digitallitcircles - home

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<h1><span style="color: #2a2277; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Digital Literature Circles</span></h1>
 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Presented by: Andrew Halter, Instructional Coach and Shannon Roos, English Teacher</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Hampton Township School District</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">PETE&amp;C 2014 and TRETC 2013 </span><br />
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<h2><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What is a Literature Circle?</span></h2>
 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Literature circles are small groups of students who gather together to discuss a piece of text in depth. The discussion is guided by students' responses to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to texts. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. Students reshape and add onto their understanding as they construct meaning with other readers. Finally, literature circles guide students to deeper understanding of what they read through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response (Noe and Johnson 1999). It may help you to think of a literature circle as a “mini” Socratic Seminar. </span><br />
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<h2><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Why &quot;Digital?&quot;</span></h2>
 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Digital in this case does not mean just an online discussion. We recognize the importance of face to face discussion in these lit circles, so we really did not want to eliminate that component. Instead, we used a Wikispaces as a primary means of preparation and as a place to provide resources. We also incorporated Google Docs so students could submit work prior to the discussion, which gave us the opportunity to see their notes and offer suggestions prior to the actual discussion. This also allowed students preparing for the same role to give each other feedback and ask each other questions both in and out of the classroom. In addition, we offered optional digital tools that would enhance their presentations. These tools differed depending on the role. On another level, we found it beneficial to add a discussion &quot;room&quot; for all students in any given role so they could swap ideas, ask questions and get feedback from other students who were assigned the same role.</span><br />
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<img src="https://www.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/custom/24463712?h=0&w=0" class="WikiMedia WikiMediaCustom" id="wikitext@@media@@type=&quot;custom&quot; key=&quot;24463712&quot;" title="Custom Media"/><br />
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<h2><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Digital Tools:</span></h2>
 <ul><li><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Wikis</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- as a platform for housing all instructions, providing resources, and creating a network of digital teams that can be accessed anywhere, anytime.</span></li><li><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Google Docs</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- as a tool for preparing and delivering collaborative thought both in and out of the classroom</span></li><li><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">iPads</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">- as a handheld device for accessing and sharing Google Docs and enhancing discussion as a real time research tool. These also worked well for teachers to see discussion points for each group as they walked around to facilitate.</span></li><li><span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Digital Images and, Maps Other Web 2.o Tools--</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> to enhance discussion visually</span></li></ul><hr />
<h2><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Process:</span></h2>
 <ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><a class="wiki_link" href="/Digital%20Lit%20Circles%20for%20a%20novel" target="_blank">Digital Lit Circles for a Novel</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><a class="wiki_link" href="/Digital%20Lit%20Circles%20for%20short%20fiction" target="_blank">Digital Lit Circles for Short Fiction</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><a class="wiki_link" href="/Digital%20Lit%20Circles%20for%20nonfiction%20texts">Digital Lit Circles for Nonfiction Texts</a></span></li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1At0ixgUJcWtIffwvClh-Q7DuYsCF8y87R770-Sz4F6w/edit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sample Student Responses</a></li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mXwAQ9xS8vFTVe0dY_AOEcnZAbJsMJ9TGCw5FtG57RE/edit?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Docs Preparation Template</a></li></ul><hr />
<h2><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Related Reading &amp; Research:</span></h2>
 <ul><li><em>Talking About Talk: Reclaiming the Value and Power of Literature Circles</em>, by Heidi Mills and Louise Jennings<ul><li><img src="https://www.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/file/Mills_and_Jennings_2011_The_Reading_Teacher.pdf?h=52&w=320" class="WikiFile" id="wikitext@@file@@Mills_and_Jennings_2011_The_Reading_Teacher.pdf" title="File: Mills_and_Jennings_2011_The_Reading_Teacher.pdf" width="320" height="52" /></li></ul></li><li><em>Comprehension Strategy Use During Peer Led Discussions of Text: Ninth graders Tackle &quot;The Lottery,&quot;</em> by Jennifer L Berne and Katheen F Clark<ul><li><img src="https://www.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/file/berne-and-clark-2008.pdf?h=52&w=320" class="WikiFile" id="wikitext@@file@@berne-and-clark-2008.pdf" title="File: berne-and-clark-2008.pdf" width="320" height="52" /></li></ul></li><li><em>Take It Out of Class: Exploring Virtual Literature Circles</em> by Joy Bowers-Campbell<ul><li><img src="https://www.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/file/Danielle%2BArticle%2BBowers%2C%2BCampbell.pdf?h=52&w=320" class="WikiFile" id="wikitext@@file@@Danielle+Article+Bowers,+Campbell.pdf" title="File: Danielle+Article+Bowers,+Campbell.pdf" width="320" height="52" /></li></ul></li><li><em>Mini Lessons For Literature Circles</em> by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke<ul><li><img src="https://www.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/file/Mini%20Lessons%20For%20Lit%20Circles.pdf?h=52&w=320" class="WikiFile" id="wikitext@@file@@Mini Lessons For Lit Circles.pdf" title="File: Mini Lessons For Lit Circles.pdf" width="320" height="52" /></li></ul></li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=yEYpxh_r37QC&amp;pg=PA129&amp;lpg=PA129&amp;dq=math+and+literature+circles&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Nshtv7IllT&amp;sig=LhpDFuj5r3MPq18f_OkBp9CpOJU&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=Im2LUvKdI8ewsASS7ICgAQ&amp;ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=math%20and%20literature%20circles&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow">Excerpt from //Literature Circles: Tools and Techniques to Inspire Reading Groups//, by Warren Rogers and Dave Leochko</a>--Math and other content ideas for lit circles</li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=52824" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Literature Circles in Science --From the National Science Teachers Association</a></li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=hsIUp1-k5-8C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=literature+circles&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=o5iLUuv3ArGwsAS-14CQBg&amp;ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=literature%20circles&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">//Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups// by Harvey Daniels</a></li></ul>