In CIRC Reading, students are taught in reading groups and then return to mixed ability teams to work on a series of cognitively engaging activities, including partner reading, making predictions, identification of characters, settings, problem and problem solutions, summarization, vocabulary, reading comprehension exercises, and story-related writing. Audience Approved by PEP for students in grades three and four. Has been used successfully in grades 2-6. Students are assigned to teams composed of pairs of students from the same or different reading groups.
Students work in teams to understand the main idea and master other comprehension skills.
In most CIRC activities, students follow a sequence of teacher instruction, team practice, peer preassessments, assessment, and team recognition. Students are not assessed until their teammates have determined they are ready. Team recognition involves giving certificates to teams based upon the performance of all team members on all reading and writing activities. Because students work on materials appropriate to their reading levels, they have equal opportunities for success. Students' contributions to their teams are based on their quiz scores and their final, independently written compositions, which ensures individual accountability.