Student Name Sarah 4 Advanced [3 Proficient [2 Basic 11 Minimat Reference” Stidant provides 8” [Studan nena ono |Stidentinaas two jSudont doe hot] Quality reference thatis of: curent, relevant, of: curent, relevant, [provide a quay Carer relevant, _rerening and” reresing and acute evel | [interesting and [accessible accessible reference | laesable of | | ' Preparedness Student is completely ‘Prepared and has mostly prepared but somewhat prepared, seem at all prepared lobviously rehearsed. ‘might have needed a [butt is clear that to present. |couple more rehearsal was |rehearsats. scking ! iudentseams |The studentis Student does not | i Facial expressions [Facial expressions Facial expressions Very itl use of and body language and boy enguage and body enguage fecal exression or generate astiong sometimes generate [are used to ty to [body language. Did interest and |a strong intorest and generate not generate much entusiasm about lentusim about jentusiam, but inret noi the opi inoters., the topic mothers. [seem somewhat being presented. | / | faked. | ‘Sludent is able to (Students able fo [Students able to Students unable to fccurately anewer accurately answer [accurately answer a laccuretelyanser ‘almost all questions |most questions {few questions posed ‘questions posed by posed by dassmate [pose by clessmates [by classmates about classnates about ‘aboutthe topic. aboutthe topic. the topic. ithe topic. | fesse aeons Enthusiasm | “Comprehension Content [Shows ful sagood |Showsagood Does not seemto | [understanding ofthe understanding of the understanding of understand te topic kre ko jmecttetne enw | ' | | | | | \ ara ~ ‘ . 9 eck gerr cherie of article) wet Atmes pe Super was when ig GOFF 52012with Literat [eprrows Nore: Harvey “Smokey” Daniels joined VM in September 2002. When he agreed to be one of VMS columnists, I knew that one of the great voices in secondary literacy education was joining the team, In exch issue, Smokey has com- bined wit with wisdom to teach us more about stu- dents, about literaeure, and about how the wo intersect. I will forever be grateful that when I mustered enough courage to ask him to write for the journal, he quickly, joyfully, and decidedly said, “Yes!” In this article, Smokey reminds usall ofthe § importance of revising out own thinking about ‘topics from time to time as he shares with us his ¢ ‘own evolving thinking about literature circles) ack in the early 198053a number of teachers and students around the country simultaneously and ¢ independently invented the idea of litera ture circles, Pioneers like Becky Abraham Searle in Chicago and Karen Smith in Arizona began organizing their students inco small, peer-led book discussion groups. Soon, a number of teacher-authors, including Kathy Short, Jerome Harste, Carolyn Burke, Ralph Peterson, Maryann eds, Bonnie Campbell-Hill, Katherine Schlick-Noe, Nancy Johnson, and I began talking about this promis- ing new practice, which mainly consisted of bring ing che @Stablished adult literacy structure of § voluntary reading gronps into the public schools? Twenty-five years later, millions of seudents have experienced some kind of book clubs o lit What’s the Next Big Thing Daniels ure Circles? ‘erature circles during their schooling. There are now dozens of professional books on the subject, offering guidance on starting and refining book clubs at various grade levels and across the cur- riculum, By most accounts, literature circles have been a valuable addition to many kids’ school ex- perience, helping to grow more self-sustaining, lifelong readers. The Web abounds with teacher reports saying that “book clubs are my kids’ fa- vorite time of the day” and “the caliber ofthe stu dents’ conversations just blows me away.” Ofcourse, not all models ofbook clubs imple~ rented around the country resemble the original versions. Irecently observed the operation of one school’ literature circles, and when T walked in the first classroom, students were doing round robin reading—they just called i literature cireles. Without being a purist (and without debating the merits of pre-1960s reading strategies), feseems} {air to say that lcerature circles, as originally con= § iceived by teachers like Becky and Karen, are not # ‘the'same thing as round robin reading! This is part of the wider problem of "ni ‘gology drif’\in our profession. Someone invents anew idea or practice for use with kids, introduces it, explains it, and offers it to che teaching profes- sion. Then the drift commences; the currents of fad and fashion catrying the idea ever farther fromt ‘its oFiginal anchorage, until it becomes the pre~ ferred label for some completely contradictory practice. I think of Nancie Atwell in this eonnec- tion. In 1987, she Godified’a complex and elegant 9 structure ealled “reading=Writing: workshop,? ‘which iniolades a ser of specifie practices and ex-¥ cludes others Buc today, everyone claims to havea reading workshop in their classroom, and many of them are filled with lecturing, assigned topics, Voices from the Midale, Volume 13 Number 4, May 2006 Copyright © 2006 by the Nations] Council of Teachers of E sh, All ight reserved.grammar worksheets, and spelling quizzes—the antithesis of Aowell’s careful and progressive de- sign. Tes only fair to admit that somerimes we au- thors, how tion problems ourselves. The 1994 first edition of my book Literature Circles: Vice amd Choice in the Srudent-Centered Classroom promoted the use of tool called “role sheets’ which assigned students, various jobs like Questioner, Connector, Iustra