I really liked the idea of the presentation – being a secondary math teacher, I’ve never really thought about comprehension strategies for literary circles. The literary circle was really funny to watch and engaging, but I think that this excitement and engagement should be strung through the entire lesson. I enjoyed the concept of the Ideagram, however I would have changed the way that this concept was explained to the class. I think that there were parts that could have been summarized or quickly discussed (needs to be brief – let the students have more input), instead of going over specific details from The Rabbit book. I really like the extensions and the modifications presented at the end of the lesson. As for the presentation as a whole, very good idea, however it didn’t seem like the presentation was “split” evenly upon the members.
Let’s cut to the chase. You will probably hear from many of us (if we wish to give some constructive criticism) that the lesson was not flowing very smoothly or may be the parts were somehow disconnected. However, it shouldn’t be difficult to make an improvement in this area. In my opinion you have chosen the most challenging reading lesson techniques we have seen in our classroom. The strategies you have presented are not only challenging for students but also for teachers to implement them effectively. Having the “Literary Circles” in the classroom sounds like an interesting idea. The part that I like the most is responding to the question “Have you found any connection to this passage from your life?” Everybody, but particularly children, likes to talk about own experiences. Question like this sparks the debate about the book, which is the essence of this activity. The “Ideagram” looks to me like another challenging strategy to bring to a classroom. It happens to often that we adults underestimate children’s ability to face the conceptually difficult material. Many students would probably appreciate the artistic part of the project as a way of expressing their view about the plot or characters. The choice of the book, “The rabbits”, for studying brought me to my last remark about the lesson. Hey! Don’t we appreciate male teacher perspective in elementary schools? Sure we do.
I thought the introduction set up the concept of literature circles well for people that may not be familiar with them. There were details we needed to know before being exposed to the idea. I liked how you set up the literature circles and connections to your experiences with successful discussion groups in your practicums. I've never tried literature circles before and I would like to try it in 405 with grade 5's. The instruction of the ideagram was explicit so students are informed of your expectations. I liked how the ideagram is suitable for all learning styles. I think the ideagram could be one idea as a final activity after reading a book. Some students may benefit more from doing a book review or writing an alternate ending, etc.
Your literature circle lesson presentation was a good example of the possibilities that can be realized for students. I can appreciate the level of passion and understanding that is required to implement these lessons, and I believe that it is a creative way to help students develop many reading comprehension strategies. The ideagram is an important method for students to show their understandings. I love how it meets the needs of the students with different learning styles, and challenges. Your concluding comments were very insightful, and demonstrated flexible thinking that is key for the success of the educator as well.
I thought you guys did a great job in modeling how to do a literature circle and what it looks like. I have read about them but I have never done one before. Your format of literature circles was very engaging. I also liked how you guys showed us a comprehension strategy. I think the ideogram is a great way for students to feel success as long as they are able to explain their work. This activity will allow students to be engaged in their work and be creative. In addition, it is very open ended therefore all students should be able to succeed in their own way. It allows for students to choose a more challenging focus or a simpler focus. You did a good job!!
The presentation contained two very usefull methods for increasing reading comprehension. I especially liked the idea of the lit circle. Too much time was spent describing the ideagram in generality, I felt it was talked about for so long, without ever providing any specifics for assessment. Students need specific targets to be met, so they feel they can succeed. It was discussed in circles it seemed, students would have completely tuned out. Good ideas overall, the presentation was a little heavy on the latter part however.
I really liked the idea of the literature circles. I especially liked it when one of you said to relate it to the students’ own personal experiences. I know that when students find something they really like that it’s so hard to stop them and this looks like the perfect activity to get the students to never stop talking. It’s such a wonderful idea that gets all students involved because they’re in small groups so it’s not as nerve wracking as being in front of the entire class. The ideagram confused me a little. I liked the concept of it but the explanation of it confused me to the point that I could no longer understand what was expected of me as a student. I think the demo ideagram could have been done a little simpler as to not overwhelm the students into thinking that they also had to make something so dramatic.
I think lit circles would be a great way to study a novel. They allow students some flexibility and independence while keeping some structure and accountability. I enjoyed watching the lit circle discussion—that’s a new way of approaching it that I’ve never seen before. The concept of the ideogram is good, although I did find the explanation of it rather long and confusing. Perhaps you could’ve used the same passage that the students in the lit circle were discussing to introduce the ideogram; this might’ve helped us to connect the two activities a little more. Nonetheless, I’m glad to have learned about lit circles and ideograms, and I probably will use both of them in my classroom! Thanks for showing us these strategies!
