ADVENTUROUS TEACHING STARTS HERE.
Cultivating Critical Thinkers: My Approach to Teaching Literature
As an educator, I've always been passionate about instilling critical thinking skills in my students. It's a topic that I recently had the opportunity to reflect on during a professional development session, and I want to share with you the insights and strategies that I believe are essential for deep engagement in the classroom.
Cultivating Critical Thinkers: My Approach to Teaching Literature
As an educator, I've always been passionate about instilling critical thinking skills in my students. It's a topic that I recently had the opportunity to reflect on during a professional development session, and I want to share with you the insights and strategies that I believe are essential for deep engagement in the classroom.
Challenging the Status Quo
During a recent PD session, I found myself in a bit of a controversial spot. I questioned a fellow teacher's approach to curriculum, which led to a broader discussion about our roles as educators. It's crucial for us to think like our students and to prioritize deep critical thinking over simply entertaining them. We need to focus on developing skills that lead to deeper critical thinking and provide opportunities for students to engage authentically with the material.
Teaching Literature Beyond Comprehension
When it comes to teaching literature, my approach might be a little unconventional. I steer clear of recall-based or plot-based activities. Instead, I encourage students to seek out summaries on their own and focus on the bigger issues at hand. It's about letting go of the minor details and teaching students to read for big picture connections. Comprehension is important, but it shouldn't be the primary focus. We should be guiding our students to think critically about broader themes and societal issues.
The Power of Close Reading
Close reading is a significant part of my teaching strategy. It's not about getting through an entire novel; it's about diving deep into passages and analyzing them. This mirrors adult book club discussions where despite different levels of recall, everyone can contribute meaningfully to the conversation. Close reading fosters a collective understanding of the text and teaches students valuable rhetorical and literary analysis skills.
Pairing Texts and Media for Enhanced Engagement
I'm a big advocate for pairing contrasting texts and media to stimulate critical thinking. For instance, combining literature with podcasts or other media that address relevant societal issues can create a dynamic learning environment. This approach encourages students to engage critically with the material and see the connections between the text and the world around them.
Visuals and Hands-On Activities
Incorporating visuals and hands-on activities is another way to enhance metaphorical thinking and create moments for critical thinking in the classroom. These methods help students to visualize and interact with the concepts in a tangible way, further deepening their understanding and engagement.
Conclusion: Prioritizing Deep Engagement
My approach to teaching literature and critical thinking is all about prioritizing deep engagement, critical analysis, and real-world connections. It's about cultivating students' ability to think critically about the world around them. As educators, we have the power to shape how our students perceive and interact with the world, and it's our responsibility to equip them with the skills they need to navigate it thoughtfully and analytically.
In the end, the goal is not just to teach literature but to foster a generation of thinkers who can analyze, question, and contribute to society in meaningful ways.
READY TO TRY TEACHING EQ DRIVEN UNITS?
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Planning a Novel Unit Reading Calendar
The art of pacing out the reading during a novel unit can be tricky, so we’re going to take some time today to talk through the process. Whether you’re teaching a classic or a contemporary YA title, there are special considerations to be made for the design of your calendar and how we backwards plan for ELA. Let’s jump in!
Planning a Novel Unit Reading Calendar
The art of pacing out the reading during a novel unit can be tricky, so we’re going to take some time today to talk through the process. Whether you’re teaching a classic or a contemporary YA title, there are special considerations to be made for the design of your calendar and how we backwards plan for ELA. Let’s jump in!
For a while now, I've had the pleasure of guiding countless teachers through the intricacies of curriculum design and instructional coaching. In one of our most recent videos, I delved into a topic that's crucial for any literature teacher: creating an effective reading calendar. Today, I want to share with you the insights and strategies I discussed for building a reading calendar specifically tailored to the novel Fahrenheit 451. You can skim through this post to see the gist and then watch the full video when you’re ready!
Understanding Your Timeframe
The first step in crafting a reading calendar is to get a clear picture of the real time you have available for the unit. It's not just about the number of days on the calendar; it's about the actual class time you can dedicate to reading, discussions, and assessments. This understanding is foundational because it shapes how you'll pace the novel and plan your activities.
Setting Clear Assessment Goals
Before you dive into the reading schedule, it's essential to set your assessment goals. What do you want your students to achieve by the end of the unit? How will you measure their understanding and engagement with the text? These goals will guide you in structuring your calendar and ensuring that each activity aligns with your objectives.
Structuring for Engagement and Ownership
A well-structured reading calendar does more than just outline what to read and when; it fosters student ownership and engagement with the text. I advocate for backward planning, which means starting with your end goals and working backward to determine the steps needed to get there. This approach ensures that every part of your calendar is purposeful and directed towards your learning outcomes.
Decentering the Text for Broader Discussions
In our discussion, I emphasized the importance of decentering the text to allow for broader analysis and discussions. This means assigning larger chunks of reading at a time and not getting bogged down by focusing solely on the text itself, and instead, focusing on the essential question. By doing so, you create space for students to connect the novel to larger themes and ideas, which enriches their learning experience.
A Week in the Life of a Reading Calendar
PIN ME!
