My Thoughts on Literature Circles (or what works for me)

Yes, I know that the school year is over~I'm only "working" tomorrow and giving out report cards on Wednesday for a couple of hours~but I'm one of those professional teachers who is always a teacher no matter what day or hour or holiday or season or event. So with that being said, let me share with you one of the (many) things that I would like to improve on next year.

I would like to use literature circles more effectively. I've used literature circles on and off for several years but always with mixed results. I don't like the dynamics of the groups or the quality of the work. I feel like some students do all of the work, while some get a good grade just because they're in a group with an overachiever. Those that will read the book are the same ones that will read the book whether they're in a literature circle or not, and the others won't.

So what's the solution? I'm sorry to say that I don't have the answer. However, I will share with you the things that I know works well for me.

First of all, I pick the groups and limit them to only four students. Ideally this works if two are overachievers and two are not. Balance works great in your diet and in cooperative learning groups.

Secondly, I pick the books~yes I know, I'm not giving the students any choices. But, what I do is that I pick the 6 different books that I want the students to read and lay them out on a table (4 copies of each). Then I draw names and let the students go up and pick their book. Actually, they're sorta picking their own groups also.

Each group has a file folder with the roles outlined and due dates and handouts already assigned. Yes, this takes time, but I always plan way in advance.

I also only do Formative Assessment and save the Summative Assessment for when the students finish the book. Accelerated Reader or Data Director works great for this.

This is a short list of what does work for me. My list of what doesn't work for me is much longer. If you have favorite books, websites, or resources, please post those in the comments. I can use all of the help that I can get.

Melissa Reese Etheridge