "rough draft" understandings about the book to a discussion and think collaboratively with other readers to create new and more complex understandings. In Literature Circles, readers are not simply working together cooperatively. They are not assigned particular roles and tasks. Everyone must be involved equally in listening and thinking with each other so that everyone is pushed to outgrow their current selves. The dialogue in these circles leads to new perspectives on literature, life, and literacy.   Materials/Procedures   I Shared book sets (multiple copies of a piece of literature), Text Sets (sets of different books that are conceptually related to each other), or Paired Books (two books on the same topic but with some kind of opposition to each other)   I Literature logs and chart paper for Webbing What's on Your Mind   1. Based on classroom themes and inquiries, shared book sets, Text Sets, or Paired Books are put together by teachers and students. These sets are related to each other and to the topics and themes being explored in the classroom at that time. a. Use quality literature that will support an intensive consideration. High interest series books for middle grade readers and the highly predictable books that young children read usually do not have issues that children can discuss in depth with each other. These books are to be read for enjoyment and fluency, not discussion. b. Use a range of literature including picture books, novels, short stories, poetry, informational books, and books authored by children from the classroom. c. Literature can be shared through films and video.   2. The sets are introduced to the class through short book talks. Students then have time to browse through the books for a day or two. For young children, the teacher may read each choice aloud to the class.   3. Students decide which Literature Circle they want to join. This choice can be indicated by signing up "first come/first served" on a chart or by having students mark their first and second choices on a ballot that they give to the teacher, who then forms the groups. These groups should have four to six members.   4. There are different variations of how students go about reading the literature depending on their reading proficiencies and the length and difficulty of the book. a. In most cases, students read the literature before beginning their Literature Circles. Students reading longer chapter books meet to determine how many pages they need to read a day in order to finish the book in one week. Anyone who does not get the reading done during school completes it as homework. Children may also want to meet each day in mini-circles for ten to fifteen minutes where they share with each other about what they read the previous day and set their goals for how far they will read that day. b. Sometimes, students meet in their Literature Circles as they read the book. This usually occurs when the book is especially long and difficult, students are reading in their second or third language and need to process the book with each other as they read, or students need support in maintaining their interest and enthusiasm in a book. When they finish the book, they meet for several more days to discuss it as a whole. c. Students cannot always independently read the books they choose to discuss in circles. Usually students having difficulty will partner read with someone from the group. Sometimes teachers have put the book on tape for a reader. d. Young children (K-1) are usually unable to read the books independently for their circles. Their literature circles focus on quality picture books which need to be read aloud to them by a teacher, buddy reader, or family member. Young children also often need to hear the story several times before they are able to discuss it in a Literature Circle. Some teachers read the books aloud to the entire class, put the books out for independent browsing and at the listening center, and then again read the book to the group right before the discussion. Sometimes the books are sent home in a special packet for several days with a request for a family member to read the book aloud the next several evenings. The child is also asked to draw or write response on a piece of paper and put a Post-it note on their favorite page before bringing it back to the group. e. As students read, they are encouraged to write or sketch their connections, questions, and responses so they will be ready to share with their group members. These responses car be in a Literature Log, Sketch journal, or on Post-it notes placed in the book. Sometimes students use a particular engagement such as Sketch to Stretch and Save the Last Word for Me as they read. f. Students who finish reading ahead of the rest of the group are encouraged to read from a set of books related to their Literature Circle books. These can be books by the same author or on the same theme.   5. Literature Circles usually last anywhere from two days to two weeks, depending on the length of the book and the depth of the discussion about the book. Sometimes only half the class is involved in Literature Circles at any one time, and the others are doing extensive reading, Shared Reading, writing, and so on.   6. The Literature Circle discussions are open-ended and provide time for readers to share their initial responses with each other and then explore several issues in more depth. Literature Circles often follow this general pattern: a. Students begin by asking each other, "What did you think about as you read this story?" They share their initial responses by talking about their favorite parts, discussing sections they found confusing, retelling parts they enjoyed, talking about the illustrations, making connections to their lives and to other books, telling stories of their own experiences, and engaging in social chatter. Their talk resembles a conversation that "mucks about" and wanders around to many different topics without focusing on any one topic for any length of time. Students do not necessarily listen well to each other because everyone wants to share what's on their minds about this book. Students can also