The document summarizes a teacher's journal entries about implementing literature circles in her classroom over 5 weeks. Some key points: - Week 1 involved preparing permission forms and assessments for the study. About half returned forms by the end of the week. - Week 2 was the official start, with assessments given. Literature circle groups were formed and began meeting, with some engaging discussions and others still learning. - Week 3 saw the circles becoming a routine. The teacher observed high engagement and made notes on supporting struggling groups. - Week 4 involved a decision to eliminate job sheets and focus more on discussion, as some groups argued over jobs. Responses were mixed but improving. - Week 5 aimed to

1. Penzu Journal Entries
Hilary Manzone/READ6407
Week 1: Preparation for the study
Monday (1/9)- I organzied my action research binder with different tabs labeled for different parts of my
study. I started a check-off list for the parental permission forms that will be sent out tomorrow in their
Tuesday Folders. I am awarding students 3 tickets if they turn the permission form in this week whether or
not they are participating. Tickets are a reward system that they have been used to all year so they were
excited to turn them in.
Tuesday (1/10)- Permission forms were sent home today in their Tuesday Folders.
Thursday (1/11)- I received about half the class' permission forms from both classes. Hoping by the end
the week I have a better turn out! If students do not bring them back, I will not have them participate and
use their data in the research study.
Friday (1/12)- Permission forms been collected. A few more need to come back and I'm sending out
emails to parents requesting for the permission forms to be returned by Tuesday (when students go back
to school) while making sure parents know that there is no pressure to agree to participate. I also made
sure copies were ready for the comprehension assessments and garfield reading surveys.
Future plans for next week:
**In my action research proposal, I planned on starting my study the week of the 16th. The 16th is Martin
Luther King Jr. Day so the official start date will be the 17th with the administration of the comprehension
assessment and reading survey.
Monday (1/16)- No School
Tuesday (1/17)- Students in control group and intervention group will be given the comprehension
assessment and the Garfield Reading Survey during Self-selected reading time. Students that are absent
will complete the two pieces of data during Self-Selected Reading time the following day.
Wednesday (1/18)- Review/Introduction to Literature circles to the intervention group. Book choices will
be given and selected.
Thursday (1/19)- Day 1 of Literature Circles
Friday (1/20)- Day 2 of Literature Circles
Note:
Control group will be reading independently during Self-selected reading time 9:25-10:10. This year I
have pulled small guided reading groups during self-selected reading time. I will continue this with my
control group as I have all year.
Intervention group will be completing literature circles during self-selected reading time 9:25-10:10.
Because this week was shortened by one day of no school, I plan on having 3 literature circle sessions
the following week for 45 minutes each.
Week 2: Start of the study
Tuesday 1/17: Administration of reading cbm and Garfield Reading Interest Survey to both the
intervention group and the control group. The Garfield Reading Interest Survey was given during the

2. traditional SSR time and lasted about 5-10 minutes depending on each child. The reading comprehension
assessment was distributed right after the survey and lasted about 25-30 minutes.
Wednesday 1/18: Introduction and review of literature circles. This day was also used for administering
the survey and reading cbm (during SSR time) to a few students that were absent on Tuesday. I used a
powerpoint to explain the literature circle process and gave a short description of each job. This was a
great chance for students to ask questions. Many questions had to do with the length of time, who was to
share their job, etc.
Thursday 1/19:
CONTROL GROUP: Standard SSR time/Small groups. Students are reading their self-selected books
and use self-reflection sheets that require students to use CROP-QVS strategies. I'm also continuing to
pull a small guided reading group as I have been doing the past few months for small group support.
INTERVENTION GROUP: Student selection of literature circle books
Students were given a choice of four books to choose from based on their reading level.
Here are the groups I previously had for guided reading:
Based on these groups, I gave groups 1 & 2 a selection of four books, groups 3 & 4 had a selection of
four books, and group 5 had a selection of four books. I was wondering how group 5 was going to work
since they were choosing from 4 books and there were only 6 students in the group. If I had to, I was
going to split them up into separate literature circles (groups of 3) based on their selection. I do agree with
Harvey Daniels that students need to choose their own choice of material and books, but I also want to
guide students in selecting books appropriate for their reading level. They each were given a sheet that
had their name and a place to write their top three favorite choices. Based on the choices, I was able to
develop groups.
Even though the students chose the books based on reading level, most of the groups were now mixed
since their choices were all different. For example, there was a mixture of group 1 and group 2 students
now as well as a mixture from group 3 and 4. I also had a student in group 5 choose a book from group 3
& 4's selection because they really interested in it and their choices didn't quite fit in with the rest of group
5's selection.
As I called the groups individually to the table to choose their books, I made sure to give them some tips
on choosing a book as well as a little information on each book so they had an idea what it was about. I
reminded them not to judge a book by it's cover and made a connection to another book we read as a
class. (the read aloud book I chose had an older book cover and looked unappealing to most students,
but as I read it, the interest students had in the book was outstanding!) I also asked students to talk with
one another in the group, think aloud as they were choosing, and preview the book by looking inside. As
students were selecting, I made some important observations:
-Even with my guidance, it seemed groups 1 & 2 were choosing books based on the front cover. There
was not much discussion happening. I also noticed the girls were choosing based on interest (dolphins)
which is what I'm looking for -->Choosing books based on interest!
-Group 3 had a little more discussion going when choosing books and took twice the time to decide than
groups 1 & 2.
-Group 4 had the most discussion out of all the groups and it took them even longer to make a book
selection. Most of the students flipped through the pages making predictions about what the book was
going to be about. One student, Daniel, said "I've heard of Lewis and Clark but I want to learn more about

