This is going to be a quick post. There has been a lot going on at work and home, but I wanted to post something to keep this idea going.
Here’s an outline of what I would do on day one of teaching the novel.
Debrief
I would only be able to do this exercise if I was sure that their history / social studies teacher had already reviewed the material pertaining to life in the German-occupied territories during World War II. Assuming I verified that, then, I would start the session with the bell ringer and then do a debrief. I would ask for any volunteers that wanted to share their writing with the rest of the class and write notes on an easel pad. I would do this for each class I had that day, then post the easel paper on the wall or a bulletin board, so that everyone could see what the classes came up with.
Analysis and Assumptions
Then, I would show them the novel’s cover. I’d ask them to consider what the cover tells them about the story. I would ask them to write their observations as a group on one sheet of paper and collect those sheets. From the results, I would like to create a Wordle I could share with them. Why? Why not?
Final Question of the Class: What Draws Us to Certain Books?
I’d ask the question, “What draws us to certain books?” and after the students answer, I would give my responses, particularly about why I chose this book to read. By that time, I think class would be over.