literature circles
roles and expectations
Literature Circles are designed to allow you, the student, to read books of your choice and and then share your thoughts and experiences with your peers who are also reading the same book. It is a proven fact that students that can talk about reading with their peers can also write about what they have read when asked. Since you will be taking the PARCC assessment, a test that requires you to read several selections and write several essays in response to a question, this practice should be seen as part of the preparation to your success as a high school student.
Semester long classes will be reading four books during the course of the semester, and their Literature Circles will be an ongoing element of the English 9 course. Students will read each book for four weeks. Year long students will be reading one book a quarter, and when Literature Circles commence for that quarter, they will become an assignment each week for four concurrent weeks. There will be no more than four students in a Literature Circle group. Each student will have a role each week, and will be responsible to read the assigned portion of the book for that week. In addition, students will need to answer a Journal Question prompt twice a week which must be submitted in the proper MLA writing format. Knowing this, you should realize that there will be something you can be doing every night for English 9, whether it is reading, writing and submitting your Journal Prompts, or preparing for our Literature Circle discussions, which will take place on Fridays, unless otherwise notified by Mr. Cleveland.
WARNING: STUDENTS WHO CONSISTENTLY FAIL TO KEEP UP WITH LITERATURE CIRCLE ASSIGNMENTS TEND TO PERFORM CONSISTENTLY LOWER IN ENGLISH 9, AND IN SOME EXTREME CASES, HAVE FAILED THE COURSE. YOUR COMMITMENT TO LITERATURE CIRCLES IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE!!
Below you will find a series of buttons. Each button is labeled and when pushed will give you access to the various documents you will need while participating in Literature Circles. Pressing that button will open up each document needed. Directions will be found for each assignment.
Literature circle planning guide
The button below gives you access to the Literature Circle Planning Guide. The guide is used to establish roles for each week, as well as pages assigned for each week. Using this guide will help you keep track of your role and assignments for Literature Circle discussions on Fridays. The guide should be filled out by everyone in the group, and will be submitted to Mr. Cleveland upon completion of the establishing meeting. Points will be given for turning this guide in provided it is properly filled out.
Journal check-ins
Journal Check-Ins should be submitted no later than the day the Literature Circle will take place. They should be submitted before arriving to class. You are responsible for responding to ANY two of the questions listed for the assigned week. Remember to submit your Journal Check-Ins in proper MLA format. Points will be deducted if this direction is not followed. Select the button below for the current week you are in for Literature Circles.
Literature circle roles
Find the button below for your role assignment for the current week we are in. Remember that your role has been established for each week using the Literature Circle Planning Guide found above. Clicking on the button will give you the details of what you need to do that week. Every Literature Circle member should clearly understand his or her role for the week, and plan accordingly to have the assignment ready to be presented when your group gathers for Literature Circles. Failure to complete your role assignment will result in a zero for Literature Circles for that week, and may result in some replacement work in its place.