3. them. I like history." I also noticed them choosing the book's based on the titles since they seemed
interesting such as "Pigs Can Fly." Many students put that as their top choice!
-Group 5 seemed to be more quiet about book selection but seemed to be more analytical when chosing
their books. They erased their answers quite a few times before making their final choices. One of the
girls, Ally, said "This one seems to easy, I want something more challenging." It was so nice to hear this
coming from students so that the teacher doesn't need to remind them all the time that they need to read
books appropriate for their reading level. Surprisingly, most students chose the thickest book available!
Friday 1/20:
CONTROL GROUP: Standard SSR time/Small groups. Students are reading their self-selected books
and use self-reflection sheets that require students to use CROP-QVS strategies. I'm also continuing to
pull a small guided reading group as I have been doing the past few months for small group support.
INTERVENTION GROUP: Start of Literature Circles- 30 minutes. The literature circle groups met for the
first time in their assigned areas. They gathered their materials (literature circle binder and bag of books).
First they reviewed the sheet of literature circle qualities (how they should act and work well within a
team). They practiced using the spinner to get jobs as well as read over the description of each job again.
They used their writing journals to predict what the book was going to be about.
My to-do: Friday I entered the scores into easy cbm lite edition online. I have a two more students to add
since they did not finish the reading comprehension completely. This weekend I plan on working on
gathering the results from the Garfield Survey.
Next week:
Monday: Teacher Work Day
Tuesday: First OFFICIAL literature circle day
Wendesday: Second Day
Thursday: Third Day
Friday: Regular SSR time so students have a chance to take AR tests and I can hold one small guided
reading group (as I have throughout the year).
Week 3: Beginning of literature circles
1/24-
11:30-12:00 The students were organized in their groups. They chose their jobs. Group 3 was arguing a
little bit about the jobs they received, but overall were able to get back on track right away.
It was amazing how quiet it got when they started their literature circles. They were all reading, not one of
the students was fooling around or talking. I hope this keeps up from day to day!
One students was absent: Carolyn Murison- She will have to make it up during reading at home.
Deivon finished early in group 3 and tried to cover his head with his hood, so I need to make sure they are
engaged. I'm going to come up with activities to do when they are finished with their "job." Possibly I will
have them reflect in their writing journals.
*I also mentioned a culminating project for them to complete at the end of literature circles. Ideas include
a play, a movie/video, poster, etc. I'm going to let them choose and they seemed very excited to again
have the freedom of choice!
1/25

