LitCircles

Literature Circles
The Faye Brownlie model
Why Literature Circles?
Six Ts of Exemplary Elementary Reading
Instruction
 Time—more guided reading, more independent reading, more content reading;
reading and writing for half the day
 Texts—students have books they can read successfully; all students rarely have
the same book
 Teaching—explicit demonstrations of cognitive strategies are modeled; whole
group, small group, side-by-side balanced
 Talk—more conversational than interrogational; discussion is purposeful and
personalized
 Tasks—greater use of longer assignments, substantive work with more
complexity, similar but different tasks
 Testing—rubrics shift responsibility for improvement to the students
Richard Allington, What Really Matters for Struggling Readers, 2005, p. 184
Literacy Quotes
 “No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a
democratic and prosperous society, than literacy.” - Los Angeles
Times, "A Child Literacy Initiative for the Greater Los Angeles Area
 “The goal in fluency instruction is not fast reading,
although that happens to be a by-product of the
instruction, but fluent meaning-filled reading.” - International
Reading “Association
 Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a
dog, it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx
Discussion
Groups
 Clearly identify the
behaviours and
expectations
 Guide the conversation
and model behaviour
 Group size: 4-7
 Limit 20 minutes
 Other students reading
and responding
Response
Journals
 Model the double-
entry journal
 Develop criteria and
have students practice
 Self, peer, and teacher
feedback (descriptive)
 Don’t mark all entries!
Assessment
Overview of Sequence
 Introduce books with a ‘book talk’; choice with guidance
 Teach “Say Something” strategy with a simple text
 Begin reading; keep track of books on a poster or sheet
 Develop criteria for discussion groups and begin
 Develop criteria for response journals and begin
 Assess with criteria (self and peer); teacher assessment
 Optional comprehension activities and wrap-up
Student
Samples
Literature Circles and the ELA
Learning Outcomes
Resources
 District Resource Center:
 Multiple copies of many books at various levels
 Four kits: Grade 2/3, 4/5/6, and 7/8, and 9/10
 Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses: A Unique
Approach to Literature Circles by Faye Brownlie