{"id":1135,"date":"2023-11-22T02:25:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T02:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/?p=1135"},"modified":"2024-04-30T20:53:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T20:53:17","slug":"using-literature-circles-in-my-classroom-why-i-wont-go-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/22\/using-literature-circles-in-my-classroom-why-i-wont-go-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Effective Literature Circles"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I\u2019ve always wanted to incorporate literature circles into my classroom.\u00a0 But as an eighth grade teacher, I found it a challenge.\u00a0 Only with select groups did I feel it would succeed.\u00a0 And even then it was only towards the end of the school year.<\/span><\/p>

This year marks my first starting the school year with my high schoolers.\u00a0 I moved to our high school this past January.<\/span><\/p>

With mostly sophomores and one section of Advanced sophomores, I knew it was the perfect time to try literature circles.\u00a0 I chose to do this with our Holocaust unit centered around Elie Wiesel\u2019s <\/span>Night.<\/span><\/i><\/p>

Here are some of my tips and successes from using literature circles with my Advanced sophomores in our <\/span>Night <\/span><\/i>unit.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Literature Circles: What Are They?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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If you\u2019re relatively new to the literature circles party, it would benefit you to share a little bit about them.<\/span><\/p>

At the heart of literature circles is student accountability and student-centered learning.\u00a0 In short, the focus shifts from the teacher as \u201cknowledge source\u201d to the students being active participants in how they discuss what they\u2019re learning about.<\/span><\/p>

You, the teacher, prepare a general lesson plan and have an idea of what you want students to do.\u00a0 But it\u2019s important to pass the torch to your students who are coached ahead of time on how to best carry themselves.\u00a0 While you might provide a general framework for students to follow, they\u2019re the ones who hold the power in the activity.<\/span><\/p>

For my unit on <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i>, our literature circles depended first on students\u2019 reading of the assigned chapters.\u00a0 From there, I provided suggested discussion questions as a way to inspire student engagement.\u00a0 But from there, I let the students take control of the conversations.<\/span><\/p>

Literature circles often promote student engagement and responsibility in the various roles students play.\u00a0 I suggest brainstorming a list of roles you wish students to fill.\u00a0 In general, those might be a leader-type role, a note taker, and a researcher.\u00a0 But one of the unlimited benefits of literature circles is the flexibility and customization possibilities.\u00a0 Basically, you do what works best for you students.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How I Grouped My Literature Circles<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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As mentioned, I\u2019ve considered literature circles in my classroom when I taught at the middle level.\u00a0 While my eighth graders had a lot to contribute in terms of their strengths, they weren\u2019t developmentally ready for literature circles.<\/span><\/p>

To be honest, I\u2019m not sure the majority of my sophomores are ready, either \u2013 yet.\u00a0 Later in the year, we\u2019ll cover other profound texts like <\/span>Oedipus Rex<\/span><\/i> and Dante\u2019s <\/span>Inferno<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 I hope by that point, my academic classes will be ready for literature circles.<\/span><\/p>

But for now, my group of Advanced sophomores was the perfect group to try this out on.\u00a0 Another factor working in my favor: <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i> is so universally-engaging and begs to be discussed.\u00a0 With those two things in play, it seemed the perfect time to try literature circles.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s worth noting the size of my class.\u00a0 I am lucky enough to teach 30 sophomores in my Advanced class.\u00a0 So, it\u2019s a large group.\u00a0 Ideally, I wanted groups to be 4 students, max.\u00a0 But numbers-wise, I had two groups of 5.<\/span><\/p>

I thought it was important to group heterogeneously.\u00a0 With a group like this, it wouldn\u2019t be fair or accurate to say there were lower-level thinkers as I might have in another class.\u00a0 But I will say that while I had strong thinkers overall, different students certainly brought different strengths to the table.<\/span><\/p>

For example, I knew the students who were natural leaders.\u00a0 I also knew those who were more introverted.\u00a0 Some were more sociable and prone to be distracted.\u00a0 So although I don\u2019t necessarily have a wide range in terms of ability, it\u2019s fair to say I have a healthy mix of strengths and weaknesses.<\/span><\/p>

