What is it?
Literature circles are discussions that occur amongst students in small groups who are all reading the same novel. The teacher can act as a guide, but mainly sit out for the discussion, allowing the student groups to lead it themselves. Each small group can either spread out and sit in the classroom and hold their group discussions simultaneously, or groups can sit in the middle of the classroom one at a time and facilitate their discussion, while the rest of the class sits around the small group and listens. They can occur multiple times throughout the year or be a culminating activity at the end of a unit (Literature circles are a very specific type of group work and one that I think builds on the advantages of doing group work and avoiding some of the downfalls of it.
Literature circles have roles already outlined, so students will each have an area they are responsible for. While students will have individual tasks, the discussion will happen collectively and allow students to acquire a more complex understanding of the material (Ormrod, 2017). This type of collective self-efficacy will depend on how well students perform their own tasks and how they coordinate their roles and responsibilities (Ormrod 2017). Literature circles have the feel of a group project, but performance and assessment will also heavily depend on how each student has prepared for their role and how they participate in the small-group discussion.
How will I use it in my classroom?
I will use literature circles throughout a unit plan designed around a novel. The class will be split into a few literature circle groups focusing on certain chapters, and students will “present” their discussion to the class after each section. For example, the first group will be assigned Chapters 1-4 and will hold their literature circle discussion after we have all finished Chapter 4; the next group will have Chapters 5-9 and will hold their discussion after we’ve completed reading Chapter 9; and so on and so on…
The students holding the discussions will analyze parts of what they’ve read and discuss the various perceptions, interpretations, and ideas about the reading to the class. The rest of the class will have to take notes during each literature circle session. They will be gaining perspective about the novel through the views of others and be able to use this information to help influence and develop their own thinking and comprehension of the novel and will ultimately be beneficial in writing their individual essays at the end of the unit.
Sources:
Neamen, M., & Strong, M. (2001). More Literature Circles: Cooperative Learning for Grades 3-8 : Cooperative Learning for Grades 3-8. Englewood, Colo: Libraries Unlimited.
Ormrod, J. E., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. (2017). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. New York: Pearson.
Classroom Management Portfolio 