Literacy Circles

Novels - Middle Primary level
Novels - Upper Primary level
Literature Circle links

Novels - Teaching ideas

Lower/Middle Primary Level

Chickpea - Marguerite Hann Syme

Blabber mouth - Morris Gleitzman (+ unabridged CDs)

Grafitti on the fence (Word 29.5KB) - Elaine Forrestal

Hannah + 1 - Libby Gleeson

I am Jack – Susanne Gervay (+ unabridged CDs)
I am Jack: reading notes

The Judas donkey – Errol Broome

Lily and me - Moses Aaron

Misery guts - Morris Gleitzman (+ unabridged CDs)

The night of the unicorn - Jenny Nimmo

Nips XI – Ruth Starke

Paradise palace - Wendy Orr

Puppy fat - Morris Gleitzman

Rain May and Captain Daniel - Catherine Bateson
Rain May and Captain Daniel - Catherine Bateson

Round the twist - Paul Jennings

Rowan of Rin – Emily Rodda (+ unabridged CDs)

Sadako and the thousand paper cranes - Eleanor Corr

Sarindi and the lucky bird - Janine Fraser

Secret friends - Elizabeth Laird

Staying alive in Year 5 )- John Marsden

Sticky beak - Morris Gleitzman

Two hands together – Diana Kidd
Two hands together (Word 33.5KB) - Diana Kidd

Water wings - Morris Gleitzman

The wizard's apprentice - Debra Doyle

The worry tree - Marianne Musgrove

Novels - Teaching ideas

Upper Primary Level

2 weeks in Grade 6 - Anne & Mary K Pershall

A different sort of real: the diary of Charlotte McKenzie - Kerry Greenwood

All in the blue unclouded weather - Robin Klein

Angel - Phil Cummings

Being Bindy - Alyssa Brugman

Callie's castle - Ruth Park

Callie's family - Ruth Park

Captain Mack - James Roy

Camel rider – Prue Mason

Cloud busting (Word 97KB) - Marlorie Blackman
Cloud busting - Marlorie Blackman

Don't pat the wombat - Elizabeth Honey (+ unabridged CDs)

The goat who sailed around the world – Jackie French

Hana’s suitcase - Karen Levine

Hannah's winter - Kieren Meehan

Hating Alison Ashley – Robin Klein
Hating Alison Ashley: a study guide

The haunted piccolo - Gene Kemp

Hitler’s daughter – Jackie French (+ unabridged CDs)
Hitler's daughter (Word 43KB) - Jackie French

Holes – Louis Sachar (+ unabridged CDs)
The hole truth – thinkquest student created unit of work

I love you, Jason Delaney - Diana Kidd

Jodie's journey - Colin Thiele

Journey to Eureka - Kerry Greenwood

Leaving it to you - Wendy Orr

Lockie Leonard, human torpedo - Tim Winton (+ unabridged CDs)

No gun for Asmir - Christobel Mattingly

Once – Morris Gleitzman (+ unabridged CDs)

Orphans of the queen - Ruth Starke

Parvana – Deborah Ellis

The silver donkey – Sonya Hartnett

A single shard – Linda Sue Park
A single shard - Summary (Word 35.4KB)
A single shard worksheet (Word 33.5KB)

Soldier on the hill – Jackie French

Someone like me – Elaine Forrestal

Two weeks with the queen - Morris Gleitzman

With my knife - Andrew Lansdown

Literature Circle Links

Literature Circle models
- a comprehensive step-by-step guide to implementing Literature Circles in the classroom. Includes management ideas, sample proformas, reading response questions and graphic organisers. Suggestions are easily adapted to cater for student needs at all phases of development.

Literature Circles
- an American primary school teacher shares her experiences of Literature Circles in her classroom. She describes how she manages the groups, the roles students in each group are allocated, the teacher's role as facilitator and her reasons for using this learning strategy. Also included are the learning outcomes that students are able to develop through participation in this activity.

Literature Circles build excitement about books!
- two experts in the use of Literature Circles in school settings offer insight, advice and useful links in this article found on Education World. They define what is meant by Literature Circles and discuss:
o Roles that may be assigned to students in the group.
o The teacher's role.
o Grouping according to reading ability?
o An appropriate strategy for reluctant or less able readers?
o Effectiveness with reluctant and less-able readers.

Literature Circles Resource Center
- aimed at Primary and Middle School, this useful site provides teachers with background information on the use and structure of Literature Circles and practical advice on classroom implementation. It includes a teacher discussion group for those wanting to share their experiences or ask questions from others using this strategy with their students.

Theory to Practice: Literature Circles
- concise article defining Literature Circles and their value as a learning strategy. Particularly useful are the sections describing the roles assigned to circle members, technology-rich literature circles, and the links to other sites and articles.

Literature Circle roles
- printable worksheets highlighting the roles - Connector - Discussion Director - Literary Luminary - Summarizer - Travel Tracer - Vocabulary Enricher - Illustrator

Teacher Information
How to lead a Literature Circle

Elements of a good discussion