ELA 9-5

Literature
Circles

Marcel Duchamps, Bicycle Wheel, 1913.

Lit Circles
What are they? How do they work?

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The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Eight year old Kahu craves her great-grandfather’s
love and attention. But he’s focussed on his duties as chief
of Ngati Konohi in Whangara, on the East Coast of New
Zealand—a tribe that claims descent from the legendary
“whale rider.” In every generation since the whale rider, a
male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male
heir, there’s only Kahu. She should be next in line for the
title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition, and
sees no use for her.
However, Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle
she has a unique ally; the whale rider himself, from whom
she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales.
This book incredibly retells the Maori myth of Paikea, and
deals with themes of indigeneity, identity, tradition vs.
progress, and advocating for oneself.
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
Keyword(s):
- Indigenous Culture
- Identity
- Struggle
- Misogyny
- Tradition
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
In Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game," readers
are thrust into a future where humanity faces
annihilation from an alien race, the Buggers. Enter
Ender Wiggin, a young prodigy recruited into Battle
School, a rigorous military training ground where
children are groomed to become commanders in
Earth's defense. Ender's exceptional intellect and
strategic prowess set him apart, but as he rises through
the ranks, he grapples with the moral complexities of
warfare and the toll it takes on his humanity. Filled with
intense action, intricate political intrigue, and profound
philosophical questions, "Ender's Game" is a
captivating journey that challenges readers to ponder
the nature of power, empathy, and the cost of victory.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Keywords:
● Sci-fi
● Dystopia
● Friendship
● Courage

Content Warning:
● Violence
● Bullying
We are all made of molecules by Susin Nielsen
13-year old Stewart is gifted academically, but has
trouble picking up on social cues. Ashley is 14 years old
and popular, but gets terrible grades. When these two
become step-siblings, tension grows within the family.

Ashley’s hostility towards Stewart seems partly fuelled by

anger with her father, who came out to the family as gay.
While Ashley doesn’t have a problem with this, per se,
she feels like she doesn’t really know her own dad.

When Stewart discovers that Ashley has a crush on

Jared, he leverages his newfound status as her
stepbrother to improve his lot with both parties. But
things come to a quick end when he realizes that Jared’s
feelings for Ashley are more predatory than romantic.
We are all made of molecules by Susin Nielsen
Keyword(s):
- Bullying
- Tolerance
- Acceptance
- Found Family
- Family dynamics
- LGBTQ+

Triggers:
- Social media abuse
- Underage drinking
- LGBTQ
- Mature content (mention of sexual violence)
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Hazel is a diagnosed with cancer at 16. She’s reluctant to go to
a support group but soon she realizes that it is a good idea.
Hazel meets a young boy named Augustus. He’s charming and
witty, and has recently been given the all clear for his own
cancer.

As their friendship blossoms into romance, they navigate the

complexities of illness, love, and mortality together, while
searching for the author of their favourite book. This poignant
and thought-provoking novel offers a realistic portrayal of the
challenges faced by young people dealing with serious illness,
while also celebrating the resilience of the human spirit.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Keyword(s):
- Love
- Death
- Friendship
- Hope

Content Warning(s):
- Cancer/Chronic Illness
- Loss
- Intimacy
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot,
troublemaker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail
time, Cole is given an alternative: a one-year banishment to a
remote Alaskan island. This program—called Circle Justice—is
based on Native American traditions that provide healing for the
criminal mind. To avoid serious jail time, Cole resolves to go. While
there, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and left for dead.
Thoughts of his abusive parents, helpless Peter, and his violent
anger cause him to examine the root of his troubled ways.
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Keyword(s):
- FNMI**
- Survival
- Ager
- Healing
- Nature
- Family
- Coming-of-age

Trigger(s):
- Graphic Violence
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
On the advice of a therapist, genderfluid teenager, Riley Cavanaugh,
starts an anonymous blog to vent their pent-up feelings and tell the
truth of what it’s really like to be a genderfluid teen. Riley has just
started at a new school, and is the child of a congressman up for
reelection. But just as Riley starts to settle in at this new school—even
developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and
an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening
exposure. Riley has to make a choice: walk away from what the blog
has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand
up, come out, and risk everything.
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Keyword(s):
- Bullying
- Friendship
- Anxiety
- Growing Up
- Taking a Stand

Trigger(s):
- LGBTQ
- Language
- Sexuality
- Surviving a Suicide Attempt/Mental Health
- Bullying
Know your “why”

Why do we have group discussions with literature circles?

Literature circles
- Literature circle are a way for you to practice the skills of debating, listening to others,
and discussing complex topics with our peers—a skill that will be very valuable to you
throughout your high school careers, and after.

- By discussing literature amongst yourselves, rather than just listening to me lecture,

you can make your own connections to the text.

