For the next month the students will be reading novels in literature circle groups.  This is a chance for them to explore literature by choosing books that interest them.  The students will have both reading and writing homework every night.  Their homework schedule will be dictated by their group.  Students will be writing summaries, identifying the main ideas of each chapter, identifying characters and setting, and plotting out the events of the story.  Student groups will be self-directed and will be held accountable for their work by journal checks, vocab quizzes, reading checks, a novel test, an essay test, and a project.   Hopefully this unit will be a great chance for students explore literature and to determine their own academic path.