The Transformative Power of Literature Circles

Walk into any given classroom and survey the students about reading. Some students will say that they love it, others may say they read because they have to, and another group would put it last on their list of things they enjoy about school. Perhaps they just haven’t found a book genre they love, or maybe they haven’t found characters they can relate to or connect with. As an elementary school teacher, I have found that incorporating book clubs, or literature circles, into our reading block has done wonders for all students.

Students who enter the classroom hating reading at the beginning of the year leave for the summer with a new love for it (and perhaps a list of books on their “to be read” list)! The students who love reading one genre may be introduced to one they hadn’t expected to like. And those students who read only when they have to may start finding themselves picking up a book for the sheer joy of it. So, what about literature circles seems to cause this shift in students’ attitudes towards reading? As Harvey Daniels outlines in his foundational work on literature circles, student autonomy and peer discussion are key to deepening comprehension and engagement.

Motivators for Literature Circles

Below you will find a list of five motivators, along with some suggestions for how to get started!

Choice and Voice in Literature Circles: Students can choose which books interest them, increasing their motivation and engagement. Studies such as those by Guthrie and Humenick (2004) have shown that providing choice in reading materials significantly increases student motivation and comprehension.

Peer Interaction: Students discuss with a group of peers who are reading the same book, providing structured socialization opportunities. This aligns with Vygotsky’s theory that students learn best through social interaction within their Zone of Proximal Development.

Assignment Variety: Students’ written work varies, so they practice different skills with each assignment, eliminating feelings of boredom with the same work.

Engaging Structure: Hype students up by watching book trailers!

Real World Relevance: Students are exposed to texts that provoke thoughtful conversations about characters, plot, and theme. This helps them make connections and learn about the world around them.

If you are still reading, you are likely hooked and want to learn more. Just like introducing new routines and structures in the classroom, the preparation ahead of time will take some work, but it will all be worth it!

Teacher Preparation for Literature Circles

Chances are, as a teacher, you have read your share of children’s novels. You know which ones resonate with students for different reasons. Start to generate a list of books of varying genres that are thought-provoking, relatable, and involve developmentally appealing and appropriate topics for the grade level you teach. You may even want to read some newer novels, maybe something the students in front of you haven’t gotten their hands on yet. I love to choose 2-3 new books to read over the summer. I have included some consistently favorite titles amongst middle grade students by genre: 

• Historical Fiction: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen, Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd
• Realistic Fiction: One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen, The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart, The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick, The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick
• Fantasy: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, Savvy by Ingrid Law
• Culturally relevant reads: Front Desk by Kelly Yang, The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez, Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan and Sarah Weeks

Depending on the number of students in your class, select three to four books that your current students will find interesting. Ensure you have books featured from different genres to appeal to all students. Another great tool that we’ve used in the past for students who may need this accommodation is audiobooks! This way, all students can participate and discuss the book. 

With each book in mind, pre-select reasonable chapter assignments (think: How many days will my students have to complete each reading assignment? How many assignments will be due per week? How many pages can my students realistically read?). I like to split each book up into 10 assignments. Another good strategy is to end reading assignments with cliffhangers. This will leave students eager to complete the next assignment.

Incorporate Core Reading Skills in Literature Circles

You will want to develop six major reading comprehension skills that you wish to your students to utilize and practice as they read their books, such as summarizing, inferring, making connections, visualizing, asking questions, and language (think vocabulary and figurative language). Come up with a grade-level appropriate recording sheet for each strategy.

Each student will be responsible for completing one sheet for each reading assignment. So, let’s say you have six students in a group…when they finish their reading assignment and get into discussion groups, there will be representation from each of the core skills you selected. Each assignment, the sheets rotate, so that each student has an opportunity to practice and share that skill. 

Hype it Up- Student Engagement

Have you ever seen a trailer for a new movie or show that just sparks your interest right away? Use this strategy to get your students excited. Book trailers. A quick internet search of the book title followed by the phrase “book trailer” can typically lead you to many choices. Watch the trailers and determine which will appeal to your students most for the 4-5 books you have selected. Invite students to a viewing area where they will get to watch each book trailer. Trust me, you can hear a pin drop as students are eager to see what is being offered to them. After the book trailers, set the books up at stations around the room. Students will have a chance to look at each book, read the book blurb on the back, and read the first page to gauge interest. 

