Novels, Numbers, and Notes

When doing novel studies with my class, one of my favorite activities is Literature Circles. There are a variety of resources out there on this topic, and many good suggestions on how to do it. For me, the main resource I have come to rely on for ideas is the book by Harvey Daniels titled, Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs & Reading. If your school district has a Raz-Kids account, there are also good resources available there as well. 

There are a variety of literature circle roles that you can assign to students throughout the course of a novel study. This allows them to participate in class discussions from different perspectives. I usually limit the number of roles to 4, so it isn’t too confusing or hard to manage when you get started. There are three that I like to start with from Daniels’s book, and these are: the Questioner/Discussion Director, the Word Wizard, and the Illustrator (a favorite for most students). The fourth one I do is one I created based on the Notice and Note Signposts called, the Signpost Spotter. I think the first three are pretty self-explanatory, but the Signpost Spotter might be something new if you are not familiar with the Notice and Note Signposts.

Notice and Note Signposts

Notice & Note – Strategies for Close Reading, is a book by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst. I recommend this book if you want to get a solid understanding of what they are and how to use them. In the same way that signposts guide us as we drive along the road, these signposts draw students’ attention to important points in the story. The authors also provide examples of each one in the book from novels such Hatchet and A Long Walk to Water. The six signposts created by Beers and Probst are: Aha Moment, Again and Again, Memory Moment, Contrast and Contradiction, Words of the Wiser, and Tough Questions. You can find more detailed descriptions of each over at the Heinemann blog. If your school is using the HMH Into Literature curriculum, Notice and Note Signposts are integrated into the curriculum giving you easy access to resources.

Introducing Literature Circles and Signposts

Modeling this activity and how to have a small group discussion is essential for this activity to be a success. I usually start the year introducing the literature circle roles and signposts with a read aloud or with a class novel study. The novel I have used as a starter for the past few years has been The Tiger Rising, by Kate DiCamillo. This is a short, but powerful novel that features three or four signposts quite often throughout the story. Memory Moment and Words of the Wiser are the two most prominent signposts. After introducing the Signpost Spotter for the first few chapters, I move onto the other three. You can introduce these in any order. We do these roles together as a class at the start and as we move to the middle of the novel, I assign them chapters to read on their own. Then they complete one of the four roles themselves and we meet in small groups to discuss the specific chapter(s).

The words “voice” and “choice” in the title of the book by Daniels are another important aspect when incorporating literature circles into your novel studies. The goal is to eventually have them choose from two or three novels you want them to read. They will then form small groups based on their choices and read through the novel on their own. In their novel groups, they will decide how much to read each night and also assign themselves the various literature circle roles. While many students would be happy to keep choosing to be the illustrator in a group, they do become comfortable with all the roles and choose different ones independently.

Establishing this level of independence and routine can take time, and grade level can make a big difference. My experience with literature circles is with 5th and 6th grade students. It usually takes two to three months to really get these groups up and running smoothly. If I start it at the beginning of the year, I find that most students have the routine down by late October or early November.

I hope you are able to give literature circles a try and find success with it in your classroom.

Resources Mentioned

Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst.

Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups by Harvey “Smokey” Daniels.