Literature Circles Research - Mission Consolidated Independent ...

Table 1Literature Circles Self-EvaluationCategoriesReadingWriting- answered questionscompletely-followed directionscarefully-fixed responses thatcould be improvedDiscussion- shared- stayed on topic- asked questions andoffered feedbackListeningPreparationFollow-Up4I did all of thisweek's reading.I did all of theassigned responsesusing lots of detailsand examples fromthe book.I was eager to shareand 1 helped tokeep the discussiongoing. I stayed focusfor the whole time.I listened to othersat all times in anattentive way andI offered helpfulfeedback to improveother's work.I was thoroughlyprepared with mybook and completedwork.I participated inall parts of thePaper Talk. Iput my work inthe folder. I tookwork below a 35 toredo. I got a newwork assignment.and marked it onfolder. If time left.I started the newassignment.3I did most of thisweek's reading.I did all of theassigned responseswith good detailand some examplesfrom the book.I participated in thediscussion/stayedfocused most of thetime.I listened to othersattentively.I was prepared withmy completed work.but forgot my book.I participated inall parts of thePaper Talk. I putmy work in thefolder. I took workbelow a 35 to redo.I got a new workassignment.2I did some of theassigned reading.I did some of theassigned responses.but my work wasincomplete ordid not have textexamples 6c detailsI participated in thediscussion/stayedfocused some of thetime.I listened to otherssome of the time.I was prepared withmy book, but didnot have my work.I participated insome parts of thePaper Talk. I putmy work m thefolder. I did nottake work belowa 35 to redo. Igot a new workassignment.1I did not do any ofthis week's reading.I did not do anyof the writtenresponses.I did not participatein the discussionat all.I listened to othersat all times in anattentive way.I did not listen toothers.I was not preparedwith my book or mywork.I did not participatein the Paper Talk. Idid not put my workin the folder. I didnot take work belowa 35 to redo. I didnot get a new workassignment.Spontaneity with accountabilityMuch like adult book groups, discussions about the bookin classroom literature circles should be triggered by thecomments of others, not pre-determined and rigidly readfrom a paper, such as the role sheet. Liz's students' priorefforts at literature circles often lacked spontaneity andstudents simply completed the role sheet to try to gain"points" from the teacher. After trying out the revisedrole sheets, Liz wondered if the teacher-centered accountabilityof the role sheet or if the problem was the authenticityof what was being asked of the reader. Liz believedher middle level students needed the role sheets to keepher students focused as they read and to prepare them fortheir discussions. Role sheets became students' "admit"or "exit" slips (McKeown, Beck, Sinatra, 6c Loxterman,1992; Zemelman, Daniels, 6c Hyde, 1993) for each literaturecircle meeting and were a vehicle to encouragestudents to take their reading more seriously. Role sheetsalso served as an invaluable individual accountability toolof comprehension and reading achievement. Next, wewill share three examples of spontaneity with accountabilitybased on three students' work samples.The NERA Journal (2012), Volume 47{2) Feature Articles I 27

