1. What are
Literature Circles?
Differentiated
Instruction:
LiteratureCircles
Literature circles are small reading
groups in which each student
participates by having an assigned role
which rotates weekly.Each member
must fill out a worksheetfor his/her
specific role and share it with the group.
At the end, the students work
together to create an end product
that best represents their book.
Megan Dalley
megandalley@u.boisestate.edu
Resources:
http://www.lauracandler.c
om/strategies/litcirclemod
els.php#BasicLitCircle
http://www-
pub.naz.edu:9000/~includ
e/pdfs/poster/Differentiat
ed%20Instruction%20in
%20Literacy.pdf’
http://www.litcircles.org/
Overview/overview.html
#balanced

2. WHAT ARE THE STUDENT
ROLES?
Discussion Director: Student
is responsible for creating
discussion questions and
manages the conversation.
Literary Luminary: Student
highlights important quotes
or memorable passages in
order to share with the
group.
Connector: Student
connects the text to the real
world.
Artful Artist: Student
creates a visual
representation of the text.
Character Captain: The
student focuses on one
character and his/her
development.
Word Wizard: Student
highlights unfamiliar words
in the text and must define
them for the group.
Researcher: Student
researches history of the
book, the author, and the
origins of the story.
HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE?
 Differentiating by content:
o Students grouped by:
 Reading level
 Interest
 How they learn
 Differentiating by process:
o Students choose roles that
best fit their learning styles.
o Students explore multiple
ways to make sense of the
texts.
 Differentiating by product:
o Students createend products
that suit their learning styles.
BENEFITS
Student led discussions
Students set the schedule for
their groups
Promotes accountability
Provides more in depth
understanding of texts
Promotes conversations from
varying perspectives
Builds comprehension and verbal
expression
Conducive for cross curricular
lessons
Allows students to make choices
“At its most basic level, differentiation
instruction means “shaking up” what goes
on in the classroom so that students have
multiple options for taking in information,
making sense of ideas, and expressing
what they learn.”
- Dr. Carol A. Tomlinson