Looking for an engaging Al Capone Does My Shirts novel study that will keep your students reading, thinking, and discussing? Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is an excellent choice for a whole-class novel, small-group book study, literature circle, or independent reading unit.
Set on Alcatraz Island in 1935, this historical fiction novel combines humor, mystery, friendship, family, and important themes of acceptance and inclusion. It gives students plenty to discuss while also providing rich opportunities for reading comprehension, vocabulary, character analysis, critical thinking, and writing.
And if you’re looking for a way to teach the novel without spending hours creating materials, I have a complete Al Capone Does My Shirts novel unit ready to go!
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Why Teach Al Capone Does My Shirts?
There are so many reasons this novel works well with upper elementary and middle school readers.
🏝️ Explore Alcatraz Island
Students get a fascinating look at Alcatraz Island when it was a working federal prison. The unusual setting immediately gives students something interesting to investigate and provides a natural opportunity to connect literature with history.
📚 Connect Literature and History
The novel takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930s, allowing students to explore historical context while reading a story they can connect with emotionally.
Students can investigate topics such as:
Life during the Great Depression
Alcatraz Island
The history of Alcatraz prison
Al Capone
Life in the 1930s
Historical fiction
How historical events influence a story
❤️ Discuss Family, Friendship, and Acceptance
At the center of the story is Moose Flanagan and his family. Moose is adjusting to life on Alcatraz while also dealing with the challenges surrounding his sister Natalie.
The novel provides meaningful opportunities to discuss family relationships, friendship, empathy, acceptance, inclusion, responsibility, and perseverance.
Because these themes are presented through the experiences of the characters, students can have thoughtful conversations without the topics feeling disconnected from the story.
🔎 Analyze Characters and Themes
Al Capone Does My Shirts is also an excellent book for teaching literary analysis.
Students can explore:
Character development
Character traits
Conflict
Setting
Point of view
Theme
Plot development
Relationships between characters
Cause and effect
Making inferences
Supporting ideas with text evidence
These skills make the novel especially useful for an ELA novel study or reading unit for grades 5–8.
Al Capone Does My Shirts Novel Study
If you’re ready to turn the novel into a complete classroom unit, my Al Capone Does My Shirts Novel Study provides the materials you need to teach the book from beginning to end.
The resource includes printable and digital Google Drive activities, making it easy to use whether you’re teaching in a traditional classroom, a paperless classroom, or through Google Classroom.
What’s Included?
The complete novel study includes:
Teacher lesson plans
Reading comprehension activities
Chapter-by-chapter questions
Vocabulary activities
Grammar practice
Writing activities
Reading assessments
Critical-thinking questions
Answer keys
Pre-reading activities
Nonfiction WebQuests
Story elements activities
Interactive notebook activities
Common Core standards alignment
Printable materials
Google Drive digital materials
Everything is designed to save you time and give your students meaningful work to complete as they read.
Whether you’re planning an entire Al Capone Does My Shirts unit or simply need high-quality activities to accompany the novel, this resource gives you a ready-to-use collection of materials.
Try a Free Sample
Not sure if this Al Capone Does My Shirts book unit is right for your students?
You can try a free sample before purchasing to see the types of activities included in the complete novel study.
Get the Al Capone Does My Shirts Novel Study
If you’re planning to read Al Capone Does My Shirts with your students, you don’t have to create all of the comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, assessments, and writing assignments yourself.
The Al Capone Does My Shirts Novel Study gives you a complete set of ready-to-use materials so you can spend less time planning and more time helping your students engage with the book.
Ready to Teach Al Capone Does My Shirts?
Bring this engaging historical fiction novel to life with a complete Al Capone Does My Shirts novel study designed to make teaching easier and reading more meaningful.
Grab the complete novel unit and start teaching your Al Capone Does My Shirts unit today!
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Are you teaching Al Capone Does My Shirts this school year?
