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Dec 16, 2018 · If your novel units are getting stale, make engagement your goal for 2019. Commit to changing up at least one old lesson a month, and by the end of the year, you’ll have yourself a small but mighty toolbox of engaging lesson ideas.
- Choose a Book. What Book Will You Teach? Why? Some districts will outline what text to teach in their curriculum or pacing guide. Some districts will allow teachers the freedom to choose their novels.
- Decide on Skills to Teach. What Skills Will You Teach? What is the book’s purpose?
- Add Resources. I love this part! It is like adding the seasoning during cooking. I am constantly on the lookout for mentor texts to talk about with my students, books that I can book talk, and other writing in a variety of genres that can provide meaningful connections.
- Formative Assessments. How Will I Assess Knowledge While Reading? In my post, “Ways to Conquer Three Types of Assessments (So, I'm Not Taking Papers Home)” I talk about many different ways I assess students during instruction (formative) and after instruction is over (summative).
These 5 ways to begin a novel unit aren’t the only ways, but they are ones that I’ve had success with. I pick and choose and double up depending on what my goals are and how much time I have. Most all of my literature guides include multiples ways to begin the novel unit.
- Set your purpose. This step is really about making sure you're focused on backward design. When you started considering a novel study for your class, you had a purpose.
- Identify target standards. Now that you've identified why you're doing a novel study, it's time to focus on the standards. This is where you'll begin creating your plan of action, which you'll dive into throughout the next few steps.
- Select your framework & text(s). So far, you've focused on the big picture. You've considered your novel study's purpose and outlined the core standards you need to give some extra attention to.
- Create your timeline. Now that you've got your foundation in place, you'll want to create a timeline and plan how you'll assess student understanding.
- Know Your Purpose. It all starts with a purpose. So, you want to begin planning your novel study with an idea of where you’re going and, ultimately, taking the students.
- Choose Your Framework. Once you have clarity around your purpose, the next step is to choose the framework for your novel study. There are three frameworks to consider
- Choose Your Book. When you choose the book(s) for your novel study, you’ll want to consider what resources you have available to you. If you’re planning this unit far enough in advance and have a hefty book budget, you might have more choice than a teacher working from a pre-approved reading list or library resources.
- Set Your Timeline. When planning your novel study, you need to know how much time you plan to allot to this unit. In cases where you have limited time, you might need to flip-flop this step and the one prior.
Jan 8, 2019 · This is a new idea that I just started using for my unit on To Kill a Mockingbird. After reading the book and pouring through recommended resources, this is the place to visualize the patterns, issues, skills, themes, and questions that you’d like to address somewhere in the unit.
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Mar 3, 2021 · How to differentiate your novel unit without a ton of prep. One of the biggest hesitations many teachers feel when it comes to differentiation is the time it takes to prep. However, there are many simple ways to differentiate that don’t require separate lessons or a ton of extra time to prepare.
