Whole Class Novel

Recently, I was asked how I use novels in my classroom, specifically as a whole class read.

Immediately Ryan came to mind, then Timothy and Samar. Oh! And let's not forget Castle.

These are not students of mine, they are characters from novels we have read as a class. They are imaginary people that we brought to life through discussion and study. We have talked about them extensively and they have woven themselves into the foundation of our classroom throughout the year.

Aligning with a standard, I often pull mini lessons from Jennifer Seravello's Reading Strategies as well as Notice & Note by Kylene Beers and Robert E Probst. It is during these lessons that students need specific examples and it is quite helpful that we have a common character to discuss.

Jason Reynolds brings dimensional understanding to influence through his character Castle Crenshaw in the book Ghost. How does Castle influence others? And how do others influence him? Quite a window into another's predicament, yet also a mirror into our own lives. As a middle school student, do I realize how much impact I can have on others? Or others can have on me? Am I making good choices for myself or trying hard to be someone who I am not?

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate introduced us to Samar and her family and the bigotry that exists towards those who believe differently. Studying character traits, would we choose to act more like Stephen, the neighbor who doesn't see differences, only friendship? Or the teen who chose to scribe words of HATE into Red. How do we face adversity?

I pull vocabulary from our novels for students to teach each other (I throw in a bonus vocab bingo every couple of weeks with fun prizes like mechanical pencils). When we stumble upon these new words in our reading, the students get so excited at their recognition. Music to my ears? "Mrs. Keller, one of our vocabulary words from House Arrest (by K. A. Holt) was on the SOL, I knew what it meant!"

Students also love to listen for words with a prefix or suffix we have been studying, or use of figurative language. With either a dry erase marker on their desk or a sticky note, students love to "catch" something and share with the class.

Writing prompts. Probably one of my favorite things to pull from class novels. Whether I am reading or we are listening to an audio book, I have permanent sticky notes in my brain for places to stop and let the students write what they think happens next. Build the suspense, lead them to the precipice, and then pause. It is amazing the excitement that ensues and the creativity that occurs when students become the authors in a shared experience. It never fails that at least one student can correctly predict the path the character is about to follow.

More writing prompts to be written with evidence:

• Would you be friends with this character, why or why not?

• What are the consequences for this character with the choice he/she made?

• Put yourself in their shoes, would you have made the same decisions? Why or why not?

• What advice would you give this character?

Quick writes to keep the students thinking, writing and reflecting.

Yes, I have had students tell me they don't like a read aloud. We discuss the struggles, non-auditory learners, the books aren't interesting. As a visual learner myself, I am able to tell them of my own journey and that much like everything in life, we have to work to become better at the task. I also tell them they have never had ME as their story teller:) I can put on quite the show during read aloud.

My non-readers, well, they have four new books on their reading list as well as an enthusiasm to pick up the sequel, or next book of the series (Ghost -> Patina, House Arrest -> Knockout, Skeleton Creek -> Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carmen).

I am about to dive into A Novel Approach by Kate Roberts. I am excited to add new ideas and approaches to my whole class novel reading.