Transcript Look Ms. Freeman We’re Having Book Talks!”

“Look Ms. Freeman We’re
Having Book Talks!”
Literature Circles and Reader
Response in Kindergarten
by Laura Freeman
Literature circles foster:
 Collaboration
 Exploration
 Communication
 Literacy
Development
Kindergarten TEKS: K.1D&E, K.2A, K.3C,
K.8A&B, K.9A&C, K.12A-C, K.13A&B,
K.15A-D, K.16A&B
Objectives: The student will
•listen to stories to interpret and evaluate
•use prior knowledge to anticipate meaning and make
sense of texts
•retell stories and share thoughts/ideas about important
events in stories
•connect his/her own experiences with real life
experiences
•ask and answer relevant questions and make
contributions in small group discussions
•write to record ideas and reflections relating to the text
Collaboration during literature circle
discussions increase:
Vocabulary
 Literacy conventions
 Narrative strategies
 Dialogue
 Listening skills
 Ability to share opinions
 Overall meaning constructed from text
 Motivation to learn

According to Louise Rosenblatt, when students
are moved aesthetically by the text, they will want to
share their thoughts and ideas with peers. During
discussion, learners gain an insight into how they
responded to the text by hearing responses of
classmates who may have viewed the text differently
due to differences in temperaments, experiences, and
literacy abilities. Through the evaluation of text,
students are able to see themselves as readers, or
desire to become better readers because of the
identification of their personal strengths and weaknesses
through the interaction with peers and text.
Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The
Transactional Theory of the Literary Work. Sothern Il.
University Press.
In order for learning to occur in literature
circles, equity among peers must be established.
“When students on a team contribute equally,
communication is most likely to be more
motivating, resulting in increased learning. When
students performing a small-group activity trust
other group members to listen and accept their
suggestions, they invest personally in that
activity,” (Wilkinson & Silliman, 2001). Literature
circles must begin with the modeling of
acceptance and trust of all ideas in whole group
from the teacher in order for students to treat
each other with respect in a setting where the
teacher may or may not be present.
Introduction of Literature Circles
Students are researchers.
 Read books aloud multiple times.
 Model how to retell story and discuss
favorite parts.
 Explicit discussion of appropriate and
inappropriate behaviors.
 Discussion of teacher role as listener,
questioner, and note taker.
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Literature Circles in Action
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Students choose book they want to discuss.
Groups meet concurrently with three to four
members each.
Students pass the book between members and
listen to the child holding the book.
During retells, children take turns explaining
events in the story.
Students shared their favorite part of story
and explained.
Classmates prompt one another when needed.
Teacher Role
Rotate around the room
 Check list for student comments
 Ask for further explanation of unclear
responses
 Ask open-ended questions
 Resolve conflicts between group
members

Elaboration of commentary
provides teachers with an insight into
 Students’
points of view
 How they construct meaning
 How they make sense of the
text
Expecting further explanation
of ideas prevented discussions
from becoming stagnant and
allowed for new ideas to
flourish.
Abiyoyo Returns written by Pete Seeger
In this story a village teaches a monster, Abiyoyo,
about kindness by taking care of him.
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Student 1: they’re brushing
Student 2: and washing
Student 1: Abiyoyo’s stinking feet
Student 3: They’re gonna fall over cause of his
stinking feet.
Student 1: They couldn’t even breathe.
Student 3: Yeah they’d go blah!
Teacher: Why are they cleaning his feet?
Student 2: to teach him to be nice
Student 1: So he won’t wake up everyone at midnight.
Student 3: He’d go RRR and eat all the people.
Beautiful Blackbird written by Ashley Bryan
Blackbird willingly shares his color by marking each bird in a
different way. The birds rejoice as they show off their black
decorations.
 Student 1: They all wanted some black.
 Student 2: Yeah and he gave the other birds some.
 Student 3: Black has all the colors.
 Student 2: They can’t all be black—some should have stripes.
 Student 4: or dots
 Student 1: They’re different.
 Teacher: Why?
 Student 4: They shouldn’t all be black. No one would know who
was the blackbird.
 Student 3: Yeah they’re all different on the outside.
 Teacher: What do you think?
 Student 1: We’re all the same on the inside—we’re all black on
the inside.
 Student 4: Sometimes we’re different. Like my mom she borned
in Turkey and I am borned here.
Reader Response Journals
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After students discussed literature in
groups, they discussed anything new
that they learned as researchers.
Students recorded their new insights in
their journals with the help of
classmates and teacher.
Questioning and Making
Connections
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Form a group of three to four classmates.
Choose a book. Read the book.
Discuss the connections students can make
with the book. Text to self, text to world, and
text to text.
Write at least two questions for each of the
following levels.
– Level One: Text based
– Level Two: Inference
– Level Three: Real Life
Modifications
At risk: Provide students with a
discussion buddy. (Someone who can
be a leader and has a lot of patience.)
 ESL: Discuss the text with the student
before literature circles.
 GT: Formulate questions for the
discussions using words or pictures.
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Results of literature circles
Use of vocabulary and phrases from stories
 Commentary on character behavior
 Flow of conversations without long silences
 Shy, reluctant students shared ideas
 Connections with self, world, and text
 Writing grew from “I like/I can” sentences
to detailed comments about stories.
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My Goals as a Researcher
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Involving parent volunteers in literature circles
Send home multiple copies of picture books on
Thursdays. Students return books on Monday
for book club discussions.
Send home post-it notes for students to draw
pictures and parents to write students’ verbal
responses. (parent letter--reactions, feelings,
predictions)
Students share thoughts about the book using
post-it notes and help from parent volunteers.
References
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Daniels, H. (2002). Literature Circles. York, ME: Stenhouse.
Daniels, H. & Steineke, N. (2004). Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles. Portsmouth,
NH. Heinemann.
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Fassler, R. (1998, March). “Let’s do it again!” Peer Collaboration in an ESL
Kindergarten. Language Arts, 75(3). Available: http://www.ncte.org
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Gambrell, L.B., Morrow, L.M., & Pennington, C. (2002, February). Early Childhood
and Elementary Literature-Based Instruction: Current Perspectives and
Special Issues. Reading Online, 5(6). Available: http://www.reading
online.org /art_index.asp?HREF=handbook/gambrell/index.htm
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Hynd, C. (1999). Instructional considerations in middle and secondary schools. In J.
Guthrie & D. Alvermann (Eds.), Engaged reading: Processes, practices, and
policy implications (pp. 81-104). New York: Teachers College Press.
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Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of
the Literary Work. Southern Il. University Press.
Wilkinson, L.C., & Silliman, E.R. (2001, February). Classroom Language and Literacy
Learning. Reading Online, 4 (7). Available: http://www.readingonline.org
/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/handbook/wilkinson/index.html