Lit Circles

      After loving literature circles in my practicum, I was excited to be able to learn more about them in class. I can see how they can be used for a wide variety of ages and abilities with different books. Through reading Al Capone Does My Shirts, I now better understand how to start from a whole book approach and then choose the standards and big ideas that coincide with good literature. Not only did I really enjoy the book, but I also feel like both boys and girls would like it as well. They would be able to understand the deeper themes and develop relationships with their classmates through discussing the topics in literature circles.

     I really like the idea of literature circles in upper elementary classrooms because they give control to the students. At this point in their lives, they are often trying to find responsibilities they can take on, and if they can take charge of their learning, they will benefit greatly! In my practicum, the students loved choosing what to discuss and how they were to structure their own talks. Literature circles can be a great way to delegate responsibility to each and every member in the classroom, thus including the often quiet and shy students who might be overlooked in book discussions. 

      Because I came into my classroom after much of the routines were already set, the literature circles seem to flow so easily. However, after many talks with Dona, she informed me that the first several weeks were spent solely teaching the students how to talk in their groups. Clear scaffolding is needed if the students are to thrive in this type of environment, and I think they can do just that.