Implementation of Literature Circles in Oregon Middle Schools
Year: 2018

Literature circles at their most basic form are a small group discussion centered around a shared text. They have been present in the literature since the early 1990's. Today, literature circles are the subject of books, action research projects, and journal articles.  The study aims to gather data on the use of literature circles through a teacher survey and teacher interviews. The goal is to ascertain how middle school teachers in Oregon are using the tool in their classroom, whether they observe positive student engagement in the practice, and to ascertain the areas in which they see literature circles impacting student outcomes. The 26 teachers who completed the survey implemented literature circles with variety. Lesser used practices included utilizing online discussions and nonfiction text. Teachers reported that social emotional learning, comprehension, literacy, and vocabulary outcomes were impacted through literature circles.  The survey gives an indication that literature circles are not a homogenous practice, but an evolving tool that can be fitted to the needs of students. Literature circles provide the opportunity for rich discussion and connection between subjects and classmates. Implementation of Literature Circles 3 Implementation of Literature Circles In Oregon Middle Schools In my first year at Portland State University, I took a course entitled Children's Literature K 5. During the online course, students participated in a classroom experience called a literature circle. We were assigned to a small group, given a specific role accompanied by a task related to the text, and asked to spend time discussing the text online. We each focused on one aspect of the story and reported back to the group our insights, which led to a rich discussion. The practice put us in deep, direct contact with each other and the text. Recently, I was communicating with a rural Oregon middle school teacher, and I asked the teacher whether or not they thought that the use of literature circles was widespread in Oregon. Although I know of teachers who are using the practice their classrooms, this teacher was of the opinion that very few Oregon teachers utilizing this tool. This surprised and made me wonder: how are literature circles fairing in Oregon middle school classrooms? I hypothesized that literature circles could serve Oregon students by improving not only their relationships to each other, but improve their experience with high quality children's literature as well as impact outcomes directly related to reading ability. During a study abroad in Reggio Emilia, Italy with the Early Childhood Department at Portland State University and through the work, Making Learning Visible by Giudici et. al. (2008) I was introduced to a philosophy of education adopted by the municipal school of Reggio Emilia. The "Reggio Approach," as it is called, builds of the work of educational philosophers Implementation of Literature Circles 4 such as Dewey and Montessori and aims to support children in their own learning, in constructing their own knowledge. Reggio school have adopted the notion that children are competent constructors of their own knowledge (Guidici et al. 2008) Literature circles clearly fit within the context of this philosophy, though applied to a different age group and in the context of an American school. In Daniels' article "What's the Next Big Thing with Literature Circles," the author indicates that when implementing literature circles, teachers are not just placing students at the center of their own learning, but in the context of a peer group. The teacher changes many of the environmental aspects of a traditional classroom: students converse in small groups unaided or uninterrupted by the teacher and they often read literature of their own choosing. These two elements: the small group literary discussion and the choice of reading material are the basis of the literature circle (Daniels, 2006) I would assert that the Oregon teachers that are using the practice of literature circles need the opportunity to share their experiences through participating in research. It is increasingly important to know how literature circles are working in classrooms today. The reason for this is twofold, it's important for teachers who might want to try implementing literature circles, but also as a reflective practice for those who are already comfortably embracing literature circles in their own classrooms. The culture and society that influence schools, teachers, and therefore children, are constantly changing and evolving. The straightforward, small group interaction with quality literature is a tool that has the flexibility to be adapted to a variety of school environments and classrooms. It is vital that we not only reflect Implementation of Literature Circles 5 on this teaching practice, but connect this tool, that has the adaptability to be culturally sensitive and effective, to teachers around the state. My research question is, in what ways are Oregon teachers implementing small group literary discussions (commonly called literature circles) in the classroom? This research will explore the different manifestations of literature circles across Oregon and investigate the elements of the practice that are currently being utilized in Oregon classrooms. This research will also include specifically how one teacher's classroom of middle school students demonstrate motivation and interact within the framework of this tool.  The book Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs Reading Groups by Daniels (2002) chronicles the history of literary discussion groups, tracing modern literature circles to their origins in the education movements of the late 1980's (Daniels 2002) According to Keegan and Shrake (1991) the book The Art of Teaching Writing inspired their action research project, one of the first to be published on literature study groups in the journal, The Reading Teacher. Some features of literature circles are present in this classroom project, including heterogeneous groups, assigned roles, discussion questions, and book choice (Keegan Shrake, 1991) Daniels however, (2002) identifies "Eleven Key Ingredients" that define literature circles as presented in his book. These include specific practical guidelines as well as measures related to student engagement emotion and social emotional learning: 1. Students choose their own reading materials. 2. Small temporary groups are formed, based on book choice. Implementation of Literature Circles 6 3. Different groups read different books. 4. Groups meet on a regular, predictable schedule to discuss their reading. 5. Kids use written or drawn notes to guide both their reading and discussion. 6. Discussion topics come from the students. 7. Group meetings aim to be open, neutral conversations about books, so personal connections, digressions, and open ended questions are welcome. 8. The teacher serves as a facilitator, not a group member or instructor. 9. Evaluation is by teacher observation and student self evaluation.  A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room. 11. When books are finished, readers share with their classmates, and then new groups form around new reading choices. Table 1.1 "Eleven Key Ingredients " (Daniels, pg 18, 2002) Grand Conversations: Literature Groups in Action by Peterson and Eeds (2007) also extends the practice of small group literary discussions to build connections between school and home, allow students to build understanding through interacting with each other and the text, reading "extensively," and reading "intensively." By "extensive" reading, the authors mean for students to spend large quantities of time with books, as well as bringing the text to life through "intensive" reading, where students are able to make connections between themselves, the text, and each other. They cite the belief in the transactional process, where students engage in learning bringing their background knowledge to the text as the catalyst for learning (Peterson Eeds, 2007) In more recent publications, most notably an article published in journal The Reading Teacher by Barone and Barone entitled "Really," "Not Possible," "I Can't Believe It" Implementation of Literature Circles 7 Exploring Informational Text in Literature Circles" (Barone, D Barone B, 2016) and the book published the following year, Literary Conversations in the Classroom: Deepening Understanding of Nonfiction and Narrative literature circles have been relaunched as "literary conversations." In their work, there is a more prescribed outline for teachers on how to initiate the use of literature circles in the classroom This includes grouping students heterogeneously and distributing specific roles to each student based on reading ability, as well as several examples of books choices that would work well for literature circles (Barone, D Baron, B, 2017) In 2010, The U.S. Department of Education published an overview on literature circles and book clubs on the What Works Clearinghouse website (2010) The study reviewed 284 studies on literary discussion groups and included book clubs and literature circles within the framework of inquiry. The majority of these studies were conducted between 1998 and 2009, the most prolific time period was between 1998 2003. The number of studies published shows that literature circles gained momentum in the late 1990's (WWC, 2010) and this increase coincided with the 1994 publication of Daniels' Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student centered Classroom. According to Daniels (1994) in the 1980's, teachers were experimenting with book clubs in their own classrooms (Daniels, 1994) Within the framework criteria of the Adolescent Literacy Evidence Review Protocol (ALERP) the WWC conducted their study to ascertain