Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses:

Literature Circles at Work SEA  Crosscurrents  Conference  2014  Faye  Brownlie  with  Lisa  Schwartz  

AM,  Feb.  21,  2014  

There is great success in engaging students with text and conversation

using literature circles

Literature Circles

STUDENTS Within these groupings,

choose their own

books

are never assigned

roles read at

their own pace

engage in conversations

keep journals about readings

and conversations are taught comprehension

strategies

WHAT?

Reader response centered

Guided primarily by teachers or curriculum based questions

Teacher-assigned groups formed solely on ability

Teacher and text centered

Intended as a place to do skills work

Unstructured, uncontrolled “talk time without accountability

The entire reading curriculum

Literature Circles are…

Literature Circles are not…

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

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.”

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)

Day 1: Introduce the books • read an excerpt

• describe the kind of reader who might enjoy this

• Describe the font, text features etc. including “notice that’s”

Start Reading!!!

Students choose 2 texts each. (One as a back up)

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.

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.

Response Logs  

Generally

this is a 10

minute write

Students respond

in writing twice

a week, reacting

to their books.

Initially students write at the same time, but as the process becomes

familiar, most will write when it is appropriate

Criteria for an effective group discussion:

•all voices must be included

•everyone must feel included

•everyone’s ideas are respected

•the discussion should move us to new understandings

Response Journals

  double-entry journals   initially, written in class, together   develop criteria for powerful responses

Left side Right side Notes Early Stages

1. Title of the book One sentence I can read from the book Writing is very limited in the early stages.

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 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

Bud and Todd had a fight Fighting is really bad because it can make you bleed, get bruises, might break your bones and can hurt you really hard/bad. What I’m thinking that Bud (not with Todd’s family) will get punishment like get no food or get kicked out of the house for the rest of the day (because Todd is blaming Bud that Todd is badly hurt) I might also think that Bud is going to take revenge by getting Todd to do a thing he never did like wet his bed because Todd never wet his bed(it said in the book) so I’m 90% sure that Bud will get Todd to wet his bed, but 10% sure he will do something else.

Tyson ESL 2/3 Thinking Event

A crate came to Eddy’s house.

I wonder what is inside it? I wonder who it is to? I hope it is Eddy’s new bike that got stolen so he will get to ride it to school because I think that he does not want to go to school on the bus because of a bolly or someone he is afrade of or something is bothering him and so he want to ride his bike or get a ride with his aunty or someone. I hope it is not a trick gift from someone that is always mean to Eddy and his family. What if it is a bomb then his house will be gone and his family will die and so will he and he will never get his new bike back.

Carol-Anne Thinking Event

Bud and Todd had a fight

That made me think like crazy and it was true. In some parts of the world like in Africa, Kid’s have no parents and they have to take acre of themselves. Little 5 years olds or six years have to be like an adult. Which made me feel amazed sad and shocked all at the same time. Little sic year olds doing work’s of an adult. My Gosh! Here in Canada when you life is 6 and 5 it’s a breeze. Why there is a good book called Pit Pony and Willy mom dies and Nancy his sister was sort of like his mother ans she’s only eighteen. Just imagine a little 6 year old. Sox years olds are supposed to enjoy life and play with the sun. It kinda reminds me of slaves. The little kids who do such hard work. I am soo glad that at least my class and maybe the whole school at least get to see and play with the sun.

Jennifer Thinking Event

Primary Literature Circles – Lisa Schwartz,

Teacher Consultant, Richmond

•  Book  choice  

•  Time  to  talk  

•  Read  at  own  pace  

•  Focus  on  reading  and  talking  about  books  

Literature  Circles    in  the  Primary  Grades  

•  Have  choice  in  books  they  read  •  Read  at  own  pace  •  Gather  in  groups  to  talk  about  books  without  jobs  or  roles  

•  Reflect  on  what  is  being  read  in  a  journal  or  leOer  wriPng  format  (not  daily)  

•  PracPce  reading  strategies  (connecPons,  inferring  and  asking  quesPons)  in  the  context  of  real  reading  

Students…….  

•  Use  gradual  release  of  responsibility  to  teach,  model  and  pracPce  book  talks    

•  Give  children  choice    •  Provide  mulPple  copies  of  a  variety  of  books  •  Give  students  Pme  to  read  •  Read  with  students  and  join  conversaPons  to  see  what’s  working,  what’s  not,  what’s  next….  

