Texts can be assigned based on student interests, reading level, or learning objectives. Discussion above, she used it as a device for talking about literature, where. The stu dents were discussing roberto innocentis historical fiction picture book. Frank serafini arizona state university these strategies are designed to help students and teachers engage in dialogue concerning pieces of literature. Online since 1998 is one of the oldest online forums for the discussion of black literature, culture, poetry, technology and more. Classroom discussion is one of the most frequently used and often embraced pedagogical strategies. Teaching students how to discuss literature circles resource. Gwynn dujardin, assistant professor of english at queens university, in ontario, canada. Most of the literature that does exist also leans toward the anecdotal, making. They are not designed as assessment devices, nor as products to turn in for a grade. Have students turn essays into videos into podcasts into letters into simplycoded games into poems into apps. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the authors craft, or personal experiences related to the story.
How to read literature is a lively and engaging primer on basic strategies for appreciating literature, a kind of english 101 in a book. Free printables for literature circles laura candler. If you have the opportunity to read a piece of literature as a class, you can then move your generalized literature discussion to focus on that particular piece of literature. Effects of literature discussion groups on reading. The only rule is the teacher cannot say anything during the period allotted for class discussion of book. Short, 2004 literature discussion strategies creating. Strategies for teaching literature in the esl classroom. Going beyond thinkpairshare for paired and small group discussions. In this thoroughly revised and expanded guide, you will find new strategies, structures, tools, and stories that show you how to launch and manage literature circles effectively. The article concludes with final thoughts about using authentic literature to develop challenging and integrated curriculum. Short, 2004 literature discussion strategies see creating classrooms for authors and inquirers, kathy g. This resource consists of 5 short narrated videos that will teach you.
She is coauthor of the book moving forward with literature circles. In attempting to enhance participation quality and discussion effectiveness, there is concern over what to do about students who are less inclined to participate voluntarily. Ways to start discussions through novels could potentially work with narrative texts. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. How can teachers help students find their way into a piece of literature. Often ill suggest a focus for book discussions that relates to our work. Instructordesigned questions help instructor to guide prediscussion reading and preparation distribute questions on the course schedule or on a. The discussion book by stephen preskill, stephen d. In preparing preservice teachers for their future as agents in social change, understanding the. By creating roles within each literature circle or book club group and specific tasks for the group to accomplish during their text discussion time, teachers can modify the work to make it more studentcentered. How to hold a better class discussion the chronicle of higher. Literature discussion groups organizing and running literature discussion groups also known by other names such as book clubs or literature circles can be intimidating.
Booktalks can happen at any time throughout the school day, linked to any block in which reading is important. Key to engendering good discussions in literature circles is for students to be adept at asking, and answering, a wide variety of questions at different cognitive levels. New strategies for college faculty west virginia university press has three coeditors. A seed discussion is a twopart strategy used to teach students how to engage in discussions about assigned readings. Implementing literature discussion groups in classrooms enhanced. A booktalk is an energetic discussion about a book done with a class, groups or an individual child. Four strategies for literary discussions in the classroom. This book club or literature circle packet uses the six reading comprehension strategies in a book club or literature circle format. And getting beyond the basics, what do mature or advanced literature circles look like. Book discussion groups and literature circles sedl. Generic discussion questions for fiction and nonfiction to help with almost any book. The aim is to encourage thoughtful discussion and a love of reading in young people. Readthinktalk a guidedreading chart to use while youre reading.
Explain that during this session, you will act as the discussion director to demonstrate how to do the task. More often, though, they discuss reading materials at their independent levels, in literature circles and book clubs. While no single, simple definition for authentic literature exists in the. Literature circles are not to be confused with book discussion clubs, currently popular in some circles. Describe an important event from your book and tell why it is important. The power of literature circles in the classroom edutopia. Instructordesigned questions help instructor to guide pre discussion reading and preparation distribute questions on the course schedule or on a. In each strategy, students select books they wish to read with a group of their peers. A literature circle is equivalent for young people of an adult book club, but with greater structure. They are designed to be done by students and then used to reflect on the reading experience and share ideas within a community of readers. The intent of literature circles is to allow students to practice and develop the skills and strategies of good readers dalie, 2001. Rich, strategybuilding discussions dont just happen. Literacy is embedded in the context of culture and society. His most recent book is discussion in the college classroom.
