Launch: The goal of this launch activity is to spark the student's interest and build suspense about the wonderful books they are about to read.
Pillowcase/Laundry Bag Activity: First you will have one big laundry bag. Within the laundry bag there will be seven pillowcases, each containing an object that relates to a particular book. For example, for Music of the Dolphins, you could include a beanie baby dolphin in the bag. Pull one pillowcase at a time from the laundry bag. Build suspense by asking the students to guess what object is in the bag. After a couple of guesses, pull the stuffed dolphin and the book from the bag. Ask students to predict how the object, in this case the dolphin, will play a role in the story. After they make their predictions, build up the book and make students feel privileged and excited to be chosen for that particular Literature Circle. Continue to pull out each bag and repeat this process with each object.
An Author Study