Lesson 6.1: Literature Discussion Groups

Focus: Understand what literature discussion groups are and how to plan and facilitate them.

Prior to the Collaboration Group Meeting

1. Reflection Journal

Write in your reflection journal prior to the Collaboration Group meeting. You are to respond weekly in your journal, reflecting on your learning, observation, questions, and personal connections. Your reflections need to be at least 250 words. You may choose how to format your journal, though you may want to consider the following as you write:

• What are some new understandings you made this week as a result of the work for this lesson and your work with your students?
• How has this new understanding influenced your current practice?

Bring your reflection journal to the weekly Collaboration Group meeting, and prepare to share your entries.

2. Readings

NOTE: To print the linked documents, do the following:

• Put your mouse on the document and right click. You will see a window that asks you where you want to download the document.
• Determine where you want to save the document.
• After saving the document, open and print it in MS Word.

1. Read Literacy Education Certificate Course IV (pp. 101-104), and think about the need for flexible grouping. Flexible grouping is when students are grouped in a variety of ways including in whole groups, small groups, and pairs.
2. Read Literature Discussion Groups.
3. Read Sample Literature Discussion Group Unit.

3. Classroom Application

After completing the assigned readings, think about the following questions and bring your notes to the Collaboration Group meeting to share:

• Why is it important to have heterogeneous group activities such as literature discussion groups as part of the comprehensive literacy framework?
• What do you see as the strengths of literature discussion groups?
• What do you see as some of the challenges?
• Do you think the format of literature discussion groups would work in your region? Why or why not?
• How might the format be adapted to meet the needs of your region?

During the Collaboration Group Meeting

1. Determine the assignment and Collaboration Group meeting dates for Module 6.
   • Lesson 6.1: Literature Discussion Groups
     Collaboration Group meeting date _____
   • Lesson 6.2: Effective Questioning and Effective Feedback
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
     Reading Lesson with Questions at the Literal, Interpretive, and Applied Level due _____
   • Lesson 6.3: Fluency Development
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
     Important Points Chart due _____
     Fluency Lesson Description due _____
   • Lesson 6.4: Comprehension Strategies
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
     Comprehension Strategies: A Lesson Sequence due _____
     Comprehension Strategy Debriefing Form due _____
   • Lesson 6.5: Vocabulary Development
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
     Vocabulary Lesson Summary due _____
   • Lesson 6.6: Profile of Reading Instructional Practices
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
   • Lesson 6.7: Evaluation and Literacy Talk
     Collaboration Group meeting _____
     Module 6 evaluation due ____
2. The facilitator leads the Collaboration Group in sharing their reflection journal entries and discussing the five questions listed above in the Classroom Application section.
3. Determine the facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, date, time, and location for the next Collaboration Group meeting.

After the Collaboration Group Meeting

1. The recorder emails the Module Overview and Due Dates to the instructor.
2. The recorder emails the Collaboration Group notes to the instructor and places a copy in the Collaboration Group Notebook.
3. The timekeeper emails the attendance to the instructor.