I also think it\u2019s really important to offer voice and choice whenever possible and appropriate.\u00a0 With my Advanced sophomores, I tried to put pairs of friends with other pairs they might not otherwise choose to work with.\u00a0 I knew ahead of time these literature circles would be heavily discussion-based.\u00a0 And, at times, those discussions might get heated.\u00a0 So I wanted students to feel comfortable with at least one person in their group to help encourage them to speak more freely and honestly.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Night Overview and Daily Agenda\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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If you\u2019re unfamiliar, <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i> by Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust memoir.\u00a0 It documents Wiesel\u2019s survival of anti-semitism, Jewish ghettos, concentration camps, and liberation.\u00a0 This short but immensely powerful book never ceases to amaze me.\u00a0 As simple as it appears in its language, Wiesel\u2019s detailed accounts will leave an impression with you that I promise will never leave.<\/span><\/p>

When I taught eighth grade Language Arts, I also had a Holocaust unit.\u00a0 I taught Anne Frank\u2019s <\/span>Diary of a Young Girl.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Though my shift from eighth grade to high school was easy in a lot of ways, I was reluctant to leave Anne behind.<\/span><\/p>

So when I found out I\u2019d have the honor of teaching Elie\u2019s memoir, I knew I had to do it justice.<\/span><\/p>

As short as the book is, we take our time with it.\u00a0 In all, it takes us about two months to cover the memoir and write an analytical essay about one of five teacher-selected motifs.<\/span><\/p>

If you\u2019ve read some of my previous work (specifically <\/span>about <\/span>Hamlet<\/span><\/i><\/a>), you know I find a lot of value in planning a unit \u201cbackwards.\u201d\u00a0 Meaning, I start with the assessment and work backwards from there.\u00a0 I try to figure out how I can best set up my students for success in the lessons and activities I incorporate before the assessment.<\/span><\/p>

For this unit, I knew literature circles could be the perfect way to set up my Advanced students for a deep, insightful essay thanks to rich, powerful conversations with their peers.<\/span><\/p>

Each day, we\u2019d follow the same general structure.\u00a0 Another simple but invaluable quality you can offer your students: consistency.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s also worth sharing that I expected Advanced students to read the assigned chapter(s) outside of class.\u00a0 I did not assign the same homework for my academic classes.\u00a0 Requiring this <\/span>double-entry reading journal <\/span><\/a>of my Advanced kids was a labor of love for most.\u00a0 Though they begrudged its existence, they appreciated its value throughout the unit and for the assessment.<\/span><\/p>

The Power of Surprise<\/h2>

To help settle all my students down and get them ready for the day, I require a Bell Ringer response.\u00a0 I project this on my board, and students record their entries on a diary-style note sheet.\u00a0 While they can write freely and honestly, I expect at least three complete sentences for each entry.\u00a0 Usually, the Bell Ringer prompts are tied in to what we\u2019re doing that day.<\/span><\/p>

Then we transition into an activator or a warm-up.\u00a0 One of the best things my mentor teacher taught me when I student taught was the value of surprising students.\u00a0 Sometimes that was getting them up and moving.\u00a0 Other times it was dressing in character or behaving strangely.\u00a0 Basically, you wanted to grab your students\u2019 attention.<\/span><\/p>

One such example in this unit came early on.\u00a0 To help students better understand the crowded and uncomfortable nature of the ghettos and transports, I taped a box on the floor.\u00a0 Now, I had done a lot of research ahead of time, finding out the exact measurements of cattle cars as well as the average number of victims transported.\u00a0 I then scaled down that square footage to suit my group of 30.<\/span><\/p>

Without giving any specific details, I had students stand inside the taped area, one-by-one.\u00a0 A lot were confused, wondering if they should bring anything.\u00a0 To that, I was vague, suggesting they could bring whatever they wanted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At first, students enjoyed being able to move and stand with their peers.\u00a0 I allowed them to talk freely and comfortably for a few minutes.<\/span><\/p>

But as more and more entered the area, things became a little tight.\u00a0 Those entering later chose not to bring anything with them.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t room.<\/span><\/p>

Eventually, we put all 30 students into the taped area.\u00a0 Things were tensely funny.\u00a0 On the one hand, students were nervous and unsure what they were supposed to do.\u00a0 And a lot didn\u2019t like having their personal \u201cbubbles\u201d breached.\u00a0 But a lot used laughter to help calm their nerves.<\/span><\/p>

In all, I had them participate for about five or six minutes.\u00a0 Some thought it was an eternity.\u00a0 But it was a relatively short exercise that left a pretty deep impact.<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s the kind of activator I love to do in my classroom, especially with something as powerful as literature circles.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Heart of the Literature Circles<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Once I had students\u2019 attention, I knew they were ready to return to their seats and get to work.\u00a0 I\u2019ll certainly cover our literature circles more in-depth shortly, but before I do, some general information.<\/span><\/p>

