Literature Study Circles Mult Clas

Literature Study Circles in a Multicultural Classroom by Katharine Davies Samway and Gail Whang, is an excellent book for teachers who want to set up a literature circle in their classroom. The authors describe the role of the teacher and that of the student to create a successful student centered learning environment. The book explores a wide variety of topics-- from offering multicultural book choices to making possible modifications for inexperienced and second language speakers. Most importantly, the book highlights the use of Literature Study Circles to tackle conflicts amongst students that mirror those of the larger society. Students in Gail Whang's classroom discussed issues of racism, stereotypes as well as the differences in traditions in various ethnicity's. For instance, a student names Sylvia talked about racism when they were reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. She brought up example of how white students sometimes do things that go unpunished where as black students cannot get away. Black students have to find their own way for revenge because the authorities in the school will take no disciplinary actions against white kids. Another student name Fahm openly discussed her feelings about slavery (after reading Jump Ship to Freedom) when she said, "I think that even though you are not free from slavery and you have a chance to, you should try and take that chance and even though you might get killed, you and other slaves can know that you died trying and its better than knowing that you died of hard work from slavery". That statement is so powerful, courageous and heartfelt that one cannot dismiss the obvious feel for open dialogue that Literacy Study Circles generates. Through discussions and dialogue, Literature Study Circle creates a supportive classroom community which deals with issues that remain untouched in a traditional curriculum and provides students an opportunity to think critically. The book in general is very informative and the published accounts of students from Mrs. Wang's students makes it an interesting read, however it does have some drawbacks. Discussion was a major part of LSC and to assess students based on just that would be unfair. The book does mention a few post reading activities, however using LSC to assess students understanding and growth still remained vague. As a future teacher, I look for concrete ways of implementing such methods of instruction in my classroom. So for me, one of the main drawback was that this was Mrs. Whang's classroom and what worked for her may not work for me. I believe that the hardships of a first year, who is learning by trial and error to begin with, will only be compounded by the implementation of Literature Study Circle. Lack of resources in terms of the availability of books in the classroom would also be a factor. As much as I like the LSC, I think it would be best to try it once a teacher feels comfortable and confident in his/her position after a couple of

From this book the important thing that it talks and teaches about is having the class be more student-oriented than teacher. The good thing about this book is that it tells you how to set up a literature circle so that you can have a successful student conversation without the teacher being the one to do all the work. Something that stood out right away deals with the curriculum. A key idea in this book is that the material should relate to the students. This means the books should be interesting and deal with topics that the readers can relate to. Samway and Wang say that the students should be able to pick what they want to read. This is important because the teacher provides the class with several choices. I like that the book gives you some ways of choosing appropriate books that students might like. It is important to know your students and what they like. Samway and Whang explain how children usually like humor and adventure. It is also important to have books that relate to their culture. The book demonstrates how successful it can be to choose the right books. At one point the students did not want to stop reading, they wanted to finish the book as fast as possible because they were so interested in what was going on. It is important to keep the students on task, it is wonderful that they want to finish as fast as possible but they should not get to far ahead. In literature circles the students share what they have read, so if works better if everyone is on the same page. The book does a good job of emphasizing the power that the students have. In literature circles it is the student's job to decide and assign amongst them how many pages to read and what assignments to do before their next meeting. It is important to know that the teacher gives deadlines, this way the group knows when its due and they can manage their time how they see it. Another important concept in this book is developing a sense of community. If children are expected to share their thoughts and opinions they have to feel comfortable. Samway and Whang describe how a mini-lesson would help the students feel more comfortable. In this lesson they discuss that people have different opinions and idea's, and that it does not mean that one person is wrong or right, it also does not mean that the student is angry or making fun of that persons idea. If comments are going to be made students should respect everyone's opinion, especially when there are comments that are text-self. A part of the book which I really liked is when they use the literature circles to talk about big issues like stereotypes. This allows you to have a good discussion with the students, you get to see what they are thinking and you can make a lesson off of the students opinions or reactions to stereotypes. This book is a useful resource because it touches on a lot of key issues. Samway and Whang make sure to talk about classroom management, students with different reading lev

