Ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching
Literature Circles for Science
Mini book clubs enrich student discussion and increase student
By William Straits and
understanding of a wide range of science texts.
Sherry Nichols
A
ll science learning experiences, from hands-on
inquiry to textbook-based
learning, are enhanced if students
are motivated and engaged in purposeful discussion. We’ve found
a way to encourage this—with
literature circles, a popular reading
strategy that emphasizes student
interest and conversation.
Literature circles are similar to
your monthly book club meeting,
except students need not all read
the same book, and each participant takes on a specific, rotating
role—everyone comes to the group
with notes needed to perform
that job (Daniels 1994). Several of
these roles have become staples of
literature circles, including: Questioner, Literary Luminary, Illustrator, Summarizer, Researcher, Word
Wizard, and Scene Setter. There
have been creative adaptations of
these roles to extend their application to other disciplines, including
science (see Figures 1–3 for role
descriptions). The primary goal of
literature circle roles is to promote
meaningful student participation
in small-group discussion. Here’s
how to get started.
Promoting
Meaningful Discussion
Group meetings aim to be open,
natural conversations about books;
personal connections, digressions,
and open-ended questions are wel52
Science and Children
come (Daniels 1994). It is important
to make this explicit to students and
to teach them how to have a productive discussion. Brainstorming with
students often leads to a complete
listing of discussion etiquette.
When appropriately involved in
discussion, students are focused, using good posture and eye contact;
active, responding verbally and
nonverbally to others; questioning,
asking for clarification; respectful,
talking one at a time, responding
positively, and encouraging others to contribute; and constructive,
expanding on the ideas of others,
disagreeing politely, and supporting ideas with information from the
text (Hill, Schlick Noe, and Johnson
2001). It’s also productive to provide
students with prompts for contributing to the conversation. Hill,
Schlick Noe, and Johnson (2001,
p. 34) encourage teachers to offer
the following discussion starters
and post these cues for easy student
reference during discussion:
• “I’d like to add….
• “I disagree because…
• “I agree because…
• “I don’t understand what you
mean by… and
• “I’m confused about…”
Literature circle discussions are
prompted and guided by participants’ roles but are not limited to
Figure 1.
simply reading from role sheets.
The suggested roles are meant to
enrich conversations, not delineate
them. Reviewing role sheets as well
as observing discussion can serve
as a means for assessing students’
preparation for and participation
in group discussions.
Two Kinds of
Literature Circles
There are two primary ways to
organize literature circles: topicfocused and text-focused. Roles
common to both topic-centered
and text-centered circles include
Discussion Director, Illustrator,
Summarizer, and Passage Master
(see Figure 1).
In topic-focused reading groups,
students identify topics of interest;
students with common interest form
a literature circle. Group members
read different books all related to
the common topic (e.g., sharks, the
tropical rain forest, electricity, etc.).
A major benefit of topic-focused
discussions is that the books, like
the students who choose them, do
not have to be on the same reading
level. Students can read at their
own levels about topics of interest
and then actively contribute to the
group discussion—involvement is
not limited by reading ability. Contrary to what labels suggest, “lowerlevel” readers are no “lower” than
others in their ability to amass
great stores of information from
various sources and effectively
share this information. Roles such
as Science Translator, Science Biographer, and Fact Finder (Figure
2) are helpful in this type of circle
to guide students toward greater
science learning. These roles are
Roles common to both topic-centered and
text-centered literature circles.
Discussion Director:
As you read, write ideas or questions that your group might want to discuss.
Illustrator:
Draw a picture about something you read or something that the book made you
think of.
Summarizer:
Your job is to write the main ideas in the reading.
Passage Master:
Your job is to locate a few special sections of the reading that are interesting,
confusing, funny, or important.
Figure 2.
Roles for topic-centered literature circles.
Science Translator:
As you read, look for new science words. Write the page number, the word, and
the definition. Share your findings with the group.
Science Biographer:
As you read about different people doing science, write their names. Then use
the library and internet to find more information about that person. Share your
findings with the group.
Fact Finder:
Find out information about the ideas in the book. You can use other books and the
internet to find out more information.
Figure 3.
Roles for text-centered literature circles.
Word Wizard:
As you read look for new words, especially science words. Write the page number,
the word, and the definition. Share your findings with the group.
Everyday Life Connector:
Your job is to find links between events, ideas, characters, objects, etc., in the reading and those that are part of our current, everyday lives.
Science Sleuth:
Find out information about the science ideas in the book. You can use other books
and the internet to find out more information.
November 2006 53
specifically designed to encourage
students to explore and discuss
together the meaning of science
vocabulary, the lives of scientists,
and science content.
In text-focused groups, each
group member reads the same
student-selected book. Teachers present a group of books for
students to choose from, but students still get to make a choice.
And, the book does not always
have to be nonfiction. Some fiction books with science themes
make good springboards to science learning because narrative
texts encourage students to form
deep connections with the text as
they vicariously step into character roles.
Identifying with characters increases students’ motivation to explore topics encountered in the text.
