August 5, 2011
Blog Post #2 ~ Revision: Churning Spilled Milk into Ice Cream. My second blog post explores revision strategies that worked for me in the gargantuan process of revising -- and publishing -- my debut middle grade novel, Something to Hold.

May 13, 2011
Katherine Schlick Noe Now Blogs with the From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors Team. I'm excited to join the great blog team From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. My first entry was posted on May 11: "The Reader at the Corner of Middle Grade and Young Adult." In the post, I interviewed Chris Gustafson, National Board Certified library teacher at Whitman Middle School here in Seattle to find out about the reading tastes of upper intermediate/middle school readers and how teachers, librarians, and writers can support them.

May 12, 2011
Update on Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Teacher Leader Awards. We mourn the passing of Bonnie Campbell Hill after a 7-month battle with cancer. Bonnie was an inspiration, mentor, and tenacious advocate for excellent literacy practices. Bonnie's influence extends to thousands of K-12 teachers, and through them, to countless numbers of young learners around the world. You may know her through her books that have supported teachers' professional practice since 1995: In literacy assessment: Classroom Based Assessment (1998) and Developmental Continuums (2001); in literature circles: Literature Circles and Response (1995), Literature Circles Resource Guide (2001), Literature Circles in Middle School: One Teacher's Journey (2003); and in whole-school literacy practices: Supporting Your Child's Literacy Learning (2007), The Next-Step Guide to Enhancing Classroom Environments (2010), and The Next-Step Guide to Enhancing Writing Instruction (2010). Bonnie was an active member of IRA and NCTE and made numerous presentations at state, regional, national, and international conferences. In her work, she traveled the globe to support literacy instruction in schools on nearly every continent. We, as literacy professionals, are all the richer for her many contributions.

We will continue to honor Bonnie's memory through the annual Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Teacher Leader Awards. Please review the award information and consider applying in May 2012.

March 26, 2011
I'm excited to join the writers of the From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors blog. This site offers a wealth of information on middle grade books for readers, teachers, librarians, and parents. Check out their book lists, including some great recommendations for boys and reluctant readers, as well as lists of new releases. Another useful section offers links to authors' websites that provide discussion guides.

March 14, 2011
Another update of the bibliography of research and best practice references related to literature circles

March 4, 2011
Something to Hold, my debut middle grade novel, will be published in December 2011 by Clarion Books. It is a story inspired by my childhood experiences living on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon and explores issues of belonging, friendship, prejudice, and finding the courage to reach out to others and speak out against injustice. You can read more on my author website: http://www.katherineschlicknoe.com.

Bonnie Campbell Hill Literacy Teacher Awards. If you are (or know) a K-12 classroom teacher, please consider applying for one of the two $2500 awards for professional development to be given to K-12 teachers in Washington state and two $2500 awards to teachers in schools across the US. Sponsored by internationally-known literacy expert, Dr. Bonnie Campbelll Hill, these awards are intended to support educators to attend conferences, begin book studies, and other projects to extend professional growth. Annual application deadlines: May 7 for hard copy submissions; May 15 for electronic submissions.

September 20, 2009
Several new links have been added to the Good Books for Literature Circles page!

August 3, 2007
We have updated the bibliography of research and best practice references related to literature circles.

August 1, 2007
The Literature Circles Resource Center is pleased to promote an exciting series of professional development workshops sponsored by the Seattle Reading Council for 2007-2008. "Teachers as Writers: Exploring Writing from the Inside Out" features noted essayist, poet, author, and teacher Dr. Frances McCue. Frances is the former Artistic Director of Richard Hugo House, a community writing center in Seattle. She also teaches a course in the College of Education at Seattle University, LITC 522 Seminar in Writing Instruction. See the Seattle Reading Council web site for more information on this powerful and engaging professional development series.

April 25, 2006
Katherine Schlick Noe, webmaster of the Literature Circles Resource Center, organized a symposium at the International Reading Association Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The session, "Literature Circles in Middle School: Changing the World One Conversation at a Time," was presented on May 3, 2006. The symposium handout is available here: http://www.litcircles.org/ira06.html.

April 1, 2006
We are happy to announce the Seattle Reading Council's spring conference, "Let's Talk About It: Improving Literacy through Professional Study," taking place on May 19-20, 2006 on the Seattle University campus. For more information, check out the web site: http://www.seattlereading.org/SRC.html.

December 18, 2005
The Literature Circles Resource Center has moved to a new address: http://www.litcircles.org. The site remains a professional service of Katherine Schlick Noe of the College of Education at Seattle University. The new URL, however, requires much less typing and will allow the site to grow and change more easily.

December 16, 2005
Coming January 13 - 16, 2006: Heinemann Workshops presents "Literature Circles: Building Better Student Book Clubs K-12" with Harvey Daniels, Katherine Schlick Noe, Nancy Steineke, and Janine A. King in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

January 29, 2005
Katherine Schlick Noe, webmaster of the Literature Circles Resource Center, organized a symposium at the International Reading Association Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The session, "Literature Circles and Middle School: Living in This World With Courage and Hope," features Janine A. King, co-author of Literature Circles in Middle School, and noted author Deborah Ellis (The Heaven Shop, The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey) and illustrator Yuyi Morales (Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez). Date/time: Tuesday, May 3, 2:00 - 4:45 p.m. in the convention center.
Download handout as pdf file

January 22, 2005
Themed Literature Units: Steps have been added to help you guide students to develop their conceptual understanding of a theme (e.g., persevering despite obstacles, taking action to care for others, working for justice) in literature circles. See "Steps in the Concept Development Process."

Directions for three extension projects have been expanded to provide more detail for teaching the Story Quilt, Main Idea Belt, and Literary Weaving projects.

January 20, 2005
Two new resources have been added to the Teacher Resources page:

Literature Circles Extension Projects, a collaborative project of Susan Silverman, a retired teacher from Comsewogue School District, Port Jefferson Station, New York. Susan now works as an independent educational consultant and adjunct professor at the New York Institute of Technology. Susan's collaborative Internet project showcases Literature Circle Extension Projects created by students of all ages.  It's an opportunity for students to create for an authentic audience and for educators to view best practices. This site is currently being developed, and extension projects from all grades will be added to the "Student Showcase" section.

Literature circles website developed by Shaun Else, a Grade 5 teacher at Maple Grove Primary School in Oakville, Ontario. Shaun has built an extensive cache of resources for his students and their families, as well as for other teachers.

January 8, 2005
Two new web sites for literature circles have been added to Teacher Resources: ReadWriteThink (International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English) offers a wealth of great resources, including literature circles. Literacy Matters (Education Development Center) is another powerful site aimed at middle and high school literacy.

New resources for great books for middle and high school literature circles have been added to Good Books for Literature Circles.

January 1, 2005
Bibliography of the research and best practice foundation for literature circles has been added to the web site. Click on "Research on Literature Circles."

October 7 , 2004
Coming January 15 - 17, 2005: Heinemann Workshops presents "Literature Circles: Building Better Book Clubs K-12" with Harvey Daniels, Katherine Schlick Noe, Nancy Steineke, and Janine A. King in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

September 6, 2004
You can now download and print a copy of a book-selection ballot (pdf file) from the Literature Circles Resource Guide by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Katherine L. Schlick Noe, and Nancy J. Johnson.

May 1 , 2004
The handout, "Literature Circles and the Middle School Reader" from the Middle School Special Interest Group session at the International Reading Association 2004 Annual Convention is now available. Presenters were Katherine L. Schlick Noe, Seattle University; and Janine A. King, Brighton School in Lynnwood, Washington.

n response | themed units | extension projects