Literacy Circles
Literacy Circles is a new initiative introduced into the senior end of our school to promote and further enhance comprehension strategies among all the children who partake in it. The children of fifth and sixth class began this process this year with some excellent results as the children have excelled in the like of summarising, making connections and predicting among others.
The children are grouped and in their groups either read a novel specific to their group or else as a whole class. The children do much independent work on this novel and become responsible for their own learning. Much of the work done in these lessons is done orally and the children are pushed to think outside the box and challenge the other children to look at things differently. Some of the novels we explored in 6th class: - Wonder by R.J. Palacio - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boynce - Reaching the Heights by Peter Gunning Some of the novels we explored in 5th class: - Sputnik's guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cotrell - Boyce - Wildflower Girl by Marita Conlon McKenna - The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo - Benny & Omar by Eoin Colfer - The Secret of Grindlewood by Jackie Burke - Middle School - The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts - An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo - The Borrowers by Mary Norton |