Literature circles

Week 6
Tuesday Introduction: explain what literacy circle are, what the goal of the lesson is (choose
book) and what we will be doing over the next 5 weeks.
Answer students questions about literacy circles. (5 minutes)
Introduction task: students are to read each book for a minimum of 5 minutes- the
blurb and the first chapter.
Once all books have been read by each students, they must write the top 5 they a
willing to read. (55 minutes)
Students must consider:
- Level of book (is it suitable for your reading ability?)
- Length of book (will you be able to finish it in the 5 week process?)
- Type of book (does it interest you? Will you enjoy reading it?)
- Who else is choosing this book (are they people you will work well with?)
Note- groups will be finalised by myself and will depend on the students compatib
with each person in the group (how they will work together) and with the book (do
match their reading ability.
Thursday Learning intention: Students will begin to work together as a group while making
predictions about the book
Introduction: Introduce students to their groups (5 in total), remind students of the
of literacy circles (5 minutes).
Task 1: students make predictions about what their books will be about (25 minute
- Model predictions as a whole class (what they are, how we make them, wh
informs our predictions)
- Students split into groups and discuss their predictions
- One person from each group notes down the predictions (does everyone th
the same thing will happen? Why do they think this will happen?)
Task 2: students discuss a reading contract (20 minutes)
- As a class, we discuss how much needs to be read on a weekly or daily ba
reach our goal of finishing by week 10.
- Model with the ‘Killer Cat’ book group (as they are the lowest reading level)
“if this book has 30 pages, how many do we need to read a week to be finished by
week 10?” “how can we find this out”
- Discuss responsibility to ourselves and the group to keep up with reading
- What happens if we read ahead?
- - students answer all these questions on a word docs and hand up to be ke
accountable.
Once done, students can begin reading their books.
Week 7
Tuesday Learning intention: students can summarise what they have read so far with a ma
character as their focus
Introduction: students gather in their groups and discuss what they know so far fro
their books. (10 minutes)
They will need to discuss and answer the following questions as a group:
- What has happened so far
- Who are the characters
- What questions do you have so far?
Task 1: Groups introduce their book and what they know so far to the class, this
 includes what has happened, who the characters and where it is set. The group m
discuss the potential dilemma of the story if already revealed in book. (15 minutes
minutes each) the class can ask questions about the book, giving the book more
focused questions to recall when reading further.
Task 2: each students writes a 25 word summary of their book so far including all
things discussed in the group presentation. The limited word count ensures stude
will need to know exactly what thy would like to say and write it precisely. (30 minu
Thursday Learning intention: students can summarise a chosen character and make inferen
about actions and thoughts of these characters.
Introduction: looking at the character ‘Charlie Bucket’ from ‘Charlie and the choco
factory’, which had been read earlier in the year by the class, we construct a chara
review based on characteristics, action he has made, how he feels about specific
(the chocolate factory, his family),what he looks like, do we agree with his action
(why/why not?). Teacher led class discussion is conducted for this task (20 minute
Task 1: students pick a main character from their book (or a character who has
enough information about to write a character review) students can work in their
groups for the discussion of the questions but must all have an individual piece of
work. (35 minutes)
Character review must include:
- Characteristics
- Character actions
- How they are important to the plot
- Physical features
- Do you like them? why/why not?
- Do you agree with their actions? Why/why not?
Task 2: students look at their questions constructed last lesson, have you answer
any of them yet? Do you have more questions? What are they?
Students continue to add to their questions page.
Week 8
Tuesday Learning intention: students are able to write from the perspective of a chosen
character to another character.
Introduction: model what a post card is, how they are structured, and what they sa
Discuss when you send post cards and why we use them.
Task 1: Each students chooses a character from their book and write a postcard
addressed to a different character. The post card must address an issue or dilemm
the character is facing in the book so far. Students need to understand the emotio
the character is feeling both about the topic, and to the other character.
Post cards must include:
- A problem/dilemma
- Feelings of the character
- How you think the character will solve the dilemma.
Correct grammar and spelling must be used as well as a correct postcard format.
Thursday Learning intention: Students can identify tricky or different words in their books an
develop their knowledge of it.
Introduction: introduce a crossword to the class, how they are set up, and what th
clue are for. Use an easy crossword for reference (solve some as a class).
Task 1: students find 10 tricky/challenging or interesting words from their books so
Using a dictionary or the computer, find the dictionary meanings of each of these
words.
Task 2: students use their 10 words in sentences to practice the correct use of the
 word after learning the meaning.
Task 3: students create clues about their words based on the dictionary meanings
Once the clues are created, students construct their own crosswords.
Once completed, students will give their crossword to another student to complete
The clues will show understanding of the word and if they can express it in a way
other will understand/guess.
Week 9
Tuesday Learning intention: Students can identify tricky or different words in their books an
develop their knowledge of it.
Introduction: introduce a crossword to the class, how they are set up, and what th
clue are for. Use an easy crossword for reference (solve some as a class).
Task 1: students find 10 tricky/challenging or interesting words from their books so
Using a dictionary or the computer, find the dictionary meanings of each of these
words.
Task 2: students use their 10 words in sentences to practice the correct use of the
word after learning the meaning.
Task 3: students create clues about their words based on the dictionary meanings
Once the clues are created, students construct their own crosswords.
Once completed, students will give their crossword to another student to complete
The clues will show understanding of the word and if they can express it in a way
other will understand/guess.
Thursday Learning intention: students can identify a central theme or concept to their books
Introduction: students discuss what a theme is and how to find it, why they are
important and why we need to recognise them. (10 minutes)
Task 1: In reading groups, students discuss the different themes of their books, an
decide on one central theme that is the most important or prominent. (10 minutes)
students discuss their reasoning behind the decision to choose this theme using t
book as reference.
Task 2: students create a mind map (as a group) based on their chosen theme. T
mind maps should include everything that they know about the theme (based on w
they have read in the book), how they feel about the theme, how the characters fe
about the theme (using quotes) and any additional information they can find abou
(30 minutes)
Note: students may have to infer some characters feelings towards the theme bas
on their actions and words. Overall, this is a summary activity.
Week 10
Tuesday Learning intention: students can clearly summarise their books, picking the most
important events to draw upon. Students can also make judgements and opinions
based on feeling and logic.
Introduction: Introduce what a book review is, what they contain and what they ca
us about a book.
Using a ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’ book review, go through the componen
the review. Analyse the 4 main parts (characters, plot, opinion, and recommendat
Discuss with the students if they agree with the review, why/why not. What would
do different? Is it clear? (20 minutes)
Task 1: Students construct their book reviews with a focus on” (45 minutes)
- Character
- Plot
- Opinion
 - Recommendation
Students need have a clear plot, mentioning at least 4 major events during the bo
well as the introduction and resolution. They will also need to explain their reason
as to why they feel their opinion and recommendation with clear information from
book.
Students can discuss with group members during this time, but all need create the
own piece of work