LLSS 528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 5

"Talking is one of our most personal and natural responses to reading."

I love how this chapter starts. Discussion is at the heart of literature circles and an effective discussion helps people experience literature in a more rich way so the question is, what are you trying to accomplish in your discussion? There should be goals for both yourself and your students and those goals should be known by all. If you're not sure on where to start with goals, why not just ask your students, "Why do we talk about books?" I bet 9 times out of 10 you'll get valuable and personal goals that can easily relate to the discussion. 

If this is a group that is new to discussion, you may want to start with a mini lesson on discussion skills where you address the following questions: 

What do I talk about?

How do I gather information to share?

How do I participate in a discussion?

Once this is established, the most important question for kids to answer is, "What is meaningful to you?" The book suggests straying away from the status quo questions because the whole point is for students to bring their own ideas, puzzlements, discoveries, and insights to the discussion. If you ask the same old, "What's the theme" and "What is the mood?" your discussions will get boring quick. Rather, have kids start by sharing their favorite part of the chapter or pose a question they want answered. One great and obvious way to start is, "What did you think of the story?" but to get a real conversation going goes beyond this by providing students with quotes and questions, prompts, guided topics, and student generated questions. 

Unfortunately it is not a reality that all students will get their own personal copy of the discussion book to underline and write notes in, so another great way to make notes as your read is with post-it notes. Another way is with bookmarks or discussion logs. I personally prefer the post-it method. 

Student must also be taught how to participate in a discussion so show through brainstorming what works in a discussion and what doesn't. Kids work in groups starting in elementary school so you'll be pleasantly surprised with the expectations the students set for themselves and let discussion guidelines stem from this. 

When assessing individuals during discussions look for:

Asking questions 

Listening actively

Thoughtful response

Predicting (noticing foreshadowing)

Retelling - main ideas and supporting details

Supporting ideas and opinions with text

Elements of literature (plot, setting, etc)

Making personal connections

Connecting to other books

Lastly, don't forget to ask your students what worked well for them during discussions and what was difficult. Then build on those answers during the next discussion. 

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is all about choosing books for your literature circle. The beginning of this chapter seems pretty duh, but I suppose it should be repeated that a good book will be meaningful, have substance, and offers something worth talking about. Pretty obvious, right? But what is also important is mechanical stuff. How many pages does the book have? Is it broken by chapters? You may also want to choose something that explores multiple tones and moods, the characters are realistic, and if it's a younger class, make sure the pictures are vibrant and they support the story.

It is good to start with what is available in the classroom. Sure, it might be ideal to base a book off of your desired outcomes, but sometimes schools just don't have the resources we need, and so you will want to ensure that all of your students will have access to the book being read. Also, consider multiple items as literature, don't just limit yourself to books. There are journals and articles that can be photocopied. In this newer day and age, video clips, songs, websites and more can all be considered literature, and those things might be more easily accessible. The book gives a great resource for literature circles: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html. One question that is asked is how to obtain multiple copies of a piece of work. A couple ideas include sharing book sets with other teachers, use bonus points when ordering books, work with libraries, obtain grants, and search garage sales or other used book sources. One of my personal favorites is Savers because they actually arrange the books by category.

I really liked the suggestion that teachers should let go of the idea of reading at grade level. I think this is especially true with inclusive classrooms, and it's not to say give a bunch of 12th graders Dr. Seuss for the entire year, but the idea is that even with a range of readers at different difficulty levels, the students will help each other understand concepts.

I will leave you with this final thought. Let go of harping on finding the perfect book and let your students enjoy what you have.