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One of my favorite children’s authors is Louis Sachar. I love his quirky sense of humor, and even more, I love sharing this humor with my students and giggling right along with them! I have many “inside jokes” with my students where the humor brings us together as a community. I am a big advocate for humor in children’s literature because it draws out those reluctant readers and shows them how truly enjoyable reading can be. Often this spark gets these students exploring other forms of literature and leads them on a journey of a lifelong love of reading. One of my favorite Louis Sachar books is Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Even though I have read this book, and the two sequels, more times than I can count, I still get a chuckle each and every time. The Wayside School series is great for a class read-aloud or to use as a novel study.
Sideways Stories is told from the point of view of Louis the Yard Teacher, which Louis Sachar based on himself. He spent a college semester working as an aid in an elementary school and spent some of that time as “Louis the Yard Teacher”. Sachar also based most of his characters from the book on students he worked with during that time. Sideways Stories was Louis Sachar’s first book, published in 1978, but it took several years to gain widespread popularity.
Wayside School was an architectural mistake. It was mistakenly built 30 stories tall with only one classroom per story. The story revolves around the class on the 30th story. The book begins by telling us the story of the teacher on the 30th story, Mrs. Gorf. Mrs. Gorf has a special talent that leads to her demise and is replaced by Mrs. Jewls in chapter 2. Mrs. Jewls is a sweet but somewhat naive teacher, which leads to big laughs. A lot of humor comes from Mrs. Jewls’ seeming lack of common sense. The other teacher discussed in the last chapter is Louis the Yard Teacher. All the rest of the chapters (there are 30, of course!) detail a student. Each student is unique in some ironic, humorous way.
I have used this book in several different ways in my classroom. First, I have used it as a read-aloud to spark a sense of community. Reading, discussing, and laughing together brings a class together. I can read this at the beginning of the year and still have kids quoting it or bringing up a joke at the end of the year. I have yet to find a child who did not thoroughly enjoy this book.
Reasons to Use the Wayside School Series for Novel Studies
Engaging storytelling: The Wayside School series is full of humor and unique storytelling that keeps students engaged and entertained.
Relevant themes: The books explore themes such as friendship, perseverance, and individuality that are relatable to students and promote important life lessons.
Easy-to-follow narrative: The books are written in a simple and straightforward style, making them accessible to students of all reading levels.
Diverse characters: The series features a diverse cast of characters, offering students the opportunity to see themselves and others represented in literature.
Cross-curricular connections: The Wayside School series can be used to connect with other subjects, such as history, mathematics, and social studies, making it a versatile tool for teachers.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Whether you use these books for the whole class, small group, or individual instruction, you will find your students laughing and truly enjoying reading. Even if you don’t use these units in your class, include them in a class library for your students to read or read as a class read-aloud. Whatever you do, make sure your students have access to these books! They are so much fun and open up the reading world for those reluctant readers!
You can purchase this novel study bundle which contains both a printable and a Google Drive™ format at the following location:
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching the Wayside books this school year?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
“I’m sure that back of it all was a divine power. With the help of God, two good dogs, and determination, a boy can do anything.”
Wilson Rawls’ classic novel, Where the Red Fern Grows, remains one of the most powerful and unforgettable stories in upper elementary and middle school literature.
Following young Billy Coleman as he works tirelessly to save for two Redbone Coonhound pups—Old Dan and Little Ann—this timeless story takes students on a deep journey through perseverance, hard work, loyalty, sacrifice, and grief.
Whether you are teaching this classic as a whole-class anchor text, running middle school literature circles, or facilitating independent reading stations, here is how you can teach Where the Red Fern Grows with zero prep time while building critical 5th–8th grade ELA skills!
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🌟 Why Where the Red Fern Grows Is a Must-Teach Classic
1. Masterclass in Character Development & Theme
Billy’s journey from a young boy dreaming of pups in the Ozark mountains to an accomplished hunter facing profound loss gives students a rich landscape for analyzing character arcs, theme development, and the author’s craft.
