by Shelley | Assessment, English/Language Arts, Novel Studies, Organization
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 Everlasting novel 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!
You can find Where the Red Fern Grows Novel Study, Wonder Novel Study, Hatchet Novel Study, Tuck Everlasting Novel Study, Projekt 1065 Novel Study, and A Wrinkle in Time Novel Study that are mentioned above here in my store or at my TpT store. I also offer over 100 titles ranging from grades 1 to 8 where I am sure you’ll find something to engage your class in some deep reading.
To read Part 1: Comprehension
To read Part 2: Vocabulary
Part 3: Pacing
Part 4: Extras!
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!
Click here or the image below to join my Facebook group, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!
by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies, Organization
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 4, deals with the extras added to the novel studies, from writing activities to non-fiction research activities. You can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here.
Novel Studies Part 4: The Extras!
Of course, when using novel studies in the classroom, you must hit the basics of comprehension and vocabulary. One of the wonderful bonuses of using novel studies is the opportunity to pull other areas of the curriculum into a larger thematic unit. The various topics of the different books can lead to a plethora of inquiry and learning.
As I create a novel study, I open my mind to all the places the story is taking me. Some books are easier to explore outside the reading domain than others. Some take me down the rabbit hole of investigation with a deep-thought question that allows for longer writing passages that can lead to some really inspiring class debates!
Some examples of great non-fiction investigations are The Lightning Thief Novel Study and The One and Only Ivan Novel Study.
You can branch off to an entire Greek Mythology Unit with The Lightning Thief.
With The One and Only Ivan Novel Study, students can research gorillas and elephants. They can learn about and compare life for these animals in the wild vs. captivity. The most interesting to me was the true story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla that inspired the story!
A book like Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH leads to some deep-thought questions regarding animal testing that can be debated and discussed in-depth in the classroom.
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 “extras” of the novel study are included in the Google Drive™ format as well. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my The Lightning Thief Novel Study.
I love how you can combine the theme from a full novel throughout different curriculum areas in a way that you just can’t do with short passage reading instruction. This allows for even deeper learning by using novel studies!
Join me for the conclusion of my series to learn how I handle the assessments to end my novel studies.
You can find The Lightning Thief Novel Study, The One and Only Ivan Novel Study, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Novel Study that are mentioned above here in my store or at my TpT store. I also offer over 100 titles ranging from grades 1 to 8 where I am sure you’ll find something to engage your class in some deep reading.
To read Part 1: Comprehension
To read Part 2: Vocabulary
Part 3: Pacing
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!
Click here or the image below to join my Facebook group, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!
by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies, Organization
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 3, deals with pacing the novel study. You can read part 1 and part 2 here.
Novel Studies Part 3: Pacing
One of the challenges of using novel studies in the classroom is finding the time. It’s a balance between not moving too fast and not letting the unit drag on for too long because we all know you have a million other things to squeeze into your curriculum!
Each of my complete novel studies includes detailed daily teacher lesson plans that include the objective and directions for the day. You can see how this is designed fo my Freak the Mighty Novel Study.
I also create a pacing guide for each novel study that helps you map out your long-range plan. You can see an example here from my Crenshaw Novel Study.
It’s a delicate balance to set the pacing. I generally try to aim for approximately 20 pages to read per day. This will be altered based on the chapter sizes. I don’t schedule split chapters as I feel this disrupts the reader. I know I hate to stop reading mid-chapter. That’s just mean!
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 that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Wishtree Novel Study. The same pacing would apply for the Google™ version as you would use for the printable version.
This pacing is a suggestion as it has worked for me, but it is very adaptable, so you can work to fit it into the schedule that you are working with. The planning pages are written for a whole class novel study, but can be easily adapted to fit small book groups or individual novel studies. How much teacher interaction you want to have during the course of the study is up to you and can be worked in with the suggested pacing.
Join me for part 4 of my series to learn how I add extra experiences to my novel studies for deeper learning and growth.
You can find my Freak the Mighty Novel Study, Crenshaw Novel Study, and Wishtree Novel Study that are mentioned above here in my store or at my TpT store. I also offer over 100 titles ranging from grades 1 to 8 where I am sure you’ll find something to engage your class in some deep reading.
To read Part 1: Comprehension
To read Part 2: Vocabulary
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!
