How to Create a Novel Study

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Creating a Novel Study

Educators have to become used to a new way of teaching and learning. As a child of the 70s, much of my learning was from teacher lecture and textbooks. Through my educational career in the 1990s, I have learned that the textbook is not the only frame of reference that one can use with students. In addition, many concepts in literature cannot be thoroughly taught through the stories in the basal reader. In order to broaden our students' horizons, we should introduce them to novels as early as possible.

In my experience, many educators may shy away from novel studies because of the work that goes into each one. Certainly, there are some ready made novel studies available, but nothing can surpass your perspective of the book. Creating a novel study is simple, but will take some time.

What is a Novel Study?

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Simply put, a novel study is a group of comprehension questions, short essay questions and critical thinking questions created by you for your students on a specific book. After the questions are created, students can either read the chapter books on their own and answer the questions, or you may create a time in class when the chapter is read aloud by you and/or students, and the questions answered in a group discussion. You may also create activities for students to complete after every couple of chapters, depending on your time and your inclination. As an elementary school teacher, I had the flexibility to create projects that included art, social studies and the like.

Selecting a book

The most important aspect of a novel study is to select a book in which both you and your students are interested. For my fourth grade class, which included readers of all levels, from mid-third grade level to fifth grade, I selected Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter I selected this book for a number of reasons: it was about a Black boy, who bonded with his "cowboy" grandfather over a summer. I thought this book was a change from the usual Beezus and Ramona books and offered my students a different perspective - especially when they read about how Grandpa can make the best biscuits in the world!

Creating your questions

This may be the most difficult part of your entire endeavor. You must read the book. After each chapter, create two or three of these types of questions: recall, comprehension and synthesis questions. By the end of the book you will have a large number of questions from which to choose. For classroom discussion, I would recommend more recall questions - as students can easily answer these questions and they are answered quickly. If your students are answering the questions on paper then perhaps the longer essay type questions would be more suitable.

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Also allow for input from your students! If you allow them to give their opinions about the book and allow them to ask questions, they will become more involved in the book.

After you've completed your first novel study, you'll find it's an enjoyable way to help students engage with literature!

Don't have the time to create a novel study? Email me and I would be happy to create one for you

Further Resources

Browse Book Notes
List of Free Book Notes
Holes --Novel Study Guides for the Classroom
If you are a classroom teacher these amazing novel study guides are for you. They include: Holes, The Light in the Forest, Tuck Everlasting, The Whipping Boy, My Teacher is an Alien, Never Cry Wolf, The Door in the Wall, Moonfleet, Shane, Old Yeller, Banner in the Sky, Anne of Green Gables, Undergro
NovelGuide - Free Study Guides, Book Notes & More...
A comprehensive book analysis from the Novelguide, including: a complete summary, a biography of the author, character profiles, theme analysis, metaphor analysis, and top ten quotes.

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Number the Stars by Lois Lowery: Study Questions
Study Guide
for the Novel:
"Number the Stars,"
by
Lois Lowry Home | Up
As a partial outgrowth
of this unit my students contributed to, 
"Why People Should Study and Remember the Holocaust" React to Your Reading! When Ellen becomes an adult, do you think

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  • S.Sheila Devi Sep 2, 2008 @ 8:22 am | delete
    Very informative,as I'm teaching secondary students in Malaysia, and literature is not their favourite.
  • Jimmie Aug 22, 2008 @ 8:04 pm | delete
    Homeschool Share is a great resource for unit studies with living books. I love using literature as the basis for education!

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CeeCeeWoolard

Also known as NeosoulMama!

A Yale graduate, former educator and current at-home mom and business owner may describe me on the surface, but I'm a lo...
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