New literature for highschool classes

[231csu]

I am currently reading a novel and I am considering teaching it to my 10-12 grade English classes. You may be interested as some of the samples I have tested out with the students have gotten great feedback. The book is called The One by Jeff Kozlowski and its about 180 pages long and easy reading. Thought I'd pass the word along in case anyone else is bored with teaching the same thing every year.

[Unregistered]

Exactly how do you teach a novel?

[Unregistered]

You get enough books for the whole class, do open discussions on the chapters.

Let the students update you on what points of the book they like the best.

Ask quiz questions, about the characters, and theme of the story. You can do this chapter by chapter, or pages at a time.

I did it in High School and it was very informative. I learned way more about reading and comprehension then any other way in H.S.

I think it motivates you to keep reading even when the book is boring because you are getting graded on it.

Therefore, it causes you to learn something you probabally would not have
learned otherwise.

Try it with a small chapter book. You can have read along sessions in class, where everyone gets to take turns reading a paragraph. This is for the days
when you do not have many lesson plans or need to catch up on grading papers.LOL
Denise

[Unregistered]

When I teach a novel I require students to keep a reading journal so that when they come into class they are prepared for discussion with writing they have already done.

Often times I will also ramdonly give them different graphic organizers about things like character, and cause and effect, and ask them to put them in their journal. I use these as spring boards for discussion. Also, depending on the grade level I will spend time talking about language and author's purpose. At the end of the novel I will give them a freytag's plot graph to fill out that I got off of NCTE.

You can also discuss chapter by chapter pointing out key plot points and posing questions about the character development, theme, and language.

The best thing about novels is all the fun projects you can do along with them; prior to teaching the students can research the time and place of the setting along with any other important informtaion (for example if reading Night they could research the Holocaust), students can write a letter to the author, rewrite the ending, create posters, and so much more. There are so many good projects listed out there on the web!

[Unregistered]

Ask quiz questions, about the characters, and theme of the story. You can do this chapter by chapter, or pages at a time.

In high school I would expect the level of analysis to be far deeper.

The point I was making is that -- in my opinion -- we shouldn't teach novels. We should teach concepts and skills and use novels merely as reference materials. What happened in "The Hounds of the Baskervilles" is not as important as the abilty to analyze the internal and external conflicts of characters, such as found in Sherlock Holmes. To me, that is true proficiency in literature.

[Unregistered]

There are so many good projects listed out there on the web!

Yeah, but many of them are off grade-level. Some are fun but educationally worthless.

When students finish high school, I could not care less if they knew what took place in Macbeth. Rather, i want them to have an ability to analyze literature that can be applied to any future novel they might encounter. Focusing too much on the contents of a single novel defeats this purpose. The novel is the means, not the end.

In my opinion, of course. :D

[Unregistered]

I'm willing to bet that the last two posts were written by someone who doesn't teach reading.
A teacher of reading must, before all else, help students find a love for reading. The novel is the perfect medium for taking a child from a non reader to an avid lifelong reader.

[LeticiaL.]

Good call. I love your definition of our job as reading teachers. Sadly, our nation is slipping into functional illiteracy. Novels are so enlightening! The last few years have been a real struggle with all of the emphasis on "skills" rather than developing lifelong habits of inquery and learning, which all starts with sitting down for extended periods with a book. The test madness has had a dampening effect on helping produce good readers. See the results at http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2006/01/05/index.html

After ten years of standards based education, they are making the most amazing stretches to try and find even a modest gain in any field except math.

[Unregistered]

Hoorah for reading teachers! I also teach English. I spent most of the year teaching writing for the students to pass the writing proficiency. Now the emphasis is preparing the students for the Reading and Language tests. I look forward to the last 5 weeks of schools when I can pull out a class set of novels. Students visit me after years have gone by and they always talk about the books we shared in class. The novel reading inspired them to read and think. What more can we ask? Thank goodness for novels!

[Unregistered]

Hi - I'm the poster who encouraged finding good projects on the web.....DUH...of course there are ones off grade level! I wouldn't expect a competent teacher to choose those that weren’t appropriate for their students. The fact that you would even point that out makes me wonder what you think others in this realm are made of. We do have brains….give us some credit.

As far as what is going on in the novel. To understand a novel on a deeper level a student must first understand the basics, in other words they must comprehend the plot. You must first know what is happening in Macbeth (which by the way is not a novel, but a play, really meant to be seen and acted out, as opposed to being solely read) so that you can analyze, you can’t have one without the other.

Furthermore, I don’t think anyone here thus far was implying that a teacher is teaching the story itself. I too meant that one should teach the skills, apparently again another person who thinks that the teachers on this site don’t have a clue. If you notice, the activities that I use relate to all novels and aid in helping students gain a deeper understanding; plot work, character charts, reading journals, etc. Practicing these techniques with an assigned book helps students to apply it when reading in later classes, or even, gasp, for pleasure!

And by the way…beyond character, beyond plot, beyond making personal connections, what type on analysis do you speak of? Just curious.

[Unregistered]

I wouldn't expect a competent teacher to choose those that weren’t appropriate for their students. The fact that you would even point that out makes me wonder what you think others in this realm are made of. We do have brains….give us some credit.

