Literature circles for middle schoolers

Literature circles are a fun and effective way to get kids excited about reading, and they are aligned with common core state. If you are looking for more meaningful and engaging activities to use with students during literature circles or a novel unit, heres twelve ideas that are favorites in my classroom and the common core. A multiple choice quiz after reading is a quick and easy way to check student comprehension, but it doesnt allow you to assess deeper understanding and it certainly isnt fun or creative. A literature circle is when you put students into small groups and have each group read a different text. Book set recommendations for middle school literature circles call them what you may. The nuts and bolts of setting up literature circles edutopia.

Free printables for literature circles laura candler. Literature circles in the middle grades adventures in. They are also at a challenging age for effective group work because. Keeping your class interesting, different, and changing helps keep interest in. To read about the procedures i put in place for my students, check here. This study worksheet and quiz will cover the use of literature circles in middle school. They are also at a challenging age for effective group work because many middle schoolers struggle with structure. This is a video of my students using literature circles in an 8th grade classroom. Over the course of three articles, i have talked about doing literature circles with my 8thgrade students.

And for an explanation of how i used minilessons both as a full class and in the small lit circles, read here. I have found that almost everything i did with high school students, i can do with middle school students if i add in a little extra structure, and lit. As we lay the foundation for literature circles, ive found that it works best to have the whole class read the same novel. But i wanted to throw the interactive notebook element in there. Fun language arts projects for middle school synonym. Of course, literature circles are, by nature, very interactive. When teaching middle school language arts, it is good to express some creativity when assessing students.

Literature circle lesson plans for middle school just. Answer questions on quiz topics such as why middle schoolers do well with literature circles and an. Literature circles are a fun and effective way to get kids excited about reading, and they are aligned with common core state standards for speaking and listening. Do your students know how to have a real conversation in which they listen to others and connect. In this product students have specific roles to complete each week and are accountable to a group of their peers. A general overview on how to use literature circles in middle school. Literature circles can be your classrooms best friend when it comes to fostering not only reading, but talking about literature as well.

However, learning when to talk and when to listen can be a challenge. She has taught middle school, high school, and community college and has her masters degree and is currently working on her doctoral degree in. Literature circles for middle school engages your students in academic conversations about books. Middle schoolers are at the perfect age to collaborate in literature circles. If a group is struggling, i give each student in the group two poker chips.

Lit circles are a great way for students to start taking ownership of their learning. A literature circle or book club provides a way for students to dig into books that are at their reading and interest level. Instead of sticking to traditional tests, papers and book reports, teachers can provide. Book set recommendations for middle school literature circles. In a fishbowl strategy, a small group of students are in the middle of a circle discussing the book while the majority of the class members are listening from outside. I found that, overall, my students took more pride in their weekly role work and did better work to go along with it. Browse this collection of printables to use with your literature circle activities.