Let me give you a glimpse into how I structure a reading calendar. Mondays are for assigning reading, which sets the tone for the week. Tuesdays are reserved for small group activities, which encourage collaboration and deeper understanding. Wednesdays and Thursdays are perfect for close reading exercises, allowing students to dive into the text's nuances. This structure balances guidance with autonomy, giving students the framework they need while empowering them to take charge of their reading.
Flexibility and Adaptation
One of the most important lessons I've learned is the value of flexibility. Every classroom is different, and what works for one may not work for another. It's okay to adjust the reading schedule based on your school's timetable and to be open to rearranging assessment, small group, and close reading days as needed.
Final Thoughts
Creating a reading calendar for Fahrenheit 451 or any novel is a balancing act between structure and flexibility. It requires an understanding of your timeframe, clear assessment goals, and a willingness to adapt to your students' needs. I encourage you to use the template I've provided as a starting point and to check the description box for additional resources.
I wish you all the best in planning your reading calendar. Happy teaching!
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How to Create Book Club Magic Using Essential Questions {Part Two}
Lackluster literature circles? Boring book clubs? The remedy: lose traditional “role” sheets, declare freedom from organization by topic or genre, and build essential question-focused literature circles or book clubs instead. An EQ as the throughline for your lit circle/book club unit kicks up the impact that comes from having kids talk about what they read in a way that just does not happen with any other method. Here’s why…
Lackluster literature circles? Boring book clubs? The remedy: lose traditional “role” sheets, declare freedom from organization by topic or genre, and build essential question-focused literature circles or book clubs instead. An EQ as the throughline for your lit circle/book club unit kicks up the impact that comes from having kids talk about what they read in a way that just does not happen with any other method.
This is the second blog post in a series dedicated to this kind of magic. Make sure you catch Part One when you finish reading here!
REASON # 3 – BUILD COMMUNITIES WITHIN A COMMUNITY
Lit circles like “real” life book clubs
One of the great things about lit circles and book clubs is how they build communities within your larger classroom community.
In “real” life, we join book clubs to find community – to have a social outlet where we share a common interest. And even though lit circles have always had a cooperative learning element built in by design, using an EQ focus takes it beyond a learning strategy.
First, kids choose their book in a more authentic way, so regardless of how well they might know other students in their group, they have an immediate connection.
Second, like in “real life” book clubs where discussion is not dictated by a “role” but with genuine questions, connections, and a desire to understand, an EQ provides a touchpoint for question creation and passage selection. It also offers a way for groups to come back to center and ground discussions if focus waivers.
The work with supplementals and text pairings also offers students opportunities to build community as they try to make connections and develop understanding between texts, looking at “big” ideas through different lenses. Jigsawing between groups is a community builder, and EQs offer more opportunities for this because the text is not centered.
An EQ offers the opportunity for students to easily connect digitally. With no shortage of apps for virtual meetings, book groups can even be created between classes, providing alternative ways to foster and develop community.
As students share their thinking and debate and consider one another’s ideas, whether it is within their “home” lit circle or during a jigsaw, they learn from each other. They consider new perspectives. They lean on each other to understand and analyze the texts they read, creating a sense of belonging at a different level.
CHECK OUT AMANDA’S FAVORITE BOOKS TO USE IN An AMERICAN DREAM EQ UNIT:
REASON #4 – EASE OF ASSESSMENT
EQ = lit circle/book club assessment special sauce
How to assess students and what to assess them on is an often-cited source of frustration. You are not alone if you’ve worried about any/all of the following:
What if I haven’t read all the books?
How do I keep them accountable individually? As a group?
How do I know if they are reading?
Should there be a group assessment?
Projects? Writing?
But when your book clubs or lit circles are EQ-focused, they are skills-based, not text specific. And an EQ and backwards planning – knowing what your summative will be at the beginning of the unit – develops students’ skills throughout the unit so they can find success.
The focus of assessment, simply put, is to answer the essential question using whatever texts they encounter throughout the unit whether it is their novel, pairings or supplementals. Depending on your skills focus – developing interpretive-level questions, providing strong evidence to support thinking/writing/speaking, connecting concepts across multiple texts, paragraph writing – the summative could be:
a student-run Socratic with student-developed questions
a podcast
an analytical paragraph or essay
a synthesis essay
a one-pager
Throughout the unit, individual and small group check-ins could include:
written reflections
creating discussion questions and choosing passages for each meeting
write-arounds
hexagonal thinking activities
choice-board activities
and Sesame Street quizzes
that focus on the skills students need to practice as they work toward their summative.
EQ-focused book clubs and lit circles, like other EQ-based units, prioritize understandings about life that are bigger than the text/novel alone, making assessment more authentic and simpler to plan using backwards design.
CONCLUSION
EQ-focused lit circles or book clubs, by design, create an authentic, choice and skill-based, rigorous shared reading experience that your students will benefit from and you will enjoy guiding.
What have your experiences with book clubs/lit circles been like as a secondary English teacher? What questions do you have about EQs, backwards design, or EQ Adventure Packs? Let me know in the comments!
Curious about how the thought process goes into an EQ unit? Listen in here to get a feel for how I break down this EQ and the levels of complexity available to teachers and students with just this one question: Why do relationships matter?
Believe it or not, there are even MORE reasons to lean into an EQ-centered appraoch to lit circles, and there’s a PART ONE to this blog series! Did you miss it?