Our school implements block scheduling.\u00a0 I see my classes every other day for 84 minutes at a time.\u00a0 If our Bell Ringer takes 5 minutes and our activator takes about 10, we have a little over an hour for the activity and summarizer.\u00a0 More to come on the summarizer.<\/span><\/p>

But I set aside a solid 35 or 40 minutes a day for our literature circles.\u00a0 We sometimes took 5 minutes to review expectations or settle any concerns from the previous class.<\/span><\/p>

Here\u2019s a breakdown of how I used literature circles this year, including some tips and my successes.<\/span><\/p>

Folder System for Organization (and Personalization)<\/b><\/h2>

On the very first day I was to use literature circles, we took a great deal of time to cover the purpose of literature circles, expectations, and their folders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Each group was given a pocket folder.\u00a0 I gave them time to come up with a group name and to decorate their folder.\u00a0 It\u2019s such a simple thing.\u00a0 For many groups, it meant being able to be silly and color.\u00a0 But they loved it.\u00a0 A little teacher tip, no matter what age you teach: let kids be kids every now and then.<\/span><\/p>

Ahead of time, I personalized the insides of the folders.\u00a0 On the left-hand pocket, I taped a laminated sheet that briefly covered the expectations for literature circles.\u00a0 On the opposite side, I did something similar but with the literature circles roles.\u00a0 Each day, I also stocked the folder with a few resources.<\/span><\/p>

Literature Circles Questions<\/b><\/h2>

One of those resources was the day\u2019s questions.\u00a0 We basically broke down the unit so we focused on one chapter a class.\u00a0 On a few occasions, it was two or three chapters.\u00a0 But, in general, it was just one.\u00a0 I found that to be most manageable.<\/span><\/p>

I also found ten questions per day to be quite manageable.\u00a0 It was definitely enough to keep students busy, but it didn\u2019t overwhelm them.<\/span><\/p>

When designing the questions for my literature circles, I tried to keep in mind three core values:<\/span><\/p>

  1. Focus on the most poignant moments of each chapter<\/span><\/li>
  2. Keep them open-ended<\/span><\/li>
  3. Gear them towards the motifs available for our end-of-unit essay<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

    As I said, it\u2019s hard to read <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i> and not take pages and pages of notes.\u00a0 So finding questions that deeply reflected on the text came naturally.<\/span><\/p>

    Sometimes, admittedly, I find it a challenge to relinquish control.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I\u2019m alone in that.\u00a0 It\u2019s comforting to know that all will go according to plan.\u00a0 Change isn\u2019t just scary for our students, after all.\u00a0 I say all this because posing open-ended questions that have no \u201cright\u201d answer can be daunting for a teacher.\u00a0 But it\u2019s so crucial for your students, especially during literature circles.\u00a0 You want them to feel empowered by their own responses.\u00a0 And you want them to have multiple answers so they can benefit from hearing multiple perspectives.<\/span><\/p>

    The motifs for our essay include religion; father and son relationships; kindness; dehumanization; and guilt and inaction.\u00a0 So a final lens I used when designing my literature circles was using these motifs.\u00a0 I tried to find strong moments from the text that harkened back to these motifs so when it came time to write the essay, students would have a lot of material to build on.<\/span><\/p>

    If you\u2019re interested in my discussion questions, <\/span>check out this resource<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 I made all the discussion questions we used in our literature circles available for you.<\/span><\/p>

    Literature Circles Roles<\/b><\/h2>

    Part of what we covered on the first day of literature circles was the various roles students would fill.\u00a0 It was an expectation of mine that everyone rotate through each role once before repeating a role.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a breakdown of what those roles included.<\/span><\/p>

    Moderator<\/b><\/h3>

    Essentially, the moderator was the leader of the group each day.\u00a0 This person was in charge of reading the question to group members.\u00a0 And they were responsible for keeping the conversation on task and flowing naturally.\u00a0 If need be, they would peaceably announce the end of one question so they could start another.\u00a0 I had no instances of serious argument on any day of our literature circles.\u00a0 But in the event we did, the moderator\u2019s job was to steer the conversation in a healthier direction.<\/span><\/p>

