| Abstract: | Drawing on research into the use of Literature Circles carried out at the University of Brighton, this paper discusses the role of talk as a way of developing children’s meaningful interactions with literary texts. It argues that where children are engaged in small group unstructured expressive talk, they are able to articulate affective responses to their reading which would otherwise remain dormant, yet which contribute to a richer understanding both of the texts they read and themselves as readers. Using the Literature Circle as a model, this paper suggests that, from reception onwards, guided reading can provide an ideal opportunity for the development of such text‐related talk. The teacher needs firstly to scaffold guided reading to enable children to learn how to respond and secondly, to transfer control of the talk to the group. The teacher should not be seen as the expert reader having all the right answers, but should lead by following. The conclusion stresses the way that guided reading can encourage children as readers, by enabling them to recognise reading as an active and desirable social process rather than as an essentially private activity. |
