Independent Novel Study for Differentiated Reading Instruction

Every classroom has a wide range of readers. Typically in my class, I've got my FAKE readers, my reluctant readers who need the right hook, and a few who'll devour three novels before Thanksgiving. If this sounds familiar, an independent novel study with differentiated reading levels can bring out the best in each type of reader.

As a middle school ELA teacher, I am always looking for resources that best meet my readers' needs. A strong selection of novels and a diverse set of reading comprehension activities are two ways I incorporate differentiated instruction into my language arts classroom.

Benefits of Independent Novel Study

One of the big challenges with reading instruction is providing students with effective, comprehensive novel study units for self-selected reading.

Novel unit activities give teachers several options for differentiated instruction. Book selection is the most obvious opportunity, with self-selected reading being the best setup. Reading comprehension activities offer another tool and can be adjusted to suit different types of learners. Finally, creative book projects give visual and kinesthetic students an outlet to show off their unique abilities.

Here is a good overview of differentiated instruction from the Resilient Educator…

For new teachers, making sure students read texts in each genre and holding them accountable for their reading can be a challenge. I built my list of the best books for middle school over several years, with plenty of trial and error. Past experience and student engagement are big factors in my text selection.

My focus in reading instruction has been on teaching the standards, assessing students, and evaluating learning progress. To do this at scale, you need plenty of independent reading choices in your teacher toolbox. Combining my trusty list of strong novels with the study units I have created makes offering self-selected reading much easier.

Offering Differentiation from a Realistic Perspective

This is the part that stops most teachers before they start: differentiating by reading level sounds great in theory, but building (or finding) enough different novel units to actually offer choice feels impossible on top of everything else you're already doing.

This is why I built my novel study units to follow a similar format across every title. Whether a student picks up Love That Dog, Tuck Everlasting, or Bud, Not Buddy, they're working through the same style of comprehension questions, character analysis pages, and vocabulary worksheets no matter which book they select.

This is the inspiration behind this Novel Unit Bundle for Middle Grades. This bundle includes all of the essentials you need to allow students to be independent readers:

If you are looking for a resource to enhance whole-class novel study, small group novel study, or independent novel study, this is an affordable way to grow your reading selections.

It can be tricky to find resources that meet the needs of all or even the majority of students when you have a big disparity in reading levels. At the same time, you need to give students the freedom to be accountable, independent readers. They need to self-select novels and have the tools to strengthen their learning. This bundle gives you the building blocks to achieve this.

Includes the following PRINT AND GO novel study units…

• Crash by Jerry Spinelli
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
• Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
• The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt
• Woodsong by Gary Paulsen
• Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
• Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• Bonus – Reading Literature Task Cards

Ideas for Use:

1.  Use this resource to help differentiate independent reading in your class.
2.  Display novels and let students select which text they want to read.
3. Provide students with novels to read independently, in small groups, or as a whole class.
4. Print out novel units.
5. Let students get started with their novels and novel units.
6. Watch as your students become more accountable, independent readers.

If you are interested in a larger collection of my novel study units, as well as some additional bonuses, check out this Novel Units Made Easy bundle with 15 no-prep study units.