As an educator there are usually two types of books that you can choose to learn from. You have the flowery "lets holds hands and sing kumbaya" idealistic mumbo jumbo and then there's the realistic, more concrete, "I've done the research, I can show you how, it can work in your classroom" book. Literature Study Circles in a Multicultural Classroom by Katherine Davies Samway and Gail Whang is the latter. The goal of every teacher should be to mold students into life-long learners and this book understands that this objective cannot be met if the children are not life-long readers as well. The Literature Study Circles (LSC's) described in this book involve students choosing whole books to read and discussing in small groups, while the teacher acts as both facilitator and reader. Thoughtful and even personal discourse develops as students learn to value one another's comments as opposed to simply the instructor's. As students get acquainted with this type of activity where reading and speaking come hand-in-hand, students feel less inclined to say what they know and instead are more likely to talk about the reading material in a way that will make for interesting conversation. We create meaning from what we read based on prior experiences and our overall general knowledge. For this reason LSC's are perfect for implementation in a diverse classroom. Different readers will have different perspectives and therefore make for lively discussions. The book offers rich examples of dialogue between students actively participating in their LSC. Students gain a deeper understanding by exploring the more important questions and topics such as, stereotypes, language, homelessness, and even romance. In these discussions cross-cultural understanding is achieved as students from different backgrounds share their confusions or interest in each other's customs, use of language, and problems. Teachers may have at one time asked, "How do I make reading a task that my students will not dread?" Well, much of the LSC's success can be attributed to the effort the teacher places in selecting books that will captivate his or her students interest, the amount of time students are given to actually read in class, and establishing a routine for the LSC. When it comes to literature for young students the criteria for picking good books is no different than when an adult visits the bookstore. The books must have rich language, interesting plot, and characters that will not be easily forgotten. Many students for example typically like humor, action, and mystery, so it would only be reasonable to give them books with humor, action, and mystery. The time allotted to students for independent reading can increase gradually as the students get accustomed to reading and become less restless but eventually a routine must be established. In addition, the teacher must be a constant note-taker and conference with students from time to time to make sure they are on track. Something I foun

Literature Study Circles in a Multicultural Classroom (LSC) provides a basis for how students can learn on a student-directed approach rather than just a teacher-directed approach. Katherine Davies Samway and Gail Whang present the findings of their classroom literature circles that best fit the students and how the students learn. One of the major features that is significantly important and emphasized in LSC is allowing the students to personalize their readings. Students learn best when they are able to relate the findings from their schoolwork to their own lives. Children are egocentric and if they are able to connect their personal feelings to the book, they may engage in better discussions during the literature circles. Another vital aspect that is clearly drawn attention to in the LSC is that the literature circles give the students a choice. The students can assign their own homework and how much should be done to make sure they meet the due dates that the teacher provides. The students need some sort of direction and due dates can keep the students on track. The teacher is in charge of the classroom but that does not mean that he or she must continuously stand in the front and teach. The teacher is a mentor, a guide and this is exactly what he or she must do. The teacher guides and observes the discussion in the literature study circles and allows the students to take charge. The LSC stresses that the teachers be apart of the groups but save their comments for only when truly necessary or until the end. This gives the students a chance to share their thoughts and lead their own discussion. It may be difficult to make sure that every student is given a chance to share his or her mind within multicultural classrooms. This can be achievable with the literature study circles. As the LSC suggests, books can be chosen according the cultures and this can be a great way to read about several parts of the world that may be unknown to the students. The ideas that the LSC advises to keep the students on track are a great source for any classroom. The idea mark and literature logs are excellent student interest activities that should be considered in every classroom. I feel that this book is a great resource because it provides a backbone in moving from a direct discussion classroom to student-centered approaches. It gives examples on how to inspire and motivate students. Also, the book models how students can become much more self-assured in speaking their thoughts and creating discussions on their own. Even with such great resources, one question continues to remain unanswered. How does the teacher hold back from speaking his or her mind when students stumble upon a topic that needs guidance? There is an instance in the book where students talk about shaving eyebrows because it came up in their book and they feel a little uneasy about it. The teacher comes into the conversation and briefly puts in her input. Doesn't putting in even th

Literature Circles in a Multicultural Classroom is a clear and direct approach of how to focus on a more student-directed reading curriculum. Katharine Samway and Gail Whang discusses the ways to set up a literature circle and gives practical tips how to facilitate a rather more student-choice layout of reading than a teacher-directed approach. One of the most important aspects that Samway and Whang emphasizes is the teacher's role as an active listener rather than an active participant and leader of the discussions. This book allows teachers to use the strategy of listening to spin off of their students' thoughts and appropriately create assignments. Another main feature of this book is the different resources that are culturally diverse and used to make personal connections with the students. Rather than putting much focus on writing, learning mechanics, or vocabulary, LSC encourages students to take full ownership of their reading and discussions. This technique has shown results of students reading books and making text-to-self connections on their own, for that reason enjoying the materials and activities of what they are reading. Samway and Whang show how this student-directed approach can really change students' perception and environment of reading and learning. Though this book seems to be valuable in most classroom, I wished there were more information on how much a teacher should pull back from directing a discussion. What if there are important themes that were critical in the book? What if there were some misconceptions during the discussion? How long does the teacher wait to interject? Do they ever interject? Though there is no book that can sufficiently answer all questions, this book does a great job of pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of this project and allows readers to continually study new ideas and questions. Such as, "Though the students are becoming proficient readers, how do we implement writing and recieve authentic assessments of students' reading development? One issue that I would like to address is, "What happens when you don't necessarily have a multicultural classroom? Can you still try to facilitate this structure and have similar outcomes?" All the discourse examplesin the book were taken from students that made a self-to-text relationship. "How can you have resources that are relevant to a single race and still support multiculturalism in your curriculum?" Despite the feeling that this book can be more narrowed to a certain demographic classroom, I do agree with the concept of children should be taking ownership of their reading and discussions. "Who are we to say what is important and not in the students' lives?" It would be great to hear how this strategy could work in a classroom that is filled with one majority race and still support multiculturalism through various resources and student-directed rich conversations.