Literature Circles
Independent Study Unit
Let’s look at the choices!
But first… Let’s check out what the
formal writing tasks are!
Part 1
• formal writing assignment: You have a choice
between…
News Report (based on an event in your novel)
OR
Opinion Piece!
Part 2
• You and your group (your classmates that are
reading the same book as you) will present on
your book! You will receive a step-by-step
guide when we get closer to the due date!
• This will be a power point presentation!
Part 3
• Novel Pyramid
• Movie Trailer {using the Ipad}
• IPod Playlist
Each one of these has a written component
attached and carry the same weight of work
required.
Part 4
Literature circle roles
• Illuminator
• Illustrator
• Connector
• Word Watcher
• Discussion Director
• Summerizer
You will rotate through these roles as you
progress through your book!
We will complete several other activities
throughout the process so it is imperative that
you use every minute of class time wisely. You
are not only letting yourself down, but your
group members!
NOW…Let’s look at the books!
{You need to write down your top 3 choices in
order of preference!}
Getting Over – Garrett Delaney
Can a twelve-step program help Sadie kick her unrequited crush for
good? Abby McDonald serves up her trademark wit and wisdom in a
hilarious new novel.
Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly onesided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best friend,
Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's feelings ever since
he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust
(not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie
has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything
from tragic Russian literature to art films to ''80s indie rock - all to no
avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is
sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to
say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! A heartbroken Sadie
realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for a total Garrett
detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends
(including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized self-help guide,
Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter,
mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.
Beat the Band – Don Calame
Get ready for riffs on hot girls, health class, and social hell!
The outrageously funny boys from Swim the Fly return to
rock their sophomore year.
It's the beginning of the school year, and the tenth-grade
health class must work in pairs on semester-long projects.
Matt and Sean get partnered up (the jerks), but Coop is
matched with the infamous "Hot Dog" Helen for a
presentation on safe sex. Everybody's laughing, except for
Coop, who's convinced that the only way to escape this social
death sentence is to win "The Battle of the Bands" with their
group, Arnold Murphy's Bologna Dare. There's just one
problem: none of the guys actually plays an instrument. Will
Coop regain his "cool" before it's too late? Or will the forced
one-on-one time with Helen teach him a lesson about social
status he never saw coming? With ribald humor and a few
sweet notes, screenwriter-turned-novelist Don Calame once
again hits all the right chords.
Divergent – Veronica Roth
In Beatrice Prior''s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five
factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the
honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the
peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all
sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of
their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and
being who she really is-she can''t have both. So she makes a choice that
surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself
Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they
have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance
and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences.
As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really
are-and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes
exasperating boy fits into the life she''s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one
she''s kept hidden from everyone because she''s been warned it can mean
death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to
unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might
help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Veronica Roth is the New York Times bestselling author of Divergent, the first
in a trilogy of dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions,
heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
Ashes, Ashes – Jo Treggiari
An unbelievable tale of adventure and romance, in the face
of the darkest of nightmares. Smallpox epidemics, floods,
droughts - for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world
came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the
weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean
the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds
of Central Park, hunting and foraging for food. But when she is
rescued from a vicious pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious
boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she cannot continue
on her own. She joins Aidan''s band of survivors, yet a new
danger awaits her: The Sweepers are looking for her, and
they''ve laid a trap. There''s something special about Lucy, and
the Sweepers will stop at nothing to have her in their clutches.
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
It takes a graveyard to raise a child.
Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He
would be completely normal if he didn''t live in a
graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian
who belongs to neither the world of the living nor
the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for
a boy-an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the
abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible
Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in
danger from the man Jack-who has already killed
Bod''s family.
Chance to Dance for You Ian lives in a suburb where everything's the
same. The houses are the same, the cars are the
same, and their aspirations are the same. But
Ian is different. Openly gay in his bigoted high
school, Ian doesn't exactly fit in. But he's not
worried - he''s been training in dance for a long
time and soon he'll be able to leave town and
train to become a professional. Then he falls in
love with Jess, the high school quarterback. . .
I am Not a Serial Killer – Dan Wells
John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it.
He's spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential.
He's obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn't want to become one. So for his own
sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he's written for
himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from
damnation.
Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don't demand or expect
the empathy he's unable to offer. Perhaps that's what gives him the objectivity to
recognize that there's something different about the body the police have just found
behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat---and to appreciate what that difference means.
Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can't
control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.
Dan Wells's debut novel is the first volume of a trilogy that will keep you awake and
then haunt your dreams.
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that
has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been
anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed
upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist
named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at
Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to
be completely rewritten.
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in
Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and
tragic business of being alive and in love.
Tomorrow, When the War Began – John Marsden
When Ellie and her friends go camping, they have
no idea they're leaving their old lives behind
forever. Despite a less-than-tragic food shortage
and a secret crush or two, everything goes as
planned. But a week later, they return home to find
their houses empty and their pets starving.
Something has gone wrong--horribly wrong. Before
long, they realize the country has been invaded,
and the entire town has been captured--including
their families and all their friends. Ellie and the
other survivors face an impossible decision: They
can flee for the mountains or surrender. Or they can
fight.
Ok, so now that you have examined the
book choices and jotted down your top
three in order of preference, hand in your
post-it with your name on it! I will do my
best to make sure everyone gets their top
choices, however, due to limited copies,
this will not always be possible.