share their entries from the literature logs or the pages they marked with a Post-it note reminder. If they used a particular engagement such as Sketch to Stretch, Cloning an Author, or Save the Last Word for Me as they read, they begin their circle by sharing their sketches or quotes. Another initial sharing engagement is Graffiti Board. This initial sharing can last anywhere from fifteen minutes to several days. Sometimes groups have a lot to say; other times they sit and stare at each other. The sharing provides a chance for the students to put forth a wide range of ideas and connections from which they can choose issues for further discussion. b. Based on their initial sharing, students move into a focused dialogue on one or more issues related to their interpretations of the literature. Sometimes this transition occurs naturally when an issue is raised that catches everyone's attention. Many times, however, groups reach a point where they either consider themselves finished or begin repeating the same comments over and over again. c. Students take a large chart paper and place it in the middle of their group to create a web of all the issues and connections that came up as they shared. They are asked, "What could you talk about with this book? What ideas, connections, and questions do you have related to this book?" Teachers usually serve as scribes for this brainstorming with young children and at the beginning of the year with older students. As members of the group, teachers can add their ideas to the webs also. d. The group reads through their brainstormed web of "what's on their minds" and negotiate to choose an issue or question from the web to begin their discussion the next day. Once they have decided what they will discuss, they also talk about how they will prepare for that discussion- rereading certain sections of the book, writing in their literature logs, thinking about the issue, engaging 'in further research, or trying a particular way of responding such as Sketch to Stretch, Save the Last Word for Me, or Anomalies. e. Each day the group begins by talking about the issue agreed upon on the previous day and then refers back to the web if they run out of ideas to discuss. They add other issues and questions as they arise. The web 'is a list of possibilities and the group does not need to discuss everything on the web or limit themselves to only those topics. The web is used only 'if the group needs this support for moving to a focus for in-depth dialogue. f. If the teacher is a member of the group, then he or she should participate as a reader, not a question-asker. Instead of asking questions to keep the group talking, teachers need to share their interpretations and comments as part of the group process. When teachers do ask questions, they should be questions about issues the teacher truly does not understand or wants to know what others think or questions to encourage Students to explain their thinking (e.g. when a student says "The book was stupid," asking the student to talk about what made it seem stupid to them). Teachers prepare for these groups in the same way as students, by reading and writing about what's on their minds in their literature logs.   7. Particularly at the beginning of the year, the class should meet together for a class meeting after the Literature Circles for that day are finished. At this meeting, they first share what they talked about that day. They then talk about how the groups went that day and discuss ways to solve any problems that groups are experiencing.   8. As students finish their discussions in Literature Circles, they find a way to present to the class. They may choose to share informally during a class sharing time by simply standing up as a group and telling the class about their book and what they discussed and perhaps sharing their web. They can also choose to put together a formal presentation by using the following process: a. Students are asked to make a web or list to answer the question, "What do you want others to understand about your book and discussion? What is most important to you about this Literature Circle?" This discussion supports students in thinking about what they want to communicate through their presentation and prevents problems with "cute" projects that have little to do with the book. b. The group then brainstorms a list of the different ways they might present their Literature Circle to others. Students are pushed to create a list with many different ideas, not just one or two. They are also encouraged to share their ideas through another sign system such as drama, art, mathematics, and music. Supplies for the various kinds of presentations should be located in a center for easy access by students. A brainstormed list of possible ways to present a book should also be in the center. Presentations might involve creating murals, dioramas, roller TV shows, paintings, papier-mâché, collage, sculpture, mobiles, and posters; performing dramatized versions or puppet shows; writing or performing a new ending, a different story with the same theme or characters, or telling the story from a different character's point of view; writing journals or letters from the point of view of characters in the book; creating a newspaper based on the time period and events in the book; developing a Readers Theatre; creating a game for others to play (board games or TV game shows); setting up displays or learning centers; and making a comparison chart. c. The group then compares their list of presentation ideas with the list of what they want to communicate and decide on their presentation. They reach a decision on a presentation and work to put it together. d. As soon as a group is ready, they present to the class. The class receives the presentation by talking about what was effective and asking the students questions about the book and/or their discussion.   