Artifact # 4
Context:
I worked with three classmates to create this Literature
Circle Unit using Netscape Composer and Microsoft Front Page for my Language
Arts Methods course at Appalachian State U
niversity, Fall of 2001.
The Literature Circle Unit, entitled "Karen Hesse," was developed for a
fourth grade class and provided for reading levels one grade below and
two grades above. Each group member worked individually on their
reading level, and then we collaborated on the launch and closure activities
for the unit.
Impact:
I have participated in a Literature Circle myself and
have seen it in practice. It is a very
effective method to help students
develop Reading and Language Arts skills. Each students' "role" is
often changed to prevent boredom and to provide success and improvement
for children of all levels in the area of reading. The purpose of
the Literature Circle Unit is to accommodate a range of reading, instructional,
and developmental levels, as well as learning styles and help all students
achieve the reading goals that the NC Standard Course of Study has set
for them. Lit Circles
provide students opportunity to communicate
with one another about their thoughts and ideas. The jobs that students
are assigned in each group give them responsibility and ownership for their
learning.
My hope is that by hearing another student explain something
and being in smaller groups, students will be more apt to understand and
ask questions that they typically would not ask. This unit can be
used in a classroom or referred to by teachers as a model t
o follow for
their own Literature Circle, depending on their interests or needs.
Our Literature Circle focussed on the writings of the fabulous and talented
author, Karen Hesse.
Alignment:
The Literature Circle Unit was developed with the understanding
that each classroom contains a diverse group of learners (INTASC
Principle #3). It is developmentally appropriate because it provides
the student
s with an opportunity to read on their reading level while still
reading the same amount of time and about the same thing as their classmates
(IIA)
and
by using technology, teachers can gain access to support learner centered
strategies that address the needs of these diverse learners (IIIB).
For each section, the student will be assigned a new job. For each
job assigned, they are responsible for interpreting th
e information.
This strategy utilizes a variety of learning techniques and gives the students
opportunities to gather and present different types of information for
each section (INTASC Principle #1).
For each job assigned, they are responsible for presenting the material
they have read in a different light. This strategy utilizes a variety
of learning techniques and gives the students opportunities to gather and
present different types of infor
mation for each section. From what
I have observed in the classroom, children are eager to learn from and
to teach their classmates. The Literature Circle Unit fosters this
learning style by allowing the students to take ownership of their learning
by relaying the information they have gathered to the other students (INTASC
Principle #5). This method of peer teaching makes the subject matter
more meaningful because the students take pride in truly gras
ping the ideas
presented in the book and effectively relaying the information learned
to their Lit. Circle groups (INTASC #4).
By using Literature Circles, teachers are able to provide literature developmentally
appropriate for each reading level represented in his/her classroom by
placing students in different books. By doing this, the teacher ensures
each child is provided with intellectual, social, and personal growth opportunities
(INTASC
#2).