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Meeting Prep

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Lesson Plan

Prepping for Productive Discussions

Students will learn and apply a structured approach to prepare for literature circle meetings, ensuring they come prepared to actively participate and contribute meaningfully to discussions.

Consistent preparation is key to successful literature circles. This lesson helps students develop effective strategies to organize their thoughts, complete assignments, and arrive at meetings ready to engage, making their literature circle experience more rewarding and productive.

Audience

7th Grade Group

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Students will use a worksheet to guide their preparation.

Materials

Whiteboard or Projector, Your Pre-Meeting Playbook, Markers/Pens, My Weekly Prep Organizer (one per student), and Exit Ticket: Ready for Tomorrow? (one per student)

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Share Your Struggles (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "What are some challenges you face when trying to prepare for literature circle meetings?" Write their responses on the board.
  • Facilitate a brief discussion about common difficulties like forgetting assignments, not knowing what to focus on, or feeling unprepared to speak.

Step 2

Introduction to Productive Prep (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Introduce the lesson: "Today, we're going to learn how to make preparing for literature circles easier and more effective, so you can have awesome discussions every time!"
  • Present the Your Pre-Meeting Playbook Slide Deck (Slide 1-2). Explain the objective and the 'Why' behind good preparation.

Step 3

The Pre-Meeting Playbook Walkthrough (15 minutes)

15 minutes

  • Go through the Your Pre-Meeting Playbook Slide Deck (Slides 3-7).
  • For each step (Reading, Annotation, Key Ideas, Discussion Questions, Connecting), discuss its importance and provide examples.
  • Distribute the My Weekly Prep Organizer Worksheet.
  • Guide students to fill out the first section of their organizer as you go through the slides, explaining how each part of the worksheet connects to the slide deck content.

Step 4

Practice & Plan (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Have students look at their upcoming literature circle reading/assignment.
  • Ask them to independently start filling out the 'My Weekly Prep Organizer' for their next meeting, focusing on the first few sections based on the current week's reading.
  • Circulate and provide individualized support and feedback. Answer any questions they have about using the organizer.

Step 5

Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes)

5 minutes

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Slide Deck

Ready, Set, Discuss!

Your Guide to Awesome Literature Circles

Ever wish literature circles felt less like a pop quiz and more like a great conversation? Let's make it happen!

Welcome students and set a positive tone. Ask them to think about what makes literature circles challenging sometimes.

Why Prep Matters

Objective:

Learn and use a simple plan to get ready for every literature circle.

Why it's important:

  • Less Stress: No more last-minute scrambling!
  • More Fun: Participate confidently and enjoy sharing your ideas.
  • Deeper Thinking: Really dig into the book with your group.

Explain the objective and emphasize the 'why' - making their discussions better and less stressful. Connect it to their real-life desire for good conversations.

Step 1: Read Actively

Don't just read the words, experience them!

  • Pace Yourself: Don't wait until the last minute.
  • Find a Quiet Spot: Minimize distractions.
  • Focus: Pay attention to what's happening and how you feel.

Introduce the first step: active reading. Discuss what 'active reading' means beyond just reading the words.

Step 2: Annotate Like a Pro

Mark up your book (or notes)!

  • Highlight Key Passages: Powerful descriptions, important dialogue, confusing parts.
  • Write Notes: Ask questions, make predictions, connect to other texts or your life.
  • Use Symbols: Stars for important, question marks for confusing, exclamation points for surprising.

Explain annotation and its purpose. Give examples of what to highlight or write down.

Step 3: Pinpoint Key Ideas

What are the most important things that happened or were said?

  • Main Events: What are the big plot points?
  • Character Development: How did characters change or grow?
  • Themes: What bigger messages is the author trying to share?

Move to identifying key ideas. Emphasize that it's about understanding the main points, not retelling the whole plot.

Step 4: Craft Discussion Questions

Don't just answer, ask!

  • Focus on 'Why' or 'How': These lead to deeper conversations.
    • Example: Why did Character X make that choice?
  • Think Beyond the Obvious: What surprised you? What confused you?
  • Connect to Themes: What does this passage say about bravery, friendship, or loss?

Guide them on formulating their own discussion questions. Provide sentence starters or types of questions (e.g., 'why do you think...').

Step 5: Make Connections

Bring your own world into the book!

  • Text-to-Self: How does this relate to your experiences?
  • Text-to-Text: Does this remind you of another book, movie, or article?
  • Text-to-World: How does this connect to events or ideas in the real world?

Emphasize connecting ideas to their own lives, other texts, or the world.

Your Pre-Meeting Playbook: Recap

Every great discussion starts with great prep!

  1. Read Actively
  2. Annotate Like a Pro
  3. Pinpoint Key Ideas
  4. Craft Discussion Questions
  5. Make Connections

You've got this!

Quick recap of the steps. Emphasize that consistency is key.

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Worksheet

My Weekly Prep Organizer

Name: __________________________
Literature Circle Group: __________________________
Meeting Date: __________________________

1. Reading Actively

  • What pages/chapters did you read this week?





  • What was your reading experience like? (e.g., easy, challenging, interesting, confusing)





2. Annotate Like a Pro

  • List 2-3 important quotes or passages you highlighted/noted. Explain why you chose them.
    1. Quote/Passage:


      Explanation:



    2. Quote/Passage:


      Explanation:



    3. Quote/Passage:


      Explanation:



  • Write down any words you looked up or were still confused by:









3. Pinpoint Key Ideas

  • Summarize the main events or plot points from this week's reading in 3-5 sentences.











  • What did you notice about a specific character's development or actions this week?







  • Are there any big themes or messages emerging from the reading? What are they?







4. Craft Discussion Questions

  • Write 2-3 open-ended questions you have for your group. These should make your group think and discuss, not just give a 'yes' or 'no' answer.












5. Make Connections

  • Text-to-Self: How does something in the reading connect to your own life or experiences?











  • Text-to-Text: Does this reading remind you of another book, movie, or real-world event?











My Goal for this Literature Circle Meeting:

  • What is one specific goal you have for yourself during the discussion today? (e.g., share an idea, ask a question, listen actively)





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Cool Down

Exit Ticket: Ready for Tomorrow?

Name: __________________________

  1. List two steps from the "Pre-Meeting Playbook" that you think will be most helpful for you personally. Explain why.







  2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how confident do you feel about preparing for your next literature circle meeting using the strategies we discussed today? (1 = Not confident at all, 5 = Very confident)





  3. What is one question you still have about literature circle preparation, or one thing you'd like more help with?







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