Literature Circle: The One and Only Ivan

 

My 3rd grade class did a month-long literature circle unit on The One and Only Ivan, using ebooks on iPads. The purpose of this unit was 1) to get students to understand the concepts of character development and voice, 2) to get students to read and comprehend a complex text with supports, and 3) to promote social skills involved with group discussions.

 

Literature circle groups had 4 students each, and were heterogeneous by ability and language. Students in groups would read the text together, taking turns reading aloud. They had different roles each day, according to their weekly lit circle packet. Over the course of a week, each student was expected to do each role once.

 

In addition to roles focused on comprehension, vocabulary, and collaborative discussion, there were also roles focused on new concepts like character development and voice.

 

See the unit plan and examples of student work.