Friday, November 11, 2022

Blog Post #2

November 7-11

Literature Circles and the "Fab Four"

Learning Outcomes:

Grade 4- I can explain connections between personal experiences and characters, settings and events in texts.

Grade 5- I can describe and discuss story elements (place, times, characters, events, conflict), explain how conflict is resolved and the influence of setting.

Grade 6- I can discuss and make inferences about characters, events, the setting and main ideas using evidence from personal experiences and texts. 

    The grades four through six students recently started "Lit Circles". In Literature Circles, small groups of students gather to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's purpose or personal experiences related to the story. Literature Circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking as they read, discuss and respond to their books. 

    While in these small groups, students take turns reading the text and leading a portion of the discussion. Students are encouraged to use the critical thinking skills of predicting, questioning, clarifying and summarizing (the Fab Four) to respond to the text. When necessary, the teacher will guide the conversation to ensure key points are explored.

When speaking or writing students may choose the above sentence frames to express their ideas.