Flexible grouping of students who engage in different studies of a piece of literature. Groups can be heterogeneous or homogeneous.
small, temporary discussion groups who have chosen to read the same story, poem, article or book. See Best Practice Literature Circles
Student-led book discussion groups. Students choose their own reading material and meet in small, temporary groups with other students who are reading the same book. The teacher acts a facilitator. Literature Circles by Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse Publishers) is considered by many to be the definitive guide on the subject.
Classroom organizational strategy designed to facilitate in-depth conversations about literature among students. Literature circles are characterized by student-centered responses to literature, collaborative exploration of a text's themes, and higher-order thinking as students pursue and explore questions and insights about literature. ( learn more)
Literature Circles are a student's equivalent in the classroom of an adult book club. The aim is to encourage student-choice and a love of reading in young people. The true intent of Literature Circles is "to allow students to practice and develop the skills and strategies of good readers" (DaLie, 2001).