Lesson Plan: Literature Discussion Groups
Rich Thompson's lesson plan is also available as a PDF
file. See Materials Needed, below, for links to student
activity sheets related to the lesson.
Teacher: Rich Thompson, Canyon Elementary
School, Hungry Horse, Montana
Grade Level: Fourth
Topic: Because of Winn-Dixie by
Small-group discussions, where students choose their texts
from several possibilities, form a core component of Rich Thompson's
envisionment-building classroom. In addition, during regular
read-alouds, Mr. Thompson chooses high-interest literature
that may be beyond the independent reading level of many of
his students. He uses these literature experiences to frame
discussion and sharing activities that help students expand
their repertoire of textual responses. Student Response Logs
and the formulation of what Mr. Thompson calls Critical
Reader Thoughts, expand the range of possibilities students
have available for individual response. One-on-one reading
conferences allow Mr. Thompson to check individual student
progress on a regular basis.
In preparation for the literature discussion groups, Mr. Thompson begins with book talks about the texts available. Students then list their first, second, and third choices. From these Mr. Thompson makes assignments, considering the number of students in each group while trying to give as many as possible their first or second choice. Once the groups are complete, he schedules the meeting dates and times for each group.
Students each receive a copy of their chosen book as well as
copies of Critical Reader
Thoughts for that book and Using
Response Logs if they have not received it earlier.
During the discussion group meetings, Response Log sharing often begins discussion. Students discuss their responses, reflections, and materials from Critical Reader Thoughts, referring to the text as appropriate. Literature discussion groups end with the members determining a way of sharing their book with the rest of the class.
Expected Products From Lesson:
- Read and enjoy literature.
- Read the assigned pages from the literature before each meeting.
- Prepare for discussion by writing in their Response Logs and preparing Critical Reader Thoughts.
- Participate in group discussions of the literature by sharing their thoughts and connections.
- Participate in planning and presenting the book-sharing activity at the end of the reading.
Instructional Strategies Implemented:
- Regular entries in Student Response Logs
- Regular formulation of Critical Reader Thoughts
- Presentation of a book-sharing activity to the class
Collaborative Structure of Class:
- Regular read-alouds
- Modeling of response and discussion strategies
- Small group discussions of shared texts
- On-going assessment of student response and discussion strategies
Students in this class chose a text from a selected list, and read them independently. Every other day they gather at a meeting table at the back of the classroom with Mr. Thompson for their literature discussion groups. Full-group activities often find the class seated on the floor in a carpeted area of the classroom. Independent reading and Response Log writing typically happen at individual student desks.
Follow-Up or Culminating Activities:
- Independent reading of a shared text
- Writing in Response Logs
- Formulating Critical Reader Thoughts
- Discussing shared texts
- Discussion of readings and interpretive processes
- Sharing text with classmates through a group presentation
Students may be assessed on a daily basis through:
The following activities might receive holistic or scaled evaluation (see Assessment and Evaluation: Some Useful Principles for a detailed explanation of holistic and scaled evaluation).
- Completion of assigned reading for discussion.
- Response Log entries.
- Preparation of Critical Reader Thoughts.
- Discussion participation.
- Individual and small-group meetings with the teacher.
- Quality of Response Logs
- Quality of Critical Reader Thoughts
- Book-Sharing Activity