Page 204 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade8_Flipbook

Understanding Literature Circle Discussions
aCTIvITy 3.3
learning Targets
• Analyze Literature Circle role descriptions and communicate an understanding of the qualifications for one role by creating a résumé.
• Apply learning about Literature Circle roles while participating in a text-based collaborative discussion.
Understanding literature Circle Roles
Read the following information about Literature Circle roles. For each role, think about the skills required and consider your personal strengths.
Discussion leader
Your job is to develop a list of questions you think your group should discuss about the assigned section of the book. Use your knowledge of Levels of Questions to create thought-provoking interpretive (Level 2) and universal (Level 3) questions that connect to understanding the content and themes of the book. Try to create questions that encourage your group to consider many ideas. Help your group
to explore these important ideas and share their reactions. You are in charge of facilitating the day’s discussion.
Diction Detective
Your job is to carefully examine the diction (word choice) in the assigned section. Search for words, phrases, and passages that are especially descriptive, powerful, funny, thought-provoking, surprising, or even confusing. List the words or phrases and explain why you selected them. Then, analyze the intended effect, asking and answering questions such as the following: What is the author trying to say? How does the diction help the author achieve his or her purpose? What tone do the words indicate?
Bridge Builder
Your job is to build bridges between the events of the book and other people, places, or events in school, the community, or your own life. Look for connections between the text, yourself, other texts, and the world. Also, make connections between what has happened before and what might happen as the narrative continues. Look for the character’s internal and external conflicts and the ways that these conflicts influence his or her actions.
Reporter
Your job is to identify and report on the key points of the reading assignment. Make a list or write a summary that describes how the setting, plot, and characters are developed in this section of the book. Consider character interactions, major events that occur, and shifts in the setting or mood that seem significant. Share your report at the beginning of the group meeting to help your group focus on the key ideas presented in the reading. Like that of a newspaper reporter, your report must be concise, yet thorough.
My Notes
Unit 3 • The Challenge to Make a Difference 177
LearNING STraTeGIeS:
Diffusing, Literature Circles, Questioning the Text, Summarizing, Note-taking, Discussion Groups
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