Addressing the Common Core State Standards through Literature Circles

Well-designed and effective literature circles can be a powerful tool for addressing the Common Core State Standards. In this section, we offer suggestions on how the components of literature circles can help you meet the CCSS in reading.

Reading
The best books or other reading material for literature circles offer students the kind of "meaty" thinking that promotes deep reading for understanding, critical analysis, and finding evidence on which to draw conclusions. Literature circles provide excellent opportunities for students to develop proficiency with these specific anchor standards for reading:

Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.