Literature Circles
Book Title:_______________________
Author:_________________________
Goals:
With your group, decide how many pages you will read and set
due dates for completion.
Goal #1
Goal #2
Goal #3
Goal #4
Pages_____-_____
Pages_____-_____
Pages_____-_____
Pages_____-_____
Due: _________
Due: _________
Due: _________
Due: _________
Student Role:
Each student is responsible for reading the assigned pages and
completing their job before meeting with their literature circle each
week.
Discussion Preparations:
As you read, please keep in mind the following topics so that you are
ready to discuss with your literature circle members.
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Character analysis

Development of the plot
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Problem and solution (conflict/resolution)


Character’s influence on the development of the plot
Climax
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Theme
Personal feelings and thoughts about the book
Meeting Dates and Assignments
First Meeting-Date:__________
Members
Depth/Complexity Icon
Second Meeting-Date:__________
Members
Depth/Complexity Icon
Meeting Dates and Assignments
Third Meeting-Date:__________
Members
Depth/Complexity Icon
Fourth Meeting-Date:__________
Members
Depth/Complexity Icon
Language of the Discipline
Think about the words and phrases the author uses to produce
imagery. Choose one passage from your book and draw a picture
that you saw in your mind. Label your picture and include text
evidence.
Choose 3 interesting words or phrases from your book. Use a
dictionary or other tools to help you understand their meaning.
Write the definition of each and use in a sentence.
Find an example of figurative language in the book. Why does the
author use this in their writing? Write the phrase below and
explain what it means.
Examine the author’s writing craft. Does the author write in a
manner that makes the book enjoyable to read? Explain why or
why not. (Justify using text evidence.)
Read the chapter titles. Evaluate whether or not the titles fit
the text. Use text evidence to help explain your stance.
Details
Write one inference you can make from the text. What details
helped you draw this conclusion?
Choose one of the text elements (conflict, resolution, climax,
setting, etc.) and list all the details you can from your reading.
Analyze the main character(s) from the book. What details can
you find about them in your reading?
Patterns
What patterns have you noticed in your reading? Does the
character keep doing something over and over again? Is there a
recurring emotion? What other patterns can you find?
Do any objects, words, or events reappear over and over again?
Why do you think the author does this?
Sequence the main event from your reading. Use pictures and
words.
Make a prediction: What will happen next? Use text evidence and
your schema to justify your prediction.
Rules
Make a connection: How do the rules or expectations in the book
relate to the rules and expectations in your life?
Define what genre category your book fits into. What rules
helped you place your book into that genre?
Pick a character from your reading. What values and beliefs does
this character have? How do those beliefs impact what rules the
character follows?
Choose two or more characters and think about their
relationship. How do rules and expectations influence how they
interact?
Trends
Use details from the text to explain and illustrate when the novel
takes place.
Think about the main action or event from your reading. How
does this event cause change to occur (change in characters,
setting, emotions, etc.)? How would this event impact your life?
Predict how the event discussed above will impact the plot. What
will happen later on because of this event?
Unanswered Questions
Write three “deep” questions that you have about your reading.
Challenge yourself to make them truly unanswerable questions
(questions that require you to infer and draw conclusions rather
than finding the answer in the text).
Put yourself in the character’s shoes and think about the events
surrounding your character. What unanswered questions do you
think the character has?
Big Idea
Use the graphic organizer below to write the main idea and
supporting details.
Use the information above to write a summary of your reading.
Ethics
Your task is to consider the conflict (problem) in the story. Collect all the evidence you
can (text evidence) and form an opinion about the moral/ethical issues (differences
between right and wrong) surrounding the problem.
What is the ethical/moral dilemma in the story? How does it
affect the conflict (problem)?
How do different characters view this problem? What causes the
differences in perspectives?
What are your thoughts and feelings on the issue? Would you
handle the dilemma in a different manner? Explain why.
Changes over Time
Does the story take place in the past, present, or future? Find
words and phrases to justify your thoughts.
How would the characters and plot be different if the story took
place during a different time?
Choose a character and discuss how they change over time. What
causes the change? How would this change affect you over time?
Different Perspectives
Think about an event from your reading. How did different
characters perceive what happened? What causes the difference
in perspectives?
Describe the main character from the perspective of another
character in the novel. What is the difference in perspectives?
Why?
Paraphrase the events from your reading, but from a different
perspective. From whose perspective did you write and why?
Across Disciplines
What other disciplines (subjects) did the author have to study to
be able to write effectively?
Think about the subject area discussed above. Does that make
the reading more or less interesting? Explain.
What lesson or theme can you learn from your reading? How
could you use this lesson to impact your community?