Novel Lesson Plan - Nicole

When I teach to a novel I usually like to have a literary element in mind that I will focus on. It helps to narrow down what I am teaching so that I can cover one standard at a time. I will give you two examples of novels that I have used and the literary element for each.

The Miraclous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamilo

This is a great story for teaching setting because it has multiple settings in the story. We created a timeline of events from beginning to end. Edward is a china rabbit that belongs to a little girl in a well to do family - throughout the story he gets thrown out to sea, lost in a heap of garbage, claimed by a man who lives on the street, loved by an elderly couple, and repaired by a craftsman. Anyway, you get the idea. As we read the story students drew pictures and wrote a caption for each of the settings in the story and reflected on how each one was related to the other. I think having a focus and setting the stage for reading helps students organize their thoughts while reading.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

I used this novel to focus on characterization. It is easy to organize because it follows the main character, Zinkof, through his years in school. We used an organizational mini book to label each year that he was in school and wrote how his character developed through the story. Students were able to make self to text connections when they reflected on how they have matured through the years. Again, I think just these small organizers help to focus reading and structure mini lessons on standards that need to be covered throughout the school year.