2. High-Interest & Deeply Emotional
Few books elicit a response from middle-grade readers quite like this one. Short, action-packed hunting chapters balanced with quiet, emotional moments keep even reluctant readers completely hooked.
3. Builds Critical Vocabulary Skills
With 78 context-rich vocabulary words, the novel challenges students to expand their academic language and apply context clue strategies across every section of the book.
📦 What’s Included in the Complete Red Fern Unit (Print + Google Apps™)
Planning a multi-week unit for a classic novel shouldn’t mean spending your nights and weekends writing chapter questions and grading quizzes. This all-in-one unit provides everything you need from start to finish—available in both printable PDF and interactive Google Drive™ (Google Slides & self-grading Google Forms) formats.
👩🏫 1. Teacher Planning & Management Packet
Detailed Daily Lesson Plans & Pacing Guide: Clear roadmap for every day of reading.
Chapter/Section Guide: Keep your reading schedule organized and on track.
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards: Printable cards and digital Google Slides formats to reinforce key terms.
Proactive Parent Letter: Pre-written communication explaining the themes of the book.
Complete Answer Keys: Hassle-free grading for every student task.
📝 2. Student Practice & Workbooks
78 Vocabulary Words: Targeted context-clue practice and skill instruction.
Chapter-by-Chapter Comprehension Questions: Short-answer questions designed to foster critical thinking, inferencing, and textual evidence retrieval for every chapter.
In-Depth Character Studies: Analytical activities focusing on Billy, Dan, and Ann.
★ Exclusive Post-Reading Analysis Tasks: Deep-dive extension tasks available only in this complete unit bundle!
✏️ 3. Self-Grading Quizzes & Assessments
After-the-Book Assessments (Print & Self-Grading Google Forms™): Comprehensive assessment covering vocabulary, comprehension, and essay prompts.
Bonus Activity Packets: Includes a Story Elements Interactive Notebook Packet and End-of-the-Book Projects usable with any novel!
“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
Few books leave a lasting mark on upper elementary students quite like Wonder by R.J.Palacio.
The inspiring story follows August “Auggie” Pullman—a 10-year-old born with facial differences—as he transitions from homeschooling to entering a mainstream private school for fifth grade. Told through multiple perspectives, Auggie’s journey gives students a powerful look into empathy, bullying, perspective-taking, and the true meaning of friendship.
Whether you are teaching Wonder as a whole-class read-aloud, running literature circles, setting up independent reading stations, or in homeschool, this novel is one of the most effective ELA anchors for 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade classrooms.
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Here is how you can teach Wonder with zero prep time while building critical ELA skills and fostering a culture of kindness in your classroom!
🌟 Why Wonder Is an Essential Read for Upper Elementary
1. Drives Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Character Building
Wonder is more than a reading unit—it’s a tool for SEL. By examining the story through the eyes of Auggie, Via, Jack Will, and Summer, students learn to appreciate differences, reflect on their own behavior, and embrace the #ChooseKind mindset.
Palacio’s novel alternates between six distinct narrator voices. This unique structure provides a perfect framework for teaching point of view, character motivation, tone, and author’s craft without overwhelming middle-grade readers.
3. Engages Reluctant & Advanced Readers Alike
With short, fast-paced chapters and deeply relatable themes, even your most hesitant readers will stay hooked from chapter one.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Wonder for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
📦 What’s Included in the Wonder Complete Unit (Print + Google Apps™)
Planning a comprehensive novel study shouldn’t require spending your weekends creating worksheets and grading assessments. This all-in-one unit contains everything you need to teach Wonder from start to finish—available in both printable PDF and interactive Google Drive™ (Google Slides & self-grading Google Forms) formats.
1. Teacher Planning & Management Packet
Detailed Daily Lesson Plans & Pacing Guide: Open, print (or click), and teach with confidence.
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards: Printable cards and digital Google Slides formats to build academic vocabulary.