During your presentation, I was briefly reminded of my experience in lit circles when I was in grade three and four. I remember it being kind of scary, especially if I hadn’t caught up with my reading or when I had difficulty reading out loud in front of the group. I think the teacher makes a great deal of difference on the type of the experience a student could have and you definitely showed an open, caring side, and not just someone who was just looking for ‘the right answers’. I think you did an excellent job here. As for the ideogram, great idea but I definitely got as bit lost as the explanation continued on. I did like the choice of literature, definitely a bit challenging but I think its good to have students take a different approach to certain topics. I just would have explained it in a brief way, and to the suggested grade of grade four.
It was fantastic to see the connections that could be made with other books and real life experiences during a Lit Circle lesson. I have never actually observed or participated in a Lit Circle, and appreciated the opportunity to learn about this reading instruction technique. I know that you mentioned that you would set up the experience so that everyone participated in some way, but could see it being difficult to help certain students push themselves to participate orally. I wonder if students could participate by listening actively, and handing in written reflections on the topics they were listening to during a Lit Circle? I found your portion on Ideagrams to be perhaps a little bit too information intensive for my first exposure. I appreciated that you explained in your closing how the Ideagram can offer a multileveled activity to students. I love the way that children could either choose an aspect of a story such as character or setting to work on, or if the felt that they needed a greater challenge they could explore the theme of a work. I also think that it was helpful for you to point out that different stories will be more or less appropriate for a reading lesson depending on the level and social context of a classroom.
This presentation taught us that literature circles are a great way for small groups of students to discuss a piece of literature in depth. This method allows students to become critical thinkers as they engage in ongoing dialogue with a book. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to the book. They also help to create a collaborative, student-centered learning environment. Through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response, this strategy guides the students to a deeper understanding of what they read. The literacy circle portion of this lesson provided us with a perfect example of its effectiveness and of how sometimes students are willing to share a large variety of their personal connections to the text which creates a fun environment and learning experience. The ideagram was definitely a great idea for a work activity to assign at the end of the book, but I can't help but think that students would not have been able to pay attention for the full explanation of the exercise and, therefore, would have missed what was expected of them as a student. Assessment of such a project is also a difficult process and needs to be considered very carefully.
Erin.M. Class 6 Group 4 Literature Circles I enjoyed your introduction with the literature circle. Not only is this a great way for students to express their points of view but, you also allow students who might not speak in the larger classroom to have a chance to voice their views in a smaller setting. The ideagram was also a great concept but like others I felt it could have been explained clearer and in a shorter time frame. You have to let the kids do some thinking too. Nonetheless, the objectives were easy to attain on somewhat of a complicated project.
You did a great job demonstrating Fay Brownlie’s version of literature circles. It was interesting to see all the connections that can be made by children and the circles offered such a great place for this in the classroom. I think too often the focus is on comprehension strategies that pertain directly to the story and students are not given an opportunity to make these connections to text. And yet, making these very connections is one of the strategies that good readers use and perhaps more importantly, it helps foster a love for literature in children. I think the oral nature of the literature circles really helps in getting those students who find writing so exhausting more involved in the lesson by giving them a different means with which to share their ideas. This also fits well with the renewed focus on oral components in the upcoming revised IRPs.
Thanks for demonstrating literature circles. Anything that can help children see connections in reading is invaluable. Lit circles are pretty tough to implement and I think you guys gave some good ideas on how to start. It is evident that as the year progresses this could become a rewarding way for children to discuss their readings. I really like the idea of integrating art and enjoyed the ideagram. I think children should have opportunity to chose their assignments and this is an excellent way to assess the knowledge of a reluctant writer. (It could also make a cool story quilt...)
Your presentation on Literary circles within the classroom was really great. I really like how you modelling how a literacy circle should look like for all of us who have not yet attempted one in their classroom. I really liked how students were able to relate a part of the text to their own personal experiences. By doing so, the students are making a text to person relationship, and that helps students understand and internalize what they are reading. I would really like to use a literacy circle in my classroom, and I was good to hear the difficulties with literacy circles as well. I now see how having different literacy circles in one classroom happening at the same time can be very challenging for the teacher to maintain. Making an ideagram is a great way for students to be creative and represent their feelings towards text. Overall, informative and creative presentation.
