For years, I employed the Daily Oral Language sentences to reinforce grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills in my classroom as part of our bellwork routine. Witnessing noticeable progress in my students’ everyday writing validated the effectiveness of these short morning lessons. Notably, this improvement extended to their performance in standardized tests throughout the year. Despite its effectiveness, both my students and I found this method rather dull. I realized there had to be a more engaging approach.
During my search for alternatives, I stumbled upon an article in the Los Angeles Times discussing the impact of texting on the grammar abilities of tweens and teens.
This particular quote caught my eye: “Basically, kids aren’t able to “code switch” — shift between standard grammar and the abbreviations used in text messages, Sundar said. Those abbreviations have essentially become the words for them.
Adults not raised on text-friendly abbreviations in their formative years are able to shift between formal and informal language, Sundar said. Kids consuming a steady diet of “textual adaptations” aren’t.”
We’re well aware that teens often use “text speak” to convey thoughts in the fewest characters possible, causing chaos in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It can be quite challenging to read at times! Unfortunately, this shorthand finds its way into their everyday classroom writing. It’s crucial for students to grasp proper writing conventions essential in the professional world.
How do we guide our students to “code switch,” allowing them to employ the convenience of texting while maintaining proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
I devised a method that merges DOL-style practice with “text speak.” This approach lets students engage in practice that feels more intriguing and relevant to them—in their own “language,” so to speak. Simultaneously, they learn that while “text speak” suits casual texting, formal writing demands adherence to conventional rules. It truly offers the best of both worlds!
The structure mirrors the DOL format I previously employed: about two sentences per day for bellwork. I prepare a weekly sheet featuring 10 sentences composed in “text talk,” requiring correction using standard writing conventions. Each morning, students independently rectify two sentences, followed by a class review as part of our daily routine.
For example:
Passage: n Aug he didnt nvr do gud
Answer: He didn’t do well in August.
This might seem like an alien language at first glance! For tweens and teens, though, it’s their language and a sort of puzzle to translate it into proper English. It reinforces the notion that their “text speak” is valid for casual communication, yet emphasizes its unsuitability for formal writing in school or the professional sphere. This clear distinction aids in understanding the disparity between the two modes of communication.
For an engaging and practical approach to offer grammar, punctuation, and spelling practice to your middle/high school students, explore Text-to-English Grammar Activities. The complete product is available for purchase by quarter, semester, or for an entire year! Every download comprises printable, interactive notebook, and digital formats compatible with Google Drive™!
Looking for a high-interest novel that will get your students reading, thinking, discussing, and writing? Ban This Book by Alan Gratz is an excellent choice for upper elementary and middle school readers.
This engaging novel introduces students to big ideas such as book challenges, censorship, freedom of expression, access to literature, personal responsibility, and standing up for your beliefs through the story of Amy Anne Ollinger.
Whether you’re planning a Ban This Book novel study, a unit for Banned Books Week, or simply looking for a novel that will generate meaningful classroom discussion, this book offers plenty of opportunities to connect literature to real-world issues.
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📚 What Is Ban This Book About?
In Ban This Book, fourth-grader Amy Anne Ollinger discovers that her favorite book has been removed from her school library. Upset by the decision, Amy Anne takes matters into her own hands and creates a secret library filled with books that have been banned or challenged.
What begins as a personal response quickly grows into a much larger situation.
Through Amy Anne’s experiences, students encounter questions about who decides what books are available to children, why books may be challenged, how people can disagree about controversial topics, and what it means to speak up when you believe something is unfair.
These questions make Ban This Book much more than an entertaining story. It provides a natural starting point for teaching reading comprehension, character development, theme, author’s purpose, argument, evidence, and persuasive writing.
💡 Why Teach Ban This Book?
1. Encourage Critical Thinking
Ban This Book gives students plenty to think about.
Students can examine different perspectives and consider questions such as:
Why might someone want a book removed from a library?
Who should make decisions about what students can read?
Can two people have different opinions about the same book?
What makes an argument convincing?
How should we respond when we disagree with someone?
What evidence supports a particular point of view?
Rather than simply asking students whether they agree or disagree, teachers can use the novel to help students examine evidence, consider multiple perspectives, and explain their reasoning.
2. Explore the Theme of Censorship
The central conflict makes Ban This Book an accessible introduction to the concept of censorship and book challenges.
Students may already have heard adults talk about banned books, but the novel allows them to explore the topic through a character and story they can understand.
