Literature Circles in Year 6

This term, students in Grade 6 have been participating in Literature Circles. Literature Circles are a book club, where a small group of students read a book together and takes on a different role to guide the group discussion. Some of the roles include the discussion general, word wizard, inference maker, character tracker and figurative frog.

During these reading lessons, students have been taking the lead in running the discussions. It has been wonderful to see them take ownership in their learning by setting reading goals and supporting each other to stay on track. As they rotate through different roles, students explore the book from various perspectives, making each discussion meaningful and insightful.

Here’s how a few of our students described their Literature Circle experience:

Aarika - This term, I have been reading the book ‘Within these walls’ by Robyn Bavati. I was the discussion general, and it helped me ask deeper and more challenging questions about the book. It also helped me improve my summarising skills, as I summarised the chapters that I had read each session. I really enjoyed literature circles because we got to read new and interesting books, and share our findings with our group members during the discussion. 

Hayun - This term, I have been reading the book 'Hatchet'. When I had the role of the figurative frog this term, it helped me look out for various figurative language. While I understood and inferred what the figurative language meant exactly, my comprehension skills have increased. I also enjoyed the discussions with our group and it helped me grow confidence when speaking to people I don’t normally talk with.

Swara - Literature circles are a fun way to read and understand the book, and we could also see what other people thought about it. We had to set goals for reading, and make sure that all of us were on the same page and had understood the story completely. My favourite role was the discussion general, since I had the task of hosting a discussion and making sure everyone contributed to the discussion. 

Tash - My Literature Circle role this term is word wizard and I enjoyed this role because I can expand my word bank and vocabulary. In this role, you have to find challenging words and use clues in the book to find the definition. It has been fun to work with my peers and gain new knowledge about books. I liked how my book was adventurous and fun to read and something interesting happened every page.