Dear Educator,
This time of year I am always looking for ways to make our daily lessons impactful and memorable even beyond the classroom.
For me, the simple answer is almost always a novel study.
Not because a novel is the easiest thing to plan at the end of a busy year, but because it is the one thing that does the most work at once. Character analysis, vocabulary, written response, discussion, it all lives inside one book. One unit. One plan.
I just published a new post on the blog breaking down exactly how a single middle school novel study covers more ELA standards than most teachers realize. If you have a
few minutes during your planning period, you can check it out here:
Middle School Novel Study: How One Book Teaches More Than You Think
And if you are ready to pick a book and go, here are five complete novel study units I use in my own classroom. This titles are guaranteed page-turners for middle schoolers.
Everything is print-and-go, chapter-by-chapter lesson plans, reader response questions, character analysis, vocabulary work, and post reading journals and projects. One book. Dozens of learning
opportunities.
Freak the Mighty Novel Study Unit
Among the Hidden Novel Study
Bud, Not Buddy Novel Study Unit
Maniac Magee Novel Study Unit
Tuck Everlasting Novel Study Unit
Happy reading!
Erin