tor, Word Wiard, and Literary Luminary rec- ommended these sheets as a way of showing kids how smart readers think (connecting, visualizing, inferring, and so forth), as well as to help stadents, capture their reading responses in writing and to supply small-group @iscussions with plenty of material w tall aboug I warned in the book thet the role sheets were for temporary tse onlybut 1 soon saw them becoming predominant in too ‘inadvertently, create implementa many classrooms. As a result, [wrote articles, de- veloped a Web site, gave speeches, and ultimately ‘wrote a new edition of the book with much stron- ger cautions about the mechanical discussions that can stem from pver-dependence on these roles Why Do Literature Circles Work? Despite the mini-controversy about role sheets, and assorted goof-ups by authors and implementers alike, literature circles have turned) ‘out to be an incredibly durable and sustainables classroom activity. Over and over, teachers in all corners of the world (most recent reports from Quebec, Finland, and Australia) have adopted, adapted, modified, and personalized the basic model. The consistent outcome is that Fids ard {alling'in love with books they have chosen and talked about with their friends. Why is this simple litle activity so powerfghendidurabley I categorize the answer with four words: €0@ gayemnent, choice; responsiblity, and research. § Engagement In a peered group of four or five, each student ¢ sgets much more:“airtimelsand feelsiess riskthan in a whole-class discussion: Phere is more'#posi-! tive peer pressurg” to join in when the group is Daniels | What the Nest Big Thing wih Literarure Circles? small and run cooperatively by kids, not the teacher. Kids usually simplify this, saying that book, dubs are ean we use the F-word in Voices from the Middle?) tore fugghan other classroom activities. Choice When, with artful teacher guidance, kids get to pick their own books fos reading ang friends to read with, they can experience suceess, not frus- ‘ration. Compare this to the typical teacher-cho- sen whole-class book, which is by definition too hard or too boring or too easy- dn book clubs, ev erybody has a shotat getting a readable, interest ing, just-right book for themgight now, That doesn't mean we don also study some well-cho» «sen. whole-class books bneweialternate them with 4 ‘ides of choice. Responsibility As some sage once said, “School isa place where ‘young people go to watch older people work.") Indeed, when 3 p.m. rolls around, you are prob- ably a puddle beneath your desk, but the kids are dashing out of the classroom, bursting with en- ergy and ready to play sports, seamper around che ‘mall, nd fallin and outof love. few times. What's ‘wrong with this picture? Srbbookelubs, weask kids { codo everything that real dole readetsido: choe) arbeok, assemble members, create'@ reading sind} meeting schedule; establish ground rules; tise WTit=*) ing to harvest responses as they read, sustain pro-j ddyetive on-task conversations, perform various | selfassessments, and keep their own records Voice from the Middle, Volume 13 Number 4, May 2006 poseme 2 Research In today's data-driven school world (some people actually use that phrase with a positive connota- tion), every activity used with students must be) ‘backed by “scientific proofitisome numerical in- ication of higher achievement on a standardized test. So itis a good thing that we do have such evidence regarding the small, peer-led book dis- cussions called literature circles or book clubs. Yes, when kids are engaged in well-structured book clubs, theiromprehension and their atticude to- ward reading both improvesThis seems tobe true for students of many ages, and for those with dis- abilities as well as typical students, when the right TT «about how iterature cles help to develop thoughtful compstent, ord critica readers: Brabham, E.G, & Villaume, SX. 2000. Questions and Answers: Continuing Conversations about Literature Circles. The Reading Teacher, 5, 278-280, See also http://uwhomeeésa.com/ Actiles/Aiteratur'i2oCieles.asp. ++ about how literature circles improve student reoding levels ‘and attitudes: Davis, B. Ha, Resta, V., Davis, L.L., & Camacho, A. 2001. Novice Teachers Learn about Literature Circles through Collaborative ‘Action Research. Joumal of Reading Education, 26, 1-6 ‘about how book clubs can advance gender equity in the lassroom: Evans, K.5,, Alvermann, D., & Anders, P. |. 1998. Literature Discussion Groups: An Examination of Gender Roles. Reading Reseorch and Instruction, 37(2), 107-122. bout how peer discussion increases content comprehen- Klinger, 3, Vaughn, &,, and Schumm, 2. 1998. Collaborative Strategic Reading during Social Studies in Heterogeneous Fourth- Grade Classrooms. Elementary School Joural, 99(1), 3-22. about how book discussions benefit English language learners: Martinez-Roldan, C., and Lopez-Robertson, J. 2000, Initiating Literature Circles in a Fitst-Grade Bilingual Classroom. The Reading Teacher, 53, 270-281. 