Book Ratings

Students are often more invested when they feel as if they have a voice in their learning. Educators are often thinking of ways to incorporate student interests into lessons to spark engagement. This is similar. So, where does the “choice” part of this process come in? After watching the book trailers, students will be provided with some sort of recording sheet to indicate their interest level of each book. Finally, students will have some silent work time to list their top choices with a reason for why they selected the book as their choice. The teacher will then collect the ratings and place students into groups accordingly. Tip: at least for the first round, try and give each student their first or second choice, with the conversation that they may not always get their top choice. This way, students feel that their choices are considered and valued.

More Teacher Preparation (It’s worth it!)

Sometimes making groups can be tricky, but it is all worth it! If you introduce 4 books, eliminate the one that got the least amount of interest based on the student ratings, and split the students into three groups. Make a big deal out of revealing which books were selected, and each student should get a copy of the book that they are going to read. You can give students a printed grid sheet that lists each assignment. This is great for visual learners and students who need help with executive functioning skills like organization and planning. 

Tracking Comprehension 

We want to make sure our students understand what they are reading. You will come up with four comprehension questions for each reading assignment. On my team, we typed the questions into a Google form. This way, on the day that the reading is due, students answer the questions prior to discussions, and you can check their work at your convenience. Alternatively, you could ask the questions orally for students who may need that accommodation. This is another great data point to keep for your records!

Group Discussion for Literature Circles

I cannot stress enough the importance of setting clear expectations in the beginning. Come up with a few expectations that students can easily remember (appropriate voice level, participation, listening carefully, and staying on topic). Students either earn a check or not for each discussion. This is another great data point that you can use to discuss progress with students and their families. Discussion consists of students sharing their written comprehension sheets and using those sheets to spark thoughtful conversations about the text. Here are the skills that we use and can easily apply to students of varying grade levels:

• Summarizer shares a summary of the chapters read for that day’s assignment
• Questioner- Comes up with 4 thought-provoking questions for their group to discuss
• Inference Maker shares inferences that they made while reading (inferring what will happen next, a character trait, or how a character may be feeling)
• Passage Master- Selects passages from the text to share with their group; provides explanations and reasons for selecting the scenes
• Language Enricher-selects unfamiliar or new vocabulary words and identifies figurative language used in the text (we turn this one into a game: tell your group what page the word is on, read them the definition that you found, and then have the group guess the word; for figurative language-tell what type of figurative language and the page number-the group has to find the example and read it from the text).
• Artful Artist- Select a critical scene from the assignment, visualize it, and illustrate it. Write an explanation about why you selected the scene and how it impacts the plot. (For added fun, only show the illustration- have your group guess which scene you drew, then reveal your answer.) 

Academic Areas/Life Skills

In addition to all of the reading skills listed above, students will also be exposed to other academic areas and even different life skills:

• Social Emotional Learning- practicing empathy as they read about different characters’ experiences. 
• Builds communication skills.
• Builds motivation through peer accountability. Knowing they will need to contribute to a discussion brings a sense of responsibility. They aren’t just reading to get an assignment done; they are reading to contribute to their book group.  
• Potential for cross-curricular connections- choosing books related to concepts being taught in science and social studies. Connect to writing skills by having students respond to essay prompts about their book (theme, character changes, character traits, etc.)
• It provides opportunities to differentiate learning without making students feel “singled out.” You can match texts to ability and make accommodations without making it obvious. 
• Helps build a reading identity. Students start to understand which genre of books interests them most and learn how to talk about books.
• This provides opportunities for books to act like mirrors and windows for students. As mirrors, they are exposed to books with characters just like them. As windows, they are exposed to characters whose lives are different from their own. 
• Provides opportunities for parent engagement- you can encourage students to read some of their books at home with an adult. 

Literature circles are one of my favorite parts of the school day. It’s a treat to see students excited about reading and engaging with each other while discussing books.