Book Clubs Response Jobs

Directions: For this book, we will be reading and discussing the text in literature circles. For each
nights reading, each member of the group will choose one job from those listed below and
complete a response journal according to the goals outlined in the following descriptions.
One member of the group will need to serve as Discussion Director. You will make a list of five
thinking questions that can prompt a discussion amongst your literature circle group members.
The questions you choose should be designed to get your group members thoughtfully engaged in
the issues and topics in your reading. After asking your question, be prepared to provide a
possible answer with supporting details. It doesnt have to be right, but it should serve to foster
discussion. Your job will also involve facilitating the group discussion, making sure everyone
speaks and is also heard. You will also be responsible for leading and taking notes on the group
discussion.
For the remainder of the jobs, each will require that you compose a response in which you
summarize and explain your observations about the aspect of the reading which youve
been assigned. Each response should be about a page in length and include at least three or
four specific examples from the text.
Job # 1 Looking at Character Your job is to think about the main character or characters
featured in this section of the reading. What are they doing? What are they thinking or saying?
How are they feeling? How are they interacting with the setting of the story? Are they facing any
conflicts or problems? Have they reached any epiphanies or made any insights or realizations?
Are they experiencing hardship or good fortune? What details about the character(s) does the
author reveal?
Job # 2 Looking at Mood You are in charge of looking at the way the author uses language
to affect meaning. How does the writer create mood and suggest tone based on the way he/she
uses words, sentences, and paragraphs? Think about the writers individual word choice and
vocabulary. Are words simple and easy-to-understand, or are they longer, richer, and more
complicated? What do the authors sentences look like? Are they short? Long? Are they filled
with exposition or dialogue? Does the author quickly relay plot or spend a lot of time describing
events and things? Try to break down what the writer appears to be doing. Dont tell us what
this section is about. Tell us how the author uses language to express the storys ideas.
Job # 3 Looking Deeper Your role is to discover and discern the deeper meanings, profound
ideas, cool concepts, and central themes found in the assigned reading section. What ideas are
worth remembering? What bits of dialogue or lines of description seemed more significant or
revealing than others? In short, what do you think is here that a casual or superficial reading
might overlook?
Job # 4 Looking at Symbolism Your role is to identify objects from the reading that are
important to the text. Ideally they will have symbolic value (ex: a mockingbird representing the

harmless and innocent characters from To Kill A Mockingbird). Find symbolic or important
objects from the reading and then write a response in which you, explain its/their symbolic value
or significance to the story.
Job # 5 Putting Yourself in the Story Your task after reading the assigned section is to
imagine you have the ability to appear as a character in the world of the text. For example, you
might be Kinos brother from The Pearl, charged with helping Kino make it to the city to sell his
treasure. Or maybe youre Juliets sister from Romeo & Juliet, providing her with solace and
advice. The idea for this job is to allow yourself to get lost and absorbed in the world of your
story and interact with its characters. Write a creative vignette using present-action language,
engaging description, and lively dialogue where youre experiencing the events of the reading
alongside a character or characters. Flex your creative muscle and have fun.
Job # 6 The Critic Your role is to serve as a critic, passing judgment on the chief events from
the reading. What were some of the major plot twists? Do you agree with them? Did characters
make good or poor decisions? Would you have acted in a similar fashion or made different
choices? Regardless of your take, be sure to take a definitive stand in support of or in
disagreement.
Job # 7 Looking for Important Passages Your job is to select passages from the reading
selection that you think are worthy of being read out loud and discussed with your group
members. The Line Illuminator writes down the passages word for word in quotes, citing the page
# from where the lines come from in parentheses at the end., then explain the significance of the
line(s) and why you picked it/them.
Job # 8 Looking for Connections You are in charge of connecting what is happening in the
work of literature to what you are studying or the world around you. You can also connect the
events to personal experiences you have had, things you have seen or heard about in real life, or
events that occurred in other books youve read or movies youve seen.

Job # 9 The Artist You are in charge of graphically displaying the events in a series of
chapters. You may choose to depict an important object, character, or scene that stood out from
the reading. The illustration may be hand generated, consist of magazine cut-outs or Internet
image downloads, or be created using computer graphics programs (like AdobePhotoshop).
Regardless of what you choose, it must accurately display what happened in the reading. You
also need to describe, in two to three paragraphs, the image(s) you selected, and why. You may
also make this a video response if youd prefer.