2 gE Tern ERRNO J | Whats the Nest Big Thing with Literanure Cites? accommodations are offered. For a quick look at these studies, see Tmya Auger’s 2003 review of # Aiverature circles or read Chapter 1 of my book g Literature Circles: Voie and Choice in Book Clubs and: “Reading Group#(2002, pp. 7-9). But this large body of positive research on lit- erature circles doesn't necessarily settle the “sci- entific proof” question. Right now, by order of the current administration, the Insticute of Education Sciences is investigating the efficacy of a number of popular reading strategies, including literature circles, Whether the structure is eventually vali- dated will depend on whacand how the research- fers measure. Will they look at well-designed licerature circles set up by veteran teachers using them as part of a balanced reading program’ OF will they quickly train “neutral” or uninterested teachers (a common experimental practice) co use the strategy in classrooms with no established cli- mate of collaboration? Will they measure the out- comes of literature circles with multiple-choice recall questions? Or will they use sensitive mea- sures of understanding, recall, and application? These choices will determine whether the USDe~ partment of Education ultimately says that “lit erature circles work.” What’s New with Book Clubs? After doing workshops and visiting schools in more than half the states, Thave seen what smart teach- ‘ersare doing to make book clubs even more vahi- able for kids. Nancy Steineke and I discuss these refinements in ‘Minilessons for: Literature Circles (Heinemann, 2003), which identifies 45 ways that ‘teachers and kids are polishing and updating their book clubs. Here are some of the highlights Out with Role Sheets! Though a few teachers around the country seem to use role sheets effectively on 2 continuing ba- sis, the great majority report the kind of problems noted above. In our own Chicago schools, texch- ers rarely use role sheets, but instead have kids ‘apture their responses in reading response logsy ionsticky noteg( the favorite tool by far), omhome> Voices from the Middle, Volume 13 Number 4, May 2006Daniele | What’ the Nest Big Thing with Literacure Circle? ‘made bookmarks (great for nonfiction), by using} text coding} drawn and graphic responses ar in « ‘written conversations!(more on that later). ‘More Explicit Reading Strategy Training When Literature Circles were first being devel- oped, the reading comprehension research of David Pearson and his colleagues was just enter ing the field, The Mosaic of Thought (Keene, 1997) was years away, and Stephanie Harvey and Ann Goudlvis’ Strategies That Work (Stenhouse, 2000) was just a glimmer in their eyes. Most teachers ‘were not aware of, much less teaching their seu- dents, the proficient-reader strategies that are now staples of our everyday teaching: questioning, con- necting, inferring, visualizing, determining impor- tance, and the rest. Today we name and texch those cognitive operations using instructional models like think-alouds, in which the teacher opens up her head and shows kids how smart readers think In fact, we are now beginning to receive students {n our middle schools who have learned these strat- cegies already in the elementary grades. This gives us a huge head start in book clubs, as well as the rest of our balanced reading programs. ‘More Explicit Social Skills Instruction In the carly days, Literature Circles were pro- tmoted (by meas much 2s anyone) as a kind of if you-build-it-they-will-come proposition. If you trained the groups properly, kids would do the reading, write brilliant notes, and join in vigor- ‘ous, cerebral interactions about challenging books while the teacher beamed in the background. We now realize that peer-led reading groups need ‘much more than 2 good launching: they require constant coaching and training by a very active teacher who uses minilessons and debriefings to help kids hone skils like active listening, asking your language arts classroom throughout the ‘whole school year, you better get your hands on ‘Nancy’sbook. Ieexplains something tha, for some ‘mysterious reason, most teachers are reluctant to hear about: the step-by-step moves you must take to guide the group dynamics in your classroom. Most of us teachers seem to want to believe thatif ‘we have “a golden gut” and “a heart for the kids.” that they will collaborate skillfully and magically) ‘with each other in small groups, Oh, so wrong. Extending into Nonfiction “Classic” literature circles have used sets of nov- cls, and this has certainly been a great way o help kkids find favorite authors and genres of fiction. Butsince lit circles are essentially well-structured collaborative learning applied to reading, the model is just as powerful and effective for nonfic- tion texts. Indeed, we now recognize that middle schoo! students should be reading many of the same trade books that thoughtful, curious mem= bers of he adule community are reading. ‘This ‘means enjoying all or parts of Eric Schlosser's rmuckraking exposé Fast Fo Nation: The Dark Side af the All American Merl; Robert Kurson's grip- ping Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Teo Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War Ii; the scary and hopeful save-the-biosphere book, The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson; and even E=MC?: The History ofthe World's Mest Faraons Equation, by ci- ence writer extraordinaire David Bodanis, pate 13 ATT 4. What kinds of note-taking best help young readers to prepare for productive peer-led discussions? 