Proactive Parent Letter:Pre-written communication explaining the themes and educational goals of the unit.
Complete Answer Keys: Stress-free grading for every assignment.
2. Student Practice & Skill Workbooks
Vocabulary & Grammar Activities: Direct instruction covering 126 context words across the book.
Chapter-by-Chapter Comprehension Questions: Short-answer questions designed to push students beyond basic retrieval into deeper critical thinking.
In-Depth Character Studies: Analytical writing prompts for each section of the novel.
4 Exclusive Post-Reading Analysis Tasks: Deep-dive extension tasks available only in the complete unit bundle.
3. Cross-Curricular Nonfiction Connections
Build real-world background knowledge with two complete informational reading activity guides:
👂 Hearing Loss Informational Reading & Activity Guide
🐕 Therapy Dogs Reading & Activity Guide
4. Self-Grading Quizzes & Assessments
4 Section Quizzes (Print & Self-Grading Google Forms™): Easily monitor comprehension after Part 1, Part 2, Part 5, and Part 8.
Bonus Activity Packets: Includes a Story Elements Interactive Notebook Packet and End-of-the-Book Projects usable with any book!
Want to test out the unit before committing? Download a Free Sample that includes all student activities and teacher plans for Day 1 of the unit!
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Wonder this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Some of my most vivid childhood memories of school were the novel studies I read for various subjects. It was my favorite way to learn skills, history, and any topic! I love books, and being allowed to read an entire book from cover to cover as a school assignment put me in heaven! I am sure this is a major reason why, as a teacher, my passion is to create and teach novel studies! I love introducing new books to my class, and as a community, being immersed in the book together. I love it when a student pulls us off the schedule with a question or comment from something they read and leads the class into a lively discussion. That’s where the real memorable learning takes place, after all!
I create novel studies more than any other product line simply because I like to focus on what I love. I want to work with my passion! I often get questions from readers asking how I would set up novel studies in my classroom. I decided to write a small series explaining my methods. For the most part, my novel studies include comprehension questions, vocabulary/grammar skill work, extension activities, and assessments.
Today’s post, part 5, is the conclusion of the series dealing with the assessment aspect of using novel studies. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 here.
Novel Studies Part 5: Assessment
Assessment of a novel study can be a tricky thing to handle. My main objective, in addition to hitting skills, is to hook the student on the enjoyment of reading a good book. Too much assessment can kill that joy, but we need some way to assess that the skills are met. It’s a delicate balance.
I often get questions from potential buyers asking if there are assessments after every chapter of my novel studies. I kind of cringe when I get these questions because I can only imagine the dread the students must have if they are tested after every chapter! Testing is not the only way to assess if a student has read and understood. In my experience, class discussions and the writing in the comprehension answers are more than sufficient evidence of learning and understanding by the student. It is imperative when using novel studies not to lose focus and kill the joy of reading for your students! Your goal is for them to voluntarily pick up another book to read when a novel study is over, not run as far as they can from books!
I understand that assessments are helpful and necessary, but they should be appropriate and not overwhelming. For many of my novel studies, I have split the book into logical sections and have an assessment after each section. For example, you’ll find my Wonder,Projekt 1065, and Tuck Everlastingnovel studies in this format.
For some, I only offer assessments after completion of the book for comprehension, vocabulary, and longer paragraph-writing essay questions. The end-of-the-novel comprehension quiz includes both a multiple-choice and a short answer format for differentiation. A multiple-choice quiz for vocabulary and a paragraph-writing assessment is included with each novel study. You can see an example of this from my Turtle in Paradise Novel Study.
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students who are absent. The assessments are included as multiple-choice questions in a Google Forms™ format so that they are self-grading. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my A Wrinkle in Time Novel Study.
The key, in my opinion, is not to overdo the testing. You need to be able to assess the students’ understanding of what they are reading, which can be done in many different ways that aren’t paper and pencil testing. Don’t kill the love the student is developing for the book you are reading!
