From the Archives : Long-term Novel Unit Planning

Long-term Novel Units are some of my favourite lesson plans to create.  Of course, it may be the writer in me that gets such a kick out of pulling together details, state standards, and project activities into something amazing for my students.  It’s rewarding to pair up what reads like “boring” state standards with lessons that are engaging and exciting!
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Now, a novel unit may sound daunting and–look, who am I kidding, it is daunting!  But, guess what?  It’s totally do-able and  immensely rewarding when you actually  see it through to its conclusion; and that being, students who got into a novel unit with fire and energy, and ended it by showing you what they know in a way that not only matches their learning intelligence but also shows without a doubt, that they actually mastered the objectives you were going for!

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To get you started, check out one that I pulled together for aHunger Games Novel Unit.

Here, you will see an example of a template that you too can use by tweaking it and making your own. In one space you can see the state standards met with this unit and the learning objectives clearly written out. You will also find examples of reading strategies that will assist the students in their mastery of this novel unit.

This unit plan also gives you an example of a creative way to develop a long-term calendar for your unit. By using Google Docs, you can include links to various documents and websites in your calendar that correlate with each class day.  Doing it this way puts all of your resources at your fingertips and helps with your planning. Have a peek and tell me what you think!