LITERATURE CIRCLES: AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO DEVELOP READING HABIT

The purpose of this study is to inform teachers -who want to develop reading habit in their students and to turn them into efficient readers- on theoretical basis of literature circles method and its application within the classroom. a literature circles is a teaching method in which students select specific books to read, then are classified into discussion groups based on their selections, and finally discuss the parts of these books they individually in their discussion group. the literature circles method uses a combination of teaching methods based on individual reading and cooperation and its characteristics support differentiated instruction. the theoretical basis of the method derives from constructivism and sociocultural theory. it has proved to be effective in promoting reading habit and reading comprehension skills among pupils in the 3rd grade and above.