Novel Study Chapter Notes | Language Arts for Grade 9 PDF Download

Introduction

What is a Novel Study?

• It helps us understand the story, characters, and big ideas in a book.
• It is not about learning phonics or decoding words, which we practice separately.
• It is not just repeating what happened in the book or taking quizzes on small details.
• It focuses on teaching us, the readers, not just teaching the book itself.
• It helps us:
  • Practice reading comprehension skills, like understanding the main idea or making predictions.
  • Think deeply about the story and its meaning.
  • Enjoy reading and build a love for books.
  • Create a shared experience with classmates when done as a group.
  • Make connections to the skills we’re learning in class.

What is the Purpose of a Novel Study?

• It helps us improve our reading and writing skills through exciting stories.
• It shows us new perspectives or experiences we might not have had before.
• It helps us understand different points of view, even for familiar experiences.
• It builds our ability to talk and discuss ideas with classmates.
• It develops our social and communication skills through group conversations.
• It takes time, so planning carefully is important to make it successful.

Planning Your First Novel Study: A How-to-Guide

• Step 1: Set your purpose.
• Step 2: Identify target standards.
• Step 3: Pick a framework & texts.
• Step 4: Determine your timeline.
• Step 5: Map your unit.

Step 1: Set Your Purpose

• Start by thinking about why you want to do a novel study.
• Use backward design, which means planning with the end goal in mind.
• Ask yourself:
  • Why is this novel study important for my class?
  • What should students know or be able to do by the end?
  • What real-world skills or ideas will students learn?
• The purpose might be to:
  • Practice specific reading skills, like understanding the main idea.
  • Learn about a specific type of book, like adventure or historical fiction.
  • Connect to a history topic, like a time period studied in social studies.
  • Explore big ideas, like friendship or courage, through the story.
• Always start with a clear goal to guide your planning.

Step 2: Identify Target Standards

• Choose the reading standards you want to focus on during the novel study.
• Look at your class’s recent reading data to find 2-3 skills that need extra practice.
• Examples of standards to focus on:
  • Summarizing the story, which can be tricky for many students.
  • Understanding characters’ feelings and actions.
  • Making inferences about what’s happening in the story.
  • Finding the main idea or theme of the book.
• Plan to practice these standards 2-3 times during the novel study.
• These standards will help you choose the right book and plan activities.

Step 3: Select Your Framework & Text(s)

• Decide how you’ll organize your novel study and which book(s) to use.
• You can choose the book first or decide how to group students first.
• There are three common formats for novel studies:
  • Whole-Class Novel Study
  • Small-Group Novel Study (Literature Circles or Book Clubs)
  • Independent Novel Study
• Choose a format that matches your purpose and standards.

Whole-Class Novel Studies

• Everyone in the class reads the same book together.
• Each student has their own copy of the book and reads actively.
• The class may:
  • Read parts aloud together.
  • Stop to discuss the story as a group.
  • Use extra materials, like videos or articles, to learn more.
  • Write thoughts or summaries after reading.
• Follows a pattern: read, discuss, respond.
• Advantages:
  • Builds a shared experience that connects the class.
  • Easier for teachers to plan and check progress.
  • Helps students discover new books or genres.
  • Supports struggling readers by letting them join discussions.
  • Gives everyone access to important or meaningful stories.
• Disadvantages:
  • Can include bad practices, like making everyone read aloud in turn.
  • Hard to get everyone to join discussions equally.
  • May not meet the needs of all students without extra planning.

Small-Group Novel Studies – Literature Circles/Book Clubs

• Students work in small groups, and each group reads a different book.
• Groups may work on the same skills or different skills.
• Students read together and talk about the book each day.
• Roles may be used to help groups stay organized.
• Students may write reflections or answer questions after discussions.
• Advantages:
  • Great for building teamwork and conversation skills.
  • Lets students explore a theme from different books.
  • Uses books that match students’ reading levels.
  • Allows tasks to be tailored to each group’s needs.
  • Gives students some control over their learning.
• Disadvantages:
  • Hard for teachers to manage multiple groups.
  • Requires planning for several books at once.
  • Groups may get off task without a teacher watching.
  • Hard to keep all groups moving at the same pace.

