Blog Entry 5 - Literature Circles

Overall Impressions of Literature Circles
I worked with two males and two females who are in the second and third grades.  The literature selection that was implemented first was One Green Apple by Eve Bunting.  This book was awarded the Volunteer State Book Award this year.  I was very impressed with how involved the students became with the activities and how much more they interacted with each other than they had done with previous guided reading activities.  Because the students are so young, some of the roles that were assigned were somewhat difficult for the students. I probably gave more direction than is intended in literature circles, but since this was the first experience for the second graders, I felt it was necessary.  We will definitely continue using this technique with other books.  I would like to select books with more examples of imagery and figurative language since this is so difficult for ESL students.


Students Reaction to the literature
The students loved the book and became very involved with composing questions, making predictions, engaging in discussions, and learning new vocabulary words.  They enjoyed using the organizers and they were very pleased that the main character, Farah, began to speak English at the end of the story.

Appropriateness of Literature Circle Techniques for second language learners
This technique was very effective for the ESL students.  It allowed them time to discuss the book, discuss vocabulary words that may not have been discussed in a big group, share information with one another, and take control of their learning.  There was much more interaction, discussion, and questioning with this technique than there had been in the past small group guided reading activities.  The students enjoyed the techniques that were used and were very enthusiastic.  An area they really enjoyed was writing down the vocabulary words they did not know on each page.  When they shared these words with each other, at least one other person in the group could explain the meaning of the word.  This interaction was extremely beneficial to all the children.

Changes
If I were to repeat this activity, I would engage in more modeling for the first book.  The students struggled with their roles and working together without my input.  I hope that the next literature circle will be completed more independently.

Suggestions for other ESL Professionals:
I would suggest planning thoroughly, but be flexible with the students because they may take a different direction than you had originally planned.  The direction they take can be interesting and beneficial to the students.  Also, if you find the first book to be difficult in implementing all the components, don't be discouraged.  Try another book.  Make sure the books have plenty of figurative language and are vocabulary rich in content.