3 Writing Activities to use with Any Novel
While I love a good novel unit as much as the next upper elementary teacher, I also enjoy reading novels with students in a more relaxed mode without a guide. Yes, that’s right, no step-by-step question guide, no analyzing every event, and definitely no checklist of vocabulary words that we must discuss.
Of course, this does not mean that we do not do any type of digesting and reflecting; it just means the reflection activities that we complete are open-ended to allow students to dig deeper into the text.
Here are 3 of my favorite, meaningful writing activities that go along with ANY novel you read or picture book read aloud. These tasks require critical thinking, meaningful discourse, returning to the text for evidence, and combining reading and writing skills without the novel guide!
Journal as the Main Character
This activity is always a crowd pleaser! The idea is simple yet meaningful. After reading each chapter, have students write in a journal as if they were the main character. Encourage students to include important events from the chapter and the character’s reactions and feelings to what happened. You can also challenge students to close each journal entry with a prediction as the main character about what will happen next. Students just love signing the closure of each journal entry with the character’s name. I use small journals that I make using copied lined paper. When we finish reading the book, the students decorate the cover as the character. We wait until we have finished reading the book so that students have a deep understanding of the character.
Try this: Mix it up by having half of your class write journal entries as the main character and the other half write as the secondary character. Sharing these in class is a great way to compare different points of view.
pick a Quote Reflection
Quotes have become a big part of many classrooms. From famous quotes to teacher quotes and everything in between, students have become quite good at sharing their own thoughts about different quotes. We do not do this activity after we read each chapter. This can be done after reading every few chapters or once the book is completed. Have students write a quote from the text on the top of a plain piece of paper. Below the quote, have the students make a T-chart. On one side of the T-chart, they write what the quote means to them, and on the other side, they illustrate their interpretation. These always come out great and make an awesome bulletin board.
Try this: To encourage students to use a variety of quotes from the book, assign each child a chapter. This will also require them to think critically about that chapter and find something that speaks to them.
Turn it into a Different Format
In my classroom, we love reading novels, but we also love reading stories in other formats, like plays, poetry, and comic strips. Once you have finished reading the book, have students turn one of their favorite chapters into a different format. This activity requires students to comprehend, reflect, and summarize the chapter. Students can work independently or in small groups. I like to give students the option to select which format they want to turn the chapter into independently. Challenge the students who turn the chapter into a play to find “actors” in the classroom who will act it out. This will ensure that their play is detailed and clearly written.
Try this: Once all the work is done, have a novel celebration day and have students share their work.
These three easy-to-use ideas are a great way to mix it up when reading and reflecting on novels. Try one (or all) of these ideas to make a big impact on your students’ enjoyment and engagement during your next novel reading.
Featured Resource:
Write About Reading
This resource connects reading and writing with one high-interest activity board! This choice board has different genre writing prompts to help students reflect on what they are reading.
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Get Your Students to Read Like a Writer
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3 Meaningful Ways to Get Students to Write About Reading
Jeanine is the teacher behind the blog: Think Grow Giggle. She has been teaching upper elementary students for 16 years, most recently fifth graders. When it comes to teaching, Jeanine includes her love of reading and writing in every lesson. She loves teaching writing and having the opportunity to bring out the author in each of her students. Jeanine holds a BA from Western Connecticut State University in American Studies and Elementary Education and an MA from Fairfield University in Educational Technology. In addition to being a certified elementary teacher, she is also a certified Reading Specialist for grades K-12. Living on the north shore of Long Island means that her free time is spent at the beach where she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, and spending time with her husband and three children.