This creates opportunities to introduce vocabulary such as:
censorship • banned book • challenged book • freedom of expression • perspective • evidence • argument
These concepts can then be connected to informational texts and classroom discussions.
3. Practice Evidence-Based Discussion
Because the characters have different opinions about what happens in the story, Ban This Book works particularly well for classroom discussions and structured debates.
Ask students to support their ideas with evidence from the novel rather than simply saying, “I think…”
For example:
What evidence from the story supports Amy Anne’s actions?
How do the different characters view the situation?
Which character’s argument do you find most convincing, and why?
These questions encourage students to move beyond basic comprehension and practice explaining, supporting, and defending their ideas.
4. Connect Reading to Writing
Ban This Book also provides natural opportunities for writing.
Students can write:
Opinion pieces
Argumentative responses
Character analyses
Theme responses
Text-to-world connections
Evidence-based responses
Persuasive writing
The novel gives students something meaningful to write about, while teachers can reinforce important ELA skills such as making a claim, using evidence, explaining reasoning, and organizing an argument.
5. Connect Literature to the Real World
One of the strengths of Ban This Book is the opportunity to connect fiction with nonfiction.
After reading the novel, students can investigate the history of book challenges, examine arguments surrounding challenged books, and compare fictional events with real-world situations.
This provides an excellent opportunity to combine literary analysis and informational-text reading.
Students can ask:
How does the fictional situation in Ban This Book compare with situations that have occurred in real schools and libraries?
That question can lead to research, discussion, writing, and media-literacy activities.
📖 Ban This Book and Banned Books Week
If you’re looking for a novel to use during Banned Books Week, Ban This Book is a natural fit.
The novel itself focuses on challenged and banned books, making it an engaging way to introduce students to the larger topic.
You can extend the unit with activities such as:
Researching the history of challenged books
Investigating why particular books have been challenged
Comparing different perspectives
Reading informational texts
Conducting structured debates
Writing evidence-based responses
Discussing the role of libraries
Exploring the difference between a book being challenged and being banned
These activities can turn a novel study into a broader ELA and critical-thinking unit.
🎯 ELA Skills You Can Teach with Ban This Book
This novel provides opportunities to practice a wide range of reading and writing skills, including:
Reading Comprehension Students analyze characters, events, conflicts, themes, and important details.
Vocabulary Students encounter new words in context and apply them in speaking and writing.
Character Analysis Students examine Amy Anne and the other characters and analyze how their experiences influence their decisions.
Theme Students identify important themes and support their interpretations with evidence.
Point of View Students consider how different characters view the conflict.
Argument & Evidence Students develop claims and support their thinking with evidence.
Writing Students respond to the novel through opinion, analytical, and argumentative writing.
Speaking & Listening Students participate in discussions and debates while practicing respectful communication.
📝 Make Teaching Ban This Book Easier with a Complete Novel Study
If you don’t want to spend hours creating comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, assessments, writing prompts, and extension activities, a ready-to-use Ban This Book novel study can save you valuable planning time.
My Ban This Book Novel Study for Grades 4–6 includes both printable and digital resources and is designed to provide a complete unit you can use with your students.
The unit includes:
Daily lesson plans
A pacing and standards guide
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Vocabulary activities
Grammar activities
Nonfiction reading passages
Book-banning debate activities
Critical-thinking writing
Assessments
Answer keys
Interactive notebook activities
End-of-book activities
Printable PDF resources
Google Drive™ digital resources
Google Forms assessments
The combination of literature, informational text, vocabulary, writing, discussion, and critical thinking makes this more than a basic set of comprehension questions.
📚 Try a Free Sample
Want to see what is included before purchasing?
Download the free preview of the Ban This Book novel study to see sample pages and activities.
🛒 Get the Complete Ban This Book Novel Study
Ready to turn Ban This Book into a complete ELA unit?
Get the Ban This Book Novel Study for Grades 4–6 and save yourself hours of preparation.
Whether you’re teaching Ban This Book as a whole-class novel, using it in literature circles, assigning it for independent reading, or building a Banned Books Week unit, this novel offers countless opportunities for students to strengthen their reading, writing, discussion, and critical-thinking skills.
What better way to teach students to think deeply about what they read than with a book that gives them so much to think about?
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Ban This Book 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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I’m Shelley from The Teaching Bank. I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades.
My goal is to provide lessons and units for K-12 that are practical and ready to teach with minimal prep needed.