4. The students were more prepared today when they got to their literature circles. I had them review what
they read the day before. Last year students worked on one chapter a week. I think it helps that students
are working on liteterature circles 3 days in a row.
*I also added a document on my Smartboard for ideas for what to do when finished. They include:
-Re-read the chapter
-Write a reflection on the chapter on the back of your literature circle job worksheet
-Preview the next chapter
-Create a poem representing the chapter
-Create a newspaper article representing the chapter.
I am going to come up with more, but I wanted to at least have something prepared.
I'm concerned about students getting off task. I'm reading an article titled " " and it has an idea of placing
a tape recorder at the group to make sure students are having discussions relevant to their book/topic. I
also have concerns about how students are going to make up the work when they are absent. I thought
that students should work on the next chapter when they arrive at school, but make sure to take the book
home that night or weekend to catch up. I explained at the beginning of literature circles that it is their job
to complete the reading.
Group 2 really put effort in their jobs this week. They were even using the back of their paper to continue
their job or complete an after reading task. They started their discussion early since their chapter was
shorter. I noticed that they need a lot of practice and guidance with how to have a good discussion and
how to react/reflect after they share their jobs. I think I will be spending a lot of time with groups 1 and 2 to
support them with their responses. For example, after Yousef shared his letter to the author that he wrote,
I asked the students to ask questions and respond. One student said "What was the main idea of your
letter." I tried to explain that it was a good question but is not really relevant since it is a letter.
Group 1: Finished early, but was quiet while working.
Group 3: Devion struggled to complete an after work task. He would try to put his head down and say he
was done even after asking him to complete an after reading task.
Group 4: Always has good discussions, and tends to start a discussion while they are working on jobs.
Group 5: Their book requires a deeper level of thinking and they took a little more time to complete their
reading. They seem to work on their jobs as they read which is a great observation.
1/26- The students are really in the rhythm of literature circles now. They are enjoying their jobs a lot, but I
would like to do away with "job sheets" and have students work on creating questions for discussion on
weeks 4 & 5. I will continue job sheets next week to help students stay on track.
Week 4: Last week of literature circle jobs
Because picking jobs has been difficult for some groups, and sometimes seems like a waste of paper, I've
decided to take a different route next week. I'd like to give them an ability to write in their writing journals
about the book they are reading and create questions to use to discuss with their group. I know that I will
have to make time to check in with these journals to keep students accountable. I also want students to
continue taking advantage of the activities to work on when finished. (Extension activities)
January 30th (Monday)- Some of the students are having difficulty changing up jobs and being able to
select them without arguing. I had to intervene in one group since they spent about 5 minutes arguing

5. about the jobs and who's turn it was to spin. Every other group was able to choose the jobs quickly.
Especially Groups 1, 3, and 5. Groups 2 & 4 had some difficulty due to the some of the students bringing
up "fairness" in the group.
Group to sit on with today: Group 2
I started with the discussion director. Mikaylah asked "Why do Eugene and her friends have to study the
sharks?" Yousef- Because she studied sharks.Markel- because she swam with them as a little girl. Markel
shared his correspondent job..we had a discussion about how she wrote underwater. We talked about
technology they would need to work underwater. It was interesting because he thought outside the box
and also asked a question even though he was writing a letter. The kids in this group was actually trying
to make connections. The discussion started where they started taking turns. Ethan was talking about
what kinds of fish and crayfish they were eating. Ethan shared his question about what would happen
when they pull up the crab. This was a brain question because the answer wasn't in the text. I really like
the discussion in this group today.
Other groups were doing a good job wiuth their jobs except group 1 who was off task.
January 31st (Tuesday)-
Group to sit on with today: Group 4
Selah started with a discussion question. Daniel answered the question and even talked about whether it
was a fat or skinny question. Ciara and Joseph also answered the question and gave similar questions. I
talked to them how to comment on each other's answers. Daniel said "we kind of had the same answer
but we said it in different ways." Joseph went next as word finder and I talked with the group about how to
have a discussion about an unknown word, by going back in the text and re-reading the text.
I noticed that group 2 struggles having a discussion when I am not present in the group. Wondering if I
need to have an incentive to get students to work together better and have better discussions. Group 5
and group 4 have got it under control. Group 1 is very quiet though and group 3 seem to have their
discussions under control.
February 1st (Wednesday)- I had professional development in the morning so I was not with my groups
for the 1st part of literature circles, but mostly it was choosing jobs and reading. When I got back, I was
able to start groups on their discussions and sit with group 1 to listen in on their thoughts.
Group to sit on with today-Group 1- Their conversation was better than the previous ones I had
overheard. For example, they were making more connections to dolphins and putting themselves in the
character's shoes. Alanah said that she would like to be a dolphin trainer as well as Amenah. But Alanah
wanted to do most of the training outside of the water (like handing the dolphins treats and such). She
must of been at a theme park where they have amusement shows having dolphins do tricks.
February 2nd (Thursday)- This was the last day this week of literature circles. Students had a better
understanding of their jobs and if they did not have a "job worksheet" available in their binder, they were
familiar enough with the jobs to take a piece of lined paper and create their own.
**Concerns: Chapter numbers. Since each group has a different number of chapter numbers, I expect
some groups to finish earlier and begin a new book before others. For example, group 4 has 21 chapters
where group 1 only has 9. I think that as the group's reading level gets higher, there is more stamina
needed to finish the book.
My thoughts this week was veering away from jobs and having students think of
questions/comments/connections as they are reading and jot them in their writing journal. Right now,
every child wants to be the illustrator and althought it's a motivating job for some students, I really want

