SCHEDULING A BOOK CLUB MONDAY THURSDAY Read Aloud or Mini-Lesson (15 min) Daily Quick Check (5 min) Independent Reading (40 min) Break your Independent Reading block into intervals of 10 or 20 minutes so your students can engage in discussion. FRIDAY (OR ON A ROTATING SCHEDULE) Read Aloud or Mini-Lesson (15 min) Introduce meeting format/objective/expectations (5 min) Book Club Meeting (25 min) Written Reflections/Assessment (15 min)
Connector The connector s role is to find the connections between the book and his/her personal experiences. The connector will find an association between the book and the wider world. Things to consider: Your own past experiences Happenings at school or in the community Stories in the news Similar events at other times and places Other people or problems that you are reminded of Between the book you have read and other books by the same author or of the same topic Some connections I found between this reading and other people places, events, authors: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Topic to be carried over for tomorrow:
Literature Circles in a Bilingual Classroom Presenter: Juan Garcia, M. Ed.
Before we get started
Objectives Content Participants will learn about an enhancing strategy for teaching literacy instruction and oral language development to ELL students. Language Participants will listen, discuss, read, and plan to implement new strategies into their daily literacy instruction.
Topics for today The Elements of Literature Circles Best Practice for Bilingual students What does planning look like?
Let s take a little time to discuss Improving students reading achievement occurs AFTER enhancing instructional effectiveness.
What are Literature Circles? A platform where students will think critically and reflect as they read and discuss literature An approach where collaboration is the main factor Where students gain a deeper understanding of the literature through structured discussion, as well as written and artistic response.
Where are we heading?
Literature Circles Are Are not
Why should Bilingual Teachers use Literature Circles in their classroom? Active engagement and creating a platform for meaningful dialogue Differentiate Instruction Provide the students with choice when it comes to their learning Promote higher level thinking and analysis Motivate students to enjoy reading
Where do Literature Circles fit into the Bilingual Classroom? Dual Language Cooperative Learning Developing a high level of proficiency in both languages Academic achievement at or above grade level Low affective filter Allows students to take risks in their learning Small groups allow more opportunities for interaction and instruction Collaboration becomes a vital piece to language development
Where do Literature Circles fit into the Bilingual Classroom? Culturally Relevant Teaching Inclusion of original works from the world of the language minority groups so that the children see the authors as intellectual role models Building up their funds of knowledge Organizing the classroom around high expectations
What is our main idea? Cooperative learning helps facilitate growth while developing solidarity rather than competition Ada, 2003.
How did Literature Circles correlate with the TEKS? Language Arts standards include: Reading Writing Listening Speaking Language Media and Technology
Lets take a look at some examples of Literature Circle Literature Circle in a Bilingual Classroom Literature Circle
What does Best Practice really mean? Recognize the different linguistic and academic needs of students in various ELL subpopulations. Use the native language to support English language development. Implement language development standards and assessments that are directly linked to academic standards and assessments. Create literacy-rich secondary school environments.
What does Best Practice really mean? Use instructional approaches that unify language and content learning. Instruct students in language learning strategies.
What does Best Practice look like in my room? K-W-L Think Pair Share Think Aloud Summary Frames Two Column Notes Rubrics Frayer Model RAFT Anticipation Guide Graphic Organizers
Types of Literature Circles Teacher directed Literature Circles with roles Book Clubs Student Directed More Structured Less Structured
Elements of a Book Club Students choose their own books Small group sizes (4 to 6) Multiple copies of the same book Can be done during D.E.A.R time Teacher will provide with journal responses, graphic organizers, sticky notes Conduct weekly meetings with groups
Let s take a Learning Walk In the back of the room, you fill find the tables filled with Cooperative Learning Strategies you can use in your classroom. I encourage you to take pictures of ones you think may become useful in your classroom. Which ones do you think would help facilitate a Literature Circle in your classroom?
Let s Plan!
What types of roles do you want your students to have?
Summarizer As students read, they are thinking and discussing the most important or BIG ideas. What are the key points, main highlights, and turning events in their reading? Have you identified the supporting details that back up the main idea?
