I frequently assign small group work in my classes; in lit courses the groups often focus on a particular reading and report back to the class. In my surfing of edublogs, I've routinely bumped into references to "literature circles": small groups that not only read a text, but have each participant assigned a particular role. I printed the guidelines for these "Reading Roles for Literature Circles" at the Literature Circles Blog because I like the breakdown (even if it's intended for younger students than those I teach). The source for these literature circles is Harvey Daniels' book, which has been ported to web discussion groups and student blogging communities. There are many resources for literature circles available online worth returning to. The concept really isn't new to me, but I like to see how different teachers structure their approach to group work on a book.

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