2. How can we make book clubs work better for students with disabilities and those who are learning English? follow-up questions, disagreeing agreeably, deal- 3. Do book club experiences lay a foundation for other small- ing with “slackers,” and more. group work across the curriculum? Te-was Nancy Steincke who taught me most about this in her vital and underappreciated book, Reading and Writing Together: Collaborative Literacy {n Aci (Heinemann, 2002). Ifyou wane to have 5+ How do book club experiences affect students’ writing? an effective, productive, high-morale climate {nt 4, Can we show that kids who have experienced book clubs in school do more voluntary reading into their adulthood? Voices from the Middle, Volume 13 Number 4, May 2006New Models of Assessment Back in the old days, eachers often assigned some sort of project atthe end af each book club eyele, which typically involved writing @ book review, designing a newer cover for the book, or making 4 diorama of a crucial scene, But our consciences ‘were prodded by wise elders like Yetta Goodman (What do lifelong adult readers do when they fin- ish a great book, Yetta wondered—make a di- orams?). We still use projects from time to time, but asa special way of celebrating and advertising great books, not because we need something to grade, With thac marketing intention in mind, we now favor performance-oriented projects over the more static types: readers theater, talk shows, tableaur, found poetry, song parodies, and che ike. ‘We now assess students’ work in book clubs allalong the way. We track boch thei literary and their discussion skills with a variety of tools, such as videotaped group meetings; teacher observa- tions: forms that record kids’ preparation, part pation, specific comments, and levels of thinking. Instead of giving “comprehension quizzes,” we collect the notes that kids prepare for each group ‘meeting, whether on sticky notes, in journals, or con bookmarks. And when we ultimately have co assign a grade, we design a scoring rubric along with students, We ask them to list che traits of ef fective book chib members and then assign points to cach element (being prepared, building on the ideas of others, supporting your points with spe- cific passages in the book, ete). In this way, we bravely grade che activity itself peer-led small literature discussions—rather than some surrogate ‘outcome like a puppet show or diorama. ‘The Next Big Thing in Student- Led Discussion: Written Conversation ‘One of the strategies we have often used to train seudents for literature citcles is dialogue journals, 60%, 5 We eal it in Chicago, written conzersaton. Tn this kind of discussion, students write simultaneous notes to each other responding to the literacure they are reading (or whatever subjecisbeing stud- ied in the classroom curriculum). Compare this Daniels | What the New Big Thing with Literature Circles? kind of active, one-to-one exchange with standard ““whole-class discussions” in which two or three kids monopolize the conversation (Me! Me! Me!) while everyone else sleeps with their eyes open. ‘When everyone is “discussing” with a partner in ‘writing, chen potentially everyone is engaged and acting upon the subject matter You can have a written conversation while sit- ting side by side in real time, passing notes back and forth, or in letter form, where writers send. “mail” for readers to answer when they get time. ‘This may remind you of the literature letters in Nancie Atwell’ reading workshop—and itshould, since Nancie classroom is one inspiration for this, Kind of curriculum-based letter writing. Students can write in pairs or around a circle of three or four, called a carousel or write-around. Look on the Web and you can find teachers using count less versions ofthis letter-writing strategy all crass the country. Below, the teacher has asked students, to write back and forth about why Walter Dean Myers chose to write his amazing novel Monster asa screenplay, rather than a standard narrative, Seudent 132 AV thivk he chose to write a becaace it ccens hike cothig tht weal be oe TV. a, ges, (have fol he ey oir entre bafire many, wang Cnet, Meily wher / Fave goo dg on arcally badd Student 14 nang tines Foe - aes aj acltidbecte cari hie elory ava sercanplay becanes it made trons teal wl eve trary anh eal pa. Student 117 Uthch he resee the eather chece a sereax phy frwat that ail help as tous the story ware and get that noc inured gang 0 we wil endretard batar hat (cll tobe a cri charcetars hess, Trdoesn't seem necessary to point outall the visu- alizing, connecting, inferring, and other reading- as-thinking skills that are manifest in these exchanges. Voices from the Middle, Volume 13 Number 4, May 2006Daniels | What she Nest Big Thing with Literature Circles? Tn the schools where Tam currently working, ‘we are mining the potential of these written con- versations for much more than literature circles raining, Some teachers put students in yearlong partnerships, where two or three kids write to each other weekly about their independent reading, with the teacher entering these conversations pe- riodically. Others have young students writing Friday leters to their parents, explaining the high= lights of che weekiin school, with the parents writ- ing @ letter back to the kids over the weekend. Across the curriculum, content-ares teachers put kids in pairs and chen regularly interrupt their lee- tures for some written discussions: “Now, with ‘your partner, have a quick conversation about what you understand and don’t understand about ion- izing radiation.” Hag Melly Did. Grill att ug thet meronaces piv off ng adie? | haght that ied wat degeroat and doc canoctand why they anal lat tham have sonatbing oe sar aves thts dager. Di jast haar bin wragg? Dear Rese, es, nernaree depen radii, whch Bat wirsewes give off xh all tute 08 eet daprec. Mr Gray en that we ca hare arr 5,000 nM yar, Mironavs give offen aval ener that we wte boone cate to meaohig 6000 illeat, Mly tats That ci