Paired Novel Study

Title of Book:

Author:

Names of Students:

We have contracted to read ____pgs each day for the next 12 days. We plan to finish the novel by ______.

Each day we will read our novel, and write answers to the questions specified for that day. We will meet each day to discuss the questions and events of the story. We will have our books at school each day and will meet with the teacher when requested.

There will be some time provided for reading in class. Unfinished reading and questions are homework. The last 3 days of the contract will be spent working on an activity from the list provided. These will be due on ______.

Signature of Partners: ______

______

Teacher______

Student:______

Dated:______

Paired Novel Study

Routines:

Students will work with a partner and read the same novel

Each partner will answer questions for the specified day. Students will discuss book daily.

Students are expected to edit for spelling and punctuation

Questions are to be answered in written form

Students are expected to keep up with their agreed upon daily reading

Teacher will conference with the reading pairs on a regular basis.

Individual Activities:

Each student will complete 2 to 4 independent activities from the list provided and present it to the class.

Partner Activities:

Each pair will complete 2 to 4 activities together and present them to the class.

Title Page:

Students are to design a new book cover to promote their book

Students are encouraged to include: centre of interest, main idea, detail, identification of author, background and effective lettering.

Daily Work Expectations:

Read total # of pages each day and answer questions each day

Meet with the teacher upon request and discuss and answer questions

Mark and edit work for spelling and punctuation

Work cooperatively with your partner, discuss questions orally with good effort and share discussion about your book

Paired Novel Study

Daily Assessment Questions

Day 1 (character/setting)

  1. Who are the main characters in your story? Describe what you learned about the characters (think about physical, social, and personal characteristics).
  2. Describe the setting of your book.

Day 2 (problem/solution)

  1. Describe what you know about the problem in the story so far.

Day 3 (connections)

  1. Are you enjoying the book? Why or why not?
  2. What connections can you make? Text to Self, Text to Text, Text to World.

Day 4 (vocabulary)

  1. Record interesting or key words you have read so far. Why are they interesting?
  2. Use a dictionary to write the meanings of any words you do not know. Include at least 5 words.

Day 5 (summary)

  1. Write of summary of what you have read so far.

Day 6 (problem/solution)

  1. Describe the problem in the story.
  2. What has changed since Day 2.
  3. Make a prediction. What do you think will happen next?

Day 7 (Inferences)

  1. Draw a picture of how the main character is feeling. Use clues from the author’s words for your picture. You may use Bitstrips or Comic Life to create your picture if you don’t want to draw it.

Day 8 (Visualizing)

  1. Describe what you think the characters look like.
  2. Describe or draw a picture of what you think the setting in the story looks like.

Day 9 (Point of View)

  1. Write a journal entry from the point of view of a character in the story.

Day 10 (Making Predictions)

  1. Predict the ending of the story. What evidence can you provide to support your ending?

Day 11 (Main Idea/Author’s Purpose)

  1. What is the theme of this book? Think about the message the author is trying to express, or anything you have learned while reading the book.

Day 12 (problem/solution)

  1. Did you like the way the book ended? Why or why not?
  2. What would you have changed?

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES

Complete 2-4 activities independently:

  1. Write a letter to a friend summarizing your book.
  2. Write a letter to one of the characters in your book.
  3. Describe an experience you’ve had that reminds you of something in the book. (Make a connection)
  4. Illustrate the most exciting, the scariest, the saddest, or the happiest part of the book. Give it a caption.
  5. List the qualities you like in a friend. Which book character comes closest to those qualities?
  6. Create a portrait for the main character.
  7. Whose point of view is your novel written from? Whose voice is missing, or whose would you like to hear? Do you think the author chose this point of view correctly? Why or why not.
  8. Present a timeline of the story.

PARTNER ACTIVITIES

Complete 2-4 activities with your partner:

  1. Create a picture collage that shows the personality of the main character.
  2. Make up an interview where one person interviews the other about the book.
  3. Design a trivia game on book facts.
  4. Write a song for the book.
  5. Give a dramatic reading of your favourite scene from the book.
  6. Create a skit to show your favourite scene from the book.
  7. Create an advertising campaign to sell the book
  8. Create a news broadcast reporting the events of the book.
  9. Write and perform a puppet show about your favourite part of the book.

Paired Novel Study Checklist

I have completed my Title Page

I have completed my 2 to 4 individual activities

I have completed my 2 partner activities

I have answered all of my questions to the best of my abilities

I have capitals at the beginning of my sentences

I have used proper punctuation

My work is neat and easy to read

I have presented my activities to the class

Paired Novel Study / Level 1 / Level 2 / Level 3 / Level 4
New Book Cover / I did not complete the book cover / My book cover is incomplete, uncoloured and hastily drawn / My book cover is neat, coloured, appealing to the reader / My book cover is neat, coloured, and is a creative way to portray the novel
Daily answers / Most of my answers are missing or incorrect with little thought or effort / Some of my answers are incomplete with lots of repetition and short answers / Most of my answers are complete with varied structure and complete / All of my answers are complete and interesting and depth of thought is evident
Independent Activities / Most of my activities are missing with little connection to novel / Some of my activities are incomplete with some connection to the novel / Most activities are complete, varied in task, and knowledge of novel is evident / All 4 of my activities are complete, creative and detailed with excellent connections to the novel
Partner Activities / Most of my activities are missing with little connection to novel / Some of my activities are incomplete with some connection to the novel / Most activities are complete, varied in task, and knowledge of novel is evident / All 4 of my activities are complete, creative and detailed with excellent connections to the novel
Presentation / I did not give a presentation or I was unprepared / I gave a somewhat unclear summary with limited enthusiasm / My presentation was interesting and logical / My presentation was creative and engaging. I gave an enthusiastic summary of novel
Working relationship with my partner / We had inconsistent focus and were uncooperative. We were negative and mostly behind / We had limited focus, generally uncooperative and occasionally behind / We stayed on task and were cooperative. We stayed up to date with our work / We were consistently focused, had a positive attitude and our work was always up to date