Literature+Circles

The traditional Literature Circle would take small groups of students and have them share their thoughts on class assigned readings. This was to allow for deeper discussions in smaller settings. I thought I could take that a step further and create a space for students to discuss stories with students from anywhere in the world.

Working with a teacher in Van Meter, Iowa, we created Blogging Literature Circles where our students could share their ideas on the different stories that were being discussed in our classes hundreds of miles apart.

This is what I shared with students and their parents on my school site,


 * Traditional Lit Circles are made up a few students who would get together and discuss their thoughts and feeling on stories they have read. The Lit Circles that you are going to participate in are going to be a little different.**


 * Students will be placed into Lit Circles and will be sharing their views of stories with other students from another school in another state! Working with students from Van Meter, Iowa, students will participate in Lit Circles to explore the deeper meaning behind the great stories read in class during the course of the school year.**


 * How Do You Use Your Lit Circle?**


 * Each students had a personal account created for them by their teacher on KidBlog.org.**


 * Every Login of a Grosse Pointe South Students will have the GPS followed by their last name. Example: GPSProvenzano**


 * Password: Every students was given a password for their account in class. If you have forgotten your password, email your teacher or ask a friend. Make sure you keep the password written down at home so you can look it up if you forget.**


 * The different groups you are assigned to are on the right hand side. They are named after famous American authors. Over time, students will be moved to different groups to hear different ideas.**


 * The goal of Lit Circles is to gain a deeper understanding of the texts by listening/reading to other ideas.**


 * The teachers in class will give assignments and post questions on the blogs that students will need to respond to and start a discussion. At times, student leaders will be designated and they will be responsible for posting new topics and starting class discussions.**


 * Students are encouraged to add media (Pictures, video, news articles, etc.) that support their discussions. Students are also encouraged to carry on conversations outside of the blogging area using Skype, Facebook and other conversation web tools (Parent Permitting).**



Students were encouraged to share their thoughts on the stories we read in class and comments on the thoughts of other students. This was the first time any of our students had worked online with other students. There was a huge learning curve with using the Kidblog for the Lit Circles, but the students soon caught on and were able to share their ideas on the individual Lit Circle blogs.

One of my favorite parts of using the Lit Circles is the fact that students are taking the conversations outside of the classroom. Many students told me that they would discuss the stories with their new Iowa friends on Facebook for Skype after school hours. Technology has made it possible for students to connect outside of traditional class hours and explore the ideas of others. That is a huge win for teachers everywhere.

The goal is to eventually include other schools so we can rotate and work with different schools from different places all over the world. That is possible because the blogs are not limited by time zones. Students overseas can leave their comments and my students can read them the next day and respond. Blogging in Lit Circles allows the students to share their opinions with people all over the world. This is only possible with technology integrations. Here are some examples of the Lit Circles.

Poe Lit Circle Steinbeck Lit Circle Whitman Lit Circle