Rigorous Reading: An In-Depth Guide for Any Novel Grade 6-Up

Transform the reading of a great novel into a journey of discovery. This customizable resource offers incredible flexibility as you share and explore great literature with your students. The guide is organized into sections based on literary elements and on how the novel may be taught. Here is a list of the guide’s sections, along with a brief overview of the kinds of activities found in each section:

1. Pre-Reading Activities (Students think about who they are as readers, what experiences they bring along with them, and what their initial impressions are of the book’s packaging.)
2. Characterization & Point of View (Who are the characters, how do they change and grow, how do they interact with one another, and how do they react to the events of the novel? Who is the narrator, and what role does the narrator’s voice play in the mood and tone of the story?)
3. Plot & Structure (What happens in the story, and what effects do these events have on the characters and the reader? How are events organized, and how do they build on one another? What feelings are created by the way the story begins and also by the way it ends?)
4. Setting & Genre (What are the places in which the story takes place, and how do these places affect the story? Why did the author choose a specific time period in which to place the story? What do the events of the story tell us about the novel’s genre?)
5. Main Idea & Theme (What are the big ideas and underlying lessons or messages in the story? In what ways does the author incorporate these ideas and lessons throughout the story?)
6. Author’s Craft (How does the author create mood, and what effect does the story’s mood have on the reader? To what effect does the author use literary devices, figurative language, and form?)
7. Vocabulary (How does the author use language in the telling of the story? Why are specific language choices made, and what effect do they have?)
8. Post-Reading Activities (Collaborative activities in this section include creating a class encyclopedia based on the novel, making posters, conducting character interviews, acting out scenes, and creating a large-scale connections map. Individual activities include summarizing the novel as a whole, writing an essay about the novel’s most important literary element, creating a book trailer, planning a sequel, penning a persuasive letter, and examining the novel’s film prospects.)
9. Text-to-Text Connections (These activities ask students to compare and contrast the characters, events, settings, themes, and craft of two distinct novels.)

Each section includes Teacher Instructions that provide overviews for every activity within the section. The sections based on literary elements feature a Quick Guide to help explain the element to your students and also a set of writing prompts for students to make a more personal connection to the novel. Activities feature text-dependent questions that encourage close analysis and call for evidence to support claims. Specially marked activities are designed to be used after each section of the novel is read so that students may track the development of characters, themes, and events. The wide range of topics explored in these activities ensures that this guide is adaptable to any novel that may be taught in a classroom. Just use those that are a perfect fit for the novel you are teaching. This resource is 144 pages in all. Reprinted in 2019.