I think literature circles are one of the oldest literary strategies in the book, but I never experienced one until your presentation. So thank you for modeling what a literature circle really entails for those of us who were not familiar. What was surprising to me was the amount of freedom students received to just talk about the book and their connection to it. I liked how students were encouraged to find one specific passage of the selected reading to find a connection to. Students were allowed to freely express their own personal connections and stories they wanted to share. Your presentation also presented many comprehension strategies that I was also not familiar with. These include character trait diagrams and idea-grams. The concept of the idea-gram is very creative. However, something such abstract is more suitable for higher grades. I like the fact that idea-grams can be used with any subject and it shows how students are really interpreting the information they are being presented. Your presentation focused a lot on student interpretation and expression, which I believe is important in literacy.
I loved the literary circle, being involved and allowed to break to share personal experience would be great for students to feel like they are a part of the lesson.
I liked how this group actually role-played how a literature circle could function. Having never seen this before I now feel like I have a better understanding of how I could do it myself. The ideagram was taught as a way to further understanding. However I truthfully felt myself more confused once thhe lesson was completed. I applaude the passion that was displayed during this part, but I am afraid that you lost many of us and would have done the same with many of your students. Overall I think the lesson was pretty good. But for next time try to think about you audience a bit more and teach so that they will better understand what you would like them to learn.
In agreeance with many of my other peers, I have found Literary Circles difficult to describe, utilise, even use in my classroom. I appreciate your group tackling this difficult area and making some sense of this tough area in Language Arts. A suggestion: The area of the "ideagram" is strong - I think it would work just fine. However, in the lesson, I feel as though it was confused by trying to teach it step by step on a blackboard instead of giving a criteria sheet out to each person observing which would have allowed for all of us to be able to follow along more easily. It was frustrating to follow on the blackboard. I enjoyed the encouragement of the example "literary circle" in the beginning of the lesson and the way that classroom concepts were brought into the discussion to help tie the entire curriculum together.
Literacy Circles – Brenda, Tracy, Raymond I think that the literacy circle has a definite role in the classroom helping students to internalize and analyze the things that they have read. Comprehension is a difficult thing to master and I think that literacy circles can lead to better comprehension of readings. I also liked the idea of an ideagram. I think though that for instruction purposes that the ideagram could have been simpler and from a simpler book to understand. It would have also been helpful to get some more concrete instructions on the making and marking of an ideagram.
20 comments:
I really liked the idea of the presentation – being a secondary math teacher, I’ve never really thought about comprehension strategies for literary circles. The literary circle was really funny to watch and engaging, but I think that this excitement and engagement should be strung through the entire lesson. I enjoyed the concept of the Ideagram, however I would have changed the way that this concept was explained to the class. I think that there were parts that could have been summarized or quickly discussed (needs to be brief – let the students have more input), instead of going over specific details from The Rabbit book. I really like the extensions and the modifications presented at the end of the lesson. As for the presentation as a whole, very good idea, however it didn’t seem like the presentation was “split” evenly upon the members.
Let’s cut to the chase. You will probably hear from many of us (if we wish to give some constructive criticism) that the lesson was not flowing very smoothly or may be the parts were somehow disconnected. However, it shouldn’t be difficult to make an improvement in this area. In my opinion you have chosen the most challenging reading lesson techniques we have seen in our classroom. The strategies you have presented are not only challenging for students but also for teachers to implement them effectively. Having the “Literary Circles” in the classroom sounds like an interesting idea. The part that I like the most is responding to the question “Have you found any connection to this passage from your life?” Everybody, but particularly children, likes to talk about own experiences. Question like this sparks the debate about the book, which is the essence of this activity. The “Ideagram” looks to me like another challenging strategy to bring to a classroom. It happens to often that we adults underestimate children’s ability to face the conceptually difficult material. Many students would probably appreciate the artistic part of the project as a way of expressing their view about the plot or characters. The choice of the book, “The rabbits”, for studying brought me to my last remark about the lesson. Hey! Don’t we appreciate male teacher perspective in elementary schools? Sure we do.
I thought the introduction set up the concept of literature circles well for people that may not be familiar with them. There were details we needed to know before being exposed to the idea. I liked how you set up the literature circles and connections to your experiences with successful discussion groups in your practicums. I've never tried literature circles before and I would like to try it in 405 with grade 5's. The instruction of the ideagram was explicit so students are informed of your expectations. I liked how the ideagram is suitable for all learning styles. I think the ideagram could be one idea as a final activity after reading a book. Some students may benefit more from doing a book review or writing an alternate ending, etc.
