Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles

by Harvey Daniels, Nancy Steineke

Harvey Daniels' Literature Circles introduced tens of thousands of teachers to the power of student-led book discussions. Nancy Steineke's Reading and Writing Together showed how a teacher can nurture friendship and collaboration among young readers. Now, Daniels and Steineke team up to focus on one crucial element of the Literature Circle model; the short, teacher-directed lessons that begin, guide and follow-up every successful book club meeting.

Mini-lessons are the secret to book clubs that click. Each of these forty-five short, focused, and practical lessons includes Nancy and Harvey's actual classroom language and is formatted to help busy teachers with point-by-point answers to the questions they most frequently ask.

How can I:
steer my students toward deeper comprehension? get kids interested in each others' ideas? make sure kids choose just-right books? help students schedule their reading and meeting time? deal with kids who don't do the reading? get kids to pay more attention to literary style and structure? help special education and ELL students to participate actively in book clubs? get kids to expand their repertoire of reading strategies? make sure groups are on-task when I'm not looking over their shoulder? introduce writing tools (including role sheets) that support student discussion?. help shy or dominating members get the right amount of "airtime?" give grades for book clubs without ruining the fun? use scientific research to justify the classroom time I spend on literature circles? Each mini-lesson spells out everything from the time and materials needed to word-by-word instructions for students. The authors even warn "what could go wrong," helping teachers to avoid predictable management problems. With abundant student examples, reproducible forms, photographs of kids in action, and recommended reading lists, Mini-lessons for Literature Circles helps you deepen student book discussions, create lifelong readers, and build a respectful classroom community.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Reference

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2004

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resources for literature circles - I really appreciate that each lesson has a section that brainstorms what could go wrong and how to address it. Highly recommended for folks who are running book circles!

[Mark Bratkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is assembled into 45 mini lessons for literature circles. What I liked most about the book was the section for each lesson called "What Can Go Wrong". This shows that neither teacher, nor students, are perfect. I found this admission to be refreshingly realistic. I have read too many teaching theory books that possess a "do it this way, it will work" mentality, when often that isn't the case. I wasn't a huge fan of all the assessment strategies, although I did find them creative and differentiated. It may be some time - if ever - before I use "true" literature circle again in my classes. Nonetheless, I found Mini Lessons to be a reliable source book, and also a good for finding reading instruction activities that can fit into any novel study.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, some of the other reviewers' comments about the book's "snarky and sarcastic" tone are fair. For instance, in some parts, teaching items that are unrelated to literature circles are referred to as "covering the curriculum." As someone who helped to write my students' curriculum, I don't care for the connotations of that phrase.

However, the pros far outweigh the cons. Unlike professional literature that devotes more time to theory than to practical application, the authors do a great job of not just telling us WHY we should use lit circles, but HOW to use lit circles. They also recognize that all classes face different challenges, so they show teachers how to troubleshoot particular problems.

Additionally, the methods taught in this book can be adjusted for different levels of classes. I can picture myself using these lit circles with my freshmen, seniors and AP language students.

If this book is ever made into a new addition, I hope the authors supplement it with more nonfiction reading ideas, since my seniors' lit circle choices are nonfiction. That, or maybe include that on their website, once it's finally updated ;) I tried again today (July 2014) and the site was still closed for updates.

[Jazmyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I'd mark this as finished since my unit ends this week.

[Andy Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of great ideas on how to set up a great class culture in which students are the leaders and take ownership of their learning. I can use a lot of the strategies in my math classroom as well as my small reading group.

[Cassie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for teachers new to literature circles. For those who have done literature circles for years, you will still find several new ideas.

[Tana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have already used three of these mini-lessons. It is easy to use, and the section that tells you what could go wrong is excellent in helping with planning.

[Liv CG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legitimately the most practical book I've read on teaching English.

Sometimes the authors veered towards more prescriptive, role-based analysis of texts (per Daniels' earlier work that he's shifted away from), but in general, the suggested lessons were helpful and meaningful. I appreciated the multifaceted approach to teaching book club: breaking down mini-lessons to reading skills, social skills, and content analysis skills. I can't wait to try their ideas out!

Recommend for: Core teachers!

If you liked: Craft Lessons (Fletcher and Portalupi), The Book Whisperer (Miller), going to book club yourself. Don't bother if you prefer pre-packaged curriculum.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly useful book for teachers who want to incorporate Literature circles (book groups) into their classrooms. It includes over 40 lesson plans and a few templates that cover mini-lessons for starting book clubs, keeping them running efficiently, and assessing them. It can be read in any order. Each mini-lesson is organized in the same way: Why do it? Teaching the Lesson. Working the Room. Reflecting. What Can Go Wrong? The book is highly practical. A teacher can go to the contents, find an issue she needs to address in her class, and go to that lesson. One can tell that the authors have done this and that they are, or have been, classroom teachers, although most of the anecdotes and examples pertain to high school. Despite that, this is just as useful for middle school and elementary school. Some of the early lessons in the book would be just as useful in content areas other than Language Arts.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to begin literature circles in my classroom soon, and I wanted a little quick PD (professional development) before jumping in head first. This book provided a great base knowledge. I think it had some great ideas, and I plan on using some of the mini-lessons in my classroom. I love giving the power over to my students in being creators of their own education, and literature circles definitely provide that. I am sure there are going to be bumps and growing pains along the way, and I appreciated that this book addressed some problems that may come up. The one thing I wanted more from the book was skill-based lessons that could be mini-lessons for whole-class instruction during the time of student literature circles.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate Daniels and Steineke's warmth, humor and honesty in this very helpful little teaching cookbook. I love that each mini-lesson also includes a "What Can Go Wrong" section and how to avoid/handle those issues. It's so much easier to trust the advice of those who "get it" and don't act pretend that every little activity is going to be PERFECTION because the lesson is flawless and they're perfect teachers. They are realists about the inevitable classroom high-jinks while still being idealists about instilling an authentic life-long love for reading and talking about books. I'm inspired, and what I've tried so far has worked pretty well! Tried and tested stuff!

