*Note each week's reading must be completed before the class so you can participate in the discussion, including the first week! (See the reading schedule below.)

*The video will be available for anyone who is not able to attend or participate during the first class. (See the reading schedule below.) The "writer" will also give a quick summary of the plot at the beginning of class. Then, we will get into discussing the characters, themes, etc. So, do attend the first class, even if you have not finished reading the chapters. I will provide as much guidance as I can, although we will have to keep moving to give everyone enough time to participate.

FORMAT

What is a literature circle?

A literature circle is fun and lively. There is a discussion leader (the teacher, in this case), but each student will take an active part in preparing for and leading each literature circle (class). A literature circle is when a group of students (or anyone) pre-reads the selected chapters and then discusses the literature deeply and passionately. Our classes will be filled with discussion and creativity because you will be presenting your observations based on your reading! Each student will have a specific role to fill each class (and it will change each week). The discussion leader (the teacher) will invite you to lead the discussion when it is your turn. Before that, you should also participate actively as others lead the discussion. As you are reading before the class, you should pay attention to what you will be doing in class (your role - see below). 

*Choose your first role as soon as possible. As long as no one else has chosen the same one, it's yours! Be quick!

STUDENT ROLES
*The students will use our class site to share notes, quotations, or passages to help them guide the discussion, but they can also prepare a small PowerPoint presentation to share each week (optional). LibreOffice is free and has a great Presentation program. The students can upload their presentation files to the class site or have them open on their screens for screen-sharing. (Tip: I recommend saving files as PDFs so the slides will look the same when they are opened on other computers.)

Writer:
Write a short riddle or a poem about an important idea in this week’s reading, or write a brief letter from a character’s point-of-view based on their experiences in the chapters. You must share your riddle, poem, or letter BEFORE the class on our class site to help everyone recall the chapters and move into literature mode! Your job is very important because your riddle, poem, or letter will become a summary and will set the tone of the class!

Reporter:
Prepare some well-thought-out questions to ask the characters about what they felt, thought, or experienced in this week’s chapters. Imagine that the characters will actually be in the class and that you will have the opportunity to interview them. When it is your turn, your classmates will imagine that they are the characters and try to answer from their point-of-view! AFTER the class, please share your answers on our class site.

Magnifier:
Your job is to narrow in on one short, well-written section of the reading and to explain what makes the writing powerful. You should focus on diction (word choice), syntax (sentence style: length, punctuation, grammar, word order, etc.), and creativity (imagery, personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, allusion, etc.). Share the quotation on our class site BEFORE the class. Try to get your classmates talking about what they notice about the quotation. Then, add your thoughts about why it is special and powerful AFTER the class on our class site.

Word Master:
Your job is to list the most powerful words from the passage and explain how they strengthen the passage. Why did the author choose that word and not another one? What’s the word’s connotation (negative/positive)? How does it change the feeling of the passage? Which other words could the author have used instead? Why are these ones better? Share your quotations on our class site BEFORE the class.

Theme Tracker:
Your job is to connect the chapters to previous chapters. Consider the subjects of friendship, love, sacrifice, language, time, home, mortality, humility, modesty, pride, authority, power, rules, rebellion, desire, and self-control. Choose one or two subjects that stand out to you as being important in the novel. What are the author’s big ideas (opinions)? Add some quotations that show the theme on our class site BEFORE the class. Support your choice by explaining how the quotations and plot reveal the themes. Then, ask your classmates if they noticed any other big ideas in the novel.

Librarian:
Your job is to think of other books and movies that are similar to this novel and to explain how they are similar. Add your conclusions to our class site BEFORE our class.

Connector:
Your job is to find connections between the chapters and the real world (your own life, current events, the news, or history). Have you ever felt like the character? When and why? Has a similar event happened in your country? What about in another country Could the same thing happen in the world today? Why? When? Where? How? What are the similarities? Be ready to share your story during our class. Then, add your story to our class site AFTER the class.

Predictor:
Your job is to spot the author’s clues (foreshadowing) and guess what will happen in the story. If you already know the story, do not give the ending away! Add some quotations to our class site BEFORE the class. Then, during the class, explain some probable directions the story could take. Remember that great stories are full of new conflicts and plot twists! You can also ask your classmates what they think will happen and why.

SCHEDULE
*Please read the chapters before class because this is a literature circle where we discuss the book in a creative way (with different roles). There will definitely be no time to do the reading in class, including the first class. That is your time to present your conclusions and creations based on your reading. So, sign up early and get started! Then, we can have plenty of fun!

Lesson 1: Read chapter 1: "Pencils, Erasers, and Disqualification" to 
                          chapter 7: "Codes and Histories" (of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

Lesson 2: Read chapter 8: "The Thing to Come" to 
                          chapter 15: "Logical Conclusions and Miscalculations" (of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

Lesson 3: Read chapter 16: "Poison Apples, Poison Worms" to 
                          chapter 23: "The Waiting Room" (of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

Lesson 4: Read chapter 24: "Punishments and Promotions" to 
                          chapter 31: "The Mouse in the Culvert" (of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

Lesson 5: Read chapter 32: "Sacrifices, Narrow Escapes, and Something Like a Plan" to 
                          chapter 39: "For Every Exit an Entrance" (of The Mysterious Benedict Society)

*Be careful not to include any information from the later chapters! No spoilers, please! Some students will be reading this novel for the very first time!

*To help you to know when to stop reading, you could add numbers to the chapters, put a sticker where you should stop, add a marker where you should stop, or divide the sections with paper clip bookmarks.