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Lesson Planning

The following materials were a linchpin for building routines around our reading circles and can be found in the sample lesson at the bottom of the page.  These resources were developed in good faith to access a wide range of student experience and promote high level engagement.  Furthermore, they more closely hewed to California standards around active and collaborative discourse (CCSS SL.7.1).

Question Prompts

Each student had the floor for 2-3 minutes to discuss what they’d read for the week.  Other students were allowed to ask questions or make observations during this time, but the goal was really to sustain the conversation around one title/student for each round.  Tables were numbered as to who would start the rotation, and speakers were prompted to start with their “A-B-Cs.”  The first two questions were revisited week after week to develop a habit for reflection, but the final question was often tailored to align with other content goals for the week.

That's a good question.

Sentence Starters

Similarly, students were provided a bank of question prompts and sentence starters to buoy the conversation as needed.  These tried to be as open-ended as possible to provide flexibility across genres and text formats (e.g., non-fiction titles).

Aha! So what you're saying is...

Lesson Plan

Click the button to start planning your own reading circles!  This includes links for all of the materials above.  Of course, every class is unique and adjustments will always need to be made to meet the needs of your students.  I've include some helpful tips and observations, however, that guided me along the way.  This helped us better integrate our reading routines within the ongoing curriculum, as well as promote a habitual space for students to lead the conversation!

Sample Lesson

HOW-TOs

ASSESSMENT

REFERENCES