Your job is to develop a list of five “heavy-weight” questions that your group might want to discuss for this text. Do not worry about small details. Your task is to help your group talk over the big ideas in the reading and share their reactions. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas as you read. Answer each of your questions with an elaborated (2-3 sent) answer.
Try to encourage everyone to participate in the discussion by seeking different opinions or comments on a question you have asked. After your group has discussed a question thoroughly, share your written answer.
Sample discussion questions:
Why………?
How………?
What would happen if………?
What was going through your mind while you read………?
How did you feel when………?
Student sample:
How did you feel when Just Carol said that Ant should tell her mother about the vet visits?
I would agree with Ant about how she feels... her mother doesn't really care about Tashi and would just get furious with Ant about the entire vet thing. Although everything Ant did when she went to the vet was illeagal... I feel she didn't have a choice. Anyway, I would be a little irritated if a teacher interferred with my home issues... even if she just wanted to help. It would all be sorta awkward.
Passage Master:
Your job is to locate five special sections of the assigned reading to read aloud to your literature circle group. Select short (5-7 sent) passages that will help your group remember something interesting, surprising, controversial, confusing, thought-provoking, powerful, humorous, puzzling, or significant from the text. You make the decision on which passages or paragraphs are important to hear, and then jot down your plans for sharing those selections. You may read the passage aloud to the group; ask someone from the group to read; or have the group read aloud together and then discuss why it was chosen for sharing.
Student sample:
Page 178 Paragraph 6-10 (Jane will read)
I could not believe that Kit was seeing her dad in spiritual form. I thought she was done for and going to die until I got to this part. I jumped out of my seat!That was really unexpected and I couldn't believe what I was reading! After that, I knew Kit was going to be okay... it showed that she never was really alone.
Connector:
Your job is to find five connections between the reading you have done and the real world. This means you may connect the text to your own life; to happenings at school or in your community; to similar events in other times or places; or to other people or problems of which it reminds you. You might also see connections between this story and other things you have read with the same theme or by the same author. This job is about thinking how the text impacts you and the connections you want to share. You make the decision on which passages or paragraphs are to be used for connections, and then jot down your plans for sharing those selections. You may read the passage aloud to the group; ask someone from the group to read; or have the group read aloud together and then discuss why it was chosen for sharing.
Student sample:
Page 173 Paragraph 1-2 (I will read)
I can connect to this paragraph because whenever there is a family problem or a person in a family is like Natalie, someone will always try to blame themself. Even though it isn't anyone's fault! It is sometimes hard to accept the situation because we are always looking for an answer or a way we can help. No one wants to feel powerless.
Your Illustration…
In addition to your assigned job, you are required to create a color illustration that is related to the assigned reading. It can be a sketch, cartoon, diagram, web, collage, or any other appropriate graphic. Your illustration can be done completely by hand, a cut and paste from magazines, computer clip art, or any combination of the previous. You can create a picture of something directly from the reading or something the reading reminded you of. Please label the parts of your illustration or use captions to convey the meaning of you illustration. Be sure to explain what the picture represents to you and why you created that particular illustration after doing the assigned reading.
You will be graded on completeness and effort… not on artistic ability.
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