A full day session, held in Ashcroft, on implementing literature circles, grades 3-12. These groups are focused on helping students have grand conversations, grow thoughtful responses and read, read, read!

1. Literature Circles:
Grand Conversations,
Thoughtful Responses
Ashcro',
Dec.
10,
2013
Faye
Brownlie
www.slideshare.net

2. Literature Circles
There is great success in engaging
students with text and conversation
using literature circles
choose
their
own
books
are never
assigned
roles
Within these groupings,
STUDENTS
are taught
comprehension
strategies
read at
their own
pace
engage in
conversations
keep journals
about readings
and conversations

3. Literature Circles are…
- Reader response centered
- Part of a balanced literacy program
- Groups formed by book choice
- Structured for student independence,
responsibility, and ownership
- Guided primarily by student insights and
questions
- Intended as a context in which to apply reading
strategies and writing skills

4. Day 1: Introduction of book conversations
•
Model
and
practice
with
poems
or
short
texts
•
Ask
the
students:
“What comes to mind when you
read this?
SAY SOMETHING.”

5. This
is
My
Rock
-
David
McCord
This is my rock
And here I run
To steal the secret of the sun;
This is my rock
And here come I
Before the night has swept the sky
This is my rock,
This is the place
I meet the evening face to face.

6. Day 1: Start with the books
•
choose
5
or
6
books
with
multiple
copies
•
choose
books
that
cover
a
wide
range
of
reader
interest
and
level
of
difficulty
•
choose
books
that
lead
to
further
reading
(series,
author)

7. Day 1: Introduce the books
•
read
an
excerpt
•
describe
the
kind
of
reader
who
might
enjoy
this
•
Describe
the
font,
text
features
etc.
Students choose 2 texts
including
“notice
that’s”
each.
(One as a back up)
Start Reading!!!

8. Day 2: Meeting with the groups
•
meet
with
a
group
who
are
reading
the
same
book,
while
the
other
students
continue
reading
•
students
come
to
the
meeting
with
a
brief
passage
prepared
to
read
aloud
•
After
a
student
has
read,
others
respond
by:
SAYING SOMETHING
about what they thought.

9. Left side
Right side
Notes
Early Stages
1. Title of the book
One sentence I can read from the book
2. Title of the book
(After reading a pattern book) A sentence of my
own following the pattern of the text
3. Title of the book
Writing is very limited in the early
stages.
My opinion
(e.g. The part I like best…
My favorite character is…)
End of grade 1/ Beginning grade 2
4. Summary (what
happened)
My thinking about what happened
Initially, expect a lot more writing on
the left side than the right.
Later
5. Two events
My thinking about these events
Gradually expect the length of the
writing to become more balanced on
each side
6. A quotation from the text
My interpretation thinking of the meaning of this
quotation
By intermediate, expect 1-2
sentences about an event and a
paragraph of personal response

13. Create
Criteria
Write in front of the students and have them
analyze your writing to create criteria. Students
write to meet this criteria. Later, ask for volunteers
to have their responses analyzed, based on co-created
criteria. Keep the criteria posted for revision and
reflection.
SHARE
Read and respond to selected student
responses. Students can respond to one
another. Not all responses need to be
responded to by a teacher.

14. S
T
R
A
T
E
G
I
E
S
Examples
Tableaus
Characters
Talk
shows
Setting
Comprehension
Strategies
Composing
a rap
Mini-dramas
Reader’s
Theatre
Learning
journeys
Venn
diagrams
Containers
for
characters

15. Gr.
6/7
Hope,
Courage,
Survival,
PersecuJon
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
When
the
Soldiers
Were
Gone
-­‐
Vera
W.
Propp
Daniel’s
Story
-­‐
Carol
Matas
Jesper
-­‐
Carole
Matas
Willow
and
Twig
-­‐
Jean
LiRle
The
Old
Brown
Suitcase
-­‐
Lillian
Boraks-­‐Nemetz
Goodbye,
Vietnam
-­‐
Gloria
Whelan
So
Far
from
the
Bamboo
Grove
-­‐
Yoko
Kawashima
Watkins,
Jean
Fritz

16. Ideogram
• Variety
of
visual
representaJons
• QuotaJons
from
books
read
• Voice
shown
-­‐
personal
opinions
and
reflecJons
on
the
theme
• ConnecJons
to
outside
sources
• EmoJonal
connecJon
to
theme
-­‐
for
you
and
the
reader