•  Explicitly  teach  reading  and  response  strategies  

Teachers……  

Introducing  the  Format  

•  SPcky  note  strategy  

•  Whole  class  discussion  

•  Small  group  discussion  

•  Build  criteria  together  

•  Response  

•  Provide  a  raPng  for  their  book  on  a  scale  of  1  to  5  and  give  reasons  for  their  raPng  

Strategies:  

•  Rate  that  Book  •  Share  your  Five  Book  •  RecommendaPon  Chart  

Focus  for  Discussion:  RaPngs  

•  Grandfather  Twilight  Barbara  Berger  •  The  Day  Eddie  Met  the  Author    Lousie  Borden  •  The  Wednesday  Surprise    Eve  BunPng  •  Oliver  Bu>on  is  a  Sissy    Tomie  dePaola  •  Pancakes  for  Breakfast  Tomie  dePaola  •  Why  is  the  Sky  Blue?    Sherry  Garland  •  Amazing  Grace    Mary  Hoffman  •  Yo!  Yes  and  Ring!  Yo!  Chris  Raschka  

Great  Books  for  Discussion    

•  Students  share  their  connecPons  to  the  story.      •  Begin  with  text  to  self  and  work  towards  text  to  text  and  text  to  world  

Strategies  

SPcky  note  strategy  

Quick  connecPons  vs  deep  connecPons  

Focus  for  Discussion:    ConnecPons  

Ms.  Fenn’s  Grade  2/3    Woodward  Elementary  

Making  ConnecPons:  WriOen  Response  

Focus  for  Discussion:    Inferring  

•  Infer  the  feelings  of  characters,  the  meanings  of  words  and  use  what  is  observed  combined  with  experience  to  make  sense  of  what  is  being  read.  

Learning  Inten+ons:  

1.  I  can  look  at  a  picture  and  infer  what  is  happening.  2.  I  can  provide  because  reasoning  for  my  inference.  •  Using  the  picture  book  Dude  by  Christopher  Aslan  

Strategy  for  Teaching  Inferring  Using  Pictures  

Learning  Inten+ons  1.  I  can  use  pictures,  my  background  knowledge,  

rereading  and  talking  with  others  to  infer  the  meaning  of  unknown  words.  

2.  I  can  confirm  or  contradict  my  inferences  as  I  conPnue  to  read.  

Book:  Nancy  Clancy:    Super  Sleuth  by  Jane  O’Connor  

Strategy  to  Teach  Inferring  the  Meaning  of  Unknown  Words  

•  Readers  ask  quesPons  before,  during  and  ader  reading  to  predict  what  might  happen,  understand  the  story  and  clarify  ideas.  

•  Asking  quesPons  while  reading  helps  us  keep  our  brain  focused.  

Focus  for  Discussion:  QuesPons  

Learning  Inten+ons:  

1.  I  can  create  a  list  of  quesPons  while  reading  to  promote  understanding.  

2.  I  can  categorize  my  quesPons.  

QuesPoning  Strategy  

•  Record  quesPons  on  chart  paper  •  Code  quesPons:  •  A=  answered.    BK=  answered  from  background  knowledge.  I=  inferred  answer  from  text.  R=  a  quesPon  that  needs  to  be  researched.    

QuesPoning  Strategy  

•  Begin  ader  spring  break  (term  1  and  2  guided  reading)  

•  Pre-­‐teaching,  modeling  and  pracPce  takes  Pme  

•  Three  Pmes  a  week  for  45  minutes  

•  Use  resource  support  to  support  emergent  readers  

Set  Up  

•  Teacher  reads  with  one  group  while  other  groups  read.  

•  Students  use  sPcky  notes  to  mark  a  place  in  the  book  they  want  to  discuss.  

•  Discussions  are  focused  on  quesPons,  connecPons  and  inferences.      

•  Students  also  rate  the  book  and  give  reasons  why.  

Possible  Format  1  

•  Opening:    Review  criteria  for  discussion.  •  Everyone  reads  at  the  same  Pme  (20  minutes).  

•  During  reading,  teacher  reads  with  students  to  give  feedback  and  noPce  areas  of  growth.  

•  Everyone  discusses  books  at  the  same  Pme.  

•  Closure:  How  did  it  go  today?  Reflect  on  our  discussions.  

Possible  Format  2  

•  Create  an  anchor  chart  about  literature  circles.  

•  What  does  literature  circle  discussions  look  like?  

•  What  does  literature  circle  discussions  sound  like?  

•  Refer  to  chart  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  sessions.  

Create  Criteria  Together  

•  Different  from  year  to  year  

•  Format  changes  depending  on  needs  of  class  and  support  

•  Slow  readers  •  Speed  readers  •  Mini  lessons  

TroubleshooPng  

•  Turn  and  talk  to  someone.  

•  What  is  something  you  would  like  to  try?  •  What  is  something  you  are  sPll  wondering  about?  

Say  Something  

Grand  ConversaPons,  Thoughiul  Responses  -­‐  a  unique  approach  to  literature  circles  -­‐  Faye  Brownlie  

     Portage  and  Main  Press,  2004  

Student  Diversity,  2nd  ed  -­‐  Brownlie,  Feniak  and  Schnellert        Pembroke  Publishers,  2005  

It’s  All  About  Thinking  –  in  English,  Social  Studies  and  HumaniPes  –  Brownlie  and  Schnellert,  2009  

 Webcast:  

  Literature  Circles  in  the  Middle  Years  

 www.bced.gov.bc.ca/literacy   Webcast,  part  2