Much of the second semester of the 2001 Spring Term was dedicated to work in Literature Circles. In self-selected groups with self-selected texts approved by their parents/guardians, students discussed various elements of their authors' works, including Setting, Characterization, Main Conflicts, and Climax. The only text restriction was the selected text must be considered a "classic" in its genre and be a minimum of 200 pages.
The Setting Poster required four locations which included the "big picture" setting as well as mapping the progress of the main conflict of the story. This Lit Circle settings included New York and Zoe's apartment. Students also had to find appropriate quotations to include on their posters as evidence that their setting selections were appropriate choices.
Construction
of a Character Poster was another requirement for the Lit Circle
Final project. The Character Poster must be an image of the main
character and include three quotes from the text revealing physical
description, some one's opinion about the character, and the character's
opinion on any given topic. The posted also must include a a symbol
representing the character and a minimum of one paragraph comparing
this character to a character in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird,
one of the core texts we read in second term 9th Grade English.
Another component of the Lit Circle project was to find literary criticism about the chosen text. Nikki, Bethany, and Lizzie were thrilled to find one analysis which explained how typical alcoholic behaviors were present in King's text. Nikki, who found it difficult to remain engaged with the text, gained new interest when she discovered an article about King's use of dark and light imagery to reveal the truths about Jack's hidden persona and his family's progressive discoveries. All three students explained that having critical lenses to consider while reading gave them new perspectives to keep in mind, giving the text layers of meaning beyond the story that was being told.
Each
individual student was required to choose a topic related to their
text to research and present to their own Lit Circle. These presentations
were required to be 1 to 2 minutes in length. Of the topics researched,
the circle chose one topic to research more deeply. This topic
would be part of their final presentation to the entire class
and would require that all members of the Circle speak. In response
to reading Tolkien's The Two Towers, this Lit Circle researched
the language created by Tolkien, the time line of European blade
weaponry, Tolkien's biography, and the archetypes found in The
Lord of the Ring series.
