For the past five school years, my students and I have engaged in a powerful learning experience - the Global Literature Circle (#GlobalLitCircle). If you are familiar with the traditional literature circle, the #GlobalLitCircle follows the same concept yet adds a global peer connection, taking the ordinary literature circle to an incredibly powerful level.
Reflect on your past literature circles. What does it look and sound like? You'd most likely see students reading choice books in groups and writing a response to literature. You would hear students having lively discussions with their group members and teacher as they sit in small groups. Of course, you'd also have mini-lessons and projects and the teacher's own creativity to complete the unit. It's a great thing! But imagine taking your literature circle to the next level - you would still have groups reading choice books (from the teacher selection). Students would still write responses to literature and of course, they'd discuss in a variety of ways but... game changer! - they would be reading, writing, and speaking & listening with students in another classroom in another state, time zone and/or country. Imagine the enthusiasm boost in your classroom!
There are many ways that you can make a #GlobalLitCircle successful, but these are my ideas. I suggest planning a unit in advance and advertising it. I see a lot of shouts-outs for global collaboration/connection for short connections. They are great for our students, but a full unit is more effective for students to form authentic connections. A pre-built unit is the best way to start a #GlobalLitCircle because when you advertise, you know exactly what you are sharing out. When a teacher shows interest, you may end up changing some of the book choices to meet the needs of both classrooms, but you will already have an idea.
When building your unit, choose a theme. I picked global issues as my theme and found nonfiction books that dealt directly with real problems occurring on our globe. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario follows the harrowing journey of a teenager from the Honduras attempting to connect with his mother who had illegally entered the US in order to send money to her impoverished children and family members. I Will Always Write Back is the true story of an American teenager, Caitlin, and her pen pal Martin in Zimbabwe. Martin is trying to overcome poverty and maintain his education in a country where education is not free. I am Malala tells the story of the inspirational young woman who fought for the right for females to receive an education and was shot by the Taliban in an effort to silence her. When Broken Glass Floats is Chanrithy Him's memoir of growing up under the Khmer Rouge. I tell my students that we read about the genocide in the 1970's because those fighting a genocide in Syria, for example, have not survived yet to tell their story.
The above are my book selections, but you are able to choose what suits your theme and what your district allows, etc. There are so many amazing pieces of literature for our students.
After you have chosen a theme, you will need to build a website to house your project. For four years I used Weebly, but this year, we are using Google Sites with Padlets embedded as our blogging platform. Truthfully, I like the set-up of Padlet better than other platforms as students can add links, pictures, and change the color to match a theme, to name a few.
You will also want to create an educator account with Flipgrid. Flipgrid will allow your students to safely record their literature discussions and share with their global partners. There are other methods for video sharing, so if you aren't comfortable with Flipgrid, explore other options.
The reason I mention the two above technologies is that your students and the students in the other country/state will need a way to be present in the other classroom. Sharing their writing via blogs and sharing discussions via video takes your literature circle beyond the classroom walls. Imagine your student knowing that their partner, a peer in their grade thousands of miles away, will be reading and listening to their responses. It is quite motivating.
I find the best way to advertise for global collaboration is to give a shout-out of your unit on social media. I have found partners in the FaceBook groups 2ndary ELA and Creative High School English. I've also connected with other educators by advertising my project on Taking it Global. Here are some links for finding global collaborators. When you do find a class to join your unit, consider contacting their administration just to ensure that they are supportive. It's too big of a project for your partner to pull out of at the last minute. There must be full school buy-in.
Give yourself at least two months to meet with your global teacher collaborator before starting the project. You will want the time to fine tune your rubrics and ensure that everyone involved in your project understands expectations. You may also want to introduce students to your digital platforms (Padlet and Flipgrid - or whatever tool you choose to use). It will make things easier when the unit begins.
Let's review! To set up your #GlobalLitCircle: write the project and create a website. Share your idea on Social Media or other platforms. Collaborate with your partner classroom teacher and fine tune rubrics and book choices and purchases. Ensure you're familiar with your blogging and video swapping technology. Share your excitement of your upcoming unit with your students!
What will your first #GlobalLitCircle be? I'll be super excited to hear of your successes.
