Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a high-interest science fiction novel that will capture the attention of your middle school readers right from the start! This is a great novel study to use with 5th and 6th grade or intervention-level 7th and 8th grade readers.
I have taught Among the Hidden in my classroom several times, and all of my lesson plans and novel study activities shared here are included in my Among the Hidden novel study. This PDF download features over 50 pages of daily lesson plans, reading comprehension questions, context clue worksheets, and journal prompts.
Novel Study Ideas and Activities
I use a similar lesson plan structure for all of the novels we read together in class. I lead off each day with a discussion around the assigned reading selection. For my favorite chapters, I highlight a couple pages to read aloud before beginning our discussion.
I typically start each day reviewing the setting of our reading selection. I've found this to be a great way to help students connect with the story as they visualize what the characters are seeing and feeling. It can also lead to class discussions where students get to hear how their peers interpret and connect to the story.
Novel Study Ideas and Activities
Since this is a science fiction novel, the setting and societal norms are much different than the world we experience. Luke Garner is a third child in a society where any child more than two is illegal. His parents have worked hard to hide his existence on their farm, but Luke is curious to learn more about the world outside of his home. His curiosity leads to a series of adventures and experiences.
The story spans multiple houses and seasons, with each one opening new questions about Luke and the world he lives in. This makes it important to discuss the different settings and how they impact the behavior and challenges for Luke.
Character Analysis
Because Luke's situation is different than most of the people around him, I spend a good amount of time on character analysis. I like to include activities that dig into the main characters and their perspectives. Character study is important to help our students unlock their awareness of empathy and perspective so that they may become more fluent readers.
The image above shows my character analysis worksheets and character trading card project for this novel. The goal is to have students think about the story from the perspective of the main characters and how they are different from each other.
Vocabulary and Word Work
Instead of handing out a list of vocabulary words from the novel to memorize, I like to utilize context clue worksheets that require them to go back into the text and decipher what a word means. The ability to use context clues is an important skill that they need to practice for state testing. My Among the Hidden novel unit includes 5 context clue worksheets with about 40 different words.
Among the Hidden also includes several great examples of figurative language for students to identify and analyze. For this, I highlight five quotes from the text on a worksheet. Students are asked to read and determine if the sentence is a simile or a metaphor.
More Ideas for Among the Hidden
In addition to the novel study activities I highlighted above, my novel study includes all of the essential reading comprehension components as well as additional writing activities. Here is the full list…
- Chapter-by-Chapter Lesson Plans
- Chapter-by-Chapter Reader Response Questions
- Main Idea Chapter Title Writing
- Character Analysis Worksheet
- Story Map Activity
- Reflection Journal Topics
- Teacher Answer Key
Hopefully this overview gives you several ideas to utilize in your classroom. The key for me is to expand our novel studies beyond basic comprehension. I want my students to connect with the setting and the characters so they truly empathize with them. Check out the following links for more examples of novel study activities I use with my middle school students…
