Improving the Quality of Literature Circles

From the desk of Carol C. . .

Do you ever feel the literature circles in your classroom could work better?  A higher level of learning taking place?  Responses from more students?  Sometimes we don’t notice the positives that are taking place in lit circles, so we aren’t able to take advantage of those aspects.  Here’s an idea.  Try videotaping a whole or small group literature circle to find out the little bits you’re missing.  Take a look at the tape below.  Make note of the positives that are happening.

Positives taking place:

• Listening to each other-They are responding to what another person said.

• Paying attention-Even when they are not speaking they are looking at the speaker and listening.

• Verifying information-One child looks in the book to see if the information just given is correct.

• Taking turns-One person is not dominating the conversation.

• Agreeing to disagree-They can each back up their statements with reasons (some stronger than others).

Areas to investigate more:

• Disagreeing-Making sure everyone understands HOW to disagree with another person (be careful about saying “No”)
• Participation-Setting the expectation that everyone will participate especially in small groups and no one will dominate the conversation

Videotaping a group and then watching the tape allows us to see what is working and what needs to be addressed.  What a powerful way to improve your instruction and raise your students’ level of thinking!