Education Commons^™

Literature Circles, Diane Maclennan

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of the literature concerning the use of literature circles in elementary classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to present all aspects of literature circles, both the pros and cons, within the context of elementary classrooms. The content of the paper deals with the historical aspect of reading instruction, variations of literature circles, advantages of literature circles, and suggested guidelines for successful literature circles. This paper concludes that literature circles are a unique format for successful book discussions in which· students and teachers work collaboratively to enable optimal educational success.