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Literary Circles

What do I have to do to prepare for Literature Circles? 
                   Read the assigned chapters, track themes, and anything else that interests you in the story.

                   Complete the preparation for your assigned role (see below) 
Literature Circles Roles 

Summarizer: Your job is to write a summary of at least half a page covering all the important events from the assigned reading and explaining why these events were significant. How did they change the characters? How did they develop themes? 

Discussion Director: Your job is to write down at least five questions for discussion. These questions should be open-ended (not "yes/no" questions) and designed to spark interesting discussion. Questions that are controversial or require students to think about what they would do in a situation that relates to the story are good conversation starters. You also must write a short response to each of your questions to share with your circle after they have had a chance to answer. 
During the discussion, your job is to encourage all group members to participate by involving them in the discussion, to ask follow-up questions when conversation lags, and to be sure that every participant has a chance to present his or her preparation. 

Connector: Your job is to find at least four connections between the story and the world/present. These connections might relate to current events, personal experiences, movies or other books, or anything else that relates to the story in some way. Write a short explanation of each connection. 
During the literature circle, present each connection to your group, and ask them if they can provide additional connections for this section of the text. 


.                       
Illustrator: Your job is to create or find an image that relates to the assigned reading. Consider drawing a picture, downloading images from the internet, creating a collage, etc. On the back of the image, write an explanation of how the image relates to the reading and devise a question for discussion relating to the image. 
During the Literature Circle, show your group the image without reading the explanation. Ask your group to discuss how they think the image relates to the reading. Then, read your explanation and ask your discussion question. 
Literary Luminary: Your job is to compile at least four quotations from the reading that you think are significant or include interesting/poetic language. Be sure to use MLA format for your citations. For each quote, write a short response (about 2 sentences) discussing what the quote means and what role it plays in the story. 
During the Literature Circle, you will read each quotation to your group, then ask your group what they notice about the quotation, what they think it means, and what role the quotation plays in the story. 
Literary Terms Expert: Your job is to write down at least four examples of magical realism and figurative language (metaphors, similes, symbolism, etc.). Be sure to use MLA format for your citations. For each example, write a short response discussing the example's meaning and what role it plays in the story. 
During the Literature Circles, share these examples with your group and ask them to discuss their meaning before you offer your answers. 

   

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