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Out of My Heart Novel Study: Helping Students Explore Courage, Friendship, and Inclusion

by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies

Are you looking for an engaging Out of My Heart novel study to help your students dig deeper into Sharon M. Draper’s powerful story?

Out of My Heart is an excellent choice for upper elementary and middle school readers because it gives students an opportunity to explore important themes such as friendship, independence, courage, inclusion, empathy, resilience, and overcoming challenges—all while building essential reading and writing skills.

If you’re planning to teach Out of My Heart in your 4th, 5th, or 6th grade classroom, a well-designed novel unit can make it much easier to turn this powerful story into a meaningful ELA experience.

Meet author Sharon M. Draper as she reads an excerpt from her new novel, Out of My Heart.

📚 What Is Out of My Heart About?

Sharon M. Draper’s Out of My Heart introduces readers to Melody Brooks, the memorable protagonist from Out of My Mind.

Melody is a bright, curious girl with cerebral palsy who is approaching her teenage years. Although her disability affects her ability to communicate and participate in many activities, Melody has the same hopes, dreams, fears, and desire for independence as other girls her age.

In Out of My Heart, Melody gets an opportunity to experience something new when she attends summer camp.

For Melody, summer camp isn’t simply a vacation. It becomes an opportunity to make friends, try new things, develop greater independence, and discover that she can accomplish more than she—or others—may have believed possible.

That makes Out of My Heart an especially valuable novel for classroom discussion.

Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

You Can Find this Novel Here

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❤️ Why Teach Out of My Heart?

There are many reasons this novel works so well in an upper elementary or middle school classroom.

1. Students Explore Disability and Inclusion

One of the most important aspects of Out of My Heart is its portrayal of a young person with cerebral palsy.

Melody’s experiences can help students think about accessibility, inclusion, assumptions about people with disabilities, and the importance of seeing the person rather than the disability.

The novel provides natural opportunities for classroom conversations about how people can experience the world differently and why inclusion matters.

2. It Encourages Empathy

Melody wants many of the same things other teenagers want: friends, independence, adventure, and the opportunity to make her own choices.

Reading about Melody’s experiences allows students to consider situations from another person’s perspective.

This makes Out of My Heart an excellent novel for developing empathy and perspective-taking alongside reading comprehension skills.

3. It Addresses Courage and Resilience

Melody faces challenges throughout the story, but she doesn’t allow those challenges to define what she can accomplish.

Students can discuss what courage really means and how resilience can help people move beyond fear and uncertainty.

These themes can lead to meaningful writing prompts, class discussions, and reading responses.

4. Friendship Is at the Heart of the Story

Friendship is another important theme throughout Out of My Heart.

Melody wants genuine friendships and opportunities to connect with other people. Her experiences provide plenty of opportunities for students to analyze character relationships, character development, conflict, and the qualities of a good friend.

📖 Out of My Heart Is a Great Choice for a Novel Study

Because the novel contains so many meaningful themes and character-development opportunities, it lends itself naturally to a chapter-by-chapter novel study.

Students can work on:

Reading comprehension
Vocabulary
Character analysis
Character development
Story elements
Making inferences
Supporting answers with evidence
Theme
Written responses
Critical thinking
Informational reading
Research skills

Rather than simply asking students to read the book and complete a worksheet, a novel study can help them think deeply about what they’re reading and connect the story to larger ideas.

🔎 Extend the Learning Beyond the Novel

One of my favorite things about using Out of My Heart as a classroom novel is the opportunity to connect the fictional story to informational learning.

Students can learn more about cerebral palsy and Down syndrome through research activities and WebQuests.

These connections allow students to practice informational reading and research skills while developing a better understanding of disabilities and the experiences of others.

This is a wonderful way to move beyond simply asking, “What happened in the chapter?” and instead encourage students to ask, “What can I learn from this story?”

✏️ Looking for an Out of My Heart Novel Study?