Independent Novel Studies

• Each student reads a different book based on their interests or needs.
• Students read alone or with teacher support.
• They respond to the book through writing or other activities.
• Teachers may give mini-lessons to small groups working on the same skill.
• Advantages:
  • Lets students pick a book they love.
  • Great for students with different interests or skill levels.
  • Builds independent learning skills.
  • Perfect for advanced students or early finishers.
  • Avoids comparing students to each other.
  • Can be used to add to the regular curriculum.
• Disadvantages:
  • Requires a lot of planning and preparation.
  • Teachers need to know many different books.
  • Not good for students who struggle or lack motivation.
  • More for practicing skills, not teaching new ones.

Selecting Text for Your Novel Study Activities

• Choose books that match your purpose and standards.
• Read the book yourself or check a summary and reviews to avoid surprises.
• Make sure the book is appropriate for your students’ age and maturity.
• Consider:
  • If the book is available digitally or in enough copies for your class.
  • Students’ reading levels to avoid books that are too hard or too easy.
  • Students’ interests, like sports or adventure, to keep them engaged.
  • Books that connect to students’ lives or experiences.
  • Books about social or relationship issues to build connections.
• Ask your school librarian for book suggestions.

Step 4: Create Your Timeline

• Plan how long the novel study will take based on class time and breaks.
• Break the novel into weekly chunks, starting on Monday and ending on Friday.
• Consider:
  • How much time you can spend on the novel each day.
  • The length of the book—longer books need more time.
  • Not rushing so students can discuss and learn.
  • Not dragging it out if the book is short.
• Divide the book into manageable sections for each week.
• Plan where to focus on the standards you chose in Step 2.
• Use a calendar to organize your plan and keep track of progress.

Step 5: Map Your Unit Plan for the Perfect Novel Study

• Create a detailed plan for your novel study, focusing on comprehension and vocabulary.
• Focus on one comprehension skill each day to keep lessons clear.
• Avoid asking students to answer many questions about a chapter.
• Instead, ask one deep question that makes students think and apply the skill.
• Choose one vocabulary word each day to study in depth.

Selecting Comprehension Skills

• Use the standards you chose in Step 2, like summarizing or inferring.
• Read the book to find natural breaks for daily reading sections.
• Match your standards to parts of the book where they fit best.
• Example:
  • If a chapter has many cause-and-effect moments, focus on that skill.
• Save flexible sections of the book for skills that need more practice.
• Write each day’s skill in student-friendly words, like “Skill of the Day.”
• Create one deep thinking question for each skill to spark discussion.
• Example:
  • Instead of asking, “Who is the narrator?” ask, “How does the narrator’s point of view change the way we understand the story?”
• Deep questions encourage students to think, talk, and write about the book.

Identifying Key Academic & Text-Based Vocabulary

• Choose one vocabulary word from the book each day to study deeply.
• Focus on a few important words instead of many to help struggling readers.
• Teach students to:
  • Define the word in their own words.
  • Draw a picture or symbol for the word.
  • Connect the word to other words they know, like synonyms.
• Use strategies like:
  • Finding context clues in the story.
  • Using a dictionary to understand the word.
  • Analyzing figurative language, like metaphors, if the word uses it.
• Keep vocabulary lessons short, about 10 minutes, and apply words beyond the book.

Consider Pre-Reading Hooks and Post-Reading Culminating Activities

• Plan how to introduce the novel to get students excited.
• Pre-reading activities: Read nonfiction books or watch videos about the book’s topic.
• For older students, read related articles to build background knowledge.
• Choose activities that connect to the book and are worth class time.
• Post-reading activities:
  • Let students share what they learned through projects or discussions.
  • Find fun activities, like creating a poster, instead of boring book reports.
  • Make sure activities fit different student needs and use time well.

Preparing to Teach Your Novel Study Unit

• Your plan is ready! Now prepare to teach the novel study.
• Decide how often you’ll check students’ written responses.
• Teach students how to write good responses, like using the RACE strategy:
  • R: Restate the question.
  • A: Answer the question.
  • C: Cite evidence from the book.
  • E: Explain your answer.
• Be realistic about how many responses you can read each day.
• Check responses quickly to make sure students are on track.
• Create rubrics to grade responses fairly and make expectations clear.
• Use the same rubric for the whole study or adjust it for each skill.
• Avoid big tests on the whole book—focus on teaching skills, not memorizing the story.