Artifact # 3
Literature Circle Unit: book discussion groups based on students’ reading levels, where each group reads the same novel and takes part in active discussions of the book. Each member of the groups is given a job to complete for each reading section, assigned by the teacher. This Unit is linked to a Social Studies lesson that correlates with the subject matter of the Literature Circle books.
Context
This Literature Circles Unit was created using Netscape Composer. It
was a major assignment for the Reading and Language Arts Methods Classes
of my Block experience at ASU. This Literature Circles Unit was divided
into four sections (three for below grade level students, one for on grade
level students). A group of four members were assigned to create
six reading section lessons for their assigned grade level group.
All group members worked together to create the beginning, Launch activity
and the ending, Closure activity for the Unit. The lessons that I
created were for Fifth grade (on grade level). I also created the
Social Studies lesson on the 1700s that is linked to the Unit.
Impact
Classroom teachers can utilize this Literature Circles Unit to help
students develop both Reading and Language Arts skills. This Unit focuses
on the Historical Fiction genre of Literature and on the 1700s (pre-Revolutionary
War) era of History. This Unit is an effective way to accommodate
various student developmental levels and learning styles. The Unit is designed
to allow students below, at, and above grade level in reading ability to
gain experience with reading, analyzing, and discussing meaningful Literature.
Though this Unit was created for use with a Fifth grade class, it could
easily be adapted to fit the curricular needs of a variety of grade levels.
Classroom teachers at any level could use this Unit as a model for designing
their own reading groups
Alignment
This Unit plan was created with student needs in mind. The creation
of the plan utilized a variety of background resources. These resources
provide classroom teachers with knowledge on subject matter related to
the books used in the Unit. Examples of the resources used in planning
this particular Literature Circles Unit are: model Units available via
the World Wide Web, informational web sites on relevant topics, and advice
from professionals who have utilized Literature Circles within their own
classrooms (Tech. Competency 10.3).
One of the main purposes of Literature Circles is to encourage students
to analyze and refer back to the information they are reading. The
various jobs of the Lit. Circle groups provide students with the opportunity
to select significant portions of the text they are reading for discussion
with their group members (see Lit. Circle for job descriptions). Teachers
can designate specific aspects of the text for students to focus on but
students are allowed to make their own selections (Tech.
Competency 12.1). Because each individual student has a certain
job to complete for each reading section, which is essential to their group’s
discussion, students are much more apt to stay on task. Students view participation
in their group discussions as a privilege and this helps keep them on task
and out of trouble. The organization of Literature Circles lends itself
to cooperative work by students (Tech.
Competency 12.5) Based on my understanding of how students learn
cooperatively, I find that this Literature Circle Unit lends itself to
the development of students’ intellectual and social skills. They
must work together to investigate the book(s) that their Literature Circles
group is working with; developing their social skills. They must
also use a variety of critical thinking skills to grasp the meaning of
the book(s); helping to develop intellectual skills. The combination
of students working together and on their own to dissect their book(s)
promotes their personal growth (INTASC
#2). This Unit plan utilizes Netscape Composer to post instructions
for and examples of the various jobs of Literature Circles. The jobs
are designed to be carried out by students at several developmental levels,
they can be altered to meet both lower and upper level students (Tech.
Competency 13.1). Teachers must consider all of the
following, when creating this type of Unit plan: student learning
styles, relevant background information (for Language Arts and Social Studies
in this Unit), and the goals of the curriculum. Literature Circles
incorporate a variety of student learning styles. They also meet
numerous NCSCS competencies. An effective Literature Circle implements
community resources, as students further research the content of the book(s)
they are reading (INTASC #7).