If you don’t want to spend your evenings creating comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, writing assignments, assessments, and research activities, I’ve created a complete, no-prep Out of My Heart novel study to make teaching this book easier.

The Out of My Heart Novel Study for Grades 4–6 includes both printable and digital resources, so you can choose the format that works best for your classroom.

Your Complete Out of My Heart Novel Unit Includes:

Daily lesson plans
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Vocabulary activities
Grammar activities
Writing activities
Reading responses
Story elements activities
Character and theme exploration
Cerebral Palsy WebQuest and brochure activity
Down Syndrome WebQuest and brochure activity
End-of-book activities
Vocabulary word wall
Reading assessments
Teacher answer keys
Common Core standards alignment
Printable PDF resources
Google Drive™ resources
Google Slides™ activities
Google Forms™ assessments
Self-grading digital quizzes

That’s everything you need to turn Out of My Heart into a complete ELA novel unit without spending hours creating materials yourself.

💻 Printable AND Digital Novel Study

Do you teach in a paperless classroom?

No problem!

The Out of My Heart novel study includes digital resources that can be used with Google Drive™ and Google Classroom™, giving you flexibility whether your students work with printed materials, digital assignments, or a combination of both.

This makes the unit useful for:

Whole-class novel instruction
Small-group reading
Literature circles
Independent reading
Reading intervention
Homeschool
Digital learning
Distance learning

🎯 Aligned to Common Core ELA Standards

The activities in this Out of My Heart novel study are designed to address important ELA skills, including reading literature, reading informational text, writing, vocabulary, language, speaking, listening, and critical thinking.

Students aren’t simply answering questions about what happened in the story. They’re practicing skills they can transfer to other texts and reading situations.

🌟 A Meaningful Novel for Meaningful Learning

Out of My Heart is more than a story about a girl attending summer camp.

It’s a story about finding friendship, gaining independence, facing fears, discovering possibilities, and refusing to let other people’s assumptions determine what you can accomplish.

For teachers, that makes it a wonderful opportunity to combine strong literacy instruction with meaningful conversations about disability, inclusion, empathy, friendship, courage, and resilience.

And with a complete novel study, you don’t have to spend hours figuring out how to turn those themes into classroom activities.

👉 Download the FREE PREVIEW to see what’s included before you purchase.

👉 Get the Out of My Heart Novel Study

Ready to make teaching Out of My Heart easier?

Check out the complete Out of My Heart Novel Study for Grades 4–6 and get everything you need for a ready-to-teach, standards-aligned novel unit.

💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!

Are you teaching Out of My Heart 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!

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The Power of El Deafo: Why Cece Bell’s Graphic Novel Belongs in Your Classroom

by Shelley | English/Language Arts, Novel Studies

In today’s classrooms, fostering empathy, promoting inclusivity, and celebrating differences are more vital than ever. Literature has always been our most effective tool to build these connections—and few books do it as masterfully as Cece Bell’s Newbery Honor-winning graphic novel, El Deafo.

Whether you are looking to engage reluctant readers, deepen your Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum, or build genuine disability awareness, El Deafo provides an unforgettable lens into the real-world experiences of growing up with hearing loss.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

You Can Find this Novel Here

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A Personal Perspective: Why El Deafo Touches My Heart

As someone who has lived with hearing loss for over 25 years, I know firsthand the daily friction of trying to communicate in a world built for the hearing. Hearing loss has affected almost every area of my life—it even led to the end of my classroom teaching career.

A while back, I participated in an online discussion with fellow educators about the factuality of the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio. While I love Wonder and believe it holds a valuable spot in the classroom, I’ve always been concerned about how it portrays hearing loss and hearing aids. (In fact, when I created my Wonder Novel Study, I included a non-fiction article to help students understand the real-world science behind hearing loss so they could spot the story’s inaccuracies.)