In this excerpt from student responses to the book.And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, one ofthe selections in a grade seven mystery genre literaturecircle, a student in the Questioner role, offered herthoughts regarding a "part in the week's reading thatmade you ask yourself questions because it didn't makereal sense to you":Why do all the people go to an island ifthey don't know who invited them? Most peoplewould be scared or would ignore the invitationin this situation. It just seems like common sensenot to go, yet these characters do.A student in the same group, in the role of InferenceMaker made this inference about the book's setting:I inferred that the small island they are onis the perfect place for a crime such as this. It isdeserted, and not many people go to it. Also, youhave to travel by boat to get there, so people can'treally get off If I were the killer, I think it wouldbe the perfect place.Clearly, this student has read carefully enough to offerseveral examples to support her inference. Finally, astudent in the role of Connector made the followingtext-to-text connection between this same book and apart of New Moon by Stephanie Meyer:When Dr. Armstrong was pushed off thecliff (in And Then There Were None), it remindedme of when Bella jumped off the cliff into therushing water. However, one big difference isthat Bella doesn't die.Each of these student responses provide us with aglimpse into the student's mind and helps the teachersee that students are responding to reading in authenticand purposeful ways, much like the readers in an adultbook group.Improved classroom managementOne logical effect of this increased engagement inreading and discussion was an overall improvement inclassroom management issues during literature circlemeetings. With more students coming prepared fortheir discussions, Liz noted there was less opportunityfor students to stray off-task and off-topic in discussions.As satisfied as Liz was with this new literaturecircle model, she found there was room for improvement,particularly with how to encourage students tobe more productive with their time. Though studentswere definitely engaged in discussion longer than theyhad been before she remodeled literature circle roles,and her expectation was for them to use remaining classtime to start their next week's reading and responses,all groups did not finish at the same time. Often thosestudents who had finished would take advantage of theunstructured time and talk about everything but thebook. This pitfall led Liz to another innovation shecalled a Paper Talk.With this in mind, Liz added a Paper Talk(modeled on a Chalk Talk) (Shapiro ôc Genser, 1994),where students continued their discussion, albeitsilently. Using open-ended questions such as, "Onething I really liked or disliked in this week's readingwas... because...", students respond, initial and pass italong, while a new question comes their way. As youknow, not all seventh or eighth graders love to write,but most do love to write notes to their friends. Oneof the best payoffs of the Paper Talk is the teacher getsto "listen-in" as she reads through students' Paper Talknotes. This simple follow-up to the sharing of their roleshas kept students involved in their book discussion rightuntil the end of class. "Listen-in" to this piece of a PaperTalk, from a different group of students in a differentclass again reading the novúAnd Then There Were None.The question, one of five possible options, asks themto discuss "A lesson/something they can take from thisweek's reading and apply to my own life... because...."One lesson is expect the unexpected. Likewho would have guessed he was the killer. (JS)If you expect the unexpected, then theexpected can be used to kill you. (JP)True...very true, but I think I asked thisquestion before...Do doctors check someone'spulse on their hand (wrist) or neck? Cuz if its hisneck. Dr. Armstrong checked the Judge's pulseon his hand to see if he was dead, and the Judgeknew he was alive so... (HS)Doctor Armstrong had an alliance...Armstrong knew he was faking his death.(ELA)Yes, I know, but that's a clue for the reader,not for Armstrong. It's the only thing I couldthink of that would make me suspicious of theJudge. (HS)Though it's possible these same students mighthave had this same discussion orally, without theprovided Paper Talk, it's unlikely the classroom teacherwould have had the benefit of hearing it. Since studentsare responding to several questions simultaneously inthe same Paper Talk, reading the responses provides aninvitation to sit in on all student discussions and hear allstudents' input. Unlike a whole class discussion where28 I Feature Articles

there might be students who do not participate, in thePaper Talk model, all students have a voice, and theteacher is able to listen.Finally, Liz revised what is one of the mostimportant components of a literature circle, the studentself-evaluation.Before this year, she had studentsdebrief, which was more or less a check that they haddone their work and participated in the discussion.It occurred to Liz that a more specific evaluation,which clearly identified expectations for preparing,participating and follow-up, would make students moreaccountable and reinforce all of the criteria that makea successful literature circle. They also provide a clearsense of closure to that week's meeting. Though Lizdoes not count their evaluation for any part of theirgrade, the process itself has contributed to what wewould consider to be some of the best literature circlemeetings in her classroom yet.We invite you to listen to some of the voices ofmiddle level learners who clearly felt a sense of accomplishment,responsibility and ownership toward thelearning community they had created."Something I really like about Literature Circlesis/because...., ,the questioner job, because it really makesme think,"...getting to discuss our reading in a groupto share other's thoughts."...getting feedback to make my work better,"„,the Paper Talks—they help me better understandwhat my group thinks about the book,",.,the Paper Talks—they're fun to do,",,,working with others; working in agroup..„getting to choose what we read,",,,the books—they are really good and reallyinteresting; trying out genres I wouldn't usuallypick,",,.answering the questions each week helpsme understand the book better,"Next stepsLiz shared her revised role sheets with her middle levelcolleagues in an effort to reinforce the lessons learnedin the English language arts classroom and to supportstudents' transfer of this important knowledge acrossthe disciplines. Her middle level teammates in science,math and social studies will try out these ideas and offertheir ideas and content specific suggestions, Liz and hercolleagues plan to discuss ways to extend this practicewith nonfiction texts as suggested by Wilfong (2009),In addition, Liz plans to experiment with the relatedconcept of writing circles (Vopat, 2009) by trying outthis exciting new practice in her writing workshop,considering possible links to comprehension strategyinstruction, and seeking the input of her students to informher next steps in teaching and learning.Authors' Note: Liz has also shared the revisedrole sheets on Diane's Wikispace for you to tryout (www.uri-englishlanguagearts.wikispaces.com) in your own methods classes or classrooms.We hope you'll share your successes and challengeswith us.ReferencesAlmasi, J,F, (1995), The nature of fourth graders' sociocognitiveconflicts in peer-led and teacher-leddiscussions of literature. Reading Research Quarterly,3O{3), 314-351.Au, K.H, (1995), Following children's leads throughtalk story: Teachers and children work to constructthemes. In N,L, Roser ôc M,G, Martinez (Eds,),Book talk and beyond: Children and teachers respondto literature (pp, 150-156). Newark, DE: InternationalReading Association.Berne, J.I., ôc Clark, K.F, (2005), Meaning making inninth grade: An exploratory study of small group,peer-led literature discussions, Illinois ReadingCouncil fournal, 33{3), 31-38,Berne, J,I., ôc Clark, K.F. (2006). Comprehension strategyuse during peer-led discussions of text: Ninthgraders tackle "The Lottery", fournal of Adolescent^ Adult Literacy, 49{S), 674-686.Chinn, C.A., Anderson, R.C., ôc Waggoner, M.A,(2001), Patterns of discourse in two kinds of literaturediscussions. Reading Research Quarterly, J6(4),378-411.Daniels, H, (1994), Literature circles: Voice and choice in thestudent-centered classroom. York, ME: Stenhouse,Daniels, H, (2006), What's the next big thing with literaturecircles? Voices from the Middle, 13{4), 10-15,Evans, K,S, (2002), Fifth-grade students' perceptions ofhow they experience literature discussion groups,Reading Research Quarterly, 37{1), 46-69,Farinacci, M, (1998), "We have so much to talk about":Implementing literature circles as an action researchproject. The Ohio Reading Teacher, 32{2), 4-11.Fox, M,, ÔC Wilkinson, L, (1997), No longer travelersin a strange country. Journal of Children's Literature,2J(1),6-15,The NERA Journal (2012), Volume 47{2) Feature Articles I 29

