Benefits of Teaching Novel Studies
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 08, 2024
The novel study can be the backbone of the middle school ELA curriculum. Exposure to well chosen and engaging texts is crucial to student reading success. These important books help students practice deep thinking and reading comprehension strategies. This post will share some of the top benefits of teaching novel studies, and some fun ways to use them in your ELA classroom.
For some no-prep activities for teaching novel studies, click on the image or button below – I have a wide variety of different novel study resources available in my TPT shop!
Benefits of Teaching Novel Studies
Read on for some of the top benefits of teaching novel studies.
1- Windows and Mirrors
Emily Style once stated that “education needs to enable the student to look through window frames in order to see the realities of others and into mirrors in order to see her/his own reality reflected”.
One of the benefits of teaching novel studies is that these books can act as mirrors. It can provide students opportunities to see themselves through the experiences of the characters. Through this, students can see that they too can be heroes of their own stories. In Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, for example, the protagonist is struggling with the divorce of his parents. Students facing similar situations may be able to see themselves in Brian as he comes to terms with his struggles.
Novel studies can also act as windows. They can provide students opportunities to experience worlds unlike their own. Students have the opportunity to examine different historical time periods, new cultures, and life circumstances that are different than what they are currently experiencing. Exposing students to different emotions, experiences, and environments helps to build compassion and background knowledge. In Wonder by RJ Palacio, for example, students learn about the daily struggles of a young boy with a facial deformity. The story helps to build a strong sense of empathy in the reader, as they learn what life is like through Auggie’s perspective.
By carefully choosing novels that are windows and mirrors, teachers can use the whole class novel study to encourage both individual and group understanding of complex issues.
2- Authentic Vocabulary Development
Vocabulary development is another one of the important benefits of teaching novel studies. A novel study is an excellent opportunity to expose students to a variety of new and interesting words. Often, students will come across words that they are not used to hearing or seeing in their everyday lives. Examining the vocabulary of the books we are reading helps students to see new words in context.
3- Classroom Community Building
The whole class novel study can help to build classroom community, making it an important benefits of teaching novel studies. It can do this through engagement in shared text. Because of everyone is reading the same story at the same time, shared text helps to encourage class discussion.
As students listen to a story read aloud, everyone shares the experiences of the characters at the same time. Sharing and discussing these experiences helps to build classroom community.
I experienced this first hand while reading through The One and Only Ivan. My students became very interested in gorillas. Because of this, they wanted to do something to help protect them. As a group, they came together to write letters and raise funds to symbolically adopt a gorilla through the World Wildlife Federation. You can read more about their fundraising efforts here. Working together for a common cause is a wonderful way to bring students together and build classroom community.
4- Stamina Building
Too often, students have difficulty committing to reading an entire novel. Often, students will read a few chapters, give up, and move on to the next. Working through a class novel study helps to build stamina. Students must see an entire novel through to the end.
Choosing a novel with an engaging plot and characters helps to encourage this stamina building. Students become excited about and invested in the experiences of the characters.
Engagement plays a big role in student stamina. For more information, check out these 6 tips for boosting classroom engagement.
5- Book Exposure
Another benefit of teaching the novel study is the ability to pick and choose a wide variety of stories that students may not choose themselves. By choosing different authors, genres, and themes, teachers have the opportunity to expose students to a world of books that they may not choose on their own. This helps to expand individual book choice. Students learn to love new authors and genres they may otherwise have not known about.
Having a high interest classroom library is another great way to ensure book exposure. For additional information, check out these tips on classroom library building (and grab a great freebie!).
I hope these ideas help to encourage you to choose an engaging novel and work through it as a group. Let me know your favorite novel to use for the whole class novel study in the comment section. I am always looking for new stories to add to our rotation.
For more information on teaching specific novels, you won’t want to miss our posts on teaching Because of Winn Dixie, Wonder, The Hunger Games, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Outsiders!
Looking for some engaging novel studies to use in your own classroom?
Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here or on the image below. I have a wide variety of different novel studies available.
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Click here or on the images below to download a FREE activity to teach plot! It includes detailed student notes and fill in the blank notetaking templates!
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