Literature Circles and Virtual Literature Circles are both open to anyone – that, at least, ought to be clear. However, this project was implemented in a grade 8 English Language Arts classroom. Therefore, while all outcomes in the current curriculum are interlinked and linear according to grade level and ability, I shall cite all relevant Specific Curriculum Outcomes for grade 8 as outlined in the English Language Arts 7-9 Guide. This is in no way meant to limit access or use of this project to the eighth grade, but simply to identify that many of the outcomes for that particular grade level have been reached simply by employing this project. All students studying English Language Arts in the Atlantic Provinces work towards the same General Curriculum Outcomes of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing, and Writing and Other Ways of Representing – they simply work towards achieving these outcomes to different extents, depending on grade level and in some cases, on ability.
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A note on Format: Below,
I have cited each Specific Curriculum Outcome that has been achieved during the
course of this project. For
clarity, I have separated each of the three outcome categories (six strands)
of English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing,
and Writing and Other Ways of Representing.
I have also identified, by number, the General Curriculum Outcomes (GCOs)
which fall under each category and then I have listed the Specific Curriculum
Outcomes (SCOs) which fall under each of the GCOs.
Finally, I have commented on how each of the SCOs have been individually
achieved.
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A note on Content: Some of
the Specific Curriculum Outcomes listed below are not directly outlined in any
one particular lesson plan. That
is, each of the lessons outlined in this project include a list of the SCOs that
ought to be achieved by the end of the lesson.
Just as no single activity in a lesson can be considered to be directly
responsible for the achievement of the outcomes, no one lesson can be considered
to be directly responsible for the achievement of certain other outcomes.
While certain outcomes are achieved by doing particular lessons, certain
others are achieved by completing the project as a whole.
1.
Students will be expected to speak and listen to explore, extend,
clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
1.1
Students will be expected to consider and reflect upon the contribution
of others’ ideas during discussion.
·
Literature
circles is all about discussion – about getting kids to talk about
literature! One of the most
important things that are emphasized through the discussion roles is the element
of sharing. Students depend on one
another to come to some sort of understanding of what they have read – the
roles break-down the process of text interrogation and force students to listen
to one another’s findings – otherwise, they will not be able to move along.
Hence, the fact that discussion is not only about talking but also about listening
becomes clear to everyone involved.
1.2
Students will be expected to ask questions to probe for accuracy,
relevancy, and validity, and respond thoughtfully and appropriately to
questions.
·
Because
students become so interdependent during literature circles, it is important
that they learn to speak, listen and ask questions when they do not
understand what a group member has contributed. This does a number of things.
First, everyone genuinely tries to do their work because they know that
others are depending on their efforts. If
one does not do what s/he is supposed to, s/he will be letting the group down.
Second, this forces students to do meaningful work – they know that not
only will the group listen to what they have to say/report, they will most
likely be asked questions about what they have done.
Third, because a student has put a lot of effort into his/her own work,
s/he is depending on all other group members to contribute to his/her
understanding – if s/he does not understand what someone else has done, s/he will
ask questions to clarify his/her understanding of the text.
1.3
Students will be expected to express a point of view in a convincing
manner, offering relevant information to support that viewpoint.
·
Students
who participate in literature circles use the various role sheets and later, the
reading logs to record their understanding of what they have read.
The discussion roles ask them to examine a text from a particular
perspective (i.e. in terms of vocabulary enrichment, important textual elements,
etc.). It is up to the student to
identify what is important in the text and inherent in that is the fact that the
student is expressing his/her own point of view of what is important.
Likewise with the reading logs – students respond personally, employing
the techniques and skills they have gained from using the discussion roles. In addition, if there is one thing that students will know at
the end of this project, it is that they must be able to cite evidence
from the text to support their opinions.
2.
Students will be expected to
communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond
personally and critically.
2.1
Students will be expected to contribute to small-group and whole-group
discussions by choosing strategies that contribute to effective talk.
·
Literature
circles are primarily made up of small-group discussions.
The effectiveness of these discussions depends on the way that the
students choose to converse. As a
student-centered activity, the group is given full reign of how to organize its
conversations, which means that in order for students to get any sort of
understanding about what they are studying, their talk must be effective.
·
During
presentations, the onus is also upon the students to organize themselves in such
a way that they communicate effectively to the entire class.
This may or may not be in the form of a discussion, but it is clear that
the methods they use to present to the class must be effective in order for
everyone to understand what the group is telling them.