18. Literature Circles: Residential
Schools
• A
unit
co-­‐developed
by
– Marla
Gamble,
gr.
6
Classroom
Teacher,
Prince
Rupert,
BC
– Marilyn
Bryant,
Aboriginal
EducaJon
Program
Resource
Teacher
– Raegan
Sawka,
LUCID
Support
Teacher
(Learning
for
Understanding
through
Culturally
Inclusive
ImaginaJve
Development)
• Lesson
2:
co-­‐designed
and
co-­‐taught:
Marla
Faye

19. • 1st
lesson
– Slide
presentaJon
on
First
NaJons
background
in
the
geographic
area
with
some
reference
to
residenJal
schools
• 2nd
lesson
– Whip
around
(followed
by
a
write-­‐around
with
1st
paragraph)
– Fishbowl
on
1st
paragraph
of
Fa#y
Legs
–
C.
Jordan-­‐Fenton
M.
Poliak-­‐Fenton
(Annick
Press)
– Co-­‐created
criteria
for
effecJve
group
– Envelopes
of
5-­‐6
pictures
from
Fa#y
Legs
– Make
a
story
– Share
some
stories
– Walk
and
talk
– 4
minute
write
–
story
behind
the
pictures

20. • My
name
is
Olemaun
Pokiak
–
that’s
OO-­‐lee-­‐
mawn
-­‐
but
some
of
my
classmates
used
to
call
me
“FaRy
Legs”.
They
called
me
that
because
a
wicked
nun
forced
me
to
wear
a
pair
of
red
stockings
that
made
my
legs
look
enormous.
But
I
put
an
end
to
it.
How?
Well,
I
am
going
to
let
you
in
on
a
secret
that
I
have
kept
for
more
than
60
years:
the
secret
of
how
I
made
those
stockings
disappear.

29. Barb Turney, Bulkley Valley
•
•
•
•
Universal
Design
for
Learning
Inquiry
Deep
thinking
Personal
connecJons

30. With
Universal
Design
In
Mind
What
was
the
impact
of
residen9al
schools
on
Aboriginal
culture?
CONNECTING
What
ques9ons
do
you
have?
What
do
you
no9ce?
?
What
are
you
wondering?

31. Processing
Literature
Circles
• What
opened
your
eyes?
• What
touched
your
heart?
• What
made
you
think
more
deeply
or
differently?
• Journaling
Reflec9ng

32. Transforming
Phrases
and
words
were
used
to
describe
the
impact
of
Residen9al
Schools
on
the
person.

33. Hot Seat
The Outsiders – gr.8 with Brent Spencer
The Glass Castle – gr.12 with Amy Stevenson
• Students
choose
a
role
• May
generate
quesJons
in
advance
that
‘could’
be
asked
of
them
• Begin
with
teacher
as
moderator
• Audience
of
the
class
poses
quesJons
to
the
panel;
can
interview
in
role
• Quick
write
between
groups

34. The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
• Three
quesJons
for
quick
writes:
– What
is
the
big
deal
about
the
Greasers?
– Do
the
Greasers
feel
more
than
the
Socs?
– What
will
your
character
be
doing
in
10
years
Jme?

35. • Brownlie,
Fullerton,
Schnellert
–
It’s
All
about
Thinking
–
Collabora5ng
to
support
all
learners
in
Math
Science,
2011
• Brownlie,
Schnellert
–
It’s
All
about
Thinking
–
Collabora5ng
to
support
all
learners
in
English
Humani5es,
2009
• Brownlie,
Feniak,
Schnellert
-­‐
Student
Diversity,
2nd
ed.,
Pembroke
Pub.,
2006
• Brownlie,
Jeroski
–
Reading
and
Responding,
grades
4-­‐6,
2nd
ediJon,
Nelson,
2006
• Brownlie
-­‐
Grand
Conversa5ons,
Portage
and
Main
Press,
2005
• Brownlie,Feniak,
McCarthy
-­‐
Instruc5on
and
Assessment
of
ESL
Learners,
Portage
and
Main
Press,
2004
• Brownlie,
King
-­‐
Learning
in
Safe
Schools
–
Crea5ng
classrooms
where
all
students
belong,
2nd
ed,
Pembroke
Publishers,
2011