    Timer<\/b><\/h3>

    The role of the timer is a relatively straightforward one.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also one that cannot be underappreciated.\u00a0 Especially with Advanced kids in a text this powerful, you run the likelihood of conversations going very deep.\u00a0 And that usually means taking a lot of time.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s time we don\u2019t.\u00a0 While I encouraged quality over quantity, I did suggest timers keep track of the conversations.\u00a0 They were coached to let the moderator know when a particular question took more than three minutes.<\/span><\/p>

    A quick note on devices.\u00a0 We have an open policy on cell phones at our school.\u00a0 While teachers are 100% supported if they decide to prohibit the use of them in their classroom, I find that my students, for the most part, can handle the responsibility.<\/span><\/p>

    Ahead of time, I asked my Advanced students to put their phones away during literature circles.\u00a0 I had no pushback on this.\u00a0 The timer was one exception; they were encouraged to use their phones during the literature circles purely to keep track of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    In the future, I anticipate putting into my budget a few digital timers that I can keep on hand for literature circles so we don\u2019t need cell phones.<\/span><\/p>

    Recorder<\/b><\/h3>

    Part of our folders was a notes sheet for the day.\u00a0 It included a rundown of which person filled each role.\u00a0 It was the recorder\u2019s responsibility to take these notes.\u00a0 And I also asked them to provide a brief overview of how the conversation went each day.\u00a0 While I did my best to rotate throughout the room, I didn\u2019t always visit all groups for an extended period of time.\u00a0 The notes sheet helped hold all members accountable.\u00a0 And it helped me understand how the groups spent their time.<\/span><\/p>

    Vocab Expert<\/b><\/h3>

    The final role, then, is the vocabulary expert.\u00a0 If at any point in the literature circles discussion new words were introduced, the vocabulary expert researched the meaning.\u00a0 Possibilities varied from content-specific vocabulary in the book (i.e. <\/span>blockalteste<\/span><\/i>) to unknown words in the text or the questions I presented.<\/span><\/p>

    This person was the other role permitted to use their cell phone.<\/span><\/p>

    Admittedly, this was the role I felt was the least duty-laden.\u00a0 In the future, I might look to replace this role with one that is more challenging.<\/span><\/p>

    If we have a group of five, I expected two members to take notes on the day.<\/span><\/p>

    Literature Circles Expectations<\/b><\/h2>

    As mentioned already, I hold very high expectations of my students.\u00a0 And with literature circles, it\u2019s important to stress the importance of these standards from the first day.<\/span><\/p>

    Here are the expectations that were consistently espoused and also prominently included in their literature circles folders.<\/span><\/p>

    1. Maximize your time with rich discussions about the text.\u00a0 It was important that students kept their focus on the text.\u00a0 Occasionally, their conversations would veer in appropriate ways. For example, this unit occurred at the same time conflict arose in Palestine in October 2023.\u00a0 So students wanted to talk about the parallels to our <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i> unit.\u00a0 This expectation is meant to remind students to talk primarily about the text at hand.\u00a0 And to keep other classes, events, classmates, etc. for another time.<\/span><\/li>
    2. Ensure equal participation of all group members.\u00a0 Some kids love to talk.\u00a0 Some kids really do not.\u00a0 It was important during literature circles that not one person dominate the conversation or that no one didn\u2019t offer their insight at least once.<\/span><\/li>
    3. Keep an open mind and remain free of judgment.\u00a0 The discussion questions I designed are heavy and meant to call attention to diverse perspectives.\u00a0 Early on, I espoused the importance of acknowledging others\u2019 opinions in a respectful and healthy manner.<\/span><\/li>
    4. Quality over quantity but work productively.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean for this to sound paradoxical.\u00a0 But each day I encouraged students to get through as many of the ten questions as they could.\u00a0 However, I did not want them, under any circumstances, to rush through the questions.\u00a0 The last thing I wanted was for students to finish early.\u00a0 I found we were able to strike a healthy balance between quality discussions and covering enough material each day.<\/span><\/li>
    5. Make the most of your literature circles discussions, whether that means actively listening only or taking notes.\u00a0 Another resource I provided in students\u2019 folders was a notes sheet.\u00a0 I encouraged, but did not require, students to take notes on the day.\u00a0 This might include meaningful quotes (page numbers, as opposed to entire quotes) and thoughtful interpretations of the questions.\u00a0 Doing so would set them up for success not only on the day\u2019s summarizer (short-term) but the unit\u2019s assessment (long-term).<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