9. Groups will finish at different times with their discussions and presentations. As each group finishes their presentation, they return to reading books of their choice and other kinds of reading and writing experiences. Literature Circles demand hard thinking and so students often need time off to read broadly from high interest books before another set of circles start. This time between groups can be a week or two of extensive reading engagements for older readers. For younger students, teachers often offer many Shared Reading and small group guided reading engagements to focus on fluency and reading strategies with highly predictable books for a week or two.   Establishing the Learning Context For Literature Circles to be successful, there needs to he a classroom environment already established that supports risk taking and varied constructions of meaning from reading. If students feet that they must reproduce what the teacher thinks is the meaning of a piece of literature, the Literature Circles will not be productive. Students who have a long literacy history of basal reading groups may initially treat Literature Circles as basal reader discussions and focus on the text to come up with the "right" interpretation. They are used to sitting back and answering the teacher's questions and may not know how to talk and work collaboratively with other students. The teacher will need to provide other kinds of curricular engagements to establish a learning environment that supports Literature Circles and should not be discouraged if students say little when they first become involved in these discussions. Some curricular engagements that will help establish a supportive learning atmosphere include Sketch to Stretch, Say Something, Save the Last Word for Me, Written Conversation, Literature Logs, Readers Theatre, Uninterrupted Reading and Writing, and so on. It is essential that students have time daily to read widely from many different kinds of reading materials. They also need to be authors who have published their own writing and participated in Authors Circles. The discussions in Authors Circles have a major impact on Literature Circles. The teacher should be reading aloud to the class and using the whole-class discussions after reading aloud to demonstrate the types of questions and topics that the students can focus on in Literature Circles. In addition, students should be involved in responding over time in a variety of ways to literature including art, music, drama, and writing. Literature Circles should he connected to other parts of the curriculum. Students have many more connections to bring to their discussions if the groups are related to each other and to the broader class curriculum. Even high quality literature can have difficulty standing on its own. If students are focusing on a study of families or different cultures, then literature can be chosen that deals with family situations or the clash of cultures. If students are reading a particular genre, such as folktales, they should be invited to try writing their own folktales; or if students are going to he writing some type of nonfiction report, Literature Circles can focus on nonfiction. The depth of discussion in Literature Circles depends on the rich history of stories to which the pieces of literature being discussed are connected. There are various ways that this rich history can be built: Use of familiar stories that students have heard over and over, multiple readings of the same story in the classroom, relating the book to other books read previously in the classroom through topic, genre, theme, or author, or relating the literature to themes or topics being discussed in the classroom. If students are unfamiliar with and dislike books, it may be necessary to begin with many extensive reading engagements before moving to circles. During the initial circles, the teacher should demonstrate the types of comments, questions and discussion behaviors that are appropriate to establish a supportive context for sharing and constructing interpretations of literature. Varied interpretations are accepted as long as the reader can support them. Readers are asked to support and explain what they say, rather than simply making statements about their reading experience with a particular book ("I like it"). The teacher also encourages readers to explore each others' interpretations and collaboratively to build new understandings of the literature during the Literature Circle. Literature Circles are a time of exploration with one another, not a time to present a formal or final interpretation of a particular piece of literature. Readers need to listen to each other (that includes the teacher) and to build off each others' comments. Both the students and the teacher should reply to one another rather than assess; this helps avoid cutting off discussion. Literature Circles can be organized in a variety of ways so that teachers and students share in the control of these groups. Although the groups will probably begin with the teacher taking an active role, the teacher needs to allow students to take over and direct the discussion. Because of the teacher's greater experience and knowledge, the teacher's presence in Literature Circles influences the dynamics of the group. Teachers can change their rote from leader to member by waiting for student responses rather than dominating the discussion and by occasionally offering their own opinions about what is being discussed rather than asking questions. Teachers can offer differing amounts of support and share control with students by trying different variations of the circles in which they are sometimes present and at other times circulate from group to group, or not Join the group at all. The teacher needs to obtain multiple copies of books, especially if the books are chapter books. Picture books can be easily shared among the group members, but students need their own copies of the longer books. Check libraries, other teachers, Chapter I and resource teacher collections, and closets. Use the bonus points from paperback book clubs, ask the school to substitute literature for textbook or workbook money, and check with the parent-teacher organization for money. Short stories and poems can be photocopied. Remember that picture books are not just for young children but can be used productively with older readers.   