[Clint Heitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another resource (a signed copy, in fact) that I always keep close at hand. The lessons that Daniels and Steineke share in this book are not only laid out in an easy to use/understand fashion, but they are also extremely flexible. I have had success with a number of these lessons both during and outside of literature circles.

A vote of confidence for this book: At the Walloon Institute, I asked Smokey (Harvey Daniels) what book he would recommend getting from the vendor if my wife only would allow me to buy one text. His response, despite having to split royalties, was this book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most pedagogy books suffer from a poor useful info:fluff ratio. This book is definitely an above average presentation of an extremely effective teaching tool. I very rarely find teaching activities or lesson plans that I feel comfortable using without some degree of modification. Many of the mini-lessons in this book, however, are good to go (e.g., written conversation, text coding, the book pass).

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great complement to Literature Circles in that there are teacher Mini-Lessons teachers can use before each Literature Circle takes place. It is a way for teachers to USE interactive modeling, much like the Responsive Classroom, so students have a very clear idea HOW TO use their roles effectively and efficiently during each student meeting. The discussions students have, using teacher modeling this way, will be much more reflective.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, Book Clubs and Literature Circles are not the same thing. I felt I was highly misled by the title. There were a few useful lessons, I guess, but nothing terribly groundbreaking; everything in here has been repeated elsewhere, and I think better done. I did, however, like that at the beginning of each mini-lesson, the authors estimated how much time was needed. But you should take this with a heavy grain of salt -- every classroom is different.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So now after my third pass through this book, I see even more I can apply. The Folger Institute this summer made me finally see what Daniels discussed as tableaux performances of books. Then I finally got to an "ah ha" moment of what the authors meant by PERFORMANCE book projects.

Now to put all of these ideas into practice before the county or the business of the school day makes me forget my new ideas of implementation again!!!

[Jada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the idea of inserting mini-lessons into my classroom reading environment and look forward to implementing many of these as I prepare for my first literature circles. I wish I had read this book prior to starting the school year so I could have started out the year with an environment rich in these socially appropriate reading circle strategies, but look forward to working them in and then using them in future years right from the start!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of educational theory in my day. That's fine. But what I need now is some concrete strategies for putting student-centered, inquiry-based learning in motion, and that's what Harvey Daniels gives me here. Dozens of detailed lessons that address all of the aspects of literature circles, and many which could be used at any point throughout the year to support student literacy.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with all kinds of great ideas and lessons. For each mini-lesson, the authors include a rationale, procedure, and a troubleshooting section (helpfully titled "What Could Go Wrong?"). The inclusion of this last part is especially nice; it's clear that the authors view students as they really are, rather than the idealized versions of students often found in educational books.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some great ideas for any teacher trying to implement literature circles in his/her classroom. I enjoyed many of the ideas, but what kept me from giving the book a full five stars was the tone of some of the writing. Daniels at times seems a bit supercilious and I found it aggravating at times. Ultimately, however, the good lesson ideas outweighed any of my issues.

[Marie Hockley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good ideas and strategies for teachers who want to encourage more self selected reading into their classrooms. What I really liked was the movement away from the role sheets of traditional literature circles (which I feel was just another form of readicide) to the formation of a book club format that promotes discussion.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So useful for getting started with literature circles. This was exactly what I was looking for. It's geared toward 6-12 teachers, but I think I will be able to use a lot of strategies next year with my fifth graders. I plan on buying this book and using it as my number one resource for teaching reading next year.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teacher book that is easy to reference. Having read the reviews, I see many readers found this book had nothing terribly groundbreaking. I agree, but I also think that this book provides clear structures and lessons for teachers new to literature circles. Like many others, I appreciated the "What can go wrong?" sections and the tongue-in-cheek writing style the authors used.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, sometimes rather obvious, ideas. Easy to read. I like the way the authors anticipate what could wrong with each lesson and offer advice on how to troubleshoot the problems. Will pull off the shelf when the time is right.

[Lindsey Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good resource for teachers who are wanting to start literature circles in their classrooms. While it does contain good ideas, I don't know that I gained many new ideas. If familiar with Daneils and Steineke's other works, this book seems a bit repeat...

[Mrs. Savens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a useful, but not ground-breaking,introduction to Literature Circles. My favorite section is the "What Can Go Wrong" section for each lesson. I found the book to be helpful and practical-- no short compliment for a teacher's book.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait to put this into practice with two rounds of literature circle groups I am currently about to roll into. I loved this book! Clear, realistic and refreshingly honest with sound theory behind every tool suggested. It helps that it's also a very engaging read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really useful in thinking about how to move reading-related projects in my class to a higher level of quality and complexity. I also really liked how, at the end, the authors included a template for how to make your own mini-lesson based on their process.

[Betsy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What activities, what interactions am I promoting that truly invite kids into the world of books, writers, and ideas? What am I doing to build enduring, wide-ranging, critical, and self-initiated reading?"

[Syd L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether or not you are planning on actually using literature circles, this book is full of good ways to facilitate and manage student-led discussion. All of the mini-lessons follow the same pattern, address potential problems, and are easily applied to any classroom and book.