Novel units are a big part of my ELA classroom. I utilize them in whole class instruction, small groups, and independent reading. As students discover connections between a novel’s characters, setting and story elements, they become more engaged readers.
Rules by Cynthia Lord is a novel that will make students genuinely think about how they treat people. I have watched many middle schoolers connect with this book, make arguments about what Catherine should have done, and then change their minds by the end. That …
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings is a staple in my 7th-grade ELA curriculum. This is a book we cover through both traditional novel study activities and daily read-alouds in the classroom. It is fast-paced, the moral stakes are real, and your students will be talking …
In this post, I’m sharing the five components I use in every novel unit, plus a free character trading card template you can download and use with any book. But first, a quote many teachers can relate to… “A writer only begins a book, a …
Novel study units are a HUGE part of my ELA classroom. I use them for whole class instruction, small groups, and independent reading, and after 25 years of teaching middle school, I can tell you they cover more standards than most teachers realize. When I …
Character analysis is one of the most engaging aspects of teaching R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, and this is one of the rare books that offers an obvious playbook for teachers. Six narrators. Six perspectives on the same events. Six opportunities for your students to step outside …
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is one of those perfect middle school novels that teaches character resilience while keeping kids engaged page after page. The Great Depression setting gives you a built-in angle for teaching historical fiction, which is something many teachers struggle …
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