Click here or the image below to join my Facebook group, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!
by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies, Organization
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 2, deals with the vocabulary/grammar skill aspect of the novel studies. You can read part 1 here.
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
One of the beautiful things about reading books is that it expands your vocabulary. It introduces you to new words that you can build into your commentary. Being exposed to these new words within the context of a story helps the reader infer the meaning of the word, and it helps to see the word used in action to help the student understand its relevance.
When I create a novel study, I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled from the story. Balance is imperative.
I would always write the vocabulary words for the day/chapter on the board before starting the reading so the student would keep a lookout for those words as they read.
I create a vocabulary bookmark for the student to have in hand as they read. They can record the page number of the word and note the inference they made about the meaning of the word as they encountered it in context. You can see how this is designed for my Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Novel Study.
I also create another page that the student can attend to after they’ve completed their chapter reading. They will use their bookmark to locate the page number of the word. Next, they will look up the dictionary definition of the word and check it against the inference made on the bookmark as they read. You can see an example from my Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Novel Study.
Each unit will contain some activities to work with the words and definitions, such as a crossword puzzle or word search.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word. There is also a sentence using the word written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. The student will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 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 that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study.
Pacing and approaching vocabulary in this manner has worked very well for me. It allows the students to think about the words and their meaning in context while not disrupting the story to learn the correct definitions.
Join me for part 3 of my series to learn the pacing methods I use for my novel studies.
You can find my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Novel Study, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Novel Study, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study that are mentioned above here in my store or at my TpT store. I also offer over 100 titles ranging from grades 1 to 8 where I am sure you’ll find something to engage your class in some deep reading.
To read Part 1: Comprehension
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!
Click here or the image below to join my Facebook group, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!
by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies, Organization
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 1, deals with the comprehension aspect of the novel studies.
Novel Studies Part 1: Comprehension
One of the most compelling reasons to use whole novels in your reading instruction is to boost comprehension skills. A complete novel allows the student to delve deep into the characters’ minds and work through the plot from a detailed beginning to an end. You can’t achieve this level of deep understanding and thinking using short passages only. Students should be exposed to all methods of reading instruction, and complete novel studies fulfill a critical piece of the puzzle.
For students to dig deep into comprehension, they need the time to get lost in the narrative. Complete chapters will help them fall into the world of their book. The goal here is for students to think at the higher levels of the analysis and evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
To achieve this, I only use narrative questioning for my novel studies. The student needs to write out a complete statement in order to answer the question. Multiple-choice questions are not adequate to get the student to move beyond the lowest level of knowledge questioning of Bloom’s. You don’t want students doing quick guessing games to show what they’ve learned as they move through the book!
Here’s an example from chapter 1 of the comprehension questions from my Fish in a Tree Novel Study.
You can see that the questions will not allow the student to quick-skim the book. They can only answer if they’ve read, and the questions force them to think through what the character is thinking and put themselves into the character’s shoes. This type of questioning will take the student to the highest levels of both the cognitive and affective domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
You can also see that there are only five questions for the chapter. The questioning I use in my novel studies is usually only 1-6 questions per chapter. Students shouldn’t be inundated with questions in order to dig deep and show an understanding of what they’ve read. If the questioning is thorough, only a few questions are needed. I try to have at least one question per chapter, no matter how small it is. Of course, sometimes it is not necessary to assign a question just for the sake of assigning work if the chapter is too short.
Another reason for not overburdening the students with questions is to minimize the disruptions as they read. The more often they have to stop to answer questions, the less likely they are to get lost in the story. You want them to go all in!
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. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Esperanza Rising Novel Study.
Going through a story in this manner in regard to comprehension has worked very well for me. It forces those reluctant readers to put forth the effort to let themselves read deeply. The non-reluctant readers will be thrilled to be reading a complete book, so you’ve already hooked them!
Join me for part 2 in my series to learn the methods I use to try to turn my students into book detectives with vocabulary/grammar skill work using novel studies.
You can find my Fish in a Tree Novel Study and Esperanza Rising Novel Study that are mentioned above here in my store or at my TpT store. I also offer over 100 titles ranging from grades 1 to 8 where I am sure you’ll find something to engage your class in some deep 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!