Guthrie, J.T., ôc Davis, M.H. (2003). Motivating strugglingreaders in middle school through an engagementmodel of classroom practice. Reading ¿ifWriting Quarterly, 19(1), 59-85.Harvey, S., ôc Goudvis. A. (2007). Strategies that work-Teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement.(2nd ed.). Portland, ME: Stenhouse.Keene, E.O. (2008). To understand: New horizons in readingcomprehension. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Keene, E.O., ôc Zimmerman, S. (1997). Mosaic ofthought: Teaching comprehension strategies in a reader'sworkshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.McKeown, M., Beck, I., Sinatra, G., ôc Loxterman, J.(1992). The contribution of prior knowledge andcoherent text to comprehension. Reading ResearchQuarterly, 27, 79-93.Moore, D.W., Bean,T.W., Birdyshaw, D., ôcRycik,J.A.(1999). Adolescent literacy: A position statement forthe Commis.úon on Adolescent Literacy of the InternationalReading Association. Newark, DE: InternationalReading Association.Pearson, PD., Roehler, L.R., Dole, J.A., ôc Duffy, G.G.(1992). Developing expertise in reading comprehension.In S.J. Samuels ôc A, Farstrup (Eds.).What research has to say about reading instruction,(2nd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.Peterson, S., ôc Belizaire, M. (2006). Another look atroles in literature circles. Middle School Journal,J7(4), 37-43.Samway, K.D., Whang, G., Cade, C, Gamil, M.,Lubandina, M.A., ôc Phommachanh, K. (1991).Reading the skeleton, the heart, and the brain ofa book: Students' perspectives on literature studycircles. The Reading Teacher, 45(3), 196-205.Sandmann, A., ôcGruhler, D. (2007). Reading is thinking:Connecting readers to text through literaturecircles. International Journal of Learning, 13(10),105-114.Shapiro, N., ôc Genser, C. (1994). Chalk talks. Berkeley,CA: Command Performance Language Institute.Stien, D., ÔC Beed, PL. (2004). Bridging the gap betweenfiction and nonfiction in the literature circlesetting. The Reading Teacher, 57(6), 510-518.Vopat, J. (2009). Writing circles: Kids revolutionize workshop.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Wilfong, L.G. (2009). Textmasters: Bringing literaturecircles to textbook reading across the curriculum.Journal of Adolescent ^ Adult Literacy, 53(2), 164-171.Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., ôc Hyde, A. (1993). Bestpractice: New standards for teaching and learning inAmerican schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Zimmerman, S., ôc Hutchins, C. (2003). 7 keys to comprehension:How to help your kids read it and get it!New York: Three Rivers Press.NERA¿>rd Annual Conference: "Teamingfor Literacy"September 19 and '»O, 2011Sturl->nd2;e, MassachusettsJ30 I Feature Articles

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