Lit+Circles

Plans for Lit Circles:(Greene)

Literature Circles

Purpose: Expose students to a variety of texts  Help students learn to analyze text - both fiction and non-fiction  Help students learn to compare texts  Develop an understanding of theme and how an author develops this throughout the text  Collaborate with other students during a discussion of literature

Expectations:  Mostly in class - but some reading at home  Respect  There will be a lot of talking in here. You will get a chance to express your opinion. However, when it is reading time - it needs to be reading time.  You have a lot to say and I want to hear it. We will need to set some expectations about class discussion.

Projects: 1. Journal - you will write every day in your journal. Writing helps you to organize your ideas and develop a better understanding of what you have read. Read a fiction book  2. Read a non-fiction book  3. Read short story  4. Book discussions <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5. Wow words <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 6. Make a book trailer for one of the books you have read

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Journal prompts:

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Give the students (have students reading the same book create) a statement that may be true or false and they have to provide evidence from the text to substantiate their claim.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Determine the theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot: provide an objective summary of the text. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 1. use the summary on the back of books to help determine what the theme might be. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2. in 15 words <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3. story maps <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 4. graphic organizers
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Theme || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Character || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Setting || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Plot ||

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pick a story to read. After reading, choose some passages to delete. Re-read. How did the story change? What did the eliminated passages add to the story? What did you learn about the character from these passages? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Use this time to review the proper punctuation for dialogue.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings: analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wow words in journal <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Discuss analogies and figurative - and record in your journal <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Pick a word from your reading. Why do you think the author picked that particular word? What other words could the author have used?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Have students pick two texts to read - one fiction, one non-fiction, related to the same topic. Have them complete a graphic organizer while reading that will help them make the comparision.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What does the author do to help you understand the meaning of the text? || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does the structure of the text contribute to its style? ||

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Look for key words, such as, like, compared to, -er, -est, neither, both, and highlight them.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a non-fiction text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> WOW words <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Review the idea of apositives to show how the author helps the reader find context clues.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8. Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Take a paragraph from your text. Check to see if it has 1) the main idea, 2) supporting details, 3) conclusion, 4) transition to next paragraph. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Compare the paragraph you chose with a partner’s paragraph. How were they similar? How were they the same?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">9. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Talk with your group. Who is the author’s intended audience? What is their purpose? Do they acknowledge the “other side” of the argument? What evidence do they give to support their argument? Why would they choose to present the information they did? Can you think of any other arguments that might have been better? Did they use any arguments that you don’t think they should have? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #00ff00; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Pick a topic presented in a core class or have the core class teachers use this. Have the students read two passages on the same topic, but written from different points of view. Compare the passages using the criteria above.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">10. Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">11. Use Backroom.com or similar program as a place to post, share and respond to prompts.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">12. Use various digital media to make a presentation that expresses what the book/article meant to you.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">GRADING

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Journal will be worth 25% of your grade

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Final project/book trailer will be worth 25% of your grade

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Book discussions/class participation will be worth 25% of your grade

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4.Blog postings will be 25% of your grade