Variations The following variations particularly support children who are having difficulty knowing how to talk and think together in Literature Circles:   1. Ask students to choose a picture book for the teacher to read to the class from a stack of books which were previously read aloud. During the second reading, an easel is placed next to the authors chair. During the read-aloud, the teacher stops periodically to ask students, "What's on your mind?' Student comments are quickly jotted down on the chart. At the end of the read-aloud, students choose several of the comments to discuss in depth. 2. Encourage students to talk and work together as partners in as many different ways as possible. Say Something and Written Conversation are especially effective partner strategies that encourage children to talk and listen to each other. Teachers can also read aloud a book and then ask students to work as partners and respond to the book using engagements such as Sketch to Stretch and Save the Last Word for Me. The class can then come together for a whole group discussion of the book.  3. Teachers can introduce students to different ways of responding through readalouds and Literature Logs. During the first chapter book read-aloud, teachers ask students to respond to the book several times a week in their Literature Logs. Each time, a different way of responding is introduced such as webs, charts, sketches, questions, quotes, and connections through different engagements such as Sketch to Stretch and Save the Last Word. Students share their log entries with each other so they can see how others used that way of responding. When students begin Literature Circles, they can use their logs to remind them of their different options for response. 4. Classes may want occasionally to use a whole class set where everyone in the classroom reads and discusses the same book. A whole class set can be used at the beginning of the year or as a shared experience to introduce a long-term inquiry focus in the classroom. Whole class sets should be used only occasionally because they eliminate choice and whole group discussions allow only a few children to talk. if used, teachers should move back and forth between whole group and small group discussions of the book. 5. When teachers have read aloud a chapter book to which the class has responded in positive ways, that experience can be extended into reflective literature circles (Kahn, 1994). After finishing the read-aloud, the class spends several days creating a brainstormed list of all of the issues and connections they see in this book. They then put together this list and group related issues and connections and sign up for a Literature Circle to discuss one of the groups of issues. After discussing the issues for several days, they share their discussions with the rest of the class. 6. Text Sets often work well as a first experience with older students who are not willing to talk in the groups. Because each person is the only one who has read a particular book in the set, each needs to retell that book to the group. Paired Books work well with both younger and older students in supporting initial discussions because the children can focus on comparisons across the two books. 7. Students can also engage in Literature Circle experiences that use other sign systems to explore interpretation such as reflective drama. After reading a book or poem several times, students can use the following types of engagements as part of a reflective drama: a. Work as partners with one person playing the role of the reporter and the other a character from the book who is being interviewed by the reporter. b. The reporter arranges the character into a still life or frozen pose that summarizes what the reporter learned about the character. The reporters then walk around the room, commenting on the various frozen poses and what they are thinking and doing. They may even create dialogue for what they might be saying. The frozen characters are not allowed to speak. The class then meets together and the children who were frozen talk about what they were thinking. c. The children form groups of four and create a still life scene with characters from the book. They create a scene in which there is some kind of opposition in what characters are saying or doing. Half of the class walks around and discusses the other still life scenes and then returns to take their poses while the others walk around. d. The class meets together 'in a meeting led by the teacher as a character related to the book. The meeting is to discuss some kind of problem posed by the book and to extend the book beyond the storyline.   References The engagement of Literature Circles was developed by Kathy Short and Gloria Kauffman based on Karen Smith's work with literature studies.  Other references include: Barnes, D. 1975. From communication to curriculum. New York: Penguin. Cullinan, B. 1993. Children's voices: Talk in the classroom. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Edmiston, B., P. Enciso, & M. King. 1987. "Empowering readers and writers through drama: Narrative theater." Language Arts 64(2): 219-228. Holland, K., R. Hungerford, & S. Ernst, eds. 1993. Journeying: Children responding to literature. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Kahn, L. 1994. "Mathematics as life: Children's responses to literature." Ed.S. Thesis, University of Arizona. O'Neill, C., & A. Lambert. 1982. Drama structures. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Peterson, R., & M. Eeds. 1991. Grand conversations. New York: Scholastic. Pierce, K., & C. Gilles, eds. 1993. Cycles of meaning Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Rosenblatt, L. 1978. The reader, the text, and the poem: The transactional theory of the literary work. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Short, K., & K. Pierce, eds. 199 1. Talking about books. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Sloan, G. 1993. The child as critic. 3rd ed. New York: Teachers College Press. Vandergrift, K. 1980. Child and story. New York: Neal-Schuman. Comments: disted@indiana.edu Copyright 1998, The Trustees of Indiana University