LITERATURE CIRCLES


4th Grade Literature Circles Overview

We are so excited to share with you information on our 4th grade Literature Circles program! Each week, our homerooms will join together to work collaboratively while exploring some great new books!

Our books were carefully selected to cover meaningful themes and also to expose students to a variety of genres and authors. We will be reading one book approximately every 6 weeks and students will complete a culminating in class activity for each story.

Students MUST have their own copy of the book to use during Literature Circles. These books are available at the library, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other retailers. Students will be permitted to use a digital copy of the book (ex: Kindle, Nook, etc…) with the understanding that they are solely responsible for their device. Please remind your student to have their copy of the book with them every day, as they will work on activities throughout the week. Please refer to the schedule of books outlined below throughout the school-year.

Assessment:

During each Literature Circle, students will be working collaboratively with other students, while having the responsibility of an individual “job” in their group. Each student will receive an individual grade for their weekly jobs at the end of each book. At the end of each book, students will complete a culminating assessment or activity to stretch their experience and further explore the theme, which will also count as a grade. Please encourage your child to put forth their best effort in all Literature Circle activities.

Literature Circles Schedule of Books:

1. “The Wild Robot Escapes (Book 2)” by Peter Brown

Theme – Natural World & Technology Changes

2. “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate

Theme – Overcoming Challenges & Friendship

3. “Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo

Theme – Compassion & Forgiveness

4. “Frindle” by Andrew Clements

Theme – Imagination at Work

5. “Granny Torelli Makes Soup” by Sharon Creech

Theme – Family & Traditions

A Little More about Literature Circles….

Literature circles are a strong classroom strategy because of the way that they couple collaborative learning with student-centered inquiry. Researchers Peralta-Nash and Dutch explain the ways that the strategy helped students become stronger readers:

Students learned to take responsibility for their own learning, and this was reflected in how effectively they made choices and took ownership of literature circle groups. They took charge of their own discussions, held each other accountable for how much or how little reading to do, and for the preparation for each session. The positive peer pressure that the members of each group placed on each other contributed to each student's accountability to the rest of the group. (36)

Peralta-Nash, Claudia, and Julie A. Dutch. "Literature Circles: Creating an Environment for Choice." Primary Voices K-6 8.4 (April 2000): 29-37.

When students engage with texts and one another in these ways, they take control of their literacy in positive and rewarding ways. We look forward watching your child explore these 5 amazing books this year!