Moving Forward With Literature Circles How to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate Literature Circles to Deepen Understanding and Foster a Love of Reading

by Day, Jennifer; McLellan, Janet; Day, Jeni Pollack

• ISBN13: 9780439176682
• ISBN10: 0439176689
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: Theory and Practice

Summary

There's no better way to deepen children's comprehension and appreciation of books than with literature circles. But let's face it, it's not always easy to plan, manage, and evaluate them-until now. Whether you're starting from scratch or just looking for new ideas, Moving Forward with Literature Circles provides all the tools you need-guidelines, minilessons, booklists, checklists, and more-to maintain a successful program in your classroom. For use with Grades 3-6.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	6	(2)
Foreword	8	(2)
Richard L. Allington
Introduction	10	(2)
Situating and Setting Up Literature Circles	12	(18)
A Real Discussion	14	(4)
The Benefits of Literature Circles	18	(6)
Structuring Literature Circles	24	(6)
Preparing Students for Literature Circles	30	(24)
Our Five-Stage Plan for Preparing Students	32	(4)
Carrying Out the Plan	36	(18)
Encouraging Real Discussion	54	(30)
Discussion: What It Is and Is Not	55	(5)
The Importance of Discussion in Response to Literature	60	(4)
Literature Discussions: Ideals, Realities, and Solutions	64	(1)
Three Issues to Address Early and Often	64	(20)
Writing and Thinking in Response to Literature Circles	84	(26)
The Value of Writing Before and After Literature Circles	87	(1)
Kinds of Journal Entries	88	(2)
Two Examples of Students' Responses	90	(3)
Responding to Students' Writing	93	(3)
Prompts: The Key to Helping Students Think More Deeply	96	(2)
Prompts for Different Purposes	98	(12)
Assessing Discussions	110	(22)
The Purposes of Assessment	111	(1)
The Content of Assessment	112	(1)
Assessing Literature Circles: What and How	113	(1)
Data Collecting, Record Keeping, and Interpreting Results	114	(18)
Meeting Diverse Needs	132	(43)
Literature Circles and Diverse Learners: What the Research Shows	133	(2)
A Close Look at Four Students	135	(14)
Interventions to Promote Success for All Students	149	(1)
Determining the Timing and Extent of Intervention	149	(11)
Bibliography
Children's Books	160	(2)
Professional Books and Articles	162	(3)
Appendices
Appendix A: Journal Entry Form	165	(1)
Appendix B: Observation Checklist	166	(3)
Appendix C: Individual Reading/Book Log	169	(1)
Appendix D: Student Conference Questions	170	(1)
Appendix E: Class Log	171	(1)
Appendix F: Teacher Daily Log	172	(1)
Appendix G: Group Meeting Log	173	(1)
Appendix H: Self-Assessment Form	174	(1)
Index	175