- These first meetings might have their speed bumps along the way, and that’s okay!
We’re all learning together, and you’re just getting settled in your group dynamics.
Tips for effective group discussion
1. After one of your group members has presented their role sheet, interact with what
they have done: ask your peers questions, or respond to what they have written/said
about the text.

2. If you notice someone in your group hasn’t had the chance to talk throughout the
discussion, you can gently encourage them to share their thoughts. A simple “what do
you think, ________?” can suffice. Make sure your other group members are included
in the conversation.

3. Don’t talk over others, and allow space for others in the conversation.

4. Try your best to stay on task. Sometimes, discussion can wander in a group setting,
we all know this. When you notice your group is wandering, you can gently steer the
discussion back by digging into the text: “what did you all think of this passage?” “who
wants to share next?”
Taking Notes - Discussion “Minutes”
A recommendation that I made in your Literature Circles packet was that you make notes,
or keep “minutes” of your group discussion meetings.

This can be as simple as jotting down other group members’ observations about the book.
When other people are sharing their roles, you can be actively listening to them and writing
down a few key words that sum-up what they were discussing.
Example scenario
Veronica is the “clever connector” of her group that’s reading The Hunger Games. Her
connection is: “The Hunger Games in the book actually remind me a lot of reality television
nowadays, where people on the TV almost become ‘characters’ or ‘personalities’ rather
than normal people. They can become ‘villains’ or ‘heroes’ based on how they are
perceived by the people who watch them on TV, like the tributes from District 1, or Katniss
and Peeta.”

Note Form:

Veronica (Clever Connector): The Hunger Games → reality TV personalities (heroes/villains)

Discussion Groups
Keep your completed role sheet out so that I can come by and check it as completed.

10:35-ish — If you are reading a novel that has two full groups, plan to join up with the other group
that’s reading your novel at around 10:35. Some groups will be finished sooner than other groups
(based on group size). If one group is done before yours, invite them to the conversation!

If the conversation is winding down, consider some of the following questions in your
discussion groups:
- Based on what you've read so far, what do you think might happen next in the story?
- Which character introduced so far do you find most intriguing, and why?
- What are some emerging themes in the story: essentially, what message do you think the
author is trying to convey to readers?

10:48 — Wrap Up Time: At this time, we’ll wrap up discussions and come together for a debrief.
Wrap Up - Exit slip
On the sticky note provided, I want you to write two things:

1. Something that “went well” in your discussion groups: could be specific, like an
insight that someone shared that you thought was interesting; or something more
general, like the flow of conversation, or the engagement of group members.

2. Something you think could be better for next time: this could be group specific, like
“I found that our discussion got off topic too often,” or “the discussion kept on stalling
in between people sharing their role sheets;” or it could have to do with the process,
for example, “I wish that we had more/less time to discuss with everyone reading our
book.”
Generating Discussion in your group
After going through some of your discussion director practice notes from Friday, I wanted to share
a few examples of discussion questions that I think really honed in on what I meant by “thinking of
questions that will generate discussion.”

On Ginny and Georgia: “Why you think of your mom differently if you knew she had murdered
for you?”

On The Hunger Games: “How is the world of The Hunger Games similar or different to our
own world?”

On I, Tonya: “What does it say about the industry, that someone who was related to someone
who committed a crime was banished from figure skating for life?”

On Mom: “If your mother was like Christy’s mom, Bonnie, would you be able to forgive her
like Christy does?”
Clever Connector Practice
In partners or groups of 3, (you can choose your own) decide on a piece of literature, a TV
show, or a movie that you both like and have common knowledge of.

Each of you—individually—will find a connection between that book, or movie, or TV show,

and the world outside. It can be to your own life, to current events, to history, to another
show or movie that you have in common. There are no right answers here—whatever the
reading connects you with is worth sharing!

Then, you and your partner will share your connections with one another. When one person
shares their connection, the other person should comment on that connection. Do you
agree? Do you disagree? Why or why not?

You can also extend their connection, think of a similar connection to you own life, to
another current event, to another moment in history, the possibilities are endless.

I want each pairing to discuss for at least five minutes about your chosen text, film, or TV
show.
Point of View

Point of View refers to the perspective that a story is written from. It is the answer to the
question: who is the narrator of this story? There are four main points of view that we
usually find in narrative fiction:
 Red Rising by Pierce Brown:
First Person
“The first thing you should know about me is I
am my father’s son. And when they came for
First person pronouns: I/me him, I did as he asked. I did not cry. Not when
the Society televised the arrest. Not when the
Golds tried him. Not when the Grays hanged
First person point of view is written from the first
him. Mother hit me for that. My brother Kieran
person perspective of one of the characters was supposed to be the stoic one. He was the
within the story (usually the story’s protagonist). elder, I the younger. I was supposed to cry…”

First person allows the audience to learn about

events from the perspective of the narrator, and
also allows the audience to develop intimate
knowledge about the narrator’s
thoughts/feelings.