Your literature circle lesson presentation was a good example of the possibilities that can be realized for students. I can appreciate the level of passion and understanding that is required to implement these lessons, and I believe that it is a creative way to help students develop many reading comprehension strategies. The ideagram is an important method for students to show their understandings. I love how it meets the needs of the students with different learning styles, and challenges. Your concluding comments were very insightful, and demonstrated flexible thinking that is key for the success of the educator as well.
I thought you guys did a great job in modeling how to do a literature circle and what it looks like. I have read about them but I have never done one before. Your format of literature circles was very engaging. I also liked how you guys showed us a comprehension strategy. I think the ideogram is a great way for students to feel success as long as they are able to explain their work. This activity will allow students to be engaged in their work and be creative. In addition, it is very open ended therefore all students should be able to succeed in their own way. It allows for students to choose a more challenging focus or a simpler focus. You did a good job!!
The presentation contained two very usefull methods for increasing reading comprehension. I especially liked the idea of the lit circle. Too much time was spent describing the ideagram in generality, I felt it was talked about for so long, without ever providing any specifics for assessment. Students need specific targets to be met, so they feel they can succeed. It was discussed in circles it seemed, students would have completely tuned out. Good ideas overall, the presentation was a little heavy on the latter part however.
I really liked the idea of the literature circles. I especially liked it when one of you said to relate it to the students’ own personal experiences. I know that when students find something they really like that it’s so hard to stop them and this looks like the perfect activity to get the students to never stop talking. It’s such a wonderful idea that gets all students involved because they’re in small groups so it’s not as nerve wracking as being in front of the entire class. The ideagram confused me a little. I liked the concept of it but the explanation of it confused me to the point that I could no longer understand what was expected of me as a student. I think the demo ideagram could have been done a little simpler as to not overwhelm the students into thinking that they also had to make something so dramatic.
I think lit circles would be a great way to study a novel. They allow students some flexibility and independence while keeping some structure and accountability. I enjoyed watching the lit circle discussion—that’s a new way of approaching it that I’ve never seen before. The concept of the ideogram is good, although I did find the explanation of it rather long and confusing. Perhaps you could’ve used the same passage that the students in the lit circle were discussing to introduce the ideogram; this might’ve helped us to connect the two activities a little more. Nonetheless, I’m glad to have learned about lit circles and ideograms, and I probably will use both of them in my classroom! Thanks for showing us these strategies!
During your presentation, I was briefly reminded of my experience in lit circles when I was in grade three and four. I remember it being kind of scary, especially if I hadn’t caught up with my reading or when I had difficulty reading out loud in front of the group. I think the teacher makes a great deal of difference on the type of the experience a student could have and you definitely showed an open, caring side, and not just someone who was just looking for ‘the right answers’. I think you did an excellent job here. As for the ideogram, great idea but I definitely got as bit lost as the explanation continued on. I did like the choice of literature, definitely a bit challenging but I think its good to have students take a different approach to certain topics. I just would have explained it in a brief way, and to the suggested grade of grade four.
It was fantastic to see the connections that could be made with other books and real life experiences during a Lit Circle lesson. I have never actually observed or participated in a Lit Circle, and appreciated the opportunity to learn about this reading instruction technique. I know that you mentioned that you would set up the experience so that everyone participated in some way, but could see it being difficult to help certain students push themselves to participate orally. I wonder if students could participate by listening actively, and handing in written reflections on the topics they were listening to during a Lit Circle?
I found your portion on Ideagrams to be perhaps a little bit too information intensive for my first exposure. I appreciated that you explained in your closing how the Ideagram can offer a multileveled activity to students. I love the way that children could either choose an aspect of a story such as character or setting to work on, or if the felt that they needed a greater challenge they could explore the theme of a work. I also think that it was helpful for you to point out that different stories will be more or less appropriate for a reading lesson depending on the level and social context of a classroom.
Thank you!
This presentation taught us that literature circles are a great way for small groups of students to discuss a piece of literature in depth. This method allows students to become critical thinkers as they engage in ongoing dialogue with a book. Literature circles provide a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to the book. They also help to create a collaborative, student-centered learning environment. Through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response, this strategy guides the students to a deeper understanding of what they read. The literacy circle portion of this lesson provided us with a perfect example of its effectiveness and of how sometimes students are willing to share a large variety of their personal connections to the text which creates a fun environment and learning experience. The ideagram was definitely a great idea for a work activity to assign at the end of the book, but I can't help but think that students would not have been able to pay attention for the full explanation of the exercise and, therefore, would have missed what was expected of them as a student. Assessment of such a project is also a difficult process and needs to be considered very carefully.
