Kendall Children's Lit. 2014 discussion
This topic is about
Wonder
Literature Circle Response
>
Pro's and Cons of Lit. Circles
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Deb
(new)
Feb 28, 2014 11:22AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Pros:This is a good way to get every student involved in reading the book that is assigned in the class because it gives the students something to focus on besides just reading the book. Also, by having a role to accomplish, the student will have to look closely at the text to find meaning and then have to explain their answer. Another positive about the lit circles is that it gives all students a chance to share what they are thinking because the group is small and will allow time for all students to share. It can also seem less daunting for a student who does not like to speak aloud before a huge group to share what he or she found in a smaller group.
Cons:
While some teachers may think that they know their students have done the reading because they filled out and turned in their lit circle papers, the problem is that it might be difficult to infer how the student reached the answers because they could have just looked things up on the internet. Also, the teacher may not be able to listen in to all the different conversations going on in the different circles and miss out on an important point a student may have made. Then if the student did not even write that point down on their lit circle sheet, then the teacher may never know the brilliant connection a student or even a group as a whole has made.
Pros: There are many pros that go a long with a literature circle. Students can practice their strengths with recognizing certain information in the book and share it with other students. Having a role will require the student to stay focused on the book so they remember the information they need to complete their job. It gives the students a chance to discuss and help one another catch parts that maybe another student missed in the book. This activity is a great way to start a book discussion.Cons: Along with literature circles come cons. Having to complete these roles may cause the student to focus too much on their job and not enjoy the book. They may just read to get their assignment done. Students who are not strong readers may be embarrassed to share in a group their part of the story. The group discussion may not be beneficial for all if all the readers are not done their reading assignment.
Pros: Literature circles enhance reading in many areas. When I was reading and looking for paragraphs that were important, it made me read with more attention and a little slower. I was looking for something specific. Also because your role is personalized to just you, the part of the book that you pull out to do your job seems to become a part that you care about more. Completion of literature circle roles provide not only the feeling of accomplishment in finishing the book but also that same feeling when you finish the role. Also again accomplishment is felt when people react positively to the job you worked hard at. Literature circles can also make children see things they previously didn't see in the book, as you are collaborating with other students. I am sure this also increases comprehension as you go over it again. Cons: If the literature circle roles assigned to a student are not completed by the day assigned then it would result in the student sitting there with not much to contribute, and an important and stimulating part of the circle would be missing. It is would be interesting to see how many roles it takes to be missing before the circle starts to not be that great. Literature circles require the whole class reading the same book, and because of that the book is not chosen by the students. If the book isn't chosen, then the book may not connect to each student. It can also be hard to keep track of how much is contributed in each circle, as some kids may not want to talk at all when in discussion. Since the circles are social and you have to talk in front of a group, that may be hard for some kids.
Pros: Literature circles are great for a couple reasons. Since everyone has a certain role, different parts of the book can have a spot light on them. When you are so focused on our own role, it is easy to forget about other parts of the book that are still really good. I think they help bring the book into full circle. They can also cause a reader to pay more attention to a book, which helps them get more out of it.Cons: I think the biggest con is the ability to fake it. If a student does not have time or is just not feeling it, they can very easily search the internet for their part. As a result of that it can take the fun out of the book for some kids. I think sometimes instead of reading the book for enjoyment, it can turn into a somewhat dreaded assignment because they have to stop and go back to different parts of the book.
Pros: When the students have to focus on a certain thing, they pay more attention to the book and can get more out of it per se. But even if you do miss something, someone else may have have noticed it. Literature Circles are also a great way to incorporate social learning. Cons: Kids can easily skim or only read what is needed to complete their part. Another con would be that is someone is sick that day or does not complete their part, then the other members aren't getting that aspect of the circle. If a student doesn't like the book, They may not put much of an effort into his or her role and may not participate in the group. This can inhibit the learning for the other member of the Literature Circle.
Pros: There are quite a few pros to the literature circles. First, kids will be able to dig deeper into their reading by having to search for bigger meaning than just what the words say. They are able to get more perspectives when they listen to what the other people came up with for their roles. The lit circles are a place for questions to be answered about confusing parts of the book that may not get answered in bigger group settings. Everyone is involved in the lit circle and they can all feel a sense of pride for having their own role. It gives them the chance to share and it’s easier for those who are introverted to share in a small group setting rather than large group.There are also quite a few cons to the lit circle as well. The kids may get a role that they either really enjoy or they could end up hating it when might make them not want to invest as much time into it. They may feel that one role isn’t as important as another and that makes it harder for them to invest their thoughts into it as well. Some may love the lit circle but others might hate it because every child has different learning styles and this might not suit their needs. They may start to feel that reading is more of a job/duty rather than a passion and they could miss out on certain parts of the book if they’re only focused on finding their role’s information or just skimming through to find what they need for their assignment.
