Using Literature Circles and Poetry to Enhance Understanding of the Holocaust
Recently my students completed an in-depth study of the Holocaust. I tried a concept new to me; I incorporated literature circles and used fiction and non-fiction young adult literature. Students read one of the following books: Room in the Heart by Sonia Levitin, Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serrailler, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Elly: My True Story of the Holocaust by Elly Gross, and Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family by Barry Denenberg.
Before beginning the unit, I did quite of research into theory behind literature circles. I learned that many teachers use interesting themes in their instructional units. This provided a core for group activities by building on the interests of learners. Writing, speaking, listening, reading, and content-related concepts were taught within the context of the Holocaust. One theme provided relevance and brought students together under a single umbrella. Using a theme assisted students in maintaining interest and provided continuity for a series of activities.
I also learned that each student should have an assigned role for each weekly meeting; I decided to require each student to have a product that reflected their role. Of all the jobs identified in various books and websites, I decided on the following six: Discussion Director, Literary Luminary , Connector, Word Wizard, Summarizer, and Illustrator.
The Discussion Director was to write questions and answers that would draw their peers into the discussion; they would be the facilitator of the discussion. The Literary Luminary would choose interesting passages to be read aloud when the group met. The Connector’s job was to point out a connection between the text and the real world. The Word Wizard would find interesting, unusual, funny, repetitive or unique words and their definitions to share with the group. The Summarizer would write a brief summary of the section read, and the Illustrator would construct a plot diagram or draw a picture in relation to pages read.
I typed up a brief synopsis of each book and asked the students to rank the books from 1-6 with 1 being their first choice and 6 their last choice. Almost every student was able to get the #1 choice. I was surprised by that. Once book assignments were made, the students met in their literature group to receive their book and to assign rotating roles for each week. I kept a copy on file so I knew what they were supposed to be doing and it also gave me an idea of what each person’s product should look like.
As I monitored the students as they discussed the pages read, I was amazed at the level of questions asked and the answers given in response. They bought into the process and actively participated to enhance the discussion and gain new insight into the topic. At the end of the project, each group was responsible for a group project and then led a whole group discussion of the book with the entire class. In my opinion, this was the crowning glory of the entire project. Everyone was at ease and questioned members from other groups to increase their knowledge. After all presentations were complete and the books returned to the shelf in my classroom, students asked to check out books that another group had read. This was a great satisfaction for me.
Another aspect of the project was writing poetry. I supplied seven different formula poem patterns of which each student was to write three poems on any theme or idea of interest that surfaced during the project. Their poetry was an avenue into their reasoning and internalization of the material read.
Will I ever do a project like this again? Yes! It was one of the most rewarding things that I have been involved in this year.
One of the greatest resources that I used was a theory and practice book: Moving Forward with Literature Circles: How to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate Literature Circles to Deepen Understanding and Foster a Love of Reading by Jeni Pollack Day, Dixie Lee Spiegel, Janet McLellan, and Valerie B. Brown. There are also many wonderful web sites to assist when getting ready for literature circles.