During that discussion, an educator asked me:

“Shelley, have you read El Deafo by Cece Bell? How realistic is it to someone who actually walks in those shoes?”

I immediately ordered a copy. From the moment I opened it, I was nodding my head in complete agreement.

Cece Bell’s autobiographical journey captured feelings I’ve carried for decades—isolation, self-consciousness, social fatigue, and the exhaustion of putting up with awkward interactions out of fear or embarrassment.

Most importantly, the book highlights a critical truth the hearing world often overlooks: Volume does not equal clarity.

Shouting, talking unnaturally slow, or exaggerating mouth movements does not help someone with hearing loss. In fact, it ruins lip-reading and makes communication much harder! Cece’s story shows how she took these everyday struggles and transformed them into her superhero alter ego, “El Deafo.”

You don’t need to have hearing loss to fall in love with Cece’s journey—but reading it will make anyone a more compassionate, understanding human being.

6 Key Benefits of Teaching El Deafo in Grades 4–6

1. 🤟 Promotes Real Disability Awareness & Deaf Culture

El Deafo offers an authentic, first-hand look at what it’s like to navigate school and friendships with a hearing impairment. It strips away misconceptions and gives students an accurate understanding of assistive technology and accessibility.

2. ❤️ Builds Deep Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Empathy

By following Cece’s internal monologues and social triumphs, students learn to recognize the feelings of others, reflect on their own behaviors, and navigate complex friendship dynamics with kindness.

3. 🦸‍♀️ Celebrates Individuality & Self-Acceptance

Cece’s creation of “El Deafo” teaches young readers that the things that make us different aren’t weaknesses—they can become our greatest strengths. It encourages students to embrace their unique traits with confidence.

4. 📖 Hooks Reluctant & Visual Readers

As a graphic novel, El Deafo pairs rich visual context with accessible text. It is an extraordinary format for striving readers, ESL/ELL students, and visual learners to practice high-level literary analysis without feeling overwhelmed.

5. 🗣️ Sparks Meaningful Classroom Discussions

Cece’s story naturally opens the door for class discussions on tough topics: standing up to bullies, overcoming social anxiety, effective communication strategies, and true inclusion.

6. 🌐 Blends Fiction with Non-Fiction Learning

Pairing Cece’s memoir with non-fiction research on audiology, ear anatomy, and famous figures with hearing loss allows teachers to connect ELA standards directly with Science and Health topics.

Take Your El Deafo Unit Further (Zero Prep Required!)

Teaching a graphic novel comes with unique opportunities—and unique challenges! To help you deliver a comprehensive, standards-aligned unit without spending your weekends planning, I created the El Deafo Complete Novel Study.

Designed specifically for Grades 4–6, this 147+ page resource combines deep ELA reading comprehension with interactive non-fiction research.

🌟 What’s Included in the Unit?

3-Week Pacing & Daily Lesson Plans: Structured, step-by-step teacher guides aligned to Common Core Standards.
Chapter-by-Chapter Comprehension: Short-answer questions that analyze both textual content and visual graphic panel cues.
6 Non-Fiction WebQuest Foldables: Interactive research activities covering ear anatomy, audiology, assistive technology, communication strategies, and deaf history.
End-of-Book Assessment Packet: Comprehensive final test available in printable format and self-grading Google Forms™.
Printable PDF & Google Drive™ Formats: Ready for traditional paper workbooks or paperless 1:1 Chromebook classrooms.

See what people are saying about the El Deafo Novel Study by The Teaching Bank!

Try a free sample of the novel study for El Deafo

Ready to Inspire Your Students?

Give your students a reading unit they will talk about for the rest of the school year while saving yourself hours of prep time!

You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:

💬 Join the Conversation!

Have you taught graphic novels in your upper elementary or middle school classroom? How do your students react to Cece’s journey in El Deafo?

Come share your ideas, lesson tips, and book recommendations with hundreds of passionate educators in our free Facebook community: Book Talk with The Teaching Bank!