LLSS436 How to Talk so Kids Can Learn Chapter 7-8 and Movie clips

I feel like the real classroom setting was an idealistic image of what we all strive for as teachers, and the mock classroom setting in the wire was actually the more realistic portrayal of a classroom, as far as the management goes anyway. With the real classroom, the students were on task and lost in the moment of discussion. The teacher facilitated an open discussion, much like that which has been discussed in class, and this allowed students to dominate the conversation and find their own meaning in the book. I feel like this would make for much better papers to grade. I also feel like this teacher pulled a class together of all of her best students, then filmed it, but maybe I'm just being a cynic. I find myself teaching more like Pryzbylewski in these first few months. I feel like I have no disciplinary or authoritative stance, and so it is hard for me to get the kids focused. Usually my CT has to step in to ask the students to be quiet, and this reminded me of the other teacher coming into Pryzbylewski's class telling the students that they were not going anywhere until the bus passes were given back. I also feel gullible when students constantly ask to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, however, a few of my students did say that I was their favorite teacher. This moment came across when the kid helped Pryzbylewski open his car. Sure, unconventional and obviously a low income school, but the mutual respect and admiration was displayed, and this made me think of my own students. 

Chapter 7 and 8 were a nice way to wrap up How to Talk So Kids Can Learn. I admittedly got a small tear when Roy said he refused to join a gang in Chicago. It was nice to see how classroom management and relationships can really influence the pathways children take.

Chapter 7 really caught my attention because I think the disconnect between school and home is so large, I have a hard time envisioning those stereotypes going away. I think it’s natural for parents to blame teachers and vice versa, and that endless cycle of figuring out who is neglecting their duties never ends. My CT recently told me that one child’s relative was upset that the child had to call home every time he was late to the classroom. The relative did not want any calls home unless it was a life-threatening emergency. Another parent was upset that my CT was not calling home enough. She wanted a call every time the student had a missed assignment. I really found it interesting that these two parents were angry with my CT and demanding two completely opposite forms of involvement, all in one day. Chapter 7 really hit home to me because I’m already seeing how pulled a teacher can feel when it comes to school and home relationships. The parents in the books were ones that took the time to come to student teacher conferences, but the reality is only 5% of my classroom’s parents bothered to show up during parent-teacher night. I completely agree that maintaining relationships is vital, but I absolutely think that it will be a learned process rather than one that comes normally. A lot of people get lost in thinking that all families care about the progression of their students, and though some do, there are also a lot of students in the classroom that do not have positive encouragement in the home, which is only making our job as teachers more difficult. 

LLSS436 How To Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapters 5-6

I wanted to start this post in the same way I started my last one because I think the personal stories are what make these more relatable. Also, what follows is a sort of follow up to what I had mentioned in class about my CT not doing discussions in class. 

"As I'm reading through this book, I find that I am getting more and more disappointed that there is not discussions that follow the readings in class. My CT reads to her class, however, once she has read aloud, no discussion follows. Literally none. We just move on to the projects for that day. I asked her about it, and she advised me that since The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an easier text, she doesn't feel the students really need discussion time to understand the reading. Though I don't really agree, and I feel that discussion is valuable no matter how easy or difficult the text is, she promised we would be doing more discussion with our future texts. Now that I have ranted, let's get into the book!"

Wow. I found it incredibly funny that chapter 5 started with a horrible evaluation with the principal. The principal was doing everything in that meeting that the books chapters had previously said not to do. He did not evaluate how the teacher felt, he did not acknowledge the good things the teacher did, but instead cut her and her lesson down. Absolutely funny that administration was described as missing the mark without actually saying it. On that note, it was also really interesting to hear about measured praise. I never really thought about praise making people feel inadequate, or like they have standards to now live up to. This really has to be a cultural thing, because I find that many desires stem from the need to be praised, however, it seems that there is a wrong and a right way to give praise. Never thought about this before. I can definitely see how specific compliments will generate a positive reaction, and also it seems that they would encourage intrinsic motivation in a student.  I've noticed I usually resort to "great job" on work that I've graded, but if I think back to papers I've written, I always appreciated when teachers made specific comments about my work so I will definitely try to do this with my students. 