Overall, there are pros and cons and you’re not always going to be able to make everyone happy but I feel that this gives children the chance to be able to read and think more about what they’re reading which will help their comprehension greatly.
I can definitely see more pros than cons in literature circles and think they are worth the time in reviewing books.CONS
Takes planning
Could be time consuming
PROS
Everyone can participate
Non-intimidating to bashful students
Deeper understanding of the book
Other viewpoints
Increased vocabulary
A pro for the literature circle is that is it a great way to get students more involved with books. It is also a great way to get more perspectives about a book. If there is something in the book that you may have missed, someone else might've caught it for you. It is also nice to be able to ask questions that others that read the same book might be able to answer. Literature circles are a great way to look at a book in many different ways.A con for the literature circle is that literature circles take a lot of time. When students have one role, they might focus more on that one role than the rest of the book. While doing this, they might miss other important parts of the book. There might be students that don't work as hard on their role as others. In this case, everyone else doesn't get the full experience from the literature circle.
Literature circles are an excellent way to get each student involved in assigned reading. I remember reading assigned books for class and being distracted by what might or might not be on the test. Having an assigned approach for reading a specific book could alleviate that pressure. I think that students of differing abilities could feel successful in a literature circle. Our literature circle felt like a safe place. One of our members wasn't confident in their final product. The group was supportive and offered positive feedback. That camaraderie is an especially positive factor of the literature circle. However, one drawback of literature circles is the same drawback that we see in a lot of group work. If someone doesn't put in a comparable level of effort to other group members, it can slow down the process or leave room for teasing. The classroom teacher would need to be mindful of that aspect.
The Literature circle has more pros than cons. When I was reading and looking for parts that pertained to my assigned part, I read slower and looked for those areas. I didn’t want to miss any details since that was my job to present to my group. This made me pay more attention to the book. I could have missed some main parts of the story since I was looking for my topic, by having the Literature circle the other members of the group brought those topics up in our discussion since it pertained to their assigned topic. Everyone was able to participate in the discussion, which was great since we found out what everyone thought about the book. Some cons could be that I was only focus on my assigned part and I could have accidently skipped over some important parts of the book and not realized it. If I didn’t finish my assigned role, this could have impacted the entire group. This could have a negative impact on the group learning.
From my experience of the literature circle I found there to be many pros. Some of the pros would be you got to get other peoples point of view of the book. Some of the questions asked from the discussion leader I never thought about and I enjoyed talking about the questions and getting to know what everyone else thinks about the book. It also helped when hearing other peoples point of view and hearing something that you might have missed when reading the book. I liked how everyone was able to participate in the discussion. I didn't see many cons for the literature circle but from what I saw I could only see one or two. One of the cons that I saw is when you have a certain role you only focus on that and those parts that you are suppose to be paying attention too and you may miss some of the other main points or ideas throughout the book.
Pros: Having a literature circle in a classroom, especially an elementary classroom, it gets children to get used to the idea of talking about a book they read and having some sort of discussion where they all have to talk. This can also get children to have to think more about what they read and not just reading for comprehension, or reading because they were told too. It can also get them to make connection to things happening in really life.Cons: There might not be much of a really discussion going on, meaning the children will read what they wrote on their paper and think they are done. It would take some time for the teacher to create these circles and for him/her to make sure that everyone gets to do each of the jobs. You might get that one student who doesn't do their homework or is sick the day that they present their role to the group, so that group misses out on that point of view or that part of the discussion.
Pro: One thing that I think is really positive about the lit circles is that the students get to discuss in a small group their thoughts on the book. I think the idea of a small group is more comforting to kids because they can relate to others on a more personal level and not have to worry about what others think because it is all discussed there. I also think a pro would be that everyone has their own responsibility within the circle. I think that having that sense of ownership of a specific job will push kids to try their best and get their work completed on time. Lit circles also do a nice job of helping kids understand the text. If there is something that one student doesn't get, they have that support within to the circle to discuss and figure it out.Cons: One thing that comes with all students is talking. If the groups are not structured enough then the conversations can wonder and then the discussion is not completed. Also some students may forget or choose not complete their share of the work. This then would set the whole group off because they are missing a piece to the puzzle.
Pros: Each student will be able to tell their point of view of the book, or just a little bit about the book. The group will hear differing ideas and views. It will help students to remember parts of the book that they may have forgotten. One person will not dominate the whole group, others will be able to participate. Cons: If one or more students do not do their assigned roles, it may hinder the total effect of the literature circle. Students who have not finished the book may not feel that they can contribute to the groups discussion. One person may feel that they can try to do all the roles of the other group members. There may not be enough time allotted to really get to discuss the book.