I would bet that the majority of web-based independent work assigned to students is off grade-level, as defined by the state standards. I don't even think it is close.

To be grade-level, a teacher needs to take the web-based activity and match it to a grade level in the standards. Few teachers, in my experience, do that.

As far as what is going on in the novel. To understand a novel on a deeper level a student must first understand the basics, in other words they must comprehend the plot.

No doubt. Just keep in mind that understanding the plot is, in itself, a first-grade lesson in California.

Furthermore, I don’t think anyone here thus far was implying that a teacher is teaching the story itself. I too meant that one should teach the skills, apparently again another person who thinks that the teachers on this site don’t have a clue.

Many of the teachers on this site tried to defend the practice of handing out word searches as academic exercises in middle school. So be careful about making too many assumptions about what teachers know about grade-level content. I have seen many teachers focus on the content of the story at the expense of grade-level skills and concepts. It happens all the time.

And by the way…beyond character, beyond plot, beyond making personal connections, what type on analysis do you speak of? Just curious.

How about this one?

3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.

In California, 9th and 10th grade teachers are expected to teach students the above. Specific works of literature are never mentioned in the standards. In fact, a teacher could use a 4th-grade book to teach the above lesson and still be teaching on grade-level.

[aprilhershey]

[QUOTE=Unregistered]When I teach a novel I require students to keep a reading journal so that when they come into class they are prepared for discussion with writing they have already done.

Do you provide guiding questions for students to consider and answer in their journals so that they may have common ideas to discuss in class the next day, related to the readiing assignment?

[aprilhershey]

That is a good point, that teachers are teaching skills, and dispositions for lifelong learning. There is also an argument to be made for teaching specific novels, or authors which have significantly contributed or are contributing to vital strands in our culture and cultural heritage. Coomon knowledge, common values and experiences help build community.

[aprilhershey]

It sounds like you really enjoy your teaching activities with students, both working on writing skills and reading skills. And, my guess is, the students see you model a love for engaged reading. When you teach novel, do you ask questions in class such as "How does this passage contribute to your understanding of thought, character development, symbolism?"

[aprilhershey]

How about this one?

3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.

In California, 9th and 10th grade teachers are expected to teach students the above. Specific works of literature are never mentioned in the standards. In fact, a teacher could use a 4th-grade book to teach the above lesson and still be teaching on grade-level.[/QUOTE]

I am currently developing a lesson plan on Point of View, as this is the term used in my state's SCOS. How do you incorporate ideas about narrative voice and the many constituent elements at play in the concept of Point View into your lessons? Do you do this with narrative poems and short stories before moving to novels? Do you ever use children's books to illutrate your points? Do you have favorite text which you like to use for illustrative purposes?

[Unregistered]

Sorry I haven't been on in some time.... "Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text." To me that goes with my mention of character.... I guess I do these things as a means of second nature, without really realizing it.

I hate to think that you are implying that there are more bad teachers than good. That implication burderns and worries me. I can't even begin to desribe how I feel at such an implication and what it does to my ideals. I'll admit I am a relative new teacher coming from another field. I try really hard every day to be the best teacher that I can be. I search the internet, take classes, go to the library, make handouts, brush up my notes DAILY. I see my co-workers doing the same. To imply others aren't is like a swift ****************er punch to the stomach.

To april - As for the reading journal. Somedays I have them simply write a reaction to what was read, somedays I ask a question in class the day before they read a certain section. It depends on how the book is being read. If it is a full class novel I try to give them questions in advance. If it is Lit. circle type reading then I leave the journal prompts to be vauge (springboards if you will) - what did you think of this section? Why? How did it make you feel? Why? How, if at all does the setting (or words, or characters) contribute to the feeling you have? Why?

In closing I have to say that I am still a little numb after reading the posts...

[Unregistered]

OH my good - The word s*u*c*k*e*r doesn't come up!!??? In the context of "****************er punch"? And on the 1984 posts someone is implying that there is no "Big Brother." Guess again!

[Unregistered]

When I teach a novel I require students to keep a reading journal so that when they come into class they are prepared for discussion with writing they have already done.

Often times I will also ramdonly give them different graphic organizers about things like character, and cause and effect, and ask them to put them in their journal. I use these as spring boards for discussion. Also, depending on the grade level I will spend time talking about language and author's purpose. At the end of the novel I will give them a freytag's plot graph to fill out that I got off of NCTE.

You can also discuss chapter by chapter pointing out key plot points and posing questions about the character development, theme, and language.

The best thing about novels is all the fun projects you can do along with them; prior to teaching the students can research the time and place of the setting along with any other important informtaion (for example if reading Night they could research the Holocaust), students can write a letter to the author, rewrite the ending, create posters, and so much more. There are so many good projects listed out there on the web!











I once had my high school special ed. students create a newspaper before we read "Tom Sawyer." The students were all assigned to different articles...for instance someone researched the author and did an author interview....someone researched the clothes that they wore at the time of the story...the author......the city and state it took place...the weather...and so fourth. The class came up with the title of the newspaper.
They called it Sawyer Times. Then we read the newspaper before we read the book and we had great background information to begin. The kids loved it.