role sheets

Literature Circles Role Sheets

Directions for role sheets:

Your literary circles group will be engaged in a literary circle discussion at least four times over the next few weeks (see schedule for due date).

1. Use the planning form that is listed below and plan for the number of pages in your book you will read for each discussion, and who will be assigned each role during the discussions. You will need a discussion director for each conversation, but you may select the other roles you will focus on during each discussion. Try to use all the roles so you have a chance to try these roles yourself or see how others use the role to bring ideas to the discussion. Notice that some of the roles are 'doubled up' - you can separate these if you have more than five people in a group and have someone do each role separately.

2. Each role sheet describes the duties of that role. The individual assigned to that role will be responsible for completing the role sheet and sharing with the group the information from the role sheet during the discussion.

3. The role sheet is a starting place for discussion, and should not limit the conversation. As future teachers, you will also want to talk about the book from the perspective of the teacher, including possible developmental, cultural and content connections.

4. The roles for each discussion are as follows:

a) Discussion director

b) Spotlighter

c) Connector and/or Investigator

d) Illustrator and/or Summarizer

e) Vocabulary enricher (select vocabulary you think will be challenging for ELL middle school students

Literature Circle Groups Planning Form

1. Please determine the pages you will complete for each literature circle meeting.

2. Please note that it may be necessary to change some of the discussion dates, but you need to have a minimum of FOUR meetings, thus you need to divide the book into four (or more) sections for reading.

3. Plan who will do each role for each meeting. Everyone needs to have each role at least one time!!! List date for discussion, individual members and their role for each discussion.

4. Turn in a copy of your total plan

Planning form:

Discussion #1: _______

Name Role

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Discussion #2: _______.
1

2.
3.
4.
5.

Discussion #3: _______.
1

2.
3.
4.
5.

Discussion #4: _____
1

2.
3.
4.
5.

Role Sheet
Discussion Director

Name ________________________________Group ____________
Book ____________________________________________________
Meeting Date _____________________Assignment : Pages ____ to ____

Discussion Director's duties: You lead and guide the conversation for the day's discussion.

You need to come prepared with open ended questions related to the reading for the day. Be

sure to go beyond basic facts and consider the underlying issues of the reading. YOU facilitate

discussion today and ensure everyone participates.

Questions or topics for today’s discussion:

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

4 ______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

6. ______________________________________________________________

7 ______________________________________________________________

8. ______________________________________________________________

Assignment for next meeting: p _____-p_____
Role: ________________________________

All role sheets are adapted from Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom by Harvey Daniels. Stenhouse Publishers, York ME, 1994

Role Sheet
Spotlighter

Name ________________________________Group ____________
Book ____________________________________________________
Meeting Date _____________________Assignment : Pages ____ to ____
___ Present ___ Absent

Spotlighter's duties: You will identify the parts of the reading that you want to ‘spotlight’ today. Choose a few brief sections that really interested you from the part you just read.

Be sure you describe WHY you have selected each part .

Sections to read today in the discussion:

List the specific location and reason for picking this section of the book:

1. Page_____ Paragraph_____

why:

2. Page_____ Paragraph_____

why:

3. Page_____ Paragraph_____

why:

4. Page_____ Paragraph_____

why:

5. Page_____ Paragraph_____

why:

Assignment for next meeting: p _____-p_____
Role: ________________________________

Role Sheet
Connector and Investigator

Name ________________________________Group ____________
Book ____________________________________________________
Meeting Date _____________________Assignment : Pages ____ to ____
___ Present ___ Absent

CONNECTOR'S DUTIES:

Connections to today’s reading - what have you experienced or heard about that seems to be connected to the reading for today? Use your personal experience or what you know from others to provide these connections and explain them.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

INVESTIGATOR'S DUTIES: You will locate at least two new idesa or related information to share with the group. Investigate for the group locations identified in the book, related concepts, the author, etc. to expand the conversation. Use the web or other resources to bring new ideas to the conversion that are related to the book. ATTACH THE REFERENCE OR A COPY OF IT TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THIS SOURCE TO YOUR GROUP.

New information:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

SOURCE FOR THIS INFORMATION:

Assignment for next meeting: p _____-p_____
Role: ________________________________

Role Sheet
Illustrator and summarizer

Name ________________________________ Group ______________
Book ___________________________________________________
Meeting Date __ ________________Assignment : Pages _______ to ___
___ Present ___ Absent

Illustrator duties: Please make your drawing on the back of this page. If you have created something other than a drawing, just show the teacher the art and turn in the written part of this form.

Be sure to include a title or brief explanation of your image:

Summarizer duties: Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today's reading. Your group discussion will start with your 1-2 minute statement that covers the key points, main highlights and general idea of today's reading assignment.

Summary:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Key Points:
1.___________________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________________________

What did today's reading remind you of?

Assignment for next meeting: p _____-p_____
Role: ________________________________

Role Sheet
Vocabulary Enricher

Name ________________________________Group ____________
Book ____________________________________________________
Meeting Date _____________________Assignment : Pages ____ to ____
___ Present ___ Absent

Vocabulary Enricher: Your job is to be on the lookout for a few especially important words in today's reading. If you find words that are puzzling or unfamiliar, mark them while you are reading, and then later jot down their definition, either from a dictionary or some other source.

When your circle meets, help members find and discuss these words.Talk about why these might be difficult words for some individuals. (COMPLETE THIS AS IF YOU WERE A MIDDLE LEVEL ELL STUDENT - WHAT WORDS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT FOR THEM??)

Page no. & Word Definition
paragraph

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

After your discussion, put on your identify which words your group knew, and which (if any) were new to anyone in the group and identify why you think these were unfamiliar terms.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Assignment for next meeting: p _____-p_____
Role: ________________________________