Re: Literature Groups - Need assistance (Long)

[Debbie Parker <debracparker@sbcglobal.net>]

Sometimes  -- but rarely and not at the beginning of the year -- I do lit groups where the kids get to choose the members.  Most of the time I choose members but the groups change with every book.  Sometimes they are homogeneous and sometimes heterogeneous -- depending on what I am trying to achieve.  My middle schoolers often prefer one-gender groups becuase they can be more open.  Debbie

Diane Dye <dededye1@tx.rr.com> wrote:  Alisha,

When I was a kid, groups were assigned the blue bird, red bird, black 
bird, and droppings designations. But things have changed for the better. 
Grouping should always be flexible. Have different groups for different 
things. Some groups will be homogeneous, other groups by interests. Use 
grouping techniques like jigsawing to provide differentiation and 
accountability. (Your lower level kids will do one activity, your higher 
level kids another and then you regroup were they each present their 
learning and teach it to the other members of their group.) I know I have 
done my grouping right when my kids have no idea what the ability level of 
other kids are in the classroom. In any grouping situation, you need to 
model and reinforce behavior. Set routines and be consistent and fair in 
your feedback. Set time limits for task completion and allow a way for 
students to give you feedback on their efforts and the efforts of their 
classmates. In the first month, every child in my class has worked with 
every other child. But take the first couple of weeks to also do 
teambuilding, get to know you activities. Tribes is a great book to get 
these from--and also check out Cub Scout websites as well. Good luck and 
keep trying until you find out what works for you.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alisha Dullavin" 
To: 
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 11:59 AM
Subject: Re: [middle-lit] Literature Groups - Need assistance (Long)


> Thank you Sheila for your suggestions. I was a little unsure as to how to 
> put them into groups. I've been told that it's also good to consider their 
> reading levels....putting lower level readers with higher level readers. 
> Starting with pairs will help me get everything organized I think.
>
>
> Sheila Newell wrote:
> I've used response groups extensively for both reading and writing. Some
> suggestions for getting started, especially with students who haven't 
> worked
> a lot in these kinds of groups:
>
> 1. Remember that students need to learn the skills--both working in groups
> and responding to literature. Don't give up if they don't work perfectly 
> at
> first.
>
> 2. Take the time to build routines and community within the 
> classroom--early
> on we spend time on interpersonal skills first: attentive listening,
> appreciation, mutual respect, and the right to pass. What do these
> behaviors look like, sound like and feel like. Spending a day or two on
> these early in the year pays off big time for the rest of the year. Our
> first group activity is to make posters on each of these which stay up for
> several months, and we keep referring back to them.
>
> 3. Start small--small groups (pairs are fine to start) and small pieces of
> literature (we start with a genre study on personal narratives and short
> stories.
>
> 4. Don't form larger groups until you have a good feel for the classroom
> dynamics. During the first part of the year, I form the groups based on
> student preferences and individual strengths and weaknesses. I have the
> students write on an index card the names of seven people they wouldn't 
> mind
> working with. Then I form groups of three or four, always putting at least
> one or two of the student preferences in the group. For a great book on
> building community groups within the classroom, read Jeanne Gibbs'
> Discovering Gifts in Middle School. Later in the year, book choice
> determines groups, but again, I form the groups, using student choice as a
> basis--I usually have enough 8 copies of each literature circle book so 
> that
> two groups can be formed with the same novel, if necessary.
>
> 5. Give students a few minutes to reflect and write before getting in 
> groups
> each day--this gets them focused. It also gives more reticent members time
> to think about what they want to say. Harvey Daniels' Lesson Plan book for
> literature circles provides lots of ideas about this.
>
> Good luck! Let us know how it's going.
>
> Sheila Newell
> Houston
>
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