Literature Circle

For one of the course requirements, I implemented a literature circle, which is a discussion-related reading practice. I implemented the activity in my Japanese class where I have been working on my previous course requirements as well. In conclusion, I would say it was unsuccessful, unfortunately. There are a few possible reasons for the results that the experiment produced. First, their Japanese skill was too underdeveloped to read something consisting of new vocabulary and new grammar. Second, there was not enough time to implement the literature circle thoroughly. However, I believe it would be very helpful in teaching English when I go back to Japan. The students in traditional English class in Japan focus more on grammar, not on the content of the story. Using a Literature circle can be facilitated to develop students’ reading skill.

Yes, it was unsuccessful to implement a literature circle with my students who are taking Japanese as a second language. Students didn’t know what to do, because there were too many words and grammar they didn’t know even though the book is for lower level beginners. It seems very hard for them even when it came to skimming and scanning the text. However, the context and pictures of the story helped my students in knowing what was actually taking place. One of their favorite topics that they enjoyed was learning about Sushi, their most well-known and favorite Japanese food.

Discussing their knowledge on Sushi in the pre-reading activity was helpful in building further understanding towards Japanese cultural aspect. All of them knew what sushi was, but actually one of them had never had it before, so the material itself was very interesting for them as well. As students read and discussed, they became more interested in the reading. Through discussion, however, I doubt if their reading comprehension was well developed due to the difficulty of the material.

I’m sure that I will use a literature circle in my class in the future, but not for my Japanese students. Because of their proficiency level, reading is still too difficult and boring. There are too many things that they do not know while reading without feeling a burden. However, it will be very effective for higher lever Japanese students, who may be over the 2000 level. Even though we do not offer reading/writing classes, I would like to try to let them read a text and discuss the material.

In order to repeat the literature circle, I need to consider my understanding of the literature circle, first. This time, I was still trying to figure out how to implement this method correctly while actually putting it into effect with my students. If I will use the literature circle for my Japanese 1010 class, I would change the material a lot in order for them to easily comprehend it. I will definitely try the same literature circle for my intermediate or advance students to see how the results turn out if I have a chance to teach a different class.

A Literature circle method seems to be a very effective way for teachers and students to have discussions about the material. Teachers should consider incorporating a literature circle in their regular classroom. In this case, teachers need to carefully choose literature that students are interested in reading and discussing. As least, the level of the literature should be at the same level as the students’ proficiency, or a little bit more challenging. I’m sure they will like it!!