Samantha 0:00
Today’s episode is very near and dear to my heart and I’m so excited to begin this journey with you. I knew early in my teaching career that literature circles were going to be an important part of my practice. Watching the power of literature circles and molding lifelong readers was transformative for me. Lit circles aren’t new. Maybe you’ve heard of them, but have been too afraid to try them. Or maybe you’re a seasoned pro and had been running lit circles for a long time. No matter where you fall in the spectrum, tune into today’s episode because I’m going to break down exactly why this practice belongs in your 21st century ELA classroom, and how we’re going to leverage it to create joyful readers.

Samantha 0:38
According to Harvey Daniels, who was the primary researcher on early literature circles, the first lit circles were implemented by a teacher named Karen Smith, who had a box of books that she didn’t know what to do with in her classroom in 1982. Her students were the ones who took interest in the titles and organized themselves into discussion groups, thus leading to an early rendition of a literature circle. Is this actually the first literature circle? Probably not. But it’s the first one recorded by an important research study.

Samantha 1:43
Most of the primary research on literature circles was completed in the 1990s and early 2000s, making the studies over 20 years old. Almost all of these studies emphasize speaking and listening tasks. Students read, they discuss. Students read, they discuss again. Don’t get me wrong, I do think discussion is important. But it’s not the only skill worth exploring in a literature circle.

Samantha 2:05
I began using literature circles in my second year of teaching when I was told I had to do them. I was not given any support or guidance in this practice, just told that I needed to implement it. We’ve all been there, right? Cue the deep dive! I consumed all of the information I could, trying to learn anything and everything about them. At first, I could not wrap my head around the idea that students would be reading different books at the same time. How was I supposed to read all of the books first to teach them? I still had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But I started small with what I had, and began testing the waters.

Samantha 2:42
Long after a decade of trial and error, I found a system that worked for me and my students. This is an up to date, teacher tested structure that allowed me to help countless students find the joy in reading. It reinvigorated my love for teaching and learning by helping students find books that they actually wanted to read. My goal with this podcast is to teach you how to implement this practice in your own classroom.

Samantha 3:05
Now, this isn’t going to happen overnight. It took me years to pick apart other people’s systems to figure out what worked for my classes. But we’re going to meet together once a week here on this podcast and I know you’re going to be able to do it in much less time than it took me.

Samantha 3:19
Let me start by telling you what’s different about my literature circles. First, I’ve learned to allow students to choose whatever books they want. No, I don’t read them all first. And I still laugh a little bit about the poor fledgling teacher in me who thought she was going to do that. It took time to teach students how to self select appropriate books, but it’s time that’s well spent. Second, my literature circle structure includes a wide array of skills from the coveted speaking and listening all the way to the 21st century skills students need to succeed in the workforce today. Things like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, information literacy, technological know how, and so much more. Third, my structure can fit in any classroom, even if you have a scripted curriculum. And let me just say, I’m terribly sorry, if you do. Starting with just 10 minutes per day, you can begin to transform your students into lifelong readers.

Samantha 4:17
I know that what I’m about to tell you might not seem revolutionary, but trust me when I tell you that it’s going to completely change the way you think about building your unit. I don’t start with standards. I don’t start with an essential question. I start with genre.

Samantha 4:32
Unit planning, at least at the secondary level has really gotten away from focusing on genre. Often I see people focusing specifically on standards or essential questions. Those things have a place in my structure. Of course, my lessons are standards aligned. And oftentimes I will have a focus question, but that’s not where I begin. I pick the genre first.

Samantha 4:53
If you strike up a conversation with anyone who labels themselves a reader, one of the first questions you’re likely to ask is “What kind of books do you like?” All avid readers will be able to answer.

Samantha 5:04
Students are already familiar with genres even if they don’t realize they are. They know what kind of movies and television shows they’d like. All of which correlate to a genre. Libraries and bookstores are sorted by genre. How are students supposed to interact with public spaces and find books that are just right for them if they don’t even know what they like?

Samantha 5:22
Exploring different genres allows students to try on books that they may not even realize they like. Each genre brings something unique to the table. Contemporary books help students see themselves in their world and the stories they read. While romance novels explore relationships and emotions that many teens are just figuring out. Mysteries are great for sharpening problem solving skills, and keeping them on the edge of their seats. And speculative fiction opens up their imaginations to endless possibilities and future scenarios. By diving into these diverse genres, students not only get to enjoy a variety of stories, but also learn to appreciate different writing styles and perspectives, which is essential for becoming well rounded critical thinkers.

Samantha 6:01
In the next month, I’ll be walking you through my system and giving you an inside view of how my genre based literature circles can work in your classroom. I’m going to teach you how to build this flexible structure that will include an array of skills that students need to succeed in the modern day classroom. This is a structure that you can use over and over again all year long once you see how it works. And my favorite part, I’m also going to be giving you great book recommendations that you can use to get kids excited about the practice.

Samantha 6:28
All right, joyful readers, we explored some history and literature circles and talked a little bit about how mine are different from a traditional structure. We discussed genre and why it’s important to the planning process, as well as the reason I think genre should be at the top of your planning considerations. Next Monday, we’ll go over a few best practices before we dive into our first genre, and I take you inside one of my own genre based literature circles.

Samantha 6:51
If you’re as excited as I am about refreshing your practice with strategies that are meant to serve today’s students. Will you do me a favor and share this episode with the teacher bestie? I would love to be able to serve as many teachers as possible so we can create joyful readers together. Follow along on social media at samanthainsecondary for more tips, strategies, and book recommendations while you wait for the next episode to drop. Until next time, happy reading.