LET’S GO SHOPPING!
How to Create Book Club Magic Using Essential Questions {Part One}
Lackluster literature circles? Boring book clubs? The remedy: lose traditional “role” sheets, declare freedom from organization by topic or genre, and build essential question-focused literature circles or book clubs instead. An EQ as the throughline for your lit circle/book club unit kicks up the impact that comes from having kids talk about what they read in a way that just does not happen with any other method. Here’s why…
Lackluster literature circles? Boring book clubs? The remedy: lose traditional “role” sheets, declare freedom from organization by topic or genre, and build essential question-focused literature circles or book clubs instead. An EQ as the throughline for your lit circle/book club unit kicks up the impact that comes from having kids talk about what they read in a way that just does not happen with any other method. Here’s why:
REASON #1: CHOICE, BUT LIKE, FOR REAL
Fundamental Tenet of Lit Circles and Book Clubs
Fact: choice boosts student engagement. And even in the “passage picker, summarizer, questioner, illustrator” role sheet days of early lit circles, students selected books that most interested them – usually within a specific genre or topic.
Great, right?
Sort of.
What about students who:
detest dystopia?
hate historical fiction?
can’t stand “coming of age”?
They have choice. Among titles they wouldn’t otherwise pick for themselves.😕
When lit circles and book clubs focus on essential questions (more info on essential questions and inquiry-based learning here and here), novel options for students – unbound by any constraints other than shedding light on the question – grow exponentially!
For example, if your book club/lit circle essential question is why do relationships matter? book choices could include:
The Outsiders
The Hunger Games
and The Crossover
or
The House on Mango Street
Long Way Down
and The Children of Blood and Bone.
Classics. Novels in verse. Realistic fiction. Fantasy. Dystopia.
Something for every student's interest and background, and this is just a short list of possibilities for tackling this EQ! The EQ focus makes the book selection more authentic for the kids. Instead of “the least worst option,” their choice becomes something that truly speaks to their personal preferences as readers thereby creating more emotionally engaged lit circle/book club participants who are ready to tackle the EQ!
CHECK OUT AMANDA’S FAVORITE BOOKS TO USE IN A RELATIONSHIPS EQ UNIT:
REASON #2 – RIGOR
EQ-focused lit circles and book clubs elevate rigor!
While choice certainly helps open the door to student engagement, rigor plays a role, too. By rigor, I do NOT mean offering only complex texts, accelerated reading calendars, or piling on assignments.
As high school reading and writing gurus Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle say in their latest book, 4 Essential Studies, rigor does not equal text difficulty.
““Book clubs motivate us to read. They deepen our understanding of not only the book but how others read and interpret the same text … rigor is not in the book itself, but in the work the students do to understand it” (45-47). ”
And the work students do with EQ-focused book clubs or lit circles encourages this work.
Sure, in a genre-based book club, the kids can examine what elements show up in their book and how. They can compare how one author achieves this versus another.
But an EQ, like Which is more powerful: hope or fear? immediately asks students to sit with uncertainty and consider possible answers and solutions rather than identify more correct ones.
EQ-based lit circles or book clubs meet students where they are – literal, theoretical or anywhere in between – and provide opportunities to scaffold toward analysis, synthesis and more abstract thinking.
How?
One way is to use supplemental texts and pairings!
These texts are not novel-specific but EQ-connected, so every book group can use them:
articles
poems
songs/lyrics
art pieces
videos
stories
book excerpts
Supplementals and pairings can be used to create whole-class, lit circle-based, or jigsawed skill-focused lessons that students can then practice independently. Check out my EQ Adventure Packs for supplementals and pairings AND a choice board that can also be used for this purpose.
What might such a lesson look like?
Your EQ: what is more powerful: hope or fear?
Skill focus: writing analytical paragraphs (students hyperfocus on literal aspects of plot)
Whole group: listen to one of the songs, give kids a copy of the lyrics
Whole group: model identifying where you notice hope or fear in the lyrics; think-aloud noting which felt stronger and why
Small groups: kids continue identifying examples of hope & fear in the lyrics
Small groups: kids note whether “hope” or “fear” was stronger in each example
Small groups: select two lines/stanzas that best illustrate hope or fear
Post on Padlet
Whole group: debrief; model what a “good” reflection looks like; show a skills progression
Independently: kids draft a paragraph reflection on whether they felt fear or hope was a more powerful idea in song and why, using evidence from any of the groups’ findings.
This is just one way EQ-focused lit circles or book clubs can be rigorous while meeting kids where they are. The work they do in a lesson like this does not have a right or wrong answer; the kids discuss and rehearse their ideas and thinking aloud before they put pen to paper. The EQ requires kids to think beyond plot and surface-level similarities to do this work; it pushes them to consider ideas that are bigger than a text alone.
Listen in here to get a feel for how I break down this EQ and the levels of complexity available to teachers and students with just this one question:
Believe it or not, there are even MORE reasons to lean into an EQ-centered appraoch to lit circles, and there’s a PART TWO to this blog series! Are you ready for more?
LET’S GO SHOPPING!
