Literature circles is a powerful but little used active learning strategy in ELT. It is collaborative, student-centred learning that involves the efforts of all students for the group to be successful.

2. • Thomas Baker
• Colegio del Verbo Divino
• Santiago, Chile
• profesorbaker@gmail.com

8. LITERATURE CIRCLES
• Literature circles
bring together two
potent ideas:
• Independent
reading.
• Cooperative
learning.

9. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Students choose own reading materials.
Small temporary groups formed based on book
choice.
Different groups read different books.
Groups meet on regular, predictable schedule to
discuss their reading.
Students use written or drawn notes to guide
both their reading and discussion.
Discussion topics come from the students.

10. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Group meetings are open, natural conversations about books.
Students can play a rotating assortment of task roles.
Teacher is a facilitator, not a group member or instructor.
Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self-
evaluation.
A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room.
Readers share with their classmates when books are finished,
then new groups form around new reading choices.

11. Books are nominated and students
choose the book they want to read.
How do students choose a book?

12. WHAT IS THE TEACHER’S ROLE?
Nominate books to read.
Allocate roles to students.
Evaluate students.

13. OUTCOMES
By taking part in a literature circle students:
Read a book of their choice with a
group who has also chosen this
book.
Discuss the book and work out
a shared understanding of it.
Share this understanding with
the whole class.

14. TO ACHIEVE THE OUTCOMES
STUDENTS WILL:
Choose a book.
Play a role in discussions
of the book.
Keep a diary of their
response to the book.
Present to the class: PPT, Trial,
Reader’s Theater, Book Report,
Poster, Talk Show, Write New
Ending, Roleplay, Hotseat, etc.

15. EVALUATION
Teacher evaluates by
observation during
discussions and marking
reading response logs.
Students evaluate their
own progress at the end
of the literature circle.

17. SUMMARY OF ROLES
• Discussion Director
• Super Summariser
• Passage Person
• Word Wizard
• Cool Connector
• Idea Investigator
• Artful Artist
• Culture Collector

18. ROLES in a LITERATURE CIRCLE
• Directs the discussion. Helps people talk over
the big ideas in the reading and share their
reactions: thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
Discussion Director

19. • Prepares a brief summary of “today’s
reading” which conveys the highlights or
the key points in the pages read.
Super Summariser

20. • Locate parts of the text to read aloud to
the group. Could be interesting,
powerful, funny, puzzling or important.
Passage Person

21. Artful Artist
Your job is to draw anything about the part
you liked. You may also draw something as
a response to the reading.
-Character
-Setting
-Problem
-Exciting Part
-Surprising Part
When your group meets, don’t say what
your drawing is. Let them guess and talk
about it. Then you can tell them about it.

22. • Find connections between the book and:
- another book – a movie – art – music –
the media – current events - your life, etc.
Cool Connector

23. • Find background information on any
topic related to the book - geography,
weather, author, time period, history of
book’s setting, etc.
Idea Investigator

24. • Finds 5 important
words in today’s
reading - puzzling,
repeated a lot,
unusual,
unfamiliar, lexical
set.
Word Wizard

25. • Notes similarities and differences between
the culture represented in the story and
your own culture. All cultures have:
Culture Collector
Symbols – Objects,
gestures, pictures.
Heroes – Persons with
desirable characteristics.
Rituals – Greeting,
leaving, paying respect.
Values – What is
important to a culture.

26. http://home.att.net/~teaching/litcircl/phases.pdf

27. BOOKS ON LITERATURE CIRCLES

28. REFERENCES
• Mark Furr – EFL Literature Circles – www.
eflliteraturecircles.com
• Daniels, H. 1994. Literature Circles: Voice and
Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom. York,
ME: Stenhouse.
• Day, J., Spiegel, D., McClellan, J. & Brown, V.
2002. Moving Forward with Literature Circles.
Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic.

29. Thank You!