For the reader, we have to decide whether our

narrator is trustworthy. If they are not, they are
what we call an unreliable narrator.
 Dune by Frank Herbert
Third Person Omniscient “Jessica's hand went to Paul's shoulder,
tightened there. For a heartbeat, fear
pulsed through her palm. Then she had
Third person pronouns: he/she/they herself under control. "Thus he has been
taught, Your Reverence."
In third-person omniscient narration, our narrator is not a
What does she fear? Paul wondered.
character within the story. Instead, they adopt an
“all-seeing” point of view. They are able to enter the The old woman studied Paul in one
gestalten flicker: face oval like Jessica's,
thoughts of multiple characters. but strong bones…”

With third person omniscient, the author isn’t limited to a

certain character’s perception of events and access to
information. Also, the narrator can explain events that
happen at the same time in different places.
 From Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Third person limited “Joost had two problems: the moon and his
mustache. He was supposed to be making
his rounds at the Hoede house, but for the
Third person pronouns: he/she/they last fifteen minutes, he’d been hovering
around the southeast wall of the gardens,
Unlike third person omniscient, third person limited limits trying to think of something clever and
the frame of our perspective to that of a single character. romantic to say to Anya…”
Similar to first-person, there is a level of familiarity with our
central character that we view events from, although not as
familiar as the first person PoV.

Where third person puts some distance between the reader

and the character, it can help with building the setting, as
the narrator can explain the surroundings and events
without worrying so much about observing it through the
eyes of the character, “I.”
 From “Hills like White Elephants” by
Ernest Hemingway
Third person Objective
“The American and the girl with him sat at
a table in the shade, outside the building. It
Third person pronouns: he/she/they was very hot and the express from
Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It
stopped at this junction for two minutes
Third person objective is what I like to call the “fly and went on to Madrid.
on the wall” perspective. Our narrator just ‘What should we drink?’ the girl asked. She
had taken off her hat and put it on the
describes events as they happen, without being table…”
able to access the internal thoughts of the
characters within a scene.

This is a challenging perspective to write from, it

isn’t used by many authors for longer pieces of
fiction.
 From If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo
Sidebar: Second Person Calvino

“You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new

novel, If on a winter's night a traveler. Relax.
Second person pronouns: You/yours Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the
world around you fade. Best to close the door; the
TV is always on in the next room. Tell the others
Second person perspective is a very rare style of right away, ‘no, I don't want to watch TV!’ Raise
your voice—they won't hear you otherwise—‘I'm
narrative writing, where the reader is part of the reading! I don't want to be disturbed!’”
story. The narrator describes the actions and
thoughts of the reader using the pronoun “you.”

It’s most often used in “Choose Your Own

Adventure” books.
To Consider While Reading Today…
While you are reading your Literature Circle novels today, I want you to consider the Point of
View that your author has chosen.

In the last ten minutes of class, at your table groups you are going to come up with an
answer to the following questions:

1) What is the Point of View that the author chose for this novel?
2) Why do you think that the author chose this point of view instead of a different one?
3) What are the limitations of the point of view that the author chose?
4) How would the story have been different if the author had chosen a different point of
view? Or if the story had been told through the eyes of another character?

Note: If you are done your independent reading and role sheet for Wednesday, please come
and see me so we can discuss what you’ll be working on today/tomorrow.
Final Group Discussion
After you’ve completed your discussion, I want one member of your group to read the very
first page of your book aloud to the rest of your group. After they are done reading, answer
the following questions:

1. How does this first page prepare you for the rest of the story to follow?
2. What ideas or themes does the author introduce, that become important throughout
the text?
3. Why do you think this is an effective or ineffective opening to the novel?
Responding Critically vs. Responding Personally
Critical Analysis is when you interact with the work of another author through close
examination of the author’s text. You are essentially “picking apart” the craft of the author
and arguing your interpretation of the work by finding evidence from the text, and by
justifying the connection between your interpretation and the evidence that you’ve selected.
Connecting the six elements of fiction (plot, character, setting, conflict, point of view, and
theme) to the message the author is trying to convey.

Personal writing is where you make connections to your life and to the world around you. In
the case of this assignment, you are infusing both critical analysis and personal writing,
by connecting your interpretation of the text to your own experiences (it’s really a kind of
hybrid model of literary reflection.)
Work Time: Writing a Reflection
You have the rest of this period to work on your Reflection parts A and B, as well as finish
any outstanding role sheets, and complete your updated self-assessment.

Advice from Grade 12 students: just write!!

Role sheets, the self-assessment rubric, as well as the portfolio checklist and reflection
guidelines are all available on Teams under Classwork if you do not have physical copies
of them.

You’re going to want to complete all of these tasks ASAP, while the experience of Literature
Circles is still fresh! I encourage you to reach out to me over teams if you have any
questions throughout Spring Break.