Reading Sprints to Increase Student Engagement in ELA
Over the years I have tried many different ways to promote reading in the classroom including, reading logs, AR tests, and journaling. But the one way that I have found that helps my students read more and apply it to topics we learn in class is through reading sprints.
The following is a guest post written by Lindsay from @smalltownela
cultivating a love of reading
One of my biggest goals as an ELA educator, like many others, is to promote independent reading to my students as much as possible. Because of course we want them to love reading or at least enjoy it more than they want to let on. Over the years I have tried many different ways to promote reading in the classroom including, reading logs, AR tests, and journaling. But the one way that I have found that helps my students read more and apply it to topics we learn in class is through reading sprints.
LET’S TRY READING SPRINTS
Now I just want to come out and say that I am most definitely not the first person to come up with this concept because I saw it on Instagram from some of my favorite accounts (@missboverseas and @elaeveryday) and tweaked it for my own classroom.
But here is the gist if you haven’t heard of them yet:
Have your students mark down the page that they are starting on, and then you have your students read for an allotted time, usually around 8-10 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, have them mark down where they finished and then have them take a break and answer a question of your choosing.
Then, repeat the process. Usually, I only do 2 reading sprints in my class, but you are free to do more or less however you see fit.
Amanda has a reading sprints slide deck that teachers love to keep the time structured and you can grab it here.
READING SPRINTS: THE STRATEGY
When using reading sprints in your classroom, you can do multiple things in between “sprints” with your students. You can have them do a quick reflection, ask them to write a summary, or look at a different element in their reading, including tone, mood, foreshadowing, or make a prediction to name a few. The easy thing about it is you can constantly switch up the questions and then every quarter or so just reuse them because the answers and the analysis will be different because they will be reading a different novel. This helps them understand the topic that you are learning and apply it in many different ways to strengthen their skills.
The best part about reading sprints is how easy it is to implement them in your classroom on a regular basis. Not only are you building in solid independent reading time, but also having them work on skills or standards that you want them to practice more. I have found that using reading sprints in my class on a regular basis helps my class build up their reading stamina which helps when reading full class novels, poems, or close reading activities.
STREAMLINING READING SPRINTS IN THE CLASSROOM
Here are a few more ways you could use Reading Sprints in my class.
Early Dismissals - this is the best way to have a productive class when you are on an early release schedule. The students know to walk in, open up their computers and we get started right away. Usually, I try to link it to whatever standard we have been learning about that week.
Bell-Ringer - depending on how long your class is having your students do one reading sprint every day and answering a question in their journal or on Google Slides is an easy way to have them read every day while also being held accountable.
End of the Week - I personally do reading sprints on most Fridays with my students. It’s the best low stakes end of the week plan that both my students and I look forward to. We look at different skills we worked on during the week and apply them easily to our independent novels. Plus it’s an easy way to end the week and send them off with no homework for the weekend.
READING SPRINTS AND FLEXIBILITY
I love using reading sprints in my classroom and my students begin to look forward to them as well. The best part about them is you get to decide how often and how long you get to use them. This can be a random activity you do once in a while or something you do on a consistent basis with your class. I hope you can go and find new ways to use them in your classroom.
Hey! Amanda here checking in :)
Reading Sprints are another great tool to help teachers move away from plot-centered teaching. When it feels like we’re so tied to plot level detail comprehension, it can be hard to remember the big picture. As you work through building your craft and aligning your goals, I made this YouTube video to help you think through the ways in which critical thinking can show up in your lesson planning. I hope it helps!
Three Myths about Close Reading
Close reading is often confused or made synonymous with things it most definitely is not, making it seem too scary to even approach. Maybe you’ve tried it, hit a wall of frustration and abandoned-ship. Well, it’s time to replace frustration, uncertainty and fear with the truth, and bust three common myths of close reading.
Three Myths about Close Reading (Busted!)
Wait, what? Close reading? That thing in Common Core everyone says they do but can never actually explain? If these sound like your thoughts, you’re not alone. And here’s why:
Close reading is often confused or made synonymous with things it most definitely is not, making it seem too scary to even approach. Maybe you’ve tried it, hit a wall of frustration, and abandoned-ship.
Well, it’s time to replace frustration, uncertainty and fear with the truth, and bust three common myths of close reading.
Three offenders.
Three stories that have run amok doing what myths do best – attempt to explain what we don’t understand.
But the thing is, close reading CAN be explained and understood, and there is a close reading reality. Let's talk THAT reality, so you can see the power this instructional strategy has to transform both your teaching of reading and your students’ growth and confidence.
MYTH #1: Close Reading = Reading an Entire Text
If the thought of figuring out how to teach a close read of an entire short story, or
an entire chapter OR
an entire article OR
an entire scene
gives you hives, well, that’s fair. It should!
If telling your classes to “do” a close read of X story results eye rolls, audible groans, and no sense of whether students are actually practicing reading skills – also fair.
This idea that close reading means scrutinizing an ENTIRE text is a complete and total, well, MYTH! It is also a recipe for overwhelm for both teachers and students, with little to no benefit for students’ growth as readers. Reading an entire text is just that – reading. And while there is nothing wrong with “just reading” that is not the purpose of close reading.