I have a student that does not want to do any work, and it is extremely difficult to get him to participate. He makes a joke out of every assignment, and he has even gone so far as to write really vulgar things on one particular poem assignment we had. Thanking the student when he does participate does not really seem to help, so I'll be interested to see if this change of complimenting will elicit a different reaction in the child. In addition, chapter 6 really gave me a new perspective on how to talk to and treat this student. He seems to want to fill a class clown/ seeking attention/ me vs. the teacher role, and I think there have been moments in the classroom that both the CT and I have reaffirmed this role. I want to also change the words I use with this student to try and see if I can't change the role he might feel assigned. Even if this is a role he wants, it seems also possible that words can change his desire to fill a certain role and quite possibly set him back on the right track. 

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 3

As I'm reading through this book, I find that I am getting more and more disappointed that there is not discussions that follow the readings in class. My CT reads to her class, however, once she has read aloud, no discussion follows. Literally none. We just move on to the projects for that day. I asked her about it, and she advised me that since The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an easier text, she doesn't feel the students really need discussion time to understand the reading. Though I don't really agree, and I feel that discussion is valuable no matter how easy or difficult the text is, she promised we would be doing more discussion with our future texts. Now that I have ranted, let's get into the book!

Chapter three in Getting Started With Literature Circles is all about structure. Structure becomes sort of a broad subject, but this topic includes setting timelines, deciding how to formulate groups, what kind of responses you want the kids to practice (written or oral or both), etc. One of the most important elements when structuring literature circles is to have your groups of students choose the books they want to read. Sure, there has to be some structure, so a good way to do this is to provide your students with a list of books that their group can choose from. This allows you to control the type of texts they are reading, while still allowing for the students to have freedom of choice and take ownership for their choice. So the students are not going into a book blind, one of my favorite suggestions was to have a "book talk" where you introduce the different books with little blurbs. As you are doing this, have the students make a list of what books interest them most so in the end, their group can compromise on one group book. Another option may also be to form the groups after the students have provided a list of the top three books that interest them most.

Another important choice is deciding how much students should read for each literature circle. If your students are reading chapter books, it might be easiest to assign reading based on chapters, ie. 2-3 chapters per discussion group. Also, you need to decide how long each group will meet for, and at what times. Interestingly enough, the book suggests that only one group meets at a time while other students do journaling or writing so that the teacher can observe the group without bouncing from one to the other. Some options might be (as a teacher) to be a facilitator, or a group member, or even just an observer. Lastly, the book recommends that for primary grades, literature circles should happen once a week, where as for upper grades, they should happen more often.

LLSS528 Getting Started with Literature Circles Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins by examining some rules for literature circles:
- Make clear what you value
- Infuse collaboration throughout the day
- Introduce skills of respectful interaction
These rules stem from a classroom that has both excellent readers, and struggling students, such as ESL students. By maintaining the above rules, you eliminate negative emotions such as students getting frustrated with the struggling ones. Though the book is written for a young elementary classroom, I think that the basic skills discussed are still of value. For example, teaching skills for independence are ones that will carry on throughout all years of learning. All students are asked to think about what they need to do that day, and this is asked each day.

Another important rule from chapter 2 is modeling. The author asks teacher to not only model reading aloud, but also to model appropriate responses. I think the reading aloud part is pretty basic and well known, but I thought it was interesting that a person's responses to the reading should be modeled as well. For example, if a student responds to the reading with a comment, the teacher will pause to point out the comment. This creates comfort with commenting in general, and also sets an expectation that comments are desired. I also think it helps in filtering all comments to those that are most desirable.

One teacher asks at the end of the chapter how she can incorporate literature circles when it's already May. The author reminds the teacher that reading aloud is already a part of the classroom, and as long as expectations are made clear, they can be incorporated at any point in time. Though full blown circles probably won't have enough time to develop, it is definitely something she can try with her next year's class.

