Reading Circles

Hey everyone!

I am SO excited because I have my first four official followers!!! :) Thanks girls :) Ah the joys of being a first time blogger!

So here is my first official teaching post!
I decided to talk to you about Reading Circles. I used them for the very first time in my class last week.... and I absolutely LOVED it! Not only did I love it... but my students actually said: ''This is fun! When are we doing it again?'' Let me tell you that in grade 6, you don't often hear excitement about reading activities, so this one is definitely a keeper!
I wanted to let you in on how I use them in my classroom.... So here goes:

I choose 6 different books, one for each team of four students. I decided to go with Robert Munsch books just because they are so amazing and my kids love reading them. They are also quite easy to understand and therefore it is easier for them to the work afterwards.

The 6 books I chose were:

-Makeup Mess (All the girls wanted this one!)
-The Sandcastle Contest
-Mud Puddle
-I'm So Embarrassed!
-Mmm, Cookies!
-Just One Goal! (and of course, all the boys wanted this one!)
I randomly distributed the books (one copy per team).
Then, I gave each student a Reading Circles booklet.

There is a total of 6 jobs for these Reading Circles.
-Discussion Leader
-Character Master
-Word Detective
-Summary Specialist
-Artist
-Read-a-Loud

Teams decide together who does what. The person who does the Read-a-Loud is also the Artist. Therefore, this person has something to do once the book is read. If your students are in groups of 4, then there is one job no one does. They just have to remember to leave aside a different job next time. If your students are in groups of 5, then 6 jobs will work just fine.
I cut out the job descriptions and glued them on colored paper. That way, they can leave the card corresponding to their job on their desk. When I am walking around, it's easier for me to know who is doing what. Also, if they need a reminder of what their tasks are, they can just look at the little card!

Once everyone has an assigned role, they are ready to go! The Read-a-Loud reads the book while the others listen to the story. When the reading part is finished, the students fill out the sheets for their job. When one person is finished, he or she can help the other students complete their work.

I will keep the 6 books I chose and do a rotation. That way, all of the teams will be able to read the 6 books I presented. Each time we do a Reading Circle, students have to do a diffenrent job, in order to complete their booklet!

If you wish to grab yourself a copy of my Reading Circles Booklet, head on over to my TpT store. It's only $1.50 :) If you do, let me know if your students like it as much as mine!

Until next time,