2.3
Students will be expected to give instructions and respond appropriately
to instructions, directions, and questions.
·
During
many presentations, students are given instructions about how to participate in
games and activities. Groups are
required to inform the class about what to do and they must also be prepared to
answer questions concerning their directions or anything else about their
presentation.
3.
Students will be expected to interact with sensitivity and respect,
considering the situation, audience, and purpose.
3.1
Students will be expected to demonstrate such speaking and listening
skills as making eye contact, rephrasing when appropriate, clarifying comments,
extending, refining, and/or summarizing points.
·
This
outcome is one that is only realized through participating in the project as a
whole. That is, as literature
circles is all about working together in groups towards the goal of
understanding a text and presenting on it, it inherently includes the idea that
students need to constantly communicate with each other, to clarify, extend,
refine and rephrase what they discuss in order to participate in meaningful
discussions – the basis of literature circles.
3.2
Students will be expected to demonstrate respect for others by
expressing ideas and opinions in a manner that reflects sensitivity to others.
· Meaningful communication cannot take place unless there is a mutual respect between the speaker(s) and listener(s). From the very beginning of literature circles, the students have been familiar with the concept of mutual respect. They understand that everyone gets a chance to speak and that there is no harm in being wrong, especially when one can cite evidence to support opinions. Students were introduced to the idea of argument as a means of finding truth rather than verbal conflict – I used the analogy of a court of law to help them understand that real argument consists of two (or more) people giving their opinions and citing evidence and working together to find out who is right.
6.
Students
will be expected to respond personally to a range of texts.
6.1
Students will be expected to extend on personal responses to texts by
providing detailed explanations, examples, and supporting arguments.
6.2
Students will be expected to explore personal points of view about
texts, citing appropriate evidence.
·
I
have chosen to explain how both of these subsections of Outcome #6 are achieved
in this project:
Responding from a personal point of view allows a person to explore literature in a very unique way – a way that is different from everyone else. When a group of students get together and share their personal responses, each one brings something different to the group, which expands the understanding of everyone! Literature circles is all about discussing literature and how it relates to one on a personal level, hence we see discussion roles like Literary Luminary and Connector, Illustrator etc. These roles are designed to help students better understand their connections to literature and to explain those connections by referencing both the text and personal experience. Learning to express one’s own point of view or understanding is an important skill in terms of understanding literature – creating illustrations to represent some understanding of key points, or to identify some sort of connection to the text; telling about a personal experience or knowledge that one might have which is linked to the text being studied – all of these skills are essential! Literature is communication, and like all communication, there is a message to be heard. Honing one’s skills of interrogation and responding personally to texts is one of the most effective ways of learning to understand messages.
7. Students will be expected to
respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of
language, form, and genre.
7.3.3 Students will be expected to recognize how and when personal background influences both the creation of texts and the reader’s/viewers’ interpretation and response.
·
This
outcome relates directly to the idea that each person brings something different
to a literature circle! Participating
in a close group of students and sharing personal understanding, experiences,
points of view, etc. teaches students that what one already knows affects the
way a person looks at literature and the world.
Using the discussion roles helps students to focus their ideas and a role
like that of the Connector specifically
focuses on a student’s personal understanding.
Writing
and Other Ways of Representing
8.
Students will be expected to use writing and other forms of
representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings,
experiences, and learnings; and to use their imaginations.
8.1 Students will be expected to use a range of strategies for writing and other ways of representing to: extend learning, their own and others’ ideas; reflect on their feelings, values and attitudes; consider others’ perspectives.
·
Learning
how to use the various discussion roles and how to participate effectively in
literature circles teaches students that they have both a lot to offer and a lot
to learn about literature. The
simple fact that they put in the effort to complete each night’s work and
prepare for the next discussion helps them to extend their own ideas and
presenting their work during a discussion helps them to extend the learning of
others. Using the roles and
discussing their interpretations helps students to reflect on how they perceive
literature and sharing within a group helps students to understand how other
people perceive it as well.
9.
Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and
independently, using a wide variety of forms for a range of audiences and
purposes.
9.2 Students will be expected to choose writing forms and styles that match both the writing purpose (e.g., to define, report, persuade, compare) and the reader for whom the text is intended.
· This outcome is most realized in the form of the final presentations. The group works together to come up with some sort of representation of their understanding of the text that they have been studying in their literature circle. Depending on the form of their presentation, a group may choose to represent their understanding in many different ways. They have to take into consideration the kind of presentation they want to have and the kind of response they want from the class.
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