Literature Circles

Motivate students with rich discussions around texts through Literature Circles. Learning A-Z provides all the resources you need for literature circles with any book or passage, including the thousands we offer. Refer to the Literature Circles Routines for additional guidance.

Instructional Tips
  • Guide students in choosing texts: Help students choose an appropriate text based on their interests, background knowledge, and learning goals, and/or the content.
  • Model roles: Demonstrate expectations and behaviors for each student role, guide student practice, and provide feedback as students take on roles.
  • Outline a plan: Use the following recommendations when implementing Literature Circles:
    • Two to three days in primary grades and three to five days in intermediate grades.
    • 25-35 minutes for group meetings.
    • Adjust times based on student needs.
  • Identify skills and strategies for instruction: Use curriculum maps, district expectations, and instructional standards to target skills and strategies.
  • Prepare materials: Plan for students to discuss texts in Literature Circles.
    • Display a list of the selection titles in the classroom or post the list electronically.
    • Provide copies of the selections available for students to browse prior to choosing what they will read.
    • Have students record their first, second, and third book choices on a sheet of paper.
    • Use students' choices to guide decisions for placing students into groups of three to four students. More than one group of students may be reading the same selection.
    • Give a copy of the selection to each student, as well as the following Student Tools:
      • Role Description and Journal for each student for the roles needed for the current round of Literature Circles
      • Bookmarks for the chosen roles
      • Reading Assignment and Role Planner for each student