HERE’S THE REALITY: Close Reading = Reading a Passage
Close reading is re-reading with intention, with the purpose of practicing skills, learning patterns and deepening understanding. So instead of an entire text, choose passages no more than a page long, maybe going onto the back, for your lessons.
Begin by having students read a longer chunk: a chapter or chapters, an act, a short story – either for homework or independently during class – of which the passage is part. When the kids come to the close reading lesson, it will be at least their second encounter with said passage.
Pffft, you might be saying. My students aren’t going to read that longer chunk independently.
That might be true. But they can still do the lesson.
Close reading lessons are always in-class, skill-focused, teacher-directed experiences. Keeping the passage short allows students to do the lesson whether or not they completed all of the prior reading. The passage is read, and often re-read, in class, so you know, at the very least, even if students read nothing else for an entire unit, they have read those close reading passages and practiced skills.
Length is critical, and to keep passages short, it is not only ok but necessary to eliminate content that does not help students practice the skill. Consider what is most important and what is necessary for student practice. Then decide how much to include before and after. Context can always be provided by you for the kids in the lesson directions.
MYTH #2: Close Reading Prioritizes Reading the Whole Text
Your reading curriculum contains four core novels and a Shakespearean play. The best way for students to grow as readers, writers, and thinkers is to make the text central to learning. They must read every page and every word of every novel and the play in order to make progress. Frequent comprehension quizzes are the way to keep them accountable.
Close reading is reading EVERYTHING – page one to page end.
Um, no. Just NO. To ALL of that.
HERE’S THE REALITY: Close Reading Prioritizes Skills
Close reading DOES NOT – like, to infinity DOES NOT – center the text.
Close reading centers SKILLS.
The text is the vehicle through which skills are taught. Don’t get me wrong, the text is important, but students are not being assessed on whether or not they “know” the whole text. They will be assessed on the skills you taught and that they practiced during your close reading lessons.
Skills can run the gamut – from rhetorical situation to recurring symbols, to use of imagery – depending on the type of text, your essential question (more info on this here), and your summative assessment. The skills determine the annotation focus(es). Remember, though, not to get carried away in asking students to annotate for all the things. Less is more.
Make it super clear in your directions what you want them to annotate for. Without this, students end up randomly highlighting and labeling with no sense of how or why it all fits together. Instead of wild goose chase annotation, send students on a purposeful, scaffolded path toward analysis.
MYTH #3: Close Reading Answers A Set of (Text-Dependent) Questions
You are at the photocopier and find a handout titled, “Close Reading Questions.” You look through it and consider that maybe this is close reading.
Nope. Not even kind of.
HERE’S THE REALITY: Close Reading Works with Essential & Analysis Questions
A list of teacher-created questions for students to answer as they read a text – or after they read it – could maybe be considered “guided” reading. But it is not close reading.
Close reading does involve questions, but they are of the essential and analytical variety. And you come up with them before students close read anything. These are the questions that drive your unit and skill focus. They are the questions that inform your backwards planning: what it is you want students to know or do by the end of that unit?
Your close reading lesson passages should all connect to your unit essential question (more on EQs here), so that they build on each other, which results in students building their learning – comprehension, pattern recognition, deep thinking – over time.
And within each lesson, you create an analysis question for students to work with at the end. When planning a close reading lesson, come up with this question first. Consider what you would look for in the passage to answer it. This will help you come up with student annotation guidelines. Having kids draft a skills-focused analytical paragraph to answer a question using their close reading annotations helps prepare them not only for a summative task, but makes them derive meaning, instead of searching for a “correct” answer.
So, yes, questions, BUT questions that require students to make meaning using the skills they practiced in that close reading lesson for that particular passage, not to hunt and peck through an entire text to find “the answer.”
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS…
Close reading is not its mythology! It is not reading an entire text, it is not whole-text centered or answering a set of text-dependent questions. Close reading reality decenters the text, prioritizes skills, and uses essential and analysis questions to drive learning. This instructional strategy has the potential to move mountains for your students as readers, writers and thinkers and for YOU as a teacher of reading.
If you haven’t tried close reading before in your classroom or if you’d like to revisit it after a less than positive experience, grab this free video where I go into more depth about the what, why and how of close reading. What has been your experience with close reading? What questions do you have?
LET’S GO SHOPPING…
How to Throw a Gatsby Party as PreReading Strategy
Teaching The Great Gatsby is a massive task, but setting up students during prereading is a critical moment to help them feel successful as they’re tackling the novel from the start. Here’s how to use a Gatsby Party as a stations activity that helps students get to know each of the major characters in the novel.
How to Throw a Gatsby Party as PreReading Strategy
There is no shortage of blog posts in the world about English teachers throwing Gatsby parties for their classes before or after their study of the great American classic. What I want to show you here is how you can use this party as a gateway activity to the book and a prereading strategy that sets students up for early success in reading. So, instead of waiting until the very end of the unit to celebrate, let’s start things off with a classroom transformation that will engage students from the start!
Shop all of my Gatsby party essentials on my Amazon Storefront
WAIT! DO YOU HAVE A COLOR SYMBOLISM TRACKER TO USE FOR YOUR UNIT? GRAB THE ONE PICTURED ABOVE RIGHT HERE AS MY GIFT TO YOU!
SHOULDN’T PARTIES BE FUN?
