Online Discussion Forums: Connecting to the Text

I actually got the idea to add an online component to my literature circles when I was reading Kist (2010).  In his book, The Socially Networked Classroom, Kist brings up the idea of using blogs and wikis as a forum for discussion of lit circle books.  He even gives a specific example on page 84, describing requirements and grading criteria.  While I chose a discussion forum as the most effective medium for my groups, my requirements are similar to Kist's example.  Students are required to make a minimum of one original post and two responses each week.  I provided them with sentence starters to guide their thinking, and each response must use the word because.  Once they have met the minimum requirements for number of postings, students are graded on the quality of their posts.  I use the Reading Literature BC Performance Standard to assess their contributions.  I am finding grading the discussions very interesting so far, because students who shine in written work and face-to-face discussions are not necessarily the stars in the online discussions, and vice versa.  The online discussion forums have given my students yet another way to demonstrate their learning, and so their marks are more truly based on their understanding of their novel.