Artifact #1
The literature circle is a great resource for teachers to use and also a great way to have students interact in a group and with the book that they are reading.
Context:
I created this Literature Circle during my fall semester of my senior year in my Children’s Literature methods class. The literature circle allows students to think critically and in depth about the book they are reading.
Impact:
Literature Circles are an effective way to get students interested in a book they are reading and allows them to think more critically about the text. The class is divided up into groups depending on the students’ reading levels. They are then given specific roles for each section of the book, which allows them to have to think about and really understand what the book. The students discuss their roles within their group and give time to hear opinions from their peers about the book and lead them into a group discussion about the book. After each section, the roles change and the students take a different approach to understand the book.
Alignment:
The Literature Circles are designed to help all
reading levels understand and think more critically about the book that
they are reading. This allows your classroom to be working on the
same project with diverse learners and no one feeling embarrassed or ashamed
because he/she might be a slower learner or reader (Tech. Comp. II A).
I will manage the assignment by providing the literature circle website
and then guiding the students on how to browse the website showing a variety
of examples of the different roles within the literature circle.(Tech.
Comp. III D). The literature circles provide teachers with an alternative
to help reach every one of their students in his/her reading class.
This project enables the students to feel that they are in charge of the
lesson (Tech. Comp. VI B). The literature circle was introduced to
my reading methods class as a way to divide the class into reading groups
based on reading level but the entire class is still participating in the
same activity and the teacher can reach each individual learner at the
same time (Tech. Comp. VI C).
As a teacher, he/she knows that students enjoy
group involvement and the teacher has an understanding that student groups
provide motivation to each student to do well. The literature circle
promotes group work along with motivation from each student and encourages
positive social interaction within the groups. The literature circles
also help students become actively involved in learning and gets the students
interested in the work they are doing (INTASC 5). The literature
circles can be shared with other teachers to promote diverse learning within
the classroom that supports the students’ learning and well-being (INTASC
10).