Reading Circles with Year 7

After successfully running a Literature Circle program in Year 8 English at our College for several years, it was decided to introduce a similar program called “Reading Circles” when the Year 7s commenced at the beginning of 2015.

Choosing the books
Reading Circles takes place in Term 2 and the novels all relate to the genre of fantasy. The books were chosen by the Curriculum Leader: Library and Information Services and the Director of Literacy, with input from the Year 7 English teachers.

The collection includes: The golden door by Emily Rodda, Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson, Percy Jackson and the lightning thief by Rick Riordan, Song for a scarlet runner by Julie Hunt, Ingo by Helen Dunmore, Howls’ moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Skellig by David Almond, The lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and Northern lights by Philip Pullman. The books have been listed in order, from easier reading level titles through to those more suited to students who are reading at an advanced level.

Year 7 Reading Circle selection of titles

Allocating the books and groups

Currently we own 20 copies of each title – 200 books in total for approximately 160 students. It means that each class gets to read 6 or 7 of the possible titles. The class teachers are asked to allocate the books and groups based on the spreadsheet I create and disseminate. We don’t have enough resources for students to pick their own books, and while there may be some disappointment when students don’t “get the book they want” they generally seem to accept the process and are happy that we go to the effort of putting them into a group with like-minded readers or friends.

About to start Skellig in one of our Fiction nooks.

We made sure we also had Australian authors represented.

Adventures to be had with Percy Jackson!

Excited to be reading Northern Lights

Time Frame and Organisation

Before the 4-week program begins, all the students and their teachers are booked into the Auditorium for an initial presentation from me about Reading Circles.

They have already borrowed their book from the library and when they arrive at the Auditorium they are each given a hard copy of the Reading Circle Booklet. The Year 7 English teachers schedule a Reading Circle lesson into their program once a week during the month.

Many of the chosen books are the first in a series, and last year we had a high proportion of students wanting to borrow out the other books that followed. There was positive feedback across all the classes asking if Reading Circles could continue into Term 3.

The roles

Many of the familiar Literature Circle roles were adapted for our Reading Circles program in Year 7.

Facilitators

The English teachers organize the groups, allocate the books and give their students time for reading in class. They also oversee the completion of the Reading Circle Planning Guide and set schedules and due dates for the Role Sheets and Activities. On the day of the Reading Circles’ meeting, they move around the room checking that all students are participating appropriately, as well as assisting the time keeper.

Discussion Leader

This is the most important role and must be performed first each week. It is an amalgamation of summarizing and questioning. As well as writing up a brief summary of the chapters read, Discussion Leaders are expected to created 3-6 literal, inferential or interpretive questions. Other roles are Time Keeper and Illustrator, Word Wizard, Perfect Puzzler and Time Liner (only required if there are 5 group members)

Using Google Slides

All our students have a Google account so we have made a set of blank Google Slide templates for each book, containing every role for the 4 weeks. Each class teacher is then able to share the template with only those members connected to a particular book. This allows them to work on their activities in real time with each other. The students love showing off their work in a visual way which enables them to create and edit their presentations before and during their Reading Circle meetings.

Conclusion

I strongly encourage other teacher-librarians to implement a Reading Circle or Literature Circle program in their school. It is one of my favourite ways in which to share quality literature with students and helps promote authentic student discussion and enthusiasm for reading. Most importantly, it develops students’ ownership and responsibility for their learning.