After two rounds of response and writing, the paper is passed a third time. Students respond to a question or write about a topic for a set amount of time before passing the paper to a partner who then writes for another set amount of time. Turn, pair and share after i have read a book to the class, i invite children to turn to a partner and. Choose a short book with at least eight chapters to read as a whole class, beginning during the next class session. Literature circles differ from other small group instructional approaches like guided. Lang, professor of english and director of the center for teaching excellence at assumption college. I turned each comprehension strategy into a job to be completed in a student book club or literature circle. Reading strategies book club packet by kristine nannini tpt. If youve struggled to find effective ways to develop students speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day. Thompson becomes an active participant in their discussion, modeling ways in which students can take more active roles in classroom discussion through preparation, turntaking, receptiveness to alternate views, posing and trying to answer authentic. Interactive discussion strategies list frank serafini. Coeditors discuss new book on teaching the literature.
Literature circles and studentled book clubs are both instructional strategies that allow students choice, voice and motivation in reading. Student led discussion strategies for whole class discussion. The objective of literature circles is to allow students to practice and develop the skills and strategies of good readers dalie, 2001. This approach is very flexible and does require students to take on roles when they meeting. This sampling of strategies provide ideas for helping students prepare for discussions and for collaborating with others to develop those ideas. Discussion strategies engaging with literature pbs learningmedia.
The goal of book discussion groups and literature circles is to engage students in literature through stories and topics that interest them. Washington post this lively and engrossing guide is readable and serious, thoughtful and funny, approaching literary. She used a common cooperative learning technique a fishbowl to model good discussion strategies for the rest of her class. Classroom book clubs are an easy and fun way to implement literature circles. The purpose is to encourage thoughtful discussion and a love of reading in young people.
If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. During literature circle meetings my classroom vibrated with learning, passion, and joy. Your group discussion will start with your 12 minute statement that covers the key points, main highlights, and general idea of todays reading assignment. Praise for the first edition of discussion as a way of teaching winner of the 1999 choice selection of the american educational studies association stimulating good discussions is often one of the more difficult tasks of teaching. Ela teaching strategies for small group discussions. Brookfield, oreilly, 2016 see several other books by these prolific discussion experts. These teacher and experttested strategies will strengthen your students ability to find and use evidence from any text. Careful preparation goes a long way toward ensuring that your early attempts are successful, both for yourself and for your students. If you were in the setting, what are some things you might see. As students connect the ideas in stories to the issues in their own lives and the world around them, they also build higherlevel thinking skills.
Discussion strategies western washington university. The discussion is guided by students response to what they have read. Stories that are driven by character actions and motivation are the ones that inspire discussion. Start by familiarizing your student with the piece. These strategies are designed to help students and teachers engage in dialogue concerning pieces of literature. Focusing literature discussion groups on comprehension strategies. Any larger than this, and you risk some students opting out of the discussion or simply being overshadowed by others in the group. Your job is to prepare a brief summary of todays reading. Have students analyze diverse media forms for their strengths and weaknessesand involve both classic and digital forms 3. I promise to provide practical resources on the how, when, where, what of lit circles, but let me first make a case for why every k12 classroom should. Several of janine kings sixth graders had participated in literature circles the year before. Strategies that encourage questioning and discussion at the higher levels of blooms taxonomy will lead to much more successful, indepth, and meaningful literature groups. Classroom participation and discussion effectiveness.
Barry hoonan, a 5th and 6th grade teacher, uses studentdirected minilessons to model discussing literature and a postit note strategy to engage students. The big list of class discussion strategies cult of pedagogy. The creative curriculum for preschool includes our childrens book collection. Literature circles and book clubs betterlesson coaching. Use combinations of mediaclassic and modern together, leveraging one against the other 2. Students carry on a brief discussion even before youve talked about.
What has been your favorite part of the book so far. Next, instructional strategies to use with authentic literature are shared. Using authentic literature to develop challenging and. Students can also be involved in selecting texts for their book club to study and discuss. Literature circles and book clubs are a text discussion strategies that supports studentled facilitation and discussion in small groups. Book clubs can be used to support indepth analysis and discussion of a variety of texts including literature, historical accounts, movie clips, and lyrics. One of the first paired discussion strategies i used as a student teacher was the good old thinkpairshare or, as i call it, elbowbuddy talk. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. In this book, brookfield and preskill offer a wealth of information and strategies for improving dialogues in the classroom. A literature circle is equivalent for young people of an adult book club, but with greater structure, expectation and rigor. What are the most common pitfalls in implementing studentled discussion groups. So i read good books and share them, and i listen to kids tell me about them. Turn, pair and share after i have read a book to the class.
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