Pros: There are a lot of pros with the literature circle method of in-class reading. The first is that it is fun! Including the freedom to draw pictures, think analytically, and use words makes the literature circle more interactive for those who learn differently. For those who enjoy working in groups, it brings that level of interaction to the table while not forcing one or more persons to do the majority of the work. It also gives students the chance to learn from each other which is a nice break from only learning from the teacher.Cons: The main con I picked up on was that the quality of the literature circle relies too heavily on the members of your group. While my group was fantastic, I could easily see how if just a couple of the members didn't do their part, or acted uninterested, the literature circle wouldn't have served its purpose.
I think one of the pros of a literature circle is it would be good for involving all the students so no one can sit and not contribute. Once the first circle has been completed, so they all understand how to do their part, I think they will enjoy it. It is good to understand what you’ve read using different thought processes. I also think it will give the students a better understanding of or maybe a broader picture of what a book is about.I think the cons will be minimal. You will probably get students that won’t read the book. Some students won’t like the book or the type of book, and you may get some students that don’t feel comfortable doing certain roles of the circle.
There are many pros that could be used with literature circles. One of the main pros is that it gets everyone involved. Rather than everyone having to only discuss what happens in a book like in a book club, each person son a specific role in which they are responsible for. This also enables students to see the perspective of their classmates and how they interpreted the book. A final pro is that it is not intimidating for students. This is because each role has a guideline giving specific instructions. So rather than having a student tell their favorite parts, they are able to say their favorite parts, but still have justification for it.However, there are cons that come with a literature circle. One of these cons is that it is time consuming because each person must have a said allowed amount of time to go over what they had written down and read. Another con is that you more than likely will have a student who will not read the book as this in inevitable with any classroom that's required to read books. If this were to happen, this could hurt the group as they would be expecting information from that role, but nothing will be offered. Regardless, the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to literature circles and should be taken advantage of within a classroom, be elementary or secondary.
Pros:Using a literature circle in a classroom has many pros. I like how the literature circle has different roles for each student, this would work well because one student wouldn’t be stuck doing all the work and each student would be responsible for one thing. The literature circle is also very structured which works well in the classroom. Students would easily be able to follow the tasks.
Cons:
Although the literature circle has many pros, there are also potential cons. One downside is that a literature circle would only work well with upper level grades like fourth and fifth. Some of the roles are complex and require deep thinking, which would be difficult for second and third graders.
I think a pro of having literature circles is that it includes everyone no matter what. Everyone is held accountable for what they need to bring to the table, but everyone also has to work together to discuss what happened in the reading. Another pro is promoting positive communication between peers. Sometimes kids who are being bullied or who aren't very social with others don't get the chance to participate. In this case, they do get that chance.A con of literature circles is the time it can consume. It can be a lot of work for the student outside of class. They would have to be 4th-6th if it was a longer book. If they were younger, there would have to be enough time in class for the child to work on their part. They would also have to have excellent time management skills to divide up their time in presenting their parts. Sometimes students don't always have that kind of capability.
Some of the pros of a literature circle is that it could be used as another form of an assessment, because every student would have had to read a book to be able to discuss the book based on their roles. It is an alternative to a book report or test. I think students would enjoy it because they would have be able to interact with their classmates in a discussion. I think majority of the students would read the book with an purpose to make sure that their roles are completed before discussion time, making sure that they have a good understanding of what they have read. Literature Circles also helps to look at something from a different perspective and I think we all learn something new that way. A con would be that maybe some of the students in the class wouldn't be comfortable having to play a role alone because they may not be capable of locating the right material that their role may be asking of them. Some students are more independent workers so they would prefer to work alone instead of in a group. I think a literature circle is also more for upper grade levels such as fourth grade and up instead of lower grades.
Pros: Literature circles are a great way to get each reader actively involved and extend the reader's thinking. They give each student the chance to share their views and thoughts on the book and encourage responsibly in their own work. I think it's an effective way to cover all aspects of a novel (i.e. vocab, discussions, connections) and help students bring their opinions to the surface to share with others.Cons: I think literature circles can sometimes take away from the overall enjoyment of a book, especially when it's a book that a student wants to be reading. I think they can occasionally become very time consuming for the student and put pressure on the student as they read. Also, everyone in the literature circle group has to pull their own weight and almost be at the same level of understanding as the rest of the group in order for literature circle groups to be effective.
I liked the Literature circles because everyone was expected to participate. Each person had something that he/she could focus on. And if you are a shy person, you are able to have things written out and prepared, you know what is expected of you. I like it because I thought you could use it with any age group. I thought everyone in our group came prepared! The cons would be that I thought we needed more time. But that right there would depend on the people that are in the group. Otherwise I didn't see any other cons.
