Whole Class Novels
From the desk of Carol C…
Read an education journal or a book about teaching reading comprehension (no matter the grade level), you will find a myriad of strategies to use with your students. You’ll, also, find a difference of opinion on whether to teach these strategies using the same novel for your entire class otherwise known as “the whole class novel”.
Why, according to some experts (classroom teachers duly included), should we abandon teaching whole class novels? Well, one reason is that the “story” is taught no matter what our intentions are. As reading teachers our primary job is to teach reading strategies that our students can use when they are reading any text independently. However, in a whole class novel the story’s plot, characters, and author’s point of view are the focus rather than the strategies. Yes, we need to discuss these elements of fiction books but do it through the lens of “here’s how you find this element when you are reading a book independently”. We need to think in terms of “What strategies do my students need to determine the theme of a book?” Even in the best of novels there are only so many reading strategies that can be adequately taught/practiced because the novel doesn’t lend itself to using a variety of strategies.
If you are a language arts teacher then the chances are you are a reader and have always been a reader. Being the voracious reader that you are, you naturally have favorite pieces of text ranging from picture books to nonfiction. As a matter of fact you probably have an appreciation for most types of writing whether they’re a favorite or not. Again the problem with whole class novels comes when we teach kids how to comprehend a particular Nathanial Hawthorne, S. E. Hinton, or Gary Paulson book, and this is more likely to happen when we teach a text that we like.
When we use a whole class novel the focus on this book can last weeks thus excluding other pieces of quality text. Thus, novels limit the amount of time that can be spent on different types of genres. Our students need to be exposed to all types of texts as reading strategies that need to be taught can differ greatly depending on the genre being read.
Maybe the biggest problem with whole class novels is brought out in this question. “How will every student in my class be able to read and comprehend the same text at an instructional level? It will be too easy for some, too hard for others, and just right for the rest. Hmmm…kind of like Goldilocks. One size doesn’t fit all. When our students read a book for weeks that is not at their instructional level they do not grow as readers. The text is too hard for some so they are not able to apply the reading strategies they have learned to understand the text. For others the book is not challenging them, not requiring them to use their strategies with a much more difficult text. For a part of the class the novel will be on their instructional level. Are we willing to leave the others behind?
If you are vowed and determined to use a whole class novel, consider the following. First, make the novel only a part of your reading workshop each day. Make time for independent reading with individual conferences between you and your students, guided reading groups, and literature circles. This way each child is able to spend a significant amount of time reading at his or her instructional level.
To help you avoid as big a pitfalls as a whole class novel can create think about these ideas. Limit the amount of time in a month that you spend on the novel. The novel needs to fit into the span of 3-4 weeks. Have students read as much independently as they are able to do. All chapters do not need to be pored over or even discussed. Choose the chapters that lend themselves to teaching the strategies that you are planning to cover in the unit. Avoid chapter by chapter written comprehension questions for most of the book. These take up valuable time and teach very little. Also, it is rare that these questions invite rigor. Let your students enjoy a good read rather than peppering them with worksheets and book reports. Authentic reading, discussions, and teaching are what grow readers. Finally remember that a novel unit is a great time to introduce, teach, model, and practice reading and thinking strategies that can be transferred to other books read during independent reading time. If you would like to see some specifics about how all of these ideas look in a classroom, check out the excellent article “Reading Whole Fiction” by 7th grade teacher, Ariel Sacks from Brooklyn, NY. This article gives the reader some ideas about how to teach novels more effectively.
Here’s to all of the novel ideas!