ire enape wa ot thagh, (dont gro a thd ear act case [were Co wale sone etc has, Rese After this quick written exchange, che teacher secs volunteers to share the different topics of their discussions, and he uses these as cues to review, ‘explain, or clarify key points, And, of course, he collects the dialogues as part of his course assess- ment. The playfulness and energy of these quick exchanges keeps students engaged even in highly presentational courses, helps them remember key ideas, and assures kids thae they are part of the class's guidance system. Can you begin to ee the potential of this kind of writing? If you're teacher who'susing dialogue journals, written conversations, silent discussions, Daddy journal, literature letters, or any other form of kid-to-kid or kid-teacher letter writing, please bein touch. My email is smokeylit@aol.com. Pm ‘eager to hear what you're up to, Maybe together wwe can start another wave of great reading and ‘writing experiences for kids, It probably won't be “writing circles,” but I am certain there isa very big idea lurking in letters References [Aqcell, N (1987) I she mide: Weivng, reading, and learning with adslozenss Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Auger, T. (2003). Student-centored reading: A review of search on terarure Gres, BPS Update, May 2003, Accessed, January 30, 2006, from hep: // ‘wwacensbooks.com /downloads/articles/ Licerature_ Circles. pd Daniels, H. (1994), Litruiwre eels: Voice and ebaee {nthe student-centered clasroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Daniels, H. (2002). Literature circles Vice and chive in ook clubs and reading groupe (2nd ed) Postland, ME: Steahouse Daniel, H.,& Steinke, N, (2003), Minileson for literature cies, Portsnouth, NH/ Heinemann, Harvey S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Stratgpies sar work: Teaching comprohensin to enbance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse. Keene, E. (1997). Masnic of hough. Poresmouth, NET “Heinemann, Steineke, N, (2002), Reading amd writing together: Callaborasive ieracy in action, Portsmouth, NEL Heineman Harvey “Smokey” Daniels is on the faculty of National-Louis University and can be reached at smokeylie@aol.com, Voices from the Middle, Volare 13 Number 4, May 200602014 Education Wore: Literature Circles Bullé Bctorent fo Bock! erature Circles Build Excitement for Books! 2 SHARE ARTICLE wf Literature circles are one of the hottest trends in language arts teaching. Two experts in the field offer insights and advice about using this instructional strategy.Included: Valuable resources for teachers who want to learn more about using literature circles in their classrooms. “Ilove it! The kids love it! I get goose bumps when | walk around the room and hear the excitement about books!" wrote one teacher in a recent listserv posting. That teacher was writing about literature circles, one of the most popular trends in language arts instruction, Katherine L. Schlick Noe, Ph.D., associate professor at the School of Education at Seattle University, told Education World why this teaching approach is so effective: "Literature circles offer students a chances 40 bereaders and writers, to apply the literacy skills that they are learning.") Noe, who has studied and worked extensively with literature circles, has compiled "THe Literature Circles Resource CenterShe is also the coauthor, with Nancy J. Johnson, of Getting Started With Literature Cireles(Christopher-Gordon Publishers, 1999) and the coeditor, with Bonnie Campbell Hill and Nancy J. Johnson, of Literature Circles and Response(Christopher-Gordon Publishers, 1995). WHAT ARE LITERATURE CIRCLES? According to Harvey Daniels, author of the book Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student- Centered Classroom (Stenhouse Publishers, 1994), literature:circles are small, temporary discussiof¥ groups of students who have chosen to read the same work ofjiterature.sEach member agrees to take ‘specific responsibilities suring discussion sessions. The circles meet regularly, and the discussion roles change at each meeting. When:the circle finishes a book, the members decide on a way to showease their literary work for the rest of the class. } Daniels points out that community book-discussion groups, which have become popular across the United States, follow the same format. He adds, however, "the formalized, in-school version of this activity is barely a decade old.” DISCUSSION ROLES Daniels believes in introducing literature circles by using predefined roles that students take turns fulfilling) Aithough the terminology used to name the roles may vary, the descriptions remain similar. Pam Chandler, a sixth-grade English, reading, and social studies teacher at Sequoia Middle School in Redding, California, itp edvcaticrwatdcomla curieurr258.shini 16e02014 Education Werle: Literature Circles Bulé Exclemert for Books! defines the roles her students take on in literature circles in this way: + Artful artist uses some form of artwork to represent a significant scene or idea from the reading, + Literary luminary points out interesting or important passages within the reading. + Discussion director writes questions that will lead to disoussion by the group + Capable connector finds connections between the reading material and something outside the text, such as a personal experience, a topic studied in another class, or a different work of literature. * Word wizard discusses words in the text that are unusual, interesting, or difficult to understand, Both