Yes! No matter when, where, or how you throw your party, there should be plenty of fun. Of the many goals of the party, getting students hyped up to read and feeling the energy of the story, is a huge priority. If you have some money to spend, spend it on items that can be reused for a few years -- that makes the investment worth it. You’d be surprised at how a Dollar Tree raid can add up and then at the end of the party all get thrown away and be completely disposable.
Era costume pieces, tapestries to hang as backdrops, photo props, or even centerpiece items from thrift shops are things that can be packed up and used year after year. I like these posters ($10) and once they’re laminated, they’ll last forever. Here is a huge collection of ideas that I have stored on my Amazon Storefront — I like to use this as a vision/mood board while brainstorming what I’ll do each year.
If you’re not going to spend any of your own money, there’s plenty to do to set the mood for free: YouTube playlist of music from the movie or Jazz Age music, cover your whiteboard in hand-lettered quotes, grab white paper from the supply closet for tablecloths, etc. I even make my students invitations to the party and hand them out a few days ahead of time. Most of them look at me and roll their eyes, but enough of them appreciate the dorky gesture.
Embrace the Thematic Tie-ins
The Great Gatsby is rife with themes that resonate with students - the American Dream, social class, love, and the illusion of happiness. Use the party as a springboard to introduce these themes in a subtle yet engaging way. Consider incorporating décor or activities that hint at these concepts. For example, you could have a "Dream Wall" where students write their aspirations before they’ve even started their discussions about dreams (and their potential to inspire or destroy). By weaving these themes into the party, you're not only setting the mood but also planting seeds of inquiry that will bloom as students delve into the text.
PREREADING WITH STATIONS
Now that you’ve set up the energy and atmosphere of the party, it’s time to do the behind-the-scenes work of getting students ready to read. For those of you reading this post who prefer to do your party at the conclusion of the novel, consider moving it to the beginning of the unit instead.
HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULDN’T WAIT:
Authenticity & Joy: Classroom transformations like a Gatsby party serve as a seamless way to pique interest in an authentic way.
Frontloads Key Information: By introducing students to the characters, setting, and themes at the outset, you give them a foundation to build upon as they read. This empowers them to make connections and comprehend the text more deeply.
Creates Anticipation and Excitement: A party atmosphere generates buzz and curiosity about the story, making students eager to dive in and discover what unfolds.
Sets a Collaborative Tone: The interactive nature of stations encourages discussion and teamwork, establishing a positive learning environment for the unit.
Enhances Engagement from the Start: Immersive experiences like a Gatsby party are more memorable than traditional introductions, capturing students' attention and motivating them to actively participate.
Builds Schema: The party helps students connect their prior knowledge and experiences to the novel's context, making the content more relatable and accessible.
As I set up my room, I create 5-6 large tables that I’ll use as the stations. This blog post will walk you through everything that I do in my lesson which can be found here completely ready for you to print and use!
Never used stations before? I’ve got a quick and easy guide to using stations here as well as how I use this learning strategy for back to school here!
Designing Stations to Support Readers
Whether you’re doing prereading stations for Gatsby or any other book, you need to consider what students need to support their reading experience. In the case of Gatsby, I’ve found that the earliest struggle students have with the novel is knowing who is who. Because of this, four of my stations are designed as “Meet the Character” stations. I pull a passage of description of Nick, Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy. At each of these four stations, students read the passage “meet” the party guest, and then jot down a record of their initial impressions of who they just met at the party.
This is a quick (but important) prereading exercise disguised by fun. In the passage selected for each character, students are getting:
Familiarized with Fitzgerald’s language
Context around each character’s personality
Basic characterization
These may seem like small things, but in the world of reading comprehension, they’re critical. Imagine reading Gatsby for the first time completely blind to the story. Now, imagine reading it witht the mood of the party that you’ve created and an initial understanding of the personalities and roles of each of the main characters. This is a huge win!
OTHER NON-CHARACTER BASED STATIONS
The other stations are flexible. Here are a few other ideas I’ve used:
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Book Cover analysis: have students look at various different versions of published book covers. What does the art reflect about the focus of the story? How does the artwork make you feel in terms of what mood you’re expecting to encounter? What are the colors used in each? How might that be reflective of the story you’re about to read?
Setting analysis: Choose 1-2 passages that capture important setting descriptions. Where will this story take place? How does the energy of the setting match or seem different from that of our “Gatsby Party” atmosphere? What are the colors, textures, sounds, smells, and visuals included in the description? You can even have students attempt to draw exactly what they’re reading in the description for an added “party game”.
Music/lyric analysis: Pull a Jazz age song and its lyrics for students to read and analyze. What were the values of this type of music? What did the music center? What kind of energy does this music give?
Trailer analysis: Set up one table with several of the Gatsby film trailers pulled up. Students can compare and contrast, make predictions, etc.
The Mysterious Gatsby Station: Compile a collection of rumors and gossip about Gatsby from the novel. Have students read these snippets and create a "Wanted Poster" for Gatsby, highlighting his enigmatic persona and the questions surrounding him.
Symbolism Scavenger Hunt Station: Hide various objects around the room that symbolize key elements in the novel (e.g., a green light, a clock, a pair of eyes). Have students find these objects and speculate on their potential significance.
