Literature Circles: Week 3 (+ Giveaway)

 First, I have to tell you about this ah-mazing chance to be part of, essentially, virtual Professional Development.  It is awesome that people are organizing together for middle level teachers!  For more information about how to win a ticket to the expo go and check out Mor's awesome info here at A Teacher's Treaure!
 
In other news....
WE THE 6TH GRADE TEAM are now done with our first round of Literature Circles here in the 6th grade.  We would have been done on Friday but we were pulled to meet with the district's literacy coach so now we had the final day today.  Anyway, we had an interesting week.  Check out some ideas!!!

Monday:
1.) Fact "Mum" a spinoff of Mumball. For those who don't know what that is, it is when kids silently throw the ball around the room and try to get people "out."  My boys and girls LOVE this.  So we played it but instead of being 100% silent they had to say a fact from the story (since we just finished it).  Repeats meant you were out.
2.) Final Role Sheets/Discussion
3.) The "Ellen" Show:  Another way we practice talking and feelings.  3 kids volunteer to be on the show.  I play the "Ellen" theme show music from YouTube and we dance.  The "audience" takes turn asking the volunteers "talk show worthy" questions.  They have to be juicy!!! We asked questions about life in the Middle Ages mostly
4.) I went over their assignment for the week which is to write a 4 paragraph essay comparing life then to life now using examples from the text.

One of the kid's drawings who was the Artist for the day, re-enacting the before and after
scene of how the main character (Robin) was treated.  This was the "before" when he was taunted.
So detailed---he is quite the artist!  The "after" picture was a bunch of smiley faces to show how
he was appreciated even though he couldn't walk.  I LOVE the detail (such as the crutches under
the guy's arm whose carrying Robin)!

Tuesday:
1.) KWL-"L" section-What we learned
2.) Symbolism mini lesson.  We reviewed symbolism.  Then, I made these adorable little "doors" out of paper bags.  Behind them had a time in the book where the "door" was referenced as a symbol.

Re-purposed some paper grocery bags for this one!

3.)  The students worked in 3's to figure out the meaning of the symbol in that section.  They wrote their answers on a sticky note and shared aloud.
4.) I then explained their thematic projects.  We talked about the major themes in the book and I had them decide who they were working with and what they were doing. The themes are:
-Overcoming Adversity
-Do Your Best
-Self Discovery
-Self-Esteem
-Inter generational Relationships

Wednesday:
1.) I had a passage on castles that I read aloud for Listening Practice.  The students took notes and then I had questions for them to answer on the back.
2.) Time to work on thematic projects

Thursday:
1.) Collect 4 paragraph essays
2.) Character Traits discussion.  I put all the characters on the white board and gave each of my 11 kids a marker to write ONE character trait under each character----no repeats!  We then discussed them.
3.) Time for projects!

Monday (TODAY!)
1.) Time to wrap up projects/final touches
2.) Presentations.  After the presentation, the groups had to explain how their projects tied into the specific themes of the story.  We had skits...

Posters..."Overcoming Adversity"

 and

Even a puppet show!  Paper puppets on paint stirrers!  Styled after

 the "Punch and Judy" shows!

3.) Rubrics---Their evaluation of their project and space for mine!  We wrapped up by discussing what we liked, and what we would change about literature circles! 

Here we have it----the conclusion of Lit Circles for this first grade-wide rotation.

Stay Tuned for Test Prep Tomorrow!!! :-)