Chandler and Noe agree that'todeling the various roles within a small group in front of the wholeé class is an effective way of teaching students how those roles allow the group to function. Chandler says, that it usually takes one and a half to two weeks for students to learn how to handle the group discussion When the students are comfortable with the group-discussion format, the formal use of roles can be discontinued, Noe told Education World, "None of the teachers with whom I've worked used them for long.” She explains that the roles “have the potential of undermining students’ natural conversations" and says that the chapter about discussion in her bookGetting Started With Literature Circles focuses on alternatives for teachers who want students to learn to discuss without roles THE TEACHER'S ROLE Chandler believes that when students are able to conduct a literature circle meeting on théiffown, the teacher should drop out of the group. ‘The whole purpose of literature circles is for students toidisouss. ¢ iiterature with their peers she wrote in an article published in the middle schoo! newsletter of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. "Literature circles should be an arena for students to explore fiterature together. The discussions should not be controlled by an adult." ¢ Noe does not completely agree. “For the teachers with whom I've worked, | would say that student independent management of their own groups is not necessarily an end produgh.” she told Education World. "Many teachers do work toward that end, and many do not -- all for their own reasons.” Noe offered this explanation for the different approaches of two teachers: "For example, although her students were definitely able to carry on literature circle discussions on their own, middle school teacher Janine King found that she gained such valuable assessment informatioh from observing the groups that she couldn't give that up. What worked best for her was having one group meet at a time while she sat nearby and took anecdotal notes. Intermediate teacher Lori Scobie, in her first year of teaching when we worked together on literature circles, had all groups meet at once witie’she roamed:among themy That decision came not from an overarching goal that her students run their literature circles independently, but from a more basic challenge -- keeping the other students productively occupied while she met with one group." ipuhwwaetuctorver coma currcurr250 hintrs0re014 Education World: LeratureCirctes Bud Excitement for Books! HETEROGENEOUS OR HOMOGENOUS GROUPS? Daniels believes that students in literature circles should not be grouped according to reading abilty,/and Noe agrees. "The greatest benefits come as students talk about the books they're reading with others,” Noe told Education World. “Even students who have difficulty reading every word of a book can learn a great deal from that book when given an opportunity to share insights in a group," Noe continued. "The collaboration of the group can be ai powerful part of the comprehension process!’ Chandler disagrees. "I have found that'students of lesser ability are not about to speak out for fear of | / ‘embarrassmentiif they are grouped with students of greater ability," she told Education World. Before grouping her class into literature circles, Chandler meets individually with each student to discuss, the student's reading ability! She and the student also discuss how frustrating it would be to’be in a small ‘group with others whose reading ability differs greatly from the student's own After the meetings, Chandler asks students to write down the names of three students they would like to be grouped with in a literature circle. She finds that students generally specify at least one classmate whose reading ability is similar to their own. She then sets up the groups on the basis of both the student requests and her own assessment, keeping the range of reading ability within each circle to about lwo grade levels. intosestig WHICH AGE GROUP? Daniels believes that literature circles can be used successfully for students of all ages,drom primary sgrades through collegg. Noe says that she has observed teachers and students in literature circles from first grade through high schook “Of course, many aspects of literature circles differ widely from grade to grade," Noe told Education World, “Eor example, high school students are far more adept at in-depth analysis of the books they read than are first graders.” Noe continued: "But I've listened in on some amazingly insightful discussions with beginning readers too. | would say that students at different ages get different benefits from literature circles. But everyone can get the most important benefit -- building a personal connection with and deeper understanding of literature in collaboration with others.” Chandler told Education World that "the best discussions will occur with students of middle school age and » peyond:4 She explained that “in order for students to be able to enjoy fairly sophisticated discussions, they must be able:to think beyond the words on the pages” Chandler went on to say, however, "This does not mean that it is not beneficial for younger;kids to. ‘tpn educatorwnd.comia_curiutr258.shert 35ean Eucoen Wor erate Cirle BuldExitomet or Bolt experience literature circles. It just means that teacher expectations should be appropriate to the’Zigéjof the students." She also noted that literature circles would be "especially appropriate for gifted children of third grade or so