How to Lead a Literature Circle

Use the following steps to help you lead a Literature Circle meeting. Try to involve everyone in the discussion, and remember to keep the group on task.

1. Summarize

· Ask someone to summarize the selection. Discuss the summary. Allow other members to add details that may have been forgotten.

2. Discuss Vocabulary

· Have the Word Wizard to share one word he or she selected. Ask him or her to read the sentence and/or paragraph from which the word came. Ask the group to make educated guesses about the word. Allow the person to give the dictionary definition and discuss its meaning.

3. Share Questions and Answers

· Ask the Questioner to choose the very best question to read aloud to the group. Remind the Questioner that the question should be designed to spark a discussion and make everyone think. Let others read their question and allow them to choose at least one person to respond to the question.

4. Chat About the Book

If you have extra time, talk over questions like the following:

· How did you feel while reading this part of the book?

· Did anything in this section surprise you?

· What was the most exciting, interesting, funny, or confusing part? Would someone like to read that paragraph or section aloud?

· What kinds of connections can you make between things that happened in the book and something in your own life?

5. Wrap Up

· Ask students to make predictions about what will happen next.

· Make sure everyone knows what the reading assignment is for the upcoming week.