This document discusses literature circles, a strategy to promote reading engagement among students. It involves students choosing their own books to read within small discussion groups. Key benefits include personal choice increasing motivation, discussions fostering enjoyment and comprehension, and replacing worksheets with oral conversations. The author provides guidance on setting up and facilitating literature circles, and encourages using blogs, videos and other digital tools to further reading engagement within and beyond the classroom. Student quotes illustrate how literature circles have helped develop passion and improve attitudes towards reading.

1. Putting The ‘Oomph’ Back Into
Reading
Literature Circles, blogging and Twitter - the
key to developing a passion for reading
Justine Hughes
@cossie29
http://k12motivation.blogspot.co.nz

2. What Are ‘Literature Circles?’
• A way of fostering a love of reading
• Modified version is particularly suited to
engage boys
• All about personal reading and reading
responses
• Likened to an adults’ book group

3. Why ‘Literature Circles’ and
not ‘Literacy Circles?’
• Literacy Circles implies a focus on all
•
aspects of literacy - this is what we do in
our day-to-day teaching and learning
Literature Circles - the focus is on
literature and is all about promoting a
love of reading

4. Why Did I Choose Literature
Circles to Foster a Love of
Reading?
•
•
•
•
•
A need to encourage reading
Students, in general, were not that interested in reading
for pleasure
Reading was seen as something ‘done’ in the classroom
Purpose of learning to read well through classroom
teaching and learning was not clear - the ‘why’ of
becoming a confident reader
Engagement through discussion - oral language focus

5. How Do I Set Up Literature Circles?
• Most important stage
• Don’t rush it - take your time
• Clear explanations and modelling
• Lots of discussion, questions, etc - getting
•
•
the students to take ownership - ‘What
would an effective Literature Circles
session look like, sound like, feel like?’
Be clear about the purpose
Range of books is key to success

6. Who Chooses the Books?
Perhaps the most important part!
•Students MUST choose their books
•Teacher chooses sets - no more than 5 books
per set
•Choose a wide range - around 10 sets to start
with - depending on class size
•You may need to support, encourage
•Crucial to engagement

7. How Do They Choose The
Books?
• Teacher does a ‘book sell’ on the sets of
•
•
•
•
books - to engage, model, promote - get
the excitement going!
Five finger method
Take time to read the first chapter or two
Freedom to change in the first session
As sessions progress, encourage book
suggestions from students

8. • Read the blurb
• Title, known author, illustrations, etc
• Recommendations from others as the
programme continues
• Don’t forget to introduce new authors

9. Do I need to have activities to
back up the reading?
• Digital tools can promote discussion
• Discussion is the main ‘activity’
• Definitely NO WORKSHEETS - kills the
•
enjoyment - we don’t complete a worksheet
when we read a book.
Research from many students shows that
this is what puts them off reading in the first
place

10. How often do I meet with the
groups?
• Teacher roves around the groups
• I always ask if I can join in the discussion
• Support discussion if needed - usually not
needed
• I try to join in for a whole session twice a
week
• My role is to listen
• Students drive the discussion

11. What do they talk about?
• Sometimes I want them to reinforce
•
•
comprehension strategies learned in the
classroom teaching and learning
programme
Other times, they have something they are
really wanting to discuss
Shared teaching and learning philosophy

12. •
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•
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A link to our NZ Comprehension
Strategies
Developed by the University of Otago Literacy
Team
Has Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
Used in the teaching and learning programme
throughout all curriculum areas to show
connections - gives reading a strong purpose students explicitly know the connections
Linked to the New Zealand Curriculum and other
curricula globally
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByurP5fdVrIoa2o2M25BdFdIY00/edit?usp=sharing

13. A note about Post-It Notes
• Jot down notes, questions, things they
•
want to discuss - great for when they’re
reading at home and want to add to the
discussion the next day
Note any vocabulary they found tricky /
want to know more about

14. What students have said about Literature
Circles
Literature Circles helped me get back into reading. I think
Literature Circles are awesome. Katie G
I think Literature Circles are marvellous because I used to be
bad at reading and didn’t like it either. But now I love reading.
Anna E
I didn’t used to like reading but now I like it because there’s
more variety and there’s lots of topics I like. Jamie S
I enjoy it because I get heaps of meaning from the books I read.
Josh A

15. What tech tools / strategies, etc could I use to
support my Literature Circles program?
• MyChatPack
• Blogging
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Voicethread
• ePals Global Community
• Quad Blogging
• Google Docs / Drive
• Skype

16. MyChatPack
• A newly developed tool to promote
excitement for reading
• Great for book sells / reviews
• Videos less than 1 minute can be shared
straight into someone’s email
• Longer videos can be uploaded to YouTube,
Blogger and Facebook
• Create a script to give confidence in
presenting ideas

17. MyChatPack contd
Click the link to the Literature Circles blog
below for an example:
http://bit.ly/1eZLqzV
More about MyChatPack:
www.mychatpack.co.nz

18. Blogging
• Share and recommend books
• Discussion of the week
• Question of the week
• Author of the week
• Blogs are great places to save links
• Check out the link below to our Literature
Circles blog
www.hendersonliteraturecircles.blogspot.co.nz

19. Twitter and Facebook
• Twitter - summarize your book in 140
•
•
characters! A challenge but amazing for
being able to organize your thinking and
be succinct in your ideas!!
Facebook - recommend books, book
reviews, etc
How else could you use this in your
classroom or library - would it help to
engage students and their families?

20. Voicethread
• Use to create a group review
• Share with others
• Feedback in many forms
See more at:
http://voicethread.com/

21. ePals Global Community
• Join the community and share books
globally to connect students - and
teachers - create an online book group
www.epals.com

22. Quad Blogging
• Join up with three other schools
• Use digital tools to run your Literature
Circles program
• Skype your discussions

23. Google Docs / Drive
• Create a doc that can be used at school
and at home to flatten the classroom.
• Post questions for students to join in - if
they want to
• Conversations - online

24. Skype
• Link up with other schools
• Run your Literature Circles globally
• Share new perspectives
• Recommend books

25. A few more quotes from the students
Even though I’ve always loved reading, Literature Circles
has made me read even more. Alyssha H
Literature Circles brought me back to reading. It has so
much variety. It felt really easy to socialise in the
discussion groups. It kind of brought the oomph back
into reading. It helped me read more widely and not just
read comics. It helped me talk politely with other people
and not just drop a bomb on someone’s conversation. It
gave me a useful way to use my time and it made me ask
questions about the books I read. Caleb D

26. You go to talk with people and they can trigger a lot of
ideas which can make the book more exciting or sad,
depending on what they said. There is a great range of
books and it has made a lot of my class like reading even
more. Amy W
Discussing it gives you a better understanding of the book.
They have changed how I feel about books because of
the great range. Samantha C
Literature Circles has changed my thoughts about reading
so I can’t wait until the next Literature Circles
discussion. Reading has changed how I think about
books when I see them. I start reading and then I can’t
stop. It’s awesome. Maddy

27. If you want to know more...
I’m passionate about getting students to develop a passion
and excitement for reading and would love to answer any
questions. My contact details are:
email:
justine.hughes29@gmail.com
Twitter:
@cossie29
LinkedIn: Justine Hughes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jussie18
Skype:
justine.hughes18
Blog:
http://k12motivation.blogspot.co.nz
Class Blog:
http://room4learningjourneys.blogspot.co.nz