and above.", AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR AT-RISK STUDENTS. Can literature circles help improve the reading skills and enjoyment of at-risk students such as ESL (English as a second language) students, poor readers, or reluctant learners? "The answer is a thunderous "Yes!" Noe told Education World. "The power of working together to make meaning cannot be underestimateghfor challenged readers, whether their challenges are related to language, learning, or motivation." Chandler's experience confirms this. "I will not tell you that Ihave had 100 percent success in getting all kids to fully participate in literature circles," she said, “By'the end of the year, my kids are reading, and not just « reading, but they are motivated to read’ Chandler added that she sees the largest growth in motivation and enjoymentiamong the more challenged + students. tt have documented this in the last several years by using multiple assessments of reading ¢ .abllity,4 she said. "Many aspects of literature circles offer natural support for at-risk students#Those aspects include choosing great books with real characters working their way through real lives} reading the books with support from partners, volunteers, or tutors, a recording of the book, pr a resource teacher; talking about books with other readers = confirming what you understand and adding your own insights; writing about books; and extending understanding through artistic response. "y “With this multidimensional approach to reading, less able students have more opportunities for success, concluded Noe, who illustrated her point with a personal experience: Once, when observing a group of intermediate students discussing a novel set during the Revolutionary War, Noe was challenged by the teacher to pick out the one student in the group who was a struggling reader who spent time with the resource teacher. “L couldn't," she said, "Each of the students demonstrated a passionate response to the book, offering both personal insights and well-supported evidence from the text. The discussion was lively, informative, and heated." GIVING STUDENTS A CHOICE “The most central principle of literature circles is student choice," Noe told Education World, "building? deeper understanding and more personal responsejthrough Selecting the:beaks that each student, read. ... the goal offiterature circles is to build understanding and response in collaboration with others, tala edvctcruerl.corla_curieurr250 shirk 45‘e001 Education Were Literature Circles Build Eeltoent for Bac then student choice needs to be honored.” Chandler agrees that students should have a part in choosing what books the¥fireadi For that reason, she fries to group students into literature circles by ability, so that each circle can choose a book appropriate for its reading level, "Students appreciate the fact that they are given books to choose from that are of an appropriate level for their reading ability," she told Education World. a Cyouped then choose’ io2 f AHIGHLY ADAPTABLE TEACHING METHOD 7%, 0 Croce wd Heese Perhaps what makes the literature circle such an effective teaching approach is that it's highly adaplable, learned early on that there are as many ways of structuring literature circles effectively as there are teachers and students eager:toytry,'s Noe told Education World, She added that there is no recipesfor using literature circles successfully. wherever they are and look for a next step,” Noe said. ‘eachers have to begin "There are too many’people eager to tell teachers how to teach’? she continued. “I firmly believe that teachers must trust themselves and their students, and find what works for them So although a recipe for literature circles doesn't exist, my professional mission is to help teachers find lots of possibilities." Chandler has this advice for teachers who want to try literature circles in their classrooms: “Teachers who. try this technique should try to’pair up witha colleague or'a-group of colleagues who have either used literature circlessbefore or who are trying:them for the first timeyin order to support each other. ... Discussing successes as well as difficulties encountered with others will help teachers to be successful in using this ‘itp edsctcruesdLcomla_curlerr258 hii 55Unbroken ‘The Sniper Liam O'Flahtery ‘The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war. On a rooftop near O'Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning. He had been too excited to eat. He finished the sandwich, and, taking a flask of whiskey from his pocket, he took a short drought. Then he returned the flask to his pocket. He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk. Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof. ‘The sniper took another whiff and put out the cigarette. Then he swore softly and crawled away to the left. Cautiously he raised himself and peered over the parapet. There was a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head. He dropped immediately. He had seen the flash. It came from the opposite side of the street. He rolled over the roof to a chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, Until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen--just the dim outline of the opposite housetop against the blue sky. His enemy was under cover. Just then an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stopped on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead. The sniper could hear the dull panting of the motor. His heart beat faster. It was an enemy car. He