Reading circles

What is reading?

Reading is a number of interactive processes involving the reader and the text. The readers use their knowledge of the world, the topic, the language, to interact with the text to create, construct or build meaning.

How do we learn to read?

1.We learn to read by reading. There is no other way.

2.The more we read, the better readers we become.

3.The more the teacher talks, the less the students read.

Reading strategies

• Skimming is when we glance over a text to get the main idea, or “gist”
• Scanning is when we quickly look through a text to pick out key points .
• Intensive reading is when we closely examine text for literary or linguistic purposes.
• Extensive reading is reading “normally” for pleasure when we arе immersed in a book!

What are Reading Circles?

1.Small groups of students who meet in the classroom to talk about stories
2.Each student plays a role in the discussion.

Usually six Roles: Discussion Leader, Summarizer, Connector, Word Master, Passage Person, Cultur.

In a Reading Circle, each student plays a different role in the discussion

1. Discussion Leader — leads the discussion.

2. Summarizer— summarizes the characters and the plot.

3. Connector — finds connections between the story and the real world.

4. Word Master — looks for important words and phrases.

5. Passage Person — looks for important passages in the story.

6. Culture Collector— looks for cultural points for discussion.

The Discussion Leader’s job is to...

1.Read the story twice, and prepare at least five general questions about it.

2.Ask one or two questions to start the Reading Circle discussion.

3.Make sure that everyone has a chance to speak and joins in the discussion.

4.Call on each member to present their prepared role information

5.Guide the discussion and keep it going

The Summarizer’s job is to...…

1.Read the story and make notes about the characters, events, and ideas.

2.Find the key points that everyone must know to understand and remember the story.

The Connector’s job is to...…

Read the story twice, and look for connections between the story and the world outside

Make notes about at least two possible connections to your own experiences, or to experiences of friends and family, or to real-life events.

Tell the group about the connections and ask for their comments or questions

The Word Master’s job is to...…

1.Read the story, and look for words or short phrases that are new or difficult to understand, or that are important in the story
2.Choose five words that you think are important for this story

The Passage Person’s job is to....…

Read the story, and find important, interesting, or difficult passages.

Make notes about at least three passages that are important for the plot, or that have very interesting or powerful language.

Read each passage to the group, or ask another group member to read it.

Ask the group one or two questions about each passage

The Culture Collector’s job is to....…

1.Read the story, and look for both differences and similarities between your own culture and the culture found in the story.
2.Make notes about two or three passages that show these cultural points
3.Read each passage to the group
4.Ask the group some questions about these, and any other cultural points in the story