Roaring Twenties Slang Station: Provide a glossary of 1920s slang terms. Have students translate a few passages from the novel or create their own "flapper" dialogue.
The Ripple Effect
Remember, the Gatsby party isn't just a one-off event. It's a catalyst for deeper learning and engagement. The enthusiasm and curiosity generated during the party will carry over into your subsequent lessons, making the study of The Great Gatsby an unforgettable experience for your students. Don't be afraid to get creative, think outside the box, and tailor the party to your students' interests and your teaching style. By setting the stage with a memorable and meaningful experience, you're paving the way for a literary journey that will stay with your students long after the final page is turned.
If you’ve been partying at the end of reading Gatsby and still love it, by all means, continue to do what brings you joy! But I do hope that at the very least, these character stations activity will provide a strong foundation for your readers at the start of the study of the novel. I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
Ready to think more through the Gatsby reading experience? Watch below!
LET’S GO SHOPPING…
Summer Reading: 5 Problems & 5 Solutions
The “summer slide” is a powerful force that knocks students off track who were making progress. Students struggling with literacy all school year fall further behind during the summer months when the “faucet” (an analogy described by the Brookings Institute) is turned off. We NEED to do something, but in high school, we face a plethora of challenges.
For this article, I interviewed teachers on social media and drew from my experiences at two different districts. Here are the problems I found and some solutions that I propose. I’d love to hear your feedback and additional suggestions because we are in this together!
Summer Reading:
Five of the most common problems and five solutions that just might change the summer reading conversation at your school
*This post contains affiliate links. I may be entitled to compensation if you click these links and purchase the products*
In the first decade of my teaching career, I think the number one most hotly debated issue every year was SUMMER READING. When I was new, everyone seemed so opinionated and fired up, so my tendency was to crawl into my little shell and stay quiet.
Then, something changed. I gained more experience. I learned about the lives of my students. And I finally began to see how important a summer reading program was for my students -- especially my minority and low-income students. Suddenly, I started to feel the fire, too. The “summer slide” is a powerful force that knocks students off track who were making progress. Students struggling with literacy all school year fall further behind during the summer months when the “faucet” (an analogy described by the Brookings Institute) is turned off. We NEED to do something, but in high school, we face a plethora of challenges.
For this article, I interviewed teachers on social media and drew from my experiences at two different districts. Here are the problems I found and some solutions that I propose. I’d love to hear your feedback and additional suggestions because we are in this together!
NEED A QUICK WIN?
TRY SUMMER READING BINGO!
1. THE KIDS DON’T READ.
This one needs no explanation. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all heard the excuses. We know they’re faking it. We know they’re using every website on planet earth to pretend they read. We know some won’t even use Sparknotes to fake it -- they’re straight up refusing.
A zoomed in look at my BINGO card! For more motivating ideas, check these out!
SOLUTION:
First of all, maybe it’s time to start reconsidering what constitutes a summer reading program. Must it always be novels? Research shows that while reading is a critical component to preventing summer slide, in the bigger picture, it's’ really about literacy and exposure to language in many contexts. Maybe we need to think bigger than a summer reading list and develop a program that encourages students to encounter and explore other kinds of literacy, too:
If you’re committed to a reading list, consider expanding the list to include popular nonfiction.
If you have requirements, try adding optional additions or accompaniments. For example, if you have students reading Fahrenheit 451 over the summer, pair it with the podcast Limetown. If the kids skip reading the bigger reading assignment and just do the smaller one, at least they’ll have exposure to the genre and something to talk about in August!
Try thinking of summer reading as a PROGRAM rather than an ASSIGNMENT. I like to share summer slide statistics with my students and give them a BINGO sheet to attempt to complete over the summer. I have them bring the sheet back to me at the start of the school year for some silly (free or inexpensive) prize and we talk about their summer vacations. We’ve also used hashtags to stay in touch over social media, such as #stopsummerslide.
Come to terms with the fact that some kids aren’t going to read. They’re just not. What we CAN control, however, is the program and the HYPE. If we keep our expectations high, praise and get excited about the kids who are into it, most kids will join in. But yes, some won’t. And that’s okay. Plan a day for teachers to go visit future students and talk about the books. Create Snapchat book trailers. Build a summer reading energy that can’t be missed!
Don’t throw everything out the window because you know some of the kids don’t read. Check out #3 for more on the fakers and nonreaders...
2. PAYING FOR (OR MAKING KIDS BUY) THE BOOKS.
This one is uncomfortable and difficult. What to do? Expecting all kids to purchase the book can seem unfair in some contexts, but in others, it sets an academic expectation. But, then, there’s no money in the budget to send every kid home with a book. But we’re still going to expect them all to read (so many emojis could go here…) Then we have the kids who want to get library books and audiobooks: English teachers panic because HOW ARE THEY GOING TO ANNOTATE?!
SOLUTION:
A: Decide how much you really care about annotating. And as you think about that, be honest with yourself: even though it’s “best practice”, which of your kids is taking a highlighter and pen AND their book on vacation? Probably not your struggling readers -- and if we’re honest again, that’s really who needs this reading experience the most. If you can eliminate the annotation barrier, there’s one less thing standing between a reluctant reader and summer reading. This also opens up several options for FREE BOOKS.