6. the literature circles to be centered around discussion and not so much independent work. I hope it works
for next week!
Week 5: Elimination of "lit circle jobs" Focus on discussion!
This week I really wanted students to spend more time reflecting than trying to spin for a job and possibly
argue about which job to take. I started a new assignment in place of the jobs that required students to do
three things before, during, or after their reading. Basically I incorporated many of the literature circle jobs
into the new assignment format. I used my smartboard to post their responsibilities for every day of
literature circles.
New daily assignment:
1. Write down at least 2 thoughts/feelings about the chapter.
2. Create at least 1 question about the chapter.
3. Make 1 reflection on the chapter. (Make a connection, explain favorite or least favorite part of chapter,
mention some difficult words, etc.)
When Finished: Students can create an illustration, write a newspaper headline for the chapter, make a
comic strip, or write a letter to the author or one of the characters. OR students can create their own
activity with teacher approval! :)
Tuesday 2/7- Students came right into the classroom and sat down with their literature circle supplies and
started reading. I did not notice any issues with the reading today and they all seemed to be on task. As
they read, I monitored around the room to check to see if they were writing down their thoughts, feelings,
questions, and reactions to the chapter. I explained that sometimes I would collect their responses but for
today, we can practice in our writing journals. I stressed how important it was to develop a question to use
at discussion time and offered reading bookmarks that had the question stems available.
*I also want to mention that it is amazing how much the students have read in just a couple weeks. I have
students working on chapter books or novels sometimes for months before finishing. Especially students
-Some students chose to make a goanimate for the chapter. Deivon, Cary, and Elvis
Wednesday 2/8- I decided to have today as a "turn in" day where students will be turning in their work. I
also stressed the importance of writing down their thoughts and feelings while they are reading. I walked
around while they were reading and noticed these groups writing their thoughts and feelings down: 1, 4,
5, part of group 3 and part of group 2. I was impressed how group 1 was getting along today and
completing their work while they were working. I also noticed one student used a graphic organizer
template to organize his thoughts (elvis) instead of writing 1,2,3.
-Students on computers: Brittney, Carter, and Iman.
Thursday 2/9- The elimination of lit jobs is great! The kids are reading quicker and groups are writing
down more relfective thoughts instead of working on one strategy. It's almost as if the jobs sheets were
practice for what they were going to do in the future, which is a culmination of all the strategies. I'm so
happy it's working! The students feel good that they are finishing actual chapter books and novels in such
a short period of time. I think it motivates them to finish other books they are reading
The kids are also excited to finish early so they can do an extension activity. A lot of them want to go on
the computer on goanimate. I do have to monitor that so that all students are given a chance.
-Group 1 finished their book today. I had them choose a new book. I wanted the students to take an AR
test, but there wasn't one available. The next one does have an AR test, so students can take it on that. I