      All in all, I found the literature circles to be some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, and wholesome conversations I have ever been privy to.\u00a0 Truly, the quality of my students\u2019 discussion had me shook.\u00a0 Thanks to careful planning, high expectations, and a truly remarkable group of students, I don\u2019t regret a single minute of these literature circles.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      So How Did We Wrap It Up?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      First off, it\u2019s worth noting that I did not grade the literature circles discussions.\u00a0 I certainly informally assessed students as I traveled the room, popping in to various groups to listen in.\u00a0 But the literature circles, decidedly, were designed to be a more laid-back and (hopefully) stress-free way for students to prepare for the graded portion.<\/span><\/p>

      At the end of each day in the literature circles unit, students would write one, analytical open-ended paragraph.\u00a0 Remember what I said earlier about planning with the end game in mind?\u00a0 Well, here\u2019s where it starts to really make sense.<\/span><\/p>

      Each day of the literature circles, I would choose one of the ten questions from the day.\u00a0 That would serve as the prompt for our open-ended summarizer.\u00a0 Besides the first day of literature circles, on which I announced the question they\u2019d write about, I kept it a secret.<\/span><\/p>

      With approximately 25 minutes left in class, I\u2019d give a worksheet to each student, quickly cover the prompt, and let them write.\u00a0 You could have heard a pin drop.\u00a0 That\u2019s how seriously they took the task and how hard they worked.<\/span><\/p>

      I expected students to write at least 10 sentences.\u00a0 They should have had a topic sentence and an elaboration of that concept.\u00a0 Then, they should include a direct quotation with citation before paraphrasing and contextualizing the quote.\u00a0 The majority of their paragraph should be devoted to analysis.\u00a0 This means exploring the quote (its literary devices, if present, word choice, and tone).\u00a0 It also includes making connections between this quote and other moments in the book.\u00a0 And it asked students to synthesize all that information, to cohere it all together before wrapping up the paragraph.<\/span><\/p>

      If you\u2019re interested in learning more about my writing expectations, stay tuned for an upcoming blog post.<\/span><\/p>

      Now, don\u2019t get me wrong: students did not write these 10 sentences the first time.\u00a0 Or the second.\u00a0 Or even the third.\u00a0 But their writing steadily improved.\u00a0 Why?<\/span><\/p>

      Well, first off, I established very high expectations.\u00a0 I graded them hard.\u00a0 But I also took 10-15 minutes per student response because I wrote commentary \u2013 the good, the bad, and the ugly \u2013 all over it.\u00a0 It was so incredibly time-consuming.\u00a0 But it was so worth it.\u00a0 Students might not have appreciated their lower scores the first times through, but they sure did appreciate the feedback.<\/span><\/p>

      I also took a few minutes the following class to show examples.\u00a0 At first, I wrote my own example paragraph to offer one possibility for students.\u00a0 But as the writing improved, I started using students\u2019 paragraphs as model examples.\u00a0 And, man, was that cool.\u00a0 It was so rewarding to not only see the writer glow but also to see his or her classmates read the paragraph in awe and congratulate the writer if that person revealed his or her identity.<\/span><\/p>

      This summarizer also better prepared students for the analytical essay at the conclusion of the unit.\u00a0 Most students took my advice and held onto their open-ended responses.\u00a0 They then could use them for their essay since all were based on the motifs for the final essay.<\/span><\/p>

      The open-ended summarizer was slow-going and rocky at times, but by the end of our literature circles, the improvement in student writing was pronounced.\u00a0 Without getting too cheesy, seeing that kind of improvement is one of the main reasons I teach.\u00a0 Pretty awesome stuff.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      Concluding Thoughts<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      All in all, the literature circles in my Advanced class were a resounding success.\u00a0 I could not believe the quality of discussions my students brought to the table each and every day.\u00a0 And to see their growth from the first day of literature circles to the end was remarkable.\u00a0 I cannot encourage you strongly enough to consider literature circles in your secondary classroom.\u00a0 Plus, I\u2019d love to hear about it, so leave a comment or reach out on social media to let me know how it went!<\/span><\/p>

      And if you\u2019re interested to know about some other successes with my <\/span>Night <\/span><\/i>unit, stay tuned for future blog posts.\u00a0 But if you can\u2019t wait \u2013 check these out in the meantime.<\/span><\/p>