Click here or the image below to join my Facebook group, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!
by Shelley | Organization
Revisiting my first year of teaching, which dates back to the 1995-96 school year, requires delving deep into my memory. Despite the challenges, it’s always nostalgic to reflect on those times. For every new teacher out there, these struggles are familiar. Remember, you’re not alone, and you will conquer them! I assure you!
After graduating from Iowa State University in May 1995, I was accepted into the CADRE Project at the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the 1995-96 school year. This program placed me as a full-time teacher in a classroom within one of the surrounding public school districts while pursuing a Master’s Degree simultaneously. As part of the program, I had a “Master Teacher Mentor” who periodically visited my classroom, offering guidance and advice to navigate through the initial year. I was assigned as a 4th-grade teacher in the Omaha Public Schools.
My classroom was situated in a building constructed in 1912, maintaining its antique charm with wooden floors, towering ceilings, tall windows, an old radiator for heat, and an absence of air conditioning! Interestingly, the K-4 building had more classrooms outside in portables than in the actual structure. Fortunately, I was allocated space within the main building. Just outside my classroom door was the “office,” consisting of a large counter in the hallway for the secretary and a small back office for the principal. A security guard stationed at a small table sat right outside my classroom.
I started my teaching journey with very minimal supplies as my class was added late in the summer. The room had math and reading textbooks and a set of old metal desks. There was access to large rolls of colored paper, writing paper, and pencils in a school-wide storage room. But anything beyond basic office supplies like pens and staples required a supply order, and it took several months to get a working pencil sharpener!
Such conditions pushed me to create my own teaching materials, which turned out to be a hidden blessing. It sparked my passion for curriculum development and equipped me with skills for my career beyond teaching!
The greatest challenge in that first year was adapting to such a diverse population, both racially and socioeconomically. My teacher training hadn’t prepared me for this. Coming from Sioux Falls, SD, where my high school had minimal racial diversity and mostly middle-class students, the contrast was stark.
My classroom consisted of about 50% black students from a high-poverty neighborhood and 50% mainly white students bussed in from an even lower-income area with a homeless shelter. The transient nature of the shelter caused significant student turnover—I’d have about 18 students on average in my class, but by year’s end, I’d have had around 40-50 different kids pass through.
Around the same time I started teaching, a police officer, Jimmy Wilson Jr., was shot and killed by gang members, causing unrest in the city, particularly in the area where my school was located. One hot Friday afternoon, lacking air conditioning, I took the class outside under a big tree for our reading time. Instead of reading, a discussion about the shooting unfolded among the students. It was eye-opening; their perspectives differed vastly from mine as a white woman from a middle-class area. I learned a great deal about their lives and experiences that day, realizing how much innocence these young 9-10-year-olds had lost due to their mature exposure to life’s struggles. It was a profound and educational moment for me, fostering a more empathetic attitude toward their life experiences. The discussion offered me a deep insight into their lives and shaped a more compassionate approach to understanding their challenges.
The most significant challenge also turned out to be the most rewarding aspect. It expanded my openness and ability to collaborate within a diverse community. I ended up learning as much from those kids that year as I taught them.
Among the students, there was one in particular whose growth I felt deeply connected to. I’m immensely proud of how I was able to bolster his confidence that year. Moreover, I helped change the perspectives of others in the district who had dismissed him, viewing him solely as a troublemaker with limited potential. I proved them wrong and unveiled the remarkable potential he truly possessed.
At times, it might feel like you’re at a standstill, but you’ll overcome it. Each year following that initial one, you’ll build upon your knowledge. You’ll discover the significance of organization, the value of approaching each child with fresh eyes (avoid reading past files before meeting them), and recognize that a classroom doesn’t have to achieve a “perfect” look. Instead, investing in instructional materials outweighs the need for overly decorative bulletin boards! You don’t require a “Pinterest Pretty Classroom” to excel as a teacher!
You’ll come to realize that you can’t solve every issue, but you can certainly give your best effort. It’s crucial to safeguard your own well-being—don’t let the challenges in your classroom consume your entire life. Allocate time for your mental health to prevent burning out too quickly. Embrace your mistakes as valuable learning opportunities instead of letting them stress you out. Remember, we all make mistakes, and you’ll make your fair share too!
To all teachers, especially those starting their first year, I wish you the best of luck and many happy days ahead! Take a deep breath; things will fall into place eventually, and you’ll excel! There’s nothing quite as invigorating and infectious as the enthusiasm of a first-year teacher!
