Literature Circles
At first I didn’t know what to expect from my students when I put them around a table with a novel for them to read. Based on all the horror stories I’ve heard and the attention spans of the modern student, I didn’t expect much reading to take place. I feared that nothing would get done besides getting caught up on the latest gossip, but I’m glad to say that I was wrong. My students attacked the project with nearly as much enthusiasm as their Podcasting projects and I was elated to have the opportunity to grade quality work.
Literature circles, or reading circles as some refer to them, are great activities that allow students to take charge of their own learning, with teacher guidance of course. Before beginning my literature circles I researched the concept to ensure my own understanding of what the activity is supposed to achieve. I found many wonderful resources including individual activities for each group member to complete during their reading. I let the students decide how they will assign the work among themselves, some choose to work on all assignments as a group; others choose to assign each group member the responsibility of completing one or more of the assignments on their own. Either way they’re in charge; it is totally up to them as to what grade they earn.
When grading students’ in Literary circles I pay close attention to how the students work together, which ones are doing work, and if members are participating at all. In other words, observation is my primary method for grading. I must move around to check on students’ progress and get involved in groups’ discussions from time to time. The only objective grading that takes place is with the completed assignments. I base assignment grading on completeness, whether or not directions are followed, and if their work is thoughtfully developed and thought provoking.
There are two factors at play regarding my students’ interest in doing the work and earning a good grade. One is that they are in charge, they are empowered, something they have been striving for all of their pre-adult lives. They hate being told what to do, of course that is something they can’t avoid because of their age and inexperience, but if I can lend them a little power of their own, they are more willing do something good with it, and this I have seen. Another is that the literature I provide relates to them. I have a collection of contemporary novels, mostly young adult novels that have characters like themselves that they get intensely involved with. I have never experienced reading of this level from any of my students, and its not because they don’t know how, it is because they are not interested in work that they cannot relate to. If they can’t relate to it, they have a hard time understanding it.
So far the results have been great. I believe my students will earn higher averages than they have earned all year. I’m kind of wondering what administrators will think when I turn in grades that are all A’s and B’s for this last nine-week period, but who cares, they earned it. I’m considering doing more of this next year with some of our regular literature; I’ll let everyone know how it turns out.