The Ultimate Resource for Literature Circles: "Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke (Download PDF for Free)
Mini Lessons for Literature Circles Harvey Daniels Pdf Download
If you are a teacher who wants to foster a love of reading and discussion among your students, you might have heard of literature circles. Literature circles are small groups of students who choose to read the same book and meet regularly to share their thoughts, questions, and opinions about it. Literature circles can help students develop critical thinking, comprehension, communication, and collaboration skills, as well as increase their motivation and engagement in reading.
Mini Lessons For Literature Circles Harvey Daniels Pdf Download
However, literature circles are not easy to implement and manage. You need to select appropriate books, assign roles, monitor progress, assess outcomes, and provide guidance and feedback. You also need to teach your students how to participate effectively in literature circles, such as how to choose books, set goals, prepare notes, ask questions, listen actively, respond respectfully, and solve problems.
That's where the book "Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke comes in handy. This book is a practical guide that provides you with 45 mini-lessons that cover all aspects of literature circles, from getting started to refining skills to assessing performance. In this article, we will tell you more about this book and how you can download it for free in PDF format.
What is the book "Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke?
"Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" is a book that was published in 2004 by Heinemann, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. It is written by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke, two experienced educators who have been using literature circles in their classrooms for over two decades. The book is based on their own research and practice, as well as on feedback from hundreds of teachers who have attended their workshops and seminars.
Who are the authors and what are their credentials?
Harvey Daniels is a professor of education at National Louis University in Chicago. He has taught elementary, middle, and high school students in various settings, including urban, suburban, rural, public, and private schools. He has also written several books on literacy education, such as "Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups", "Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading", and "Best Practice: Today's Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools". He is a co-founder of the Center for City Schools at National Louis University and a member of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Nancy Steineke is a teacher-consultant with the Illinois Writing Project at National Louis University. She has taught English and social studies at middle school and high school levels for over 25 years. She has also written several books on literacy education, such as "Assessment Live! 10 Real-Time Ways for Kids to Show What They Know and Meet the Standards", "Reading and Writing Together: Collaborative Literacy in Action", and "Content-Area Writing: Every Teacher's Guide". She is a frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences and a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
What are the main features and contents of the book?
The book "Mini Lessons for Literature Circles" is divided into 10 chapters, each containing several mini-lessons that address a specific topic or skill related to literature circles. The mini-lessons are designed to be short, focused, interactive, and engaging. They can be taught in any order, depending on the needs and interests of your students. Each mini-lesson includes the following elements:
A brief introduction that explains the purpose and rationale of the mini-lesson.
A list of materials and resources that you will need to prepare and conduct the mini-lesson.
A step-by-step procedure that guides you through the teaching process, including modeling, scaffolding, practicing, and debriefing.
A sample student work that illustrates the expected outcome or product of the mini-lesson.
A list of variations and extensions that suggest how you can adapt or extend the mini-lesson to different levels, groups, or situations.
A list of recommended readings that provide further information or inspiration on the topic or skill of the mini-lesson.
The 10 chapters and their corresponding mini-lessons are as follows:
Joining the Book Club: This chapter introduces literature circles and explains how they work. It also provides some tips on how to choose books, set up groups, and plan schedules. The mini-lessons in this chapter are:
Class Icebreaker: Find Someone Who
Conversational Warm-up: Membership Grid
Home Court Advantage
Defining Discussion Skills
Think-Aloud
Written Conversation
Practicing with Short Text: Tools for Thoughtful Response: This chapter helps students practice their discussion skills using short texts, such as poems, articles, cartoons, or excerpts. It also introduces some tools that students can use to record their responses, such as role sheets, response logs, post-its, bookmarks, drawings, or text coding. The mini-lessons in this chapter are:
Role Sheets
Response Logs
Post-its
Bookmarks
Drawing
Text Coding
Getting Started with Whole Books: This chapter prepares students for reading and discussing whole books in literature circles. It also provides some strategies for presenting book choices, setting ground rules, making reading calendars, and dealing with the first chapter. The mini-lessons in this chapter are:
Presenting Book Choices with Book Talks
Presenting Book Choices with a Book Pass
Setting Ground Rules
Making a Reading Calendar
Dealing with the First Chapter
Refining Discussion Skills: Creating Deeper Comprehension: This chapter helps students improve their discussion skills by teaching them how to ask different types of questions, make connections, share opinions, support claims with evidence, clarify confusion, summarize main ideas, and synthesize information. The mini-lessons in this chapter are:
Asking Questions: Thick and Thin
Making Connections: Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, Text-to-World
Sharing Opinions: Agree/Disagree Statements
Supporting Claims with Evidence: Quotation Sandwiches
Clarifying Confusion: I Wonder Statements
Summarizing Main Ideas: Headlines
Synthesizing Information: One-Sentence Summaries
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