The Power of Novel Studies

So many new ESL teachers ask what do I teach my ELLs. I always answer with the same curriculum you would teach any student. You simply add the scaffolds and differentiate for your student needs. Now if you are still stuck novel studies are a great way to make planning out your curriculum easier.

The current curriculum that is implemented at my school is centered around novel studies. I’ll be the first to admit it makes planning so much easier for ELLs. I can add visuals, videos, graphic novels, non-fiction text and so much more to supplement the novel. PLUS there is usually tons of free materials out there to do so.

Before you jump into teaching novel studies to your ELLs. It does requires a mindset change. You need to genuinely believe that your students can and will be able to read this text. I know you and your students can do this! Let’s dive into why this is such a powerful tool to include in your curriculum.

Building Background Knowledge

As you know every novel has a setting/time period. For example, the novel that we are reading (Lyddie) in my class this upcoming quarter is set during the Industrial Revolution. With this very important information I can build crucial background knowledge that will benefit them greatly throughout their time at school. I am planning on incorporating videos, informational text, and even audio snippets. Students are also going to have the opportunity to view art and photos from this time period. These supports are not only engaging but they are key scaffolds for English Language Learners. So use your next novel study to build background knowledge about important events and times in history.

Allows you to teach Key Reading Skills in Context

You are probably wondering how are you going to teach context clues, or how to visualize while reading. By having a novel study you can teach these key reading skills in context. I would also encourage you during the novel studies to try and do close readings with higher order text dependent questions.

Builds Speaking and Discussion Skills

What’s the point of reading a good book and you can’t discuss it. Novel studies are the perfect way to encourage discussion in your classroom. You can have Socratic circles, debates, and simply have the students summarize the chapters. The discussion opportunities are endless and your ELLs will be so engaged in the lessons.

Vocabulary Building

Is there a better way to build vocabulary than exposure! Having students read novels and come across new words is a fantastic way for them to build their vocabulary. As a teacher, you can go through the text and pick vocabulary from the text students may have some struggles with as ELLs. Then create vocabulary building activities, such as quizzes and the frayer model to pre-teach the vocabulary.

Of course on TPT there a tons of novel study activities that you can find, but my advice would be to start with grade level novels. There are a lot of grade level novels that have a graphic novel as a companion which could newcomers. Whatever book you decide make sure it is grade level appropriate. Can you imagine how your 8^th graders would feel reading a Dr. Suess book or 1^st graders reading “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

What are some novels that you are teaching in your classroom this school year?