While we reinvent everything in the teaching world, why not throw in a virtual novel study...right?
When it was first announced that we would be teaching virtually I packed one box. Just one box. I grabbed a few picture books, a couple novels, and a file (large envelope filled with various materials about the American Revolution) from my filing cabinet.
I fully anticipated being in quarantine for the remainder of my American Revolutionary War Unit so my focus was on getting that stuff packed in the box. Secondary to the War, I brought my Women's Suffrage goodies (the novel The Hope Chest and a few odds and ends) as a "just in case". I'm so glad I did.
As time crept by and it became apparent that we would not be going back into the classroom, I started to plan how a Novel Study would look in the virtual world. I had put it off in hopes of us returning, but once our governor made the decision to keep school buildings closed, I decided I better put the rambling thoughts that were percolating in my head into a cohesive action plan.
This is how my team and I are delivering a virtual Novel Study.
FINDING A NOVEL
On-line libraries and book sites are a great place to start. You might get lucky enough to have your students be able to access a digital or audio copy. If you already have a bunch of materials for your novel study, the hardest part will be getting the novel into your students' hands (or ears).
We knew that we were going to use The Hope Chest. However, a digital/audio copy was not available (for free). So next I searched YouTube and found mediocre read alouds of the book. I wasn't able to listen while the only visual appeal was a still photo of the book cover- so I imagined it would be the same for my students. The only way forward was for me to create my own and upload them to my YouTube Channel.
I decided to create a set of videos featuring me as the reader. I recorded myself reading each chapter. That way, the students had a visual to watch while listening. Plus, no one does voices like me! The time and effort required to record and upload each chapter make it a worthwhile endeavor in a long range arch of my career. Sure, its time consuming now; but I will be able to deliver each chapter to my students and eventually I will have the whole novel available for when I teach this novel again in the future. I love when I login for the day and can see the students immediately clicking through to watch the videos.
I usually record a chapter or two at a time. I upload each one individually and label them by chapter. I then click the "unlisted" setting. Using an unlisted setting means that only the people with the direct link will be able to access the video. If someone opens up my YouTube channel, they will only see my Morning Announcements. Screencasts for my students and the read alouds I have done are kept unlisted.
BUILDING BACKGROUND
Building background is an important part of literature studies. With this situation it is especially difficult when I don’t know how many kids I am reaching each day or what time they might be logging on. My team decided to have a few rounds of Zoom/Google Meets each day to cover different topics that help the students make deeper connections. These are optional but I figured the more layers of instruction that can be offered, the better.
For the two weeks before the novel began students were reading nonfiction texts about the Women's Suffrage movement. One week they were assigned Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President and Around America to Win the Vote. For accountability, students answer basic questions in a Google Form. The following week they read through four different texts that discuss important dates in the Women's Suffrage Movement. Students then had to answer questions using Google Slides. As an optional activity they could submit a 3-2-1 Response.
You can find the Women's Suffrage nonfiction texts and response activities here in my TpT store:
You can get the Susan B. Anthony section for FREE by clicking the link below:
The Hope Chest is set in 1920. Even in the optimum classroom setting, it is a difficult time period for students to wrap their heads around. Trying to convey the feel and social norms of the time seemed nearly impossible in a virtual classroom. The one aspect that students could relate to (a pandemic) is discussed in the first chapter. The feelings of uncertainty, urgency, and safety precautions (wearing a mask) surrounding the Spanish Influenza that were common at that time became an easy connection for the students. I imagine it will be that way for a few years to come.
We used a 5 Ws approach when building background. During the quarantine we have been presenting new information to the students using the 5 Ws. We have kept the format the same (no matter the topic) and simply switch out the content. Keeping a consistent format reduces the cognitive load and allows the students to expend their efforts on learning the material rather than trying to interpret the way in which it is presented.
Week of May 4 Topics:
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Amelia Bloomer
- Susan B. Anthony
- Alice Paul
- Lucretia Mott
Week of May 11 Topics:
- Spanish Influenza
- WW1
- Jim Crow Laws
- Palmer Agents and Bolsheviks
- Constitutional Amendments
NOVEL STUDY ACTIVITIES
Every day at 11:30 we Meet with the students and discuss the novel. We chose to Meet versus Zoom because of better audio capabilities. Read more about how to plan your own virtual meetup and the pros and cons of Zoom versus Google Classroom Meet here:
Distance Learning: Virtual Meet Up Ideas
Some Meets we preview upcoming vocabulary. Sometimes we fill in a chart together. This past week we filled in three different charts: a family tree that broke down the relationships and characteristics of the Mayhew Family, an Evidence Chart that involved presenting text evidence to support or refute a given statement, and a comparison chart that broke down the characteristics of a "New Woman" versus a "Traditional" woman in 1920.
During Book Club, I have two devices running. I use my personal laptop to launch the Meet and use the host controls (screen share, volume, mics, etc...). I use my District-issued Chromebook to fill in a chart within my Google Drive. The convenience of using Google Drive and Slides to lead the students through the discussion is that I can have both devices opened and the Slide will sync within Google. If I need to stop sharing my screen on my laptop, I can continue to take notes on the Chromebook. Once the Meet is over, I like to share the chart in Google Classroom and indicate in the title and instructions the date and time the information was discussed. Depending on what we did during the Book Club, I might share the Slide as "material" (no editing allowed) or "assignment" (allowing students to create their own copy).
Book Club is also used to present information visually or orally to help organize characters and events. We incorporate mini-lessons about topics such as: author's craft, figurative language, visualization, predictions, and other talking points. This past week we covered Idioms and Adages. Upcoming topics include: Point of View and Symbolism. We love the interaction at Book Club. This special time of the day is a great opportunity for kids to reflect on what they have listened to thus far and ask questions they might have. We were able to clarify a few confusing parts this week!
I have been using Slides from my resource: DIGITAL The Hope Chest. I simply copy and save a single slide from my Master Copy that I want to use for Book Club.
Click the link to see everything this resource offers --> DIGITAL The Hope Chest
Mid-novel the students will be challenged with carefully reading and clicking through a Google Slide presentation that depicts important sights and sounds of the 1920s. Slides offers a great way to present information visually with the added benefit of embedding links so students can click and explore beyond the Slide. Our team has devised a plan to have the students explore the slide show and gather key words. These words will then be put into a BINGO board for a future ZOOM meeting. Hopefully, this will encourage them to take time to watch the slideshow in order to be able to participate in the BINGO game.
Toward the end of the novel, students will be invited to participate in a virtual lunch bunch! I have a 1920s menu planned. Simple ingredients and simple cooking. In a week or so I will be sharing my ideas with the class and give them a list of needed ingredients and prep work so that we are ready-to-go on our Virtual Lunch Bunch day. There are quite a few food references in The Hope Chest so I thought it would be fun to meetup with the students and have them prep and eat popular food items from that era.
Virtual Book Clubs aren't the traditional way to do a novel study, but we are doing an amazing job scaffolding the history that is deeply rooted in this complex historical fiction. The students are getting a true blend of history and language arts. And although Model T Fords, Jim Crow Laws, and Women's Suffrage will always be from a time long ago, our students will have a deeper understanding when they hear those terms and truly connect to a time that has eerily crossed a parallel and is impacting their lives today.