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Look Ms. Freeman Were Having Book Talks!

• Literature Circles and Reader Response in
  Kindergarten
• by Laura Freeman

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Literature circles foster

• Collaboration
• Exploration
• Communication
• Literacy Development

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Kindergarten TEKS K.1DE, K.2A, K.3C, K.8AB,
K.9AC, K.12A-C, K.13AB, K.15A-D, K.16AB

• Objectives The student will
• listen to stories to interpret and evaluate
• use prior knowledge to anticipate meaning and
  make sense of texts
• retell stories and share thoughts/ideas about
  important events in stories
• connect his/her own experiences with real life
  experiences
• ask and answer relevant questions and make
  contributions in small group discussions
• write to record ideas and reflections relating to
  the text

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Collaboration during literature circle
discussions increase

• Vocabulary
• Literacy conventions
• Narrative strategies
• Dialogue
• Listening skills
• Ability to share opinions
• Overall meaning constructed from text
• Motivation to learn

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According to Louise Rosenblatt, when students
are moved aesthetically by the text, they will
want to share their thoughts and ideas with
peers. During discussion, learners gain an
insight into how they responded to the text by
hearing responses of classmates who may have
viewed the text differently due to differences in
temperaments, experiences, and literacy
abilities. Through the evaluation of text,
students are able to see themselves as readers,
or desire to become better readers because of the
identification of their personal strengths and
weaknesses through the interaction with peers and
text. Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The Reader, the
Text, the Poem The Transactional Theory of the
Literary Work. Sothern Il. University Press.
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In order for learning to occur in literature
circles, equity among peers must be established.
When students on a team contribute equally,
communication is most likely to be more
motivating, resulting in increased learning.
When students performing a small-group activity
trust other group members to listen and accept
their suggestions, they invest personally in that
activity, (Wilkinson Silliman, 2001).
Literature circles must begin with the modeling
of acceptance and trust of all ideas in whole
group from the teacher in order for students to
treat each other with respect in a setting where
the teacher may or may not be present.
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Introduction of Literature Circles

• Students are researchers.
• Read books aloud multiple times.
• Model how to retell story and discuss favorite
  parts.
• Explicit discussion of appropriate and
  inappropriate behaviors.
• Discussion of teacher role as listener,
  questioner, and note taker.

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Literature Circles in Action

• Students choose book they want to discuss.
• Groups meet concurrently with three to four
  members each.
• Students pass the book between members and listen
  to the child holding the book.
• During retells, children take turns explaining
  events in the story.
• Students shared their favorite part of story and
  explained.
• Classmates prompt one another when needed.

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Teacher Role

• Rotate around the room
• Check list for student comments
• Ask for further explanation of unclear responses
• Ask open-ended questions
• Resolve conflicts between group members

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Elaboration of commentary provides teachers with
an insight into

• Students points of view
• How they construct meaning
• How they make sense of the text

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Expecting further explanation of ideas prevented
discussions from becoming stagnant and allowed
for new ideas to flourish.
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Abiyoyo Returns written by Pete SeegerIn this
story a village teaches a monster, Abiyoyo, about
kindness by taking care of him.

• Student 1 theyre brushing
• Student 2 and washing
• Student 1 Abiyoyos stinking feet
• Student 3 Theyre gonna fall over cause of his
  stinking feet.
• Student 1 They couldnt even breathe.
• Student 3 Yeah theyd go blah!
• Teacher Why are they cleaning his feet?
• Student 2 to teach him to be nice
• Student 1 So he wont wake up everyone at
  midnight.
• Student 3 Hed go RRR and eat all the people.

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Beautiful Blackbird written by Ashley Bryan
Blackbird willingly shares his color by marking
each bird in a different way. The birds rejoice
as they show off their black decorations.

• Student 1 They all wanted some black.
• Student 2 Yeah and he gave the other birds some.
• Student 3 Black has all the colors.
• Student 2 They cant all be blacksome should
  have stripes.
• Student 4 or dots
• Student 1 Theyre different.
• Teacher Why?
• Student 4 They shouldnt all be black. No one
  would know who was the blackbird.
• Student 3 Yeah theyre all different on the
  outside.
• Teacher What do you think?
• Student 1 Were all the same on the insidewere
  all black on the inside.
• Student 4 Sometimes were different. Like my mom
  she borned in Turkey and I am borned here.

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Reader Response Journals

• After students discussed literature in groups,
  they discussed anything new that they learned as
  researchers. Students recorded their new
  insights in their journals with the help of
  classmates and teacher.

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Questioning and Making Connections

• Form a group of three to four classmates.
• Choose a book. Read the book.
• Discuss the connections students can make with
  the book. Text to self, text to world, and text
  to text.
• Write at least two questions for each of the
  following levels.
• Level One Text based
• Level Two Inference
• Level Three Real Life

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Modifications

• At risk Provide students with a discussion
  buddy. (Someone who can be a leader and has a lot
  of patience.)
• ESL Discuss the text with the student before
  literature circles.
• GT Formulate questions for the discussions using
  words or pictures.

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Results of literature circles

• Use of vocabulary and phrases from stories
• Commentary on character behavior
• Flow of conversations without long silences
• Shy, reluctant students shared ideas
• Connections with self, world, and text
• Writing grew from I like/I can sentences to
  detailed comments about stories.

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My Goals as a Researcher

• Involving parent volunteers in literature circles
• Send home multiple copies of picture books on
  Thursdays. Students return books on Monday for
  book club discussions.
• Send home post-it notes for students to draw
  pictures and parents to write students verbal
  responses. (parent letter--reactions, feelings,
  predictions)
• Students share thoughts about the book using
  post-it notes and help from parent volunteers.

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References

• Daniels, H. (2002). Literature Circles. York, ME
  Stenhouse.
• Daniels, H. Steineke, N. (2004). Mini-Lessons
  for Literature Circles. Portsmouth, NH.
  Heinemann.
• Fassler, R. (1998, March). Lets do it again!
  Peer Collaboration in an ESL Kindergarten.
  Language Arts, 75(3). Available
  http//www.ncte.org
• Gambrell, L.B., Morrow, L.M., Pennington, C.
  (2002, February). Early Childhood and Elementary
  Literature-Based Instruction Current
  Perspectives and Special Issues. Reading
  Online, 5(6). Available http//www.reading
  online.org /art_index.asp?HREFhandbook/gambrell
  /index.htm
• Hynd, C. (1999). Instructional considerations in
  middle and secondary schools. In J. Guthrie D.
  Alvermann (Eds.), Engaged reading Processes,
  practices, and policy implications (pp. 81-104).
  New York Teachers College Press.
• Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The Reader, the Text, the
  Poem The Transactional Theory of the Literary
  Work. Southern Il. University Press.
• Wilkinson, L.C., Silliman, E.R. (2001,
  February). Classroom Language and Literacy
  Learning. Reading Online, 4 (7). Available
  http//www.readingonline.org /articles/art_index.
  asp?HREF/articles/handbook/wilkinson/index.html