LLSS436 How to Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapters 3-4

I have to start out this post with a short story. In my class today, we watched a video about using quotation marks. After the video, we had a short discussion in class about the 3 rules the video talked about, and I asked the students what they thought about the video. One girl said, "It was stupid," and instead of retorting back, I asked her to explain why she thought it was stupid. She then said that the video made the rules obvious and that the guy's accent (English) was funny. After class, my teacher complimented me for asking the student to expand rather than having a negative reaction to her comment. Thank you Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.

I really liked the chapter on discipline. I am not a fanatic about spanking or not spanking so the whole anti-corporal punishment attitude wasn't really significant to me, but I did like the alternative suggestions that the book puts forth. I think it again really comes down to validating the student's problems, because through this the child is then free to see the error of their ways. If they are so caught up in the emotions, there is not any room for other thought. I loved the story at the end of the chapter from a parent whose daughter wrecked their car, but wrote a note apologizing and giving money for the repair. Yes, I got a tear.

Chapter 4 tied in nicely with 3 in that problem solving together not only helps dialogue between authority figure and student, but it also teaches compromise. Once we get past the validation, we can then move onto problem solving. I thought the idea of coming up with rules as a class was great because all together, students can decide on the basic ones and don't feel so bad about eliminating the silly ones.

LLSS528 Getting Started With Literature Circles Chapter 1

I have chosen to read Getting Started With Literature Circles, by Katherine Schlick Noe and Nancy Johnson. I really like that the introduction of this book structures it for meaning. Rather than having to read through the whole book to find answers to our questions, the introduction has possible scenarios that will show if you'll like this book. Also, there is a list of guiding questions and it outlines what chapters you can look in to find answers to those questions. Lastly, it of course explains what a literature circle is, and some underlying assumptions for the book.

Chapter 1: Building a Framework for Literature Circles
This chapter really outlines the fact that literature circles need to fit within the lesson and not be something that's forced. This is so they begin to feel natural to the students, which in my opinion really creates a safe a comfortable environment to discuss common literature. For example, when I was in 7th grade the entire class of 7th graders got to choose a group they wanted to be in, that group chose a book they wanted to read, and for 1 month, twice a week, the entire 7th grade would gather in our common area in our groups to discuss the books. These literature circles were great for facilitating discussions about books we got to choose on our own. The book says that you need to ask:
What's your goal?
Why is this an important goal?
How can I teach this goal?
This chapter was very short and the main idea was that a successful reading circle will have attainable goals. I want to end with my favorite quote:
"If we wish to open the world of literacy to our children, what they are asked to read should from the very beginning help them to understand themselves and their world."

LLSS436 How To Talk So Kids Can Learn Chapter 1-2

My first impression of this book is how personable it is. I love any chance to learn through stories rather than here's the facts, now make sense of them. I also enjoy that the book starts out recognizing that all responsibility should not solely be on teachers, but on families as well. I know I'm guilty of responding to students, and even my own siblings in a way that only encourages bickering. It will be interesting to try these new methods, for example, restating what the child is saying in a question form really seems to help communication. I disagree with the teacher that says this is going to take so much extra time because it seems that having a bickering session with a child takes just as long. I think the challenge is more so changing our natural, instinctual responses. Not very many people like putting the effort to make this kind of lifelong communication change, but it makes sense that there would be a benefit.

In chapter 2, I was really struck with the statement, "...the more orders I gave, the more resistant they became" (pp 62). I also feel this way sometimes in my classroom, but I feel like this is really attributed to the fact that my students don't see me as an authority figure. When my teacher is in the classroom, most of the students are quiet and focused. When I am in the classroom alone, the noise levels automatically raise, no matter how many times I ask for the voices to be lowered. The idea about handing students notes seems a little silly, but maybe it will work? I still feel a little lost about how to maintain open dialogue with a student, but I'm hoping I can maintain order. I definitely do not lecture or express disappointment when students are getting loud. I might try the "standing quiet until all conversations stop" method, but I also feel like this might eat up valuable class time.