Question Director What type of questions might the group want to discuss about the book? Help the group talk about the BIG ideas and share their reactions. Generate questions that come from the groups thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
Connector Find connections between the book and yourself, between the book and the wider world. Take into considerations: Past experiences Happenings in school or the community Other people or problems that you are reminded of Between this book and other literature about the same topic or author.
Illustrator Good readers make pictures in their minds as they read. Encourage Ss to draw pictures related to the reading they have done. Draw an event from book, something that reminded you of, or a picture that conveys feelings or ideas they got from the reading. Use vocabulary words a reference guide for their illustration.
Vocabulary Enricher Lookout for words that have special meaning during the text. Puzzling or unfamiliar words may be looked up in the dictionary and defined for better comprehension. Words that stand out, repeated, or used in an unusual way.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Interactive Read Aloud Ss make meaning of Text Ss and Tt will model comprehension (re-reading, predicting, think aloud) and fluent reading. Tt will stop often to ask questions and elicit discussion. Tt and Ss will point out underlying themes Introduce Role Vocabulary Development After re- Weekly Plan for a Literature reading the meaning of text, Ss will choose descriptive and unfamiliar words. Throughout the week, Ss will work with vocabulary: Breaking words into syllables Segmentation Manipulation of initial and ending sounds Synonyms/An tonyms Illustrations Written Responses Introduce New Role Response to Text Ss make the text in a Circle Think Aloud. Create a list of questions composed of student inquiry. Ss are given opportunities to work with one another in summarizing text, making connections to self, world, and across texts. Introduce final roles of Literature Circle Literature Circle Literature Circle
Do we have time?
Illustrator Good readers make pictures in their minds as they read. Encourage students to draw pictures related to the reading they have done. Draw an event from book, something that reminded you of, or a picture that conveys feelings or ideas they got from the reading. Use vocabulary words a reference guide for their illustration. What can an Illustrator do? Sketch Cartoon0189 Diagram Flow chart Stick Figure Scene Plan the Illustrator s presentation: The Illustrator and Discussion Director can work hand in hand. Demonstrate illustration to group without commenting to illicit conversation from the group. Group members will get to speculate what the illustration means, its importance to the story, and the connections they have made with the illustration. After group members have discussed, the illustrator gets the last word: what does the picture mean, where it came from in the story and what it represents.
Summarizer As students read, they are thinking and discussing the most important or BIG ideas. What are the key points, main highights, and turning events in their reading? Have you identified the supporting details that back up the main idea? Students should always be able to answer: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Students should be able to write a summary of the story that identifies: Characters Setting Events Sequence of Events (Beginning/Middle/End) Plot (Conflict, Climax, Resolution) Theme Main idea The summarizer knows his/her role, all the following will be identified and reflected upon first through discussion.
Questioner/Discussion Director What type of questions might the group want to discuss about the book? Help the group talk about the BIG ideas and share their reactions. Generate questions that come from the group s thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Possible discussion questions or topics for today: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. SAMPLE QUESTIONS TIPS TO CONSIDER What was going through your mind as you read/listened to the story? How did you feel during this part of the book? What did the characters discuss in this part of the book? Can someone summarize briefly? Did someone make a real-life connection with an event from the story? What questions were you left with at the end of this section? What surprised you? What were the most important ideas? Predict some things that could happen if they author continued writing more. Discussion of characters: are they realistic, symbolic, historicall-based? What motivates characters? What leads them to the choices they make? In-depth discussion of the events (sequence) Historical context Can we research to learn more? Analysis of images, passages, phrase, dialogue, etc. Analysis of recurring themes
VOCABULARY FINDER Lookout for words that have special meaning during the text. Puzzling or unfamiliar words may be looked up in the dictionary and defined for better comprehension. Words that stand out, repeated, or used in an unusual way. WHEN DISCUSSING VOCABULARY, STUDENTS CAN ALWAYS REFER BACK TO THE TEXT IN ORDER TO EXAMINE THE WORD IN CONTEXT. word Page # and Paragraph Definition Synonym Antonym Reason/Plan for Discussion
What does Best Practice look like in my room? KWL Think Pair Share Think Aloud Summary Frames Two Column Notes Rubrics Frayer Model RAFT Anticipation Guides Graphic Organizers