I hope this series has been helpful to you in planning to use novels in your classroom. I promise you will not be sorry, you may just be the spark that takes your student on a lifetime love of reading!
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Looking for a historical fiction novel that will grab your students’ attention while giving you plenty of opportunities to teach reading skills and history?
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin is an excellent choice for a middle school or upper elementary novel study. With mystery, secret codes, World War II history, family secrets, and plenty of suspense, this novel gives students a reason to keep turning the pages.
Even better, The Bletchley Riddle provides natural opportunities to teach reading comprehension, vocabulary, inference, critical thinking, nonfiction reading, writing, and historical connections.
If you’re looking for a book that combines ELA and social studies, this one deserves a place on your reading list!
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What Is The Bletchley Riddle About?
The Bletchley Riddle takes readers into the world of Bletchley Park, the top-secret British site where codebreakers worked during World War II to decipher enemy communications.
The story follows siblings Lizzie and Jakob, who become caught up in a mystery involving their family, secrets from the past, and the world of wartime codebreaking.
The combination of historical fiction and mystery makes the novel especially appealing to students who might not automatically reach for a traditional historical novel.
Instead of simply reading about World War II, students get to experience history through a suspenseful story filled with clues, puzzles, secrets, and questions.
And that makes this book particularly useful in the classroom.
Why The Bletchley Riddle Works So Well as a Classroom Novel
1. The Mystery Hooks Readers
One of the biggest challenges when choosing a class novel is finding something that students actually want to read.
The Bletchley Riddle has an advantage right from the beginning: students have questions they want answered.
What is really happening?
Who can be trusted?
What do the clues mean?
How are the characters connected to the secrets of the past?
As students work their way through the story, they are constantly encouraged to make predictions, look for clues, and revise their thinking.
That makes the novel a natural fit for teaching inference, prediction, drawing conclusions, and using textual evidence.
Instead of asking students to read closely simply because the teacher told them to, you can give them a mystery to solve.
2. It Brings World War II History to Life
World War II can sometimes feel distant to young readers.
Dates, battles, political events, and historical figures can be difficult for students to connect with.
The Bletchley Riddle offers a different approach.
Students encounter the secret world of Bletchley Park and the people who worked there to break enemy codes through a fictional story.
This creates opportunities to investigate topics such as:
Bletchley Park
The Enigma code
World War II codebreaking
Alan Turing
The Polish mathematicians who helped lay the groundwork for breaking Enigma
The role of women at Bletchley Park
Intelligence and espionage during WWII
The impact of technology on warfare
These topics can easily become research projects, nonfiction reading lessons, discussion topics, or cross-curricular activities.
Most importantly, students begin to see that history isn’t simply a collection of facts to memorize.
History is made up of real people facing difficult choices and extraordinary circumstances.
3. It’s Perfect for Teaching Inference and Critical Thinking
Mysteries are wonderful vehicles for teaching critical thinking because readers can’t simply wait for someone to explain everything.
They have to figure things out.
As students read The Bletchley Riddle, they can practice:
Making predictions
Drawing inferences
Identifying clues
Using text evidence
Recognizing foreshadowing
Making connections
Drawing conclusions
Analyzing character motivations
Revising predictions when new information is revealed
You can even turn students into codebreakers themselves.
Have students create their own secret messages, investigate simple ciphers, or develop a series of clues for their classmates to solve.
Suddenly, reading comprehension becomes part of a mystery-solving experience.
4. The Historical Connections Create Great Discussion
Another strength of The Bletchley Riddle is the number of topics it can bring into classroom conversations.
Students can explore questions such as:
What does it mean to be brave?
When is it acceptable to break a rule?
Can keeping a secret ever be the right thing to do?
How does the past affect the present?
How much should we trust the information we are given?
What sacrifices were people willing to make during wartime?
These questions encourage students to move beyond simple recall and engage in meaningful discussion about character, choices, courage, loyalty, trust, family, and truth.