Audible: The first book on Audible is free!
Project Gutenberg: 58,000 ebook titles for free, yo!
B: If you really DO care about annotating, consider making a colorful, bound annotation journal. When the annotating or reading reflection takes place in a separate booklet, no post-its are required and a library book is a-okay.
C: Create a list or allow students as much choice as possible. Encourage them to find hand-me-down or cheaply purchased books from thrift stores. The Goodwill in our area always has a huge selection of paperbacks for .50 each, but you’ll need an open mind when it comes to approving titles that kids find.
D: If your school can find a small budget for books, try to create a list your team can stick to for a few years. This ensures that there will be books every year and you’ll only have to replace a handful at a time
3. CHOOSING THE BOOK(S).
Do we do one book one school? Books that connect to the start of the next year of English? Total free choice? Easy or rigorous? Choosing books can have English departments at a standstill. I’m going to offer a solution that I like, but that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t a great deal of merit to other choices!
SOLUTION:
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve probably already guessed my solution: it’s all about the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS! I think the best bet for any department, the best way to offer balance between choice and focus, “beach-reads” and rigor, is to harness the power of the Essential Question. Create a list of books (as short or long as you like!) that all respond to an Essential Question. You could have one question as a whole department and the same list for all grade levels OR each level could come up with their own Essential Question and their own list. There are a lot of reasons why I like this option, but here are a few just to start:
A strong Essential Question creates an umbrella. For example, imagine an English department decided that the summer reading Essential Question would be: At what point is it critical to speak up in the face of injustice? Here’s what the reading list could look like, and I don’t know about you, but this list looks pretty exciting to me:
...and any other nonfiction short pieces discovered over the holiday are good to go, too!
A strong Essential Question offers choice, but also offers a focal point for assessment. Now that all students are on on a quest to answer the same question across a variety of texts, the stage is set beautifully for thoughtful assessments such as socratic seminar, one pagers, gallery walks, screencast videos, and other digital media. So, instead of feeling the pressure to scaffold the reading list, teachers can simply scaffold the difficulty of the assessment given in the fall. Continuing with the example given above, an AP course could as some tough questions in a socratic seminar, whereas a freshman course might do some work with characterization or plot diagramming to help them arrive at an answer for the Essential Question.
4. SUMMER READING ASSESSMENTS START THE SEMESTER OFF WITH BAD GRADES.
For a while, I remember teachers (myself included!) giving ridiculously hard multiple choice quizzes on the summer reading. I guess we thought that we could shame and punish the kids for not reading over the summer and send a message that the class was going to be tough and they better start reading...but, I also don’t really remember that working. The consistent problem is that if we assign summer reading, we have to assess it. And if students are perpetually NOT doing the reading, then their first assessment grade will be in the toilet. And no one likes starting the year with half of their students failing…
Projects like one-pagers offer students a creative, yet thoughtful way to showcase their understanding of themes and essential questions. For more assessment ideas, check this out!
SOLUTION:
I’m takin’ it back to Essential Question based assessment, or, at least, project based assessment. When students are assigned a project and asked to use a text to respond to a question, it’s no longer a “gotcha” kind of assessment. Here are some ways to help make it work:
Give the assignment before students leave for the summer. If all classes are coming back to create a digital media project, let them know! Knowing that they’ll be expected to produce something creative might light a fire under a few of them that weren’t really planning on reading in the first place.
Assign projects that take several days to complete in class. Hint, hint: this gives the non-summer readers a few extra days to knock out a good chunk of the book without you *technically* knowing. If the book is read June 4th or during the first three days of school, does that really matter to you? No, because they finally read something!
Choose projects where you can assess more than just their reading comprehension. If a student didn’t read but still participated actively in a socratic seminar discussion, his grade might not be an “A”, but it also won’t be an “F”. Projects, discussions, and other types of creative assessment give students a chance to showcase their thoughts on the Essential Question which will help them connect to their classmates, your course, and keep them in an acceptable grade range. I usually offer them five choices in assessment types and then grade them all on one rubric that focuses on theme, big ideas, and the essential question.
5. COORDINATING LOGISTICS BETWEEN COLLEAGUES AND DEPARTMENTS.
There are always students moving between levels or between schools that somehow arrive to class in the fall and have (or claim to have) no idea what was supposed to be happening over the summer. I taught at a school with a huge ESL program for a long time, and it was always difficult to get the right reading list to the right teacher for the right student graduating into a specific course level.
SOLUTION:
See Solution #3 & #4 - an Essential Question based *suggested* list makes it easy for kids to hop in, prepared or not, to the assessment by simply drawing from their reading background from other classes. If, in fact, the student did actually move to the district during the first week of school, no problem! Hop into this assignment and tell us what you think about standing up in the face of injustice. When assessments are Essential Question based instead of plot based, you’ll give yourselves a bit more flexibility in this area.
I hope some of these solutions are helpful at your next department meeting as you attempt to tackle the monstrous responsibility of summer reading. Whether you’re working on it as a team or solo, know that your work is important. Making reading fun, exciting, and AVAILABLE to kids all year round is an important extension of our work in the classroom. Keep up the great work and let me know what else you’re doing that’s WORKING!
