Are you a teacher who likes to have a backup plan?
You may start with your original plan, but you know you have Plan B in your back pocket—just in case. Challenges in literature circles are common, so it’s important to have a plan for them.
Have you heard the quote by Benjamin Franklin, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”? When I plan a lesson, I expect the best, but I try to be prepared for things to not always go according to plan.
You don’t want to be caught scrambling if things go off the track. Instead, having a backup plan is a great way to remain flexible in the moment. When running literature circles in class, having a backup plan is ideal.
Challenges in literature circles can occur, and you want to be prepared.
Check out this post, Best Practices for Literature Circles in Middle School, if you’re just starting with literature circles. Or, read on if you’re looking for solutions to common challenges in literature circles in the middle school classroom.
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Common Challenges in Literature Circles and Solutions
No two classes are the same; however, the class challenges often share similarities. As a result, here’s a list of some of the more common challenges that can occur when you’re running literature circles in class. Plus, when it comes to challenges, it’s best to have options (e.g., backup plans), so included are some creative solutions to help you when challenges in literature circles arise.
Limited Resources
Commonly, one of the biggest challenges in literature circles is having limited resources. This is a big one because it’s often something that is out of your hands, particularly when it comes to school budgets.
It’s ideal to have a variety of options when choosing what to read to meet students’ reading levels and interests. While this is not always possible, solutions are still available to face this challenge head-on.
Do you only have one option for a classroom novel?
Here are some ideas to help with this challenge.
- You can still run literature circles but instead have students focus on different aspects of the novel. Provide students with a lens through which to read the novel that can meet their interests and help to differentiate.
- For example, if your class is reading The Giver, you could have one group read with a focus on the environment, another on relationships, another on heroes and heroism, and so on.
- If you are looking for a great whole-class literature circle novel, check out Refugee by Alan Gratz. This great ready-for-you unit plan includes detailed lesson plans, chapter questions, graphic organizers for ongoing note-taking, plus a final project with rubric options. You can find the Refugee Novel Study on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD. You can learn more about this resource in this post, Creative Lesson Ideas For Your Refugee Novel Study.
- You could also have students listen to narrative podcasts like Mars Patel or read non-fiction articles instead of a novel-based literature circle.
Have older selections for novels?
If one of your challenges in literature circles is not having newer and more relevant reads for your students, consider how to add contemporary elements to meet students’ needs and interests.
- For example, you could use contemporary media choices to make connections beyond the novel. One option is the National Film Board of Canada, which includes a wide variety of free films and documentaries for classroom use. They have a great search option to help you narrow choices to suit your needs.
- Another option is to bring in real-life current events articles related to the novel students are reading. Make this one of the assignments within the unit. You can use this Current Events Assignment with graphic organizers and rubrics. Students examine online or print news sources and report on a current event for their class. This can be used with any non-fiction news article or text. Learn more about this Current Events Assignment on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Older novel selections are worth reading, but they may require some creativity on the part of the teacher to keep students engaged. Pair the written text with the audiobook or movie version to help keep students interested.
Time Management
Time is always an issue when covering curriculum, as well as when it comes to challenges in literature circles. There are no simple solutions to this, but some solutions can help with time management for literature circles in class.
One idea is to practice the process of literature circles in a less time-invested way. Consider using short stories or a set of non-fiction articles. You may also want to read this post: Four Easy Approaches to Using Short Stories in Groups in Middle School.
You can find short stories in the following units:
- Grade 6 Short Story Unit – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 7 Short Story Unit – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
- Grade 8 Short Story Unit – Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD
Or, if you want to use non-fiction articles, check out this Article of the Week Full Year Mega Bundle for a selection of non-fiction articles on different subjects. This bundle includes 44 non-fiction articles on various topics and can be a great choice when using literature circles in middle school. You can find the Article of the Week Full Year Mega Bundle on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
Group students together and assign a task as you would in literature circles. This provides time to get students familiar with structure and instructions. It also provides valuable feedback to you as the teacher to see what works and what doesn’t with the groups, the task(s), and/or the texts. This feedback can help tweak the future literature circles you want to do with students.
If one of your challenges in literature circles comes with forming groups, read this post for more ideas: 7 Creative Ways To Make Partners and Groups in the Classroom.
Students Not Reading
Students taking responsibility and accountability for their learning is one of the challenges in literature circles and with reading in general. In literature circles for middle school, if a student is not keeping up with their reading, it makes the entire group dynamic difficult.
However, depending on how you’ve designed the group tasks, this should not dramatically impede anyone’s learning in those group meetings. It will, however, impede the students’ learning.
So, how do we address this?
It’s a matter of digging a bit deeper to see why the student is not keeping up with reading:
- Speed of the reading schedule: Can the schedule be shifted to slow down? Or, can the reading process be sped up by including some read-aloud options or providing an audiobook version?
- Provide time to read: Some students have very strict schedules from the time they get home from school. They do not have time to read at home. Provide class time or offer time at recess, during nutrition breaks or lunch for students to stay in the class and read.
- Lack of interest in the novel: If the student is at the very early stages of the novel, you might allow them to switch books (and groups). If it’s later in the novel, then there’s something to be said for a lesson in perseverance. Another option is to provide another way to ‘read’ the novel, such as an audiobook, eBook or graphic novel format, which may reengage the student. If a student has fallen behind, then using summaries of some chapters might be the way to shift momentum for reading back to their favour.
Problematic Group Dynamics
Problematic group dynamics is one of the big challenges in literature circles. If the group of students is not working well together, it’s a matter of shifting to focus on learning skills such as collaboration. Build in some activities that promote teamwork and take the pressure off completion for a specific grade.
You can also have students use a journal to write about the issues and brainstorm solutions rather than stopping working together. This can help you determine the root causes and support students in implementing solutions.
Remind students that they do not have to be best friends, but they need to figure out best practices for working together since this will happen throughout their school and work lives. I have been known to say something along the lines of, “This is a seating plan, not a marriage.”
Developing solutions for working with people is another skill that can help students in the long run and is not solely for challenges in literature circles.
Assessment Or Evaluation Issues
One of the challenges in literature circles that pertain to the teacher rather than the students is when you have a few different groups reading different novels with students with varying levels of skills. This is the name of the game for differentiation.
A solution to this challenge is to focus on the specifics of what you want to assess. Then, you can offer different options to students to showcase those skills and knowledge.
Not everyone in the room needs to complete the same task, but you can use the same rubric or assessment tool since it’s a matter of evaluating the same skills and knowledge.
A choice board is a great way for students to choose the task they’re most comfortable with and confident in completing. The Novel Study Choice Board has nine activities with full teacher instructions, the assignment sheet, and both points- and level-based assessment criteria. You can find this resource on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
A Final Word on Facing Challenges in Literature Circles
Many of the common challenges in literature circles might be resolved before they begin with careful planning, communicating clear expectations, providing (ongoing) student support, and being willing to adjust when necessary. When in doubt, take a deep breath and pivot as best as you can in the moment. This is advice for challenges in literature circles and teaching in general.
Remember, literature circles encourage reading, collaboration, and critical thinking. When students see that you are invested in their success and willing to adapt to meet their needs, they are more likely to engage meaningfully in discussions and develop confidence in their abilities. With flexibility, encouragement, and clear guidance, you can turn challenges into growth opportunities that enrich both the reading experience and the classroom community.
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