Books such as Judy Moody Saves the
World (McDonald 2002), Julie of the
Wolves (George 1972), Island of the
Blue Dolphins (O’Dell 1971), and
The Same Stuff as Stars (Paterson
2004) can be used to generate interest in and expand understanding
of science topics. Additionally, the
Magic Tree House series (Osborne
1992–2006) includes fictional stories
with nonfiction companion texts.
Reading fiction and related nonfiction texts in tandem can encourage
greater student exploration of science concepts related to the adventures of fictional characters with
whom students identify. Specific
Figure 4.
Presentation ideas.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Performances of a “lost scene” from the book;
A sequel to the story;
Videotaped dramatizations;
A time line of the story;
Reader-on-the-street interviews (live or videotaped);
A new ending for the book;
An original skit based on the book;
An advertising campaign for the book;
An impersonation of a character from the book (in costume, with props);
An interview with the author (real or fictionalized);
The story rewritten for younger kids as a picture book;
A news broadcast reporting events from the book;
A gravestone and eulogy for a character;
A puppet show about the book;
A map representing a character’s journey—illustrating important events,
settings, and themes;
• A CD cover, including cover art, list of songs, lyrics, liner notes, etc.; and
• An “ABC Book” focusing on key events, characters, ideas, and
information from the book.
54
Science and Children
roles, such as Everyday Life Connector, Word Wizard, and Science
Sleuth can be used to focus discussion on the science included in the
story (see Figure 3, page 53).
Sharing With the Class
Upon completion of the text,
students in each literature circle
collaborate to design a creative
presentation representing their
understanding of the topics/texts
explored. These final presentations
take on many forms (Figure 4). For
example, after reading and sharing
information about sharks, your students may want to role-play a trial
with prosecuting attorneys depicting sharks as cold-blooded killers
with as many as 3,000 serrated teeth,
and defense attorneys informing the
jury (classmates) that less than 10%
of all shark species are known to
attack humans. Different witnesses
might include a seal, a whale shark,
and a marine biologist.
The presentations are intended
to achieve three goals. First, presentations require students to
organize information in unique
ways. As such they serve as opportunities for higher-level learning,
demanding students synthesize
a representation of their learning
quite different from the text(s) and
discussion which served as sources
of information. Second, presentations provide an opportunity for
assessment. Depending on the
students’ intentions, the text(s)
read, and your own goals, different criteria can be used to evaluate
student learning as represented by
the presentations. While certainly
the breadth, depth, and accuracy
of science content included in pre-
sentations can be assessed, other
objectives such as oral and written
communication skills, cooperation
and teamwork, and artistic expression and creativity may also be important and should be considered
during assessment.
Finally, the presentations can
arouse the interest of other students
in the topics/texts presented. After
the presentations, students can
choose new topics/texts, form new
groups, and begin another round of
literature circles.
A Natural Link
The link between literature circles
and inquiry science is natural. Consider the best practices in a literature
circles classroom, which include
asking authentic, open-ended questions; incorporating students’ words
and ideas into classroom discourse;
responding positively to student
responses; and using students’
responses to further discussions
(Nystrand and Gamoran 1997).
These practices mirror quality inquiry science classroom practice.
While emphasizing science ideas
included in either expository or
narrative texts, inquiry science activities can readily be linked to reading topics. A key benefit is that the
reading and performing of science
in tandem more accurately reflects
how science is actually conducted.
Moreover, with this integration,
student interest snowballs; reading
generates curiosity in science, and
doing science promotes enthusiasm
for reading.
William Straits (wstraits@csulb.
edu) is an assistant professor
in the Department of Science
Education at California State
University, Long Beach in Long
Beach, California. Sherry Nichols
([email protected])
is an associate professor in the
Department of Curriculum and
Instruction at the University
o f A l a b a m a i n Tu s c a l o o s a ,
Alabama.
Resources
Daniels, H. 1994. Literature circles: Voice
and choice in book clubs and reading
groups. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
George, J.C. 1972. Julie of the wolves.
New York: HarperTrophy.
Hill, B.C., K.L. Schlick Noe, and N.J.
Johnson. 2001. Literature circles
resource guide: Teaching suggestions,
forms, sample book lists, and database. Norwood, MA: ChristopherGordon.
McDonald, M. 2002. Judy Moody saves
the world. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
National Research Council (NRC).
1996. National science education
standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Nystrand, M., and A. Gamoran. 1997.
The big picture: The language of
learning in dozens of English lessons. In Opening dialogue: Understanding the dynamics of language
and learning in the English classroom, ed. M. Nystrand, 30–74. New
York: Teachers College Press.
O’Dell, S. 1990. Island of the blue
dolphins. Boston, MA: Houghton
Mifflin.
Osborne, M.P. 1992–2006. Magic Tree
House book series. New York. Random House.
Paterson, K. 2002. The same stuff as
stars. Boston, MA: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin.
Schlick Noe, K.L. 2004. Extension
projects. Seattle University, The
Literature Circle Resource Center
website: http://fac-staff.seattleu.
e d u / k s ch l n o e / web / L i t C i r cl e s /
Extension/extension.html.
Visit The Early Years Blog!
Discuss
primary-level
science
with fellow
educators at
http://science.nsta.org/earlyyearsblog.
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