How can I get literature circles up and running in my first grade classroom?

Question

I have a LOT of low readers and a few very high, but not many inbetween and I need to get my lower readers at a higher level asap. I need help!

Answer 1

First don't push, I know you want all the kids to be at high levels, but for some it just takes time to learn. Talk to your fellow teachers, they may have some ideas. Talk to the parents of the students, that can be a problem. If the parents are not taking the time to read and with the children, then the children lose interest and don't see the point. Find out what the children are interested in. If a group of them are interested in bugs, find a lot of books on bugs, if another group like dogs, find books on dogs. Have the children write their own book. You come up with the subject and have each child write their own page.