Background in Literature Circles

Literature circles are... Literature circles are not...
Reader response centered Teacher and text centered
Part of a balanced literacy program The entire reading curriculum
Groups formed by book choice Teacher-assigned groups formed solely by ability
Structured for student independence, responsibility, and ownership Unstructured, uncontrolled "talk time" without accountability
Guided primarily by student insights and questions Guided primarily by teacher- or curriculum-based questions
Intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills Intended as a place to do skills work
Flexible and fluid; never look the same twice Tied to a prescriptive "recipe"