wanted to fire, but he knew it was useless. His bullets would never pierce the steel that covered the gray monster. ‘Then round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl, She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay. An informer. The turret opened. A man's head and shoulders appeared, looking toward the sniper. The sniper raised his rifle and fired. The head fell heavily on the turret wall. The woman darted toward the side street. The sniper fired again. The woman whirled round and fell with shriek into the gutter, ‘Suddenly from the opposite roof a shot rang out and the sniper dropped his rifle with 2 curse. The rifle clattered to the roof. The sniper thought the noise would wake the dead. He stooped to pick the rifle up. He couldn't lift it. His forearm was dead. "I'm hit," he muttered, Dropping flat onto the roof, he crawled back to the parapet. With his left hand he felt the injured right forearm. The blood was oozing through the sleeve of his coat. There was no pain--just @ deadened sensation, as if the arm had been cut off. Quickly he drew his knife from his pocket, opened it on the breastwork of the parapet, and ripped open the sleeve. There was a small hole where the bullet had entered. On the other‘The Sniper Liam OF ahtery side there was no hole. The bullet had lodged in the bone. It must have fractured it. He bent the arm below the wound. the arm bent back easily. He ground his teeth to overcome the pain. Then taking out his field dressing, he ripped open the packet with his knife. He broke the neck of the iodine bottle and let the bitter fluid drip Into the wound. A paroxysm of pain swept through him. He placed the cotton wadding over the wound and wrapped the dressing over it. He tied the ends with his teeth Then he lay still against the parapet, and, closing his eyes, he made an effort of will to overcome the pain. In the street beneath all was still. The armored car had retired speedily over the bridge, with the machine gunner’s head hanging lifeless over the turret. The woman's corpse lay stil in the gutter. ‘The sniper lay still for a long time nursing his wounded arm and planning escape. Morning must not find him wounded on the roof. The enemy on the opposite roof coverd his escape. He must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle. He had only a revolver to do it. Then he thought of a plan. Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street, Almost immediately there was a report, and a bullet pierced the center of the cap. The sniper slanted the rifle forward. The cap clipped down into the street. Then catching the rifle in the middle, the sniper dropped his left hand over the roof and let it hang, lifelessly. After 2 few moments he let the rifle drop to the street. Then he sank to the roof, dragging his hand with him. Crawling quickly to his feet, he peered up at the corner of the roof. His ruse had succeeded. ‘The other sniper, seeing the cap and rifle fall, thought that he had killed his man. He was now standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky. ‘The Republican sniper smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet. The distance was about fifty yards--a hard shot in the dim light, and his right arm was paining him like a thousand devils. He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired. He was almost deafened with the report and his arm shook with the recoil ‘Then when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. His enemy had been hit. He was reeling over the parapet in his death agony. He struggled to keep his feet, but he was slowly falling forward as if in 2 dream. The rifle fell from his grasp, hit the parapet, fell over, bounded off the pole of a barber's shop beneath and then clattered on the pavement. Then the dying man on the roof crumpled up and fell forward. The body turned over and over in space and hit the ground with a dull thud. Then It lay stil, ‘The sniper looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered. The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse. The sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.The Sniper Liam OFiahtery He looked at the smoking revolver in his hand, and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off with a concussion and the bullet whizzed past the sniper’s head. He was frightened back to his senses by the shock. His nerves steadied, The cloud of fear scattered from his mind and he laughed. Taking the whiskey flask from his pocket, he emptied it a drought. He felt reckless under the influence of the spirit. He decided to leave the roof now and look for his company commander, to report. Everywhere around was quiet. There was not much danger in going through the streets. He picked up his revolver and put itin his pocket. Then he crawled down through the skylight to the house underneath. When the sniper reached the laneway on the street level, he felt a sudden curiosity as to the Identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed. He decided that he was a good shot, whoever he was. He wondered did he know him. Perhaps he had been in his own company before the split in the army. He decided to risk going over to have a look at him. He peered around the corner into O'Connell Street. In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet. ‘The sniper darted across the street. A machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped. He threw himself face downward beside the corpse, The machine gun stopped. Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face.