5. It Offers Excellent Cross-Curricular Opportunities
Although The Bletchley Riddle works beautifully as an ELA novel study, don’t limit it to reading class.
This novel can connect naturally to several subject areas.
Social Studies
Use the novel as a springboard for studying:
World War II
The British home front
Intelligence operations
Bletchley Park
Women in World War II
The Enigma machine
Codebreaking
STEM and Technology
Students can explore:
Cryptography
Codes and ciphers
Encryption
Early computing
Problem-solving
The development of technology during wartime
Writing
Students can write:
Historical responses
Character analyses
Opinion pieces
Text-based responses
Creative stories
Research reports
Reflections about the novel’s themes
This makes The Bletchley Riddle a great choice for teachers looking for a novel that can support learning across the curriculum.
6. It Can Engage Reluctant Readers
Not every student loves historical fiction.
Some students see a book set during World War II and immediately assume it will be difficult or boring.
The mystery changes that equation.
The combination of adventure, secrets, puzzles, codes, family relationships, and historical events gives students multiple entry points into the story.
Students who enjoy mysteries have the mystery.
Students interested in history have the historical setting.
Students who enjoy puzzles have the codes and clues.
And students who enjoy character-driven stories have the relationships and family connections.
That’s one reason The Bletchley Riddle can work so well with a diverse group of readers.
Make The Bletchley Riddle Easier to Teach
If you’re planning to use The Bletchley Riddle as a class novel, you don’t have to spend hours creating chapter questions, vocabulary activities, writing prompts, nonfiction passages, and assessments.
I’ve created a complete The Bletchley Riddle Novel Study for Grades 5–8 designed to make teaching the novel as easy as possible.
The resource includes 285+ pages of printable materials, along with digital resources for a paperless classroom.
Students can work on:
Chapter-by-chapter reading comprehension
Vocabulary
Grammar
Writing
Critical thinking
Text evidence
Nonfiction reading
Historical connections
End-of-book activities
Story elements
The unit also includes Common Core standards alignment, teacher resources, answer keys, assessments, and digital Google Drive™ materials.
Explore the History Behind the Story
One of my favorite parts of this novel study is the collection of nonfiction reading passages that allow students to dig deeper into the real history behind the novel.
Students learn about:
Black Saturday
The Bletchley Park Code and Cipher School
The Men of Bletchley Park
The Women of Bletchley Park
Tyler Kent
The Polish Codebreakers
These passages give you an easy way to incorporate informational text and historical research into your novel study while helping students understand the real-world events that inspired the story.
A No-Prep Bletchley Riddle Novel Study for Grades 5–8
If you’re ready to bring mystery, history, and codebreaking into your classroom, The Bletchley Riddle is a fantastic novel to consider.
It’s an engaging choice for:
Upper elementary ELA
Middle school ELA
World War II units
Historical fiction units
Literature circles
Whole-class novel studies
Small-group reading
Independent reading
Homeschool
Cross-curricular ELA and social studies instruction
And with a ready-to-use novel study, you can spend less time creating materials and more time helping your students read, question, investigate, and think deeply about the story.
Ready to turn your students into codebreakers?
Try a free sample of the novel study for The Bletchley Riddle
Bring the mystery of Bletchley Park into your classroom and give your students a historical fiction experience they’ll want to keep reading.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching The Bletchley Riddle this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Novel Studies Part 5: Assessment
I often get questions from potential buyers asking if there are assessments after every chapter of my novel studies. I kind of cringe when I get these questions because I can only imagine the dread the students must have if they are tested after every chapter! Testing is not the only way to assess if a student has read and understood. In my experience, class discussions and the writing in the comprehension answers are more than sufficient evidence of learning and understanding by the student. It is imperative when using novel studies not to lose focus and kill the joy of reading for your students! Your goal is for them to voluntarily pick up another book to read when a novel study is over, not run as far as they can from books!
