Real Books that Change Your Life!

1. Real Books that Change Your Life! “Real books are wonderful. . . Real books rest beside your bed, clutter the coffee table, and stand on shelves at the ready - waiting to be lifted, opened, and brought to life by your reading. Real books…are written by authors who know how to unlock the world with words and to open our eyes and our hearts. Each real book has its own voice - a singular clear voice-and each speaks words that move us towards increased consciousness.” Peterson & Eeds , Grand Conversations. 2007

2. Why Literature Circles? • Studies have shown that when students are involved in authentic conversation about literature, they are more engaged in their reading (Alpert, 1987; Enciso, 1996) and they take more risks (Eeds & Wells, 1989). • Literature circles also promote students’ motivation to read and have been shown to improve students’ reading levels and performance on tests (Davis, Resta, Davis, & Camacho, 2001). “Student-Centered Reading: A Review of Research on Literature Circles” EPS Tanya Auger 2003

3. Thinking Together – Arthur L. Costa • “Learning is a reciprocal process; the individual influences the group’s thinking, and the group influences the individual’s thinking.” • “Instructional techniques that encourage group activities help students construct both their own and shared knowledge.”

4. As we construct meaning using Thinking Maps in our Literature Circles we meet the National Standards for Language Arts. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts: • to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; • to acquire new information; • to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. • Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

5. As we construct meaning using Thinking Maps in our Literature Circles we meet the National Standards for Language Arts. • Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. • They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.

6. As we construct meaning using Thinking Maps in our Literature Circles we meet the National Standards for Language Arts. • Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles. • Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

7. English Language Learners • According to Peralt-Nash & Dutch (2000), literature circles provide a low-risk environment for children who are learning English as a second language. • Some authors believe that these students are able to make use of the linguistic resources and knowledge they posses in order to make sense of the text, to relate it to their life experience, and to participate in the group discussion in meaningful and functional ways (Peralta-Nash & Dutch 2000). ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication Digest #173 Chia-Hui Lin (2002)

8. Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. 2002

9. Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. 2002

10. Connector • Finds text-to-self connections: connects to events and/or experiences in your own life. • Finds text-to-text connections: similar events in other books and stories, other text on the same topic, or other text by the same author. • Finds text-to-world connections: similar happenings taking place in the school, community, or world, similar events in other times or places.

11. Literary Luminary • Choose passages that beg to be read aloud to the group. •  Look for passages that are powerful, memorable, surprising, or puzzling. • Justify your reasons for selecting the passage/passages

12. Set Designer • Identify the setting and the specific parts of the setting. • Add a Frame of Reference and draw some conclusions about why the author chose this setting. • Identify parts of the setting that are not specifically described, but that are inferred. • Illustrate and/or cut out magazine pictures to capture the setting described in the text.

13. "The land was barren and desolate. He could see a few rundown buildings and some tents. Farther away there was a cabin beneath two tall trees. Those two trees were the only plant life he could see. There weren't even weeds." “Nearly everything in the room was broken; the TV, the pinball machine, the furniture.” “There were seven cots, each one less then two feet from the one next to it.” “Seven crates were stacked in two piles at one side of the tent.”

14. “The barn…was pleasantly cool in summer when the big doors stood wide open to the breeze. The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur, and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns…” Uncle Zuckerman’s Barn Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

15. Character Captain • Identify the major characters in the piece. • Describe revealing personality traits. • Justify those traits with examples of the behaviors and/or actions of the character/characters • Show character change over time. • Compare and contrast the protagonist and antagonist.

16. happy • Upset • Happy • Angry • Sad • Nervous • Scared

17. Summary Expert ? • Summarize the passage, chapter, or book. • Do not retell the entire sequence of events, just focus on the important parts. • Summarize in pictures, phrases or sentences. • Describe the mood or tone of each event . • Create a plot line including the climax and resolution.

19. Vocabulary Visionary • Look for memorable language: strong verbs, figurative language, interesting words/phrases, and vivid descriptions • These examples should be puzzling, funny, vivid, unfamiliar, used in an unusual way, repetitive and/or important to the story.

21. Composer • Identify the genres of music that would make up the soundtrack of this story. • Choose one scene in the novel that MUST have music, choose a specific song and justify the reasons for your choice. • Choose a song for each of the major characters in the text and describe the mood that the song creates.

22. strong Charlotte “Respect” proud joyous confident

23. Illustrator • Draw a picture related to the text you have just read. • Draw a picture of something that you were reminded of in the story. • Draw a picture that illustrates a mood or feeling you got from the passage. • Label the parts of your picture. • Frame your illustration with one of the following questions: “What does the picture mean to you?” “Where did the idea for this picture come from?” or “What does this picture represent to you?”

24. Discussion Director • As a group “frame” your thinking with Aha’s, Big Ideas, “Fat” Questions, or Wonderings How did this story change your thinking about…?

26. Taking it off the maps… • Posters advertising the book • TV movie critic-style reviews • Panel debates • Diary of a character • Interview with the author (real or fictionalized) • A new ending for the book • Performances of a “lost scene” from the book • Family tree of a key character • ABC Book • Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. 2002

27. Adaptations for the primary grades (K-2)… • Books appropriate for emergent readers (wordless books, picture books, big books etc.) • Books are often read aloud to the children • Children typically read entire book prior to discussion • Record responses in drawing or writing at their own level. • Two phases : sharing & discussion • Teacher present in meeting • Bookmarks used to “hold” special places in the story. Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. 2002

29. Resources • Campbell Hill, B., Schlick Noe, K. , Johnson, N. (2001). Literature Circles Resource Guide: Teaching Suggestions, Forms, Sample Book Lists and Database. Norwood, Massachusetts: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. • Daniels, H. (2002). Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs & Reading Groups. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

30. Resources • Hyerle, D., Yeager, C. (2007). A Language for Learning. Cary, North Carolina: Thinking Maps, Inc. • Peterson, R., Eeds, M. (2007). Grand Conversations: Literature Groups in Action. New York: Scholastic, Inc. • Rogers, W., Leochko, D. (2002). Literature Circles: Tools and Techniques to Inspire Reading Groups. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Portage & Main Press.

31. “Learning to think begins with recognizing how we are thinking – by listening to ourselves and own reactions and realizing how our thoughts may encapsulate us.” Arthur L. Costa

32. Thinking Maps, Inc. California Consultants Sarah McNeil smcneil@thinkingmaps.com Leanna Brown leanna@thinkingmaps.com