Erin.M.
Class 6 Group 4 Literature Circles
I enjoyed your introduction with the literature circle. Not only is this a great way for students to express their points of view but, you also allow students who might not speak in the larger classroom to have a chance to voice their views in a smaller setting. The ideagram was also a great concept but like others I felt it could have been explained clearer and in a shorter time frame. You have to let the kids do some thinking too. Nonetheless, the objectives were easy to attain on somewhat of a complicated project.
You did a great job demonstrating Fay Brownlie’s version of literature circles. It was interesting to see all the connections that can be made by children and the circles offered such a great place for this in the classroom. I think too often the focus is on comprehension strategies that pertain directly to the story and students are not given an opportunity to make these connections to text. And yet, making these very connections is one of the strategies that good readers use and perhaps more importantly, it helps foster a love for literature in children. I think the oral nature of the literature circles really helps in getting those students who find writing so exhausting more involved in the lesson by giving them a different means with which to share their ideas. This also fits well with the renewed focus on oral components in the upcoming revised IRPs.
Thanks for demonstrating literature circles. Anything that can help children see connections in reading is invaluable. Lit circles are pretty tough to implement and I think you guys gave some good ideas on how to start. It is evident that as the year progresses this could become a rewarding way for children to discuss their readings.
I really like the idea of integrating art and enjoyed the ideagram. I think children should have opportunity to chose their assignments and this is an excellent way to assess the knowledge of a reluctant writer. (It could also make a cool story quilt...)
Your presentation on Literary circles within the classroom was really great. I really like how you modelling how a literacy circle should look like for all of us who have not yet attempted one in their classroom. I really liked how students were able to relate a part of the text to their own personal experiences. By doing so, the students are making a text to person relationship, and that helps students understand and internalize what they are reading. I would really like to use a literacy circle in my classroom, and I was good to hear the difficulties with literacy circles as well. I now see how having different literacy circles in one classroom happening at the same time can be very challenging for the teacher to maintain. Making an ideagram is a great way for students to be creative and represent their feelings towards text. Overall, informative and creative presentation.
I think literature circles are one of the oldest literary strategies in the book, but I never experienced one until your presentation. So thank you for modeling what a literature circle really entails for those of us who were not familiar. What was surprising to me was the amount of freedom students received to just talk about the book and their connection to it. I liked how students were encouraged to find one specific passage of the selected reading to find a connection to. Students were allowed to freely express their own personal connections and stories they wanted to share.
Your presentation also presented many comprehension strategies that I was also not familiar with. These include character trait diagrams and idea-grams. The concept of the idea-gram is very creative. However, something such abstract is more suitable for higher grades. I like the fact that idea-grams can be used with any subject and it shows how students are really interpreting the information they are being presented. Your presentation focused a lot on student interpretation and expression, which I believe is important in literacy.
I loved the literary circle, being involved and allowed to break to share personal experience would be great for students to feel like they are a part of the lesson.
I liked how this group actually role-played how a literature circle could function. Having never seen this before I now feel like I have a better understanding of how I could do it myself. The ideagram was taught as a way to further understanding. However I truthfully felt myself more confused once thhe lesson was completed. I applaude the passion that was displayed during this part, but I am afraid that you lost many of us and would have done the same with many of your students. Overall I think the lesson was pretty good. But for next time try to think about you audience a bit more and teach so that they will better understand what you would like them to learn.
In agreeance with many of my other peers, I have found Literary Circles difficult to describe, utilise, even use in my classroom. I appreciate your group tackling this difficult area and making some sense of this tough area in Language Arts.
A suggestion: The area of the "ideagram" is strong - I think it would work just fine. However, in the lesson, I feel as though it was confused by trying to teach it step by step on a blackboard instead of giving a criteria sheet out to each person observing which would have allowed for all of us to be able to follow along more easily. It was frustrating to follow on the blackboard.
I enjoyed the encouragement of the example "literary circle" in the beginning of the lesson and the way that classroom concepts were brought into the discussion to help tie the entire curriculum together.
Literacy Circles – Brenda, Tracy, Raymond
I think that the literacy circle has a definite role in the classroom helping students to internalize and analyze the things that they have read. Comprehension is a difficult thing to master and I think that literacy circles can lead to better comprehension of readings. I also liked the idea of an ideagram. I think though that for instruction purposes that the ideagram could have been simpler and from a simpler book to understand. It would have also been helpful to get some more concrete instructions on the making and marking of an ideagram.
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