Literature Circle Role Sheet

Discussion Director
Name: _______________________ Circle: ______ Meeting Date: _____________

Book: ______________________________ Reading Assignment: ____________

Discussion Director: Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to
discuss about this part of the book. Focus on the big ideas in the text; good discussion questions
should refer to a specific passage and elicit strong reactions and diverse opinions. Usually the best
discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and concerns that naturally pop up as
you read.

Discussion Topics for this Reading:

1. _________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________________

Tips: Consider
A discussion of the characters: are they realistic? How are they changing?
What motivates characters? What decisions do they make? Why?
A discussion of a confusing passage or event.
The social/historical context of the text or historical events in the story.
Predictions about what might come next.
 Literature Circle Role Sheet

Summarizer
Name: _______________________ Circle: ______ Meeting Date: _____________

Book: ______________________________ Reading Assignment: ____________

Summarizer: Your job is to prepare a brief summary of todays reading. Prepare a paragraph
summary, as well as outlining the key points of the plot. Your group discussion will start with your 1-
2 minute statement that covers the key points, main highlights, and general idea of todays reading
assignment.

Summary:
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Key Points:
1. _________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________________
 Literature Circle Role Sheet

Connector
Name: _______________________ Circle: ______ Meeting Date: _____________

Book: ______________________________ Reading Assignment: ____________

Connector: Your job is to find connections between the book and you, and between the book and
the wider world. Make 2-4 thoughtful connections (a short paragraph each, citing specific details
from the text). Consider the list below when searching for connections:
Your own past experiences
Happenings in our school or your community
Current events in the news
Historical events
Connections to other works of art (books, music, movies, etc.)

Some connections I made between this reading and my own experiences, the wider world, and other
texts or authors were:
 Literature Circle Role Sheet

Literary Luminary
Name: _______________________ Circle: ______ Meeting Date: _____________

Book: ______________________________ Reading Assignment: ____________

Literary Luminary: Your job is to locate a few special sections or quotations in the text for your
group to discuss. The idea is to help people go back to some especially interesting, powerful,
funny puzzling, or important sections of the reading and think about them more carefully. Pay
special attention to literary devices! As you decide which passages or paragraphs are worth going
back to, make a note of why you picked each one and consider some plans for how they should be
shared. When meeting with your circle you can read the passages aloud yourself, ask someone else to
read them, or have people read them silently and then discuss. Remember, the purpose is to
select material that will create discussion.

Quote & Page # Reason for Picking Plan for Discussion

 Literature Circle Role Sheet

Word Wizard
Name: _______________________ Circle: ______ Meeting Date: _____________

Book: ______________________________ Reading Assignment: ____________

Word Wizard: The words a writer chooses are an important ingredient of the authors craft. Your
job is to be on the lookout for words that are unfamiliar, or essential to the passage that you read.
Find 5-10 words
Jot down puzzling or unfamiliar words while you are reading. Later, look up
the definitions.
You may also run across words that stand out somehow in the reading--words
that are repeated a lot, used in an unusual way, or are crucial to the
meaning of the text. Mark these special words too and be ready to share your
ideas on their usage.
When discussing vocabulary always look at the word in context--read the
passage which includes the word.

Word Quote & pg. # Definition Reason for

Choosing and Plan
for Discussion