7. want to compare their average to what they get on the test to see if they understand the text better during
literature circles.
-Group 3 is finishing today as well, but there was no AR test for them.
-Students on computers: April,
Friday 2/10- Group 3 started a new book today and they were given 2 choices. They checked out the
back of the books and we discussed that it wasn't just about length but what the story was about. They
decided to choose "Shoebag" by Mary James which was a level 4.7 and was worth 4 points. They really
wanted to earn points this time since the last book did not have any points attached to it. Group 3
discussion: Enas mentioned that "I usually don't like books in the beginning, but I liked the beginning of
this book."
Students on computers today: Jake, Brittney
Week 6: Continuation of Literature Circles
Monday 2/13- Students are continuing literature circles this week and next. Although I'm only
documenting this week and next, I plan on continuing lit circles throughout the rest of year based on
results with this class and my other class (the control group) as well. Group 5 finished their book today.
They were excited to take AR tests and choose a new book the following day.
Computers today: Deivon,
Tuesday 2/14- Group 5 chose a new book called "Sleepers, Awake." I think the cover had a lot to do with
their selection since the other books appeared to have older looking illustrations. I noticed that some of
the students are rushing through their book chapters so that they can get on the computer for an
extension activity. I try to limit each day to which studens are allowed to go on to limit this. I used today as
a turn in day where students were to turn in their reflections, questions, and extension activities. Since the
book that group 5 chose had significantly longer chapters, we decided to spend 2 days on each chapter.
The group understands and is happy to have the two days to spend on it. I also decided today that since
group 2 is finished with their book, I wanted them to split their group in half so that they were more on
task. Group 2 is the largest group.
Thinking back, I was going to have groups do a culminating activity with their book.Honestly, I had the
groups choose new books before I let them work on an activity. I don't want to make them back track so I
will have them do a culminating activity at the end of the next book they are reading.
Computer today: Selah and Carter
Wednesday 2/15- Group 2 chose a new book today. Out of four book selections they all chose the same
book. I gave them the independence of choosing to read 1 or 2 chapters a day since the chapters were
so short and there were 44 chapters. Elvis has stated that it would take 44 days to complete and that they
might have to read 2 a day. Surprisingly, the groups chose to read 2 a day so they can finish earlier and
take AR tests.
Group 5: Ally addressed a concern today that she was having difficulty with understanding the chapter. I
explained that sometimes with the beginning of books they can be confusing, but that if she re-reads,
reads on, and discusses it with her group, she will be able to understand it better. Shaelyn in the same
group talked about how she is figuring out what is going on while she is reading. Part of the text is a
dream and part is reality. As a group, we talked about how it can be challenging to understand what is a
dream and what is reality while reading a book. I also explained that it requires higher level thinking skills
and that I knew they could do it when working together and having group discussions.

8. Computer today: Amenah, Alanah,
I could only use three days of literature circles this week because of an early release on Friday and
assessments on Thursday.
Next week I plan on implementing my last week of literature circles to record observations and take notes.
The following week I will administer the reading comprehension assessment and reading interest survey
to complete the study's pre and post assessments. I am collecting data and taking my laptop around to
the literature circle groups to record student thoughts (dialogue) during literature circles.
Week 7: Last week of documentation/ Reading comprehension test
2/22- Literature circle discussions: Group 3: we talked about questions that they could create based on
questions that I had about the book shoebag (a story about a cockroach that turns into a human) Carter
asked "How do you think shoebag will react at his first day of school?" I asked students to put themselves
in the character's shoes and tell me what routines/rules shoebag would be unfamiliar with at our own
school. I also asked why shoebag's name was shoebag. They told me and I mentioned..well wouldn't it be
cool if we created more names for these cockroaches. (they were named based on where they were born
such as a shoebag, under the toaster, etc)
Computer today: Deivon, Brittney, Carter,
2/23- Again the lit circles went great! I'm noticing that some groups are asking to read MORE..but I want
them to make sure they are all on the same page and have enough time to discuss.
Friday I am planning on creating the reading interest survey as well as the reading comprehension
assessment. I will be using the same assessment as a post test to see if students made any
improvements with their reading.
Some important observations over the last few weeks:
-I've also noticed with the literature circles that I had students meet more than I initially expected. I
thought I'd only have groups meet 2-3 times per week. Instead, students met at least 3-4 times per week
which I thought was great for them to keep up with the consistency of the reading.
- I also noticed how diligent students were with their reading. They did not get out of their seats and walk
around, they were not staring in space, they were deeply involved with their reading and taking notes
while reading. This is different than what I noticed from my control group in the morning. The control
group has the ability to take AR tests and sometimes students that typically avoid their work are getting a
drink of water, a tissue etc. I think because students felt that this was more of an assignment than "free
reading" time, they took it more seriously and understood the time limits to finish a chapter a day.
-I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough time for reading a full chapter within one day, but it worked
out just well for the first round of books. When groups began their second round of books, we did notice
that some books had chapters that were EXTREMELY short or EXTREMELY long. Therefore, some
groups read 1/2 a chapter in one day and they all agreed on which page to stop. The other groups with
shorter chapters read 2 chapters a day so they wouldn't waste time. Part of the iniative too was taking an
AR test and earning points.
-I've also noticed that the studens are beginning to feel more excited about choosing a new book. It feels
good to know that the students are finishing complete novels/chapter books where as before it took them
several months during SSR time to finish just one!

9. -To me, literature circles gave me an opportunity to talk about high level questioning with groups that
struggle with creating higher level questions.