Literature Circles

These links focus on how to implement literature circles successfully. For materials related to specific works, search for those titles.

Handouts designed for elementary students participating in literature circles.

Tips on organization and process. Scroll down to find other helpful links.

Discussion roles and suggestions for using literature circles with a class.

This lesson provides a basic introduction to literature circles. Students select a book and then are introduced to the four jobs in the Literature Circles: Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Vocabulary Enricher, and Checker. The teacher and student volunteers model the task for each of the four roles, and students practice the strategies. After this introduction, students use the strategy independently, rotating the roles through four-person groups. The lesson can then be followed with a more extensive literature circle project.

Resources for elementary and middle school teachers, including downloadable handouts.

This unit plan is designed for 7th grade and requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access. The 33-page document includes discussion questions and assessments.

Everything you need to know: practical explanations and tips from a teacher who uses lit circles. Scroll down for "Integrating Writing Strategies with Literature Circles" -- terrific suggestions are available here.