Literacy Circle at MHS

Middleburg High School has 25 minutes per day dedicated to sustained reading.  We call this the enrichment period, and it is included in 5th period of every class.  Teachers have the flexibility to plan this time however they choose.  Some teachers check out class sets of the same novel for students to use.  Some teachers allow students to choose their own reading materials.  Right now my students are all reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I often play the audio version while students follow along in their books.  I have noticed about half the students are just pretending to listen or read this book.  It is very frustrating.  I have tried to hold them accountable by offering fun book related activities as motivation, but I have not been successful in reaching every student.

After learning about the different options of having Literacy Circles, I think it would be a great way to hold my students accountable for actually reading.  I like how each circle has different roles while all are reading the same book.  I plan to try using Literacy Circles with the next books.  I want to have students pair up in groups of 4.  Each group will be responsible for reading the book of their choice from the school library or from their personal collection.  Each week I will assign each member a different job they will work on while reading.  On Friday's the groups will meet and share their findings with the group.  They will turn in their written or computer generated job sheets for me to assign points to.  Roles will rotate each week so each person is responsible for a different job every week.  The collection of job sheets can be put into a group portfolio that covers book reviews and assignments from their readings.

I think this will be a motivating factor for my students.  They will be able to mix learning, reading, and socializing.  In addition, creating a portfolio for others to view will encourage them to do their best.