Mrs. McGrath's Fourth Grade Class
Eastbrook Elementary School
Winter Park, Florida

Stone Fox


My 4th grade class read Stone Fox as a class as an introduction to Literature Circles. We practiced various roles, engaged in discussions, wrote responses in their log books, and blogged on our classroom webpage. The students were also directed to our Book Club webpage to search for further information on the internet that related to the story. Some students chose to complete extra comprehension tasks and others chose to learn more about dog sled races. We still have to work on our blogging skills, but I am sure they will improve with time and practice.
 
The students were given a list of possible projects to choose from to complete our first Literature Circle. One group chose to make a 3-D Diorama of a scene from the book, two made a poster, two groups worked together on designing a headstone and dedication ceremony for Searchlight, one made a game, and another planned a party to follow our dedication ceremony. The students were motivated and driven as they chose their project and planned to complete the project in a given timeframe.
 
We invited our principal, assistant principal, reading specialists and media specialist to our dedication ceremony. It was held in our butterfly garden one bright and sunny morning. We all wore black or dark clothing; students read eulogies that they had written, and we finished with a party in the classroom where our projects were showcased for all to see.
 
The students displayed their understanding of the plot for the book, learned to blog, learned to have focused discussions, learned to find words that were new to them, and they referred back to the text to support their discussions. Our classroom was a busy and lively place. The students viewed 6 possible books for the next round of Literature Circles and are very keen to begin.
 
diorama

poster

poster

game


©  Susan Silverman - Literature Circles Extension Projects