Salutations! (That is Charlotte's fancy way of saying hello)

“The book is about as friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and death, trust and treachery, pleasure and pain, and the passing of time. As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done.” Eudora Welty New York Times Book Review

"One of the all-time great classics of children's literature, this gentle story with its kindly wisdom about friendship and love has survived and prospered even in the digital age. That's because its themes are universal and timeless: It will inspire readers to think about how we should make and keep friends, and how we should treat each other. Though most readers will cry near the end, it's never maudlin or sappy. Indeed, it's New Yorker editor and author E.B. White's avoidance of cuteness, astringent prose, whimsical humor, and matter-of-factness about life-and-death issues that sets CHARLOTTE'S WEB apart from the pack."

A novel study allows kids to develop their reading comprehension and thinking skills through high-quality literature. It lets them practice and refine their skills in a much more engaging format than the typical reading textbook.
A novel study is, also - and just as importantly -an opportunity to build a love of reading.

My role will be allowing for a lively discussion and allow the readers to take it where they like, while asking questions related to reading comprehension strategies like: making inferences, comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, sequencing, setting, and character analysis and traits.

I will provide questions each week to help guide their reading. These questions will get them thinking about the book, in a deeper way, prior to our meeting and help get our conversation started. Shy readers, who may not be as active in class, can send me their answers for feedback. This way they will also receive validation for their good work. 

We will also study vocabulary words from the text, and practice using context clues to define them.
Words like: injustice, captivity, cunning, scruples, hysterics and many more.

I am keeping the reading pace relaxed, so that we can fully engage with the characters and story, and reluctant readers are not overwhelmed.

Here is the schedule. I will post each week’s study questions in the classroom a week in advance. I will also share the vocabulary words and concepts that we will be working on each week so that parents are aware and can use them for further study if desired. I am always happy to provide project ideas and other extensions, to make for a more robust curriculum  ,above and beyond the weekly study questions.  Just ask!

Week 1: Chapters 1-5
Week 2: Chapters 6-10
Week 3: Chapters 11-14
Week 4: Chapters: 15-18
Week 5: Chapters 19-22

I will post guided reading question in the classroom a week in advance of each meeting. 



Five benefits of novel studies (from Differentiated Teaching):

Novel Study Benefit #1: Building Background & World Exposure
Looking for an opportunity to expose students to experiences outside their current reality? Novel studies are just the ticket. For my city-dwelling students, the novel study I planned around Charlotte’s Web exposed them to the realities of farm life that they may not have otherwise had. 
Whether you’re looking at sharing new cultures, historical time periods, or just an understanding of life circumstances outside their own, a good novel study can be the key to opening the door to understanding.

Novel Study Benefit #2: Authentic Vocabulary Building
“What’s a hullabaloo?"
This question arises every single time my students read Charlotte’s Web, and I love it! 
Suddenly, I’ve got free reign to engage my students with context clues and transferring new vocabulary outside of the text. 
First, we puzzle it out together based on what’s going on in the story. 
Then we practice making some chaos of our own to create a big hullabaloo. We talk about times we’ve been a part of (or noticed something that might be considered) a hullabaloo. Basically, we dig deep in a short time span.
By the end of the 5-minute mini-lesson, my kids are masters of hullaballoo. 
How do I know? Because for the next month, I hear it anytime things get a little crazy. 
And of course, I use it to my advantage when the classroom gets noisy. What’s all the hullaballoo?
It quiets them down immediately EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Novel Study Benefit #3: Communication & Dialogue Skills
These days we've all got speaking and listening standards to address.
The use of literature circles during your novel study teaches students how to cooperate, take turns, and have engaged peer discussions. Of course, this takes some modeling and guidance (maybe even some significant support, depending on the student). 
However, it is an important skill to build as students look toward the future. I’d much rather watch them build it during a 3rd grade novel study than see my students ten years later, clueless about how to have an intelligent discussion about learning.

Novel Study Benefit #4: Development of Social Skills
As they dive into the plot of a novel, kids are exposed to the situations, confrontations, and challenges faced by the main characters. 
Whether you’re working through Holes novel study and discussing Stanley’s unfortunate situation of being punished for a crime he didn’t commit or experiencing the thrills (and challenges) of being independent like Claudia Kincaid in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, your students are pushed to think about how they’d react. 
In fact, studies have actually shown this helps develop essential social skills, like empathy. There’s even a type of therapy based on the practice (called bibliotherapy)! Clients are given a book with a character in a similar situation to their own to help develop a coping strategy.

Novel Study Benefit #5: Engagement & Excitement for Learning…yes, this again.
So I know I already mentioned this one, but it is such a critical piece that I felt compelled to give it a little more time. 
A well-planned novel study leaves your students wanting more. 
I, personally, love to plan the day’s reading to stop at a cliffhanger moment! It leaves my students wondering (and making predictions about) what’s going to happen to those beloved characters they’ve become so attached to.
Using a novel study as an anchor across multiple subject areas builds engagement. Whether they’re designing a pen for Wilbur (Can you tell I love using Charlotte’s Web?) or considering the natural resources available to Brian as he tries to survive in Hatchet, your kids are connecting the plot of the story with the standards you need to teach across the curriculum. 
These hooks encourage deeper thinking and problem-solving. They also mean that the learning lasts longer and sticks with students across the year. 
At one school I worked at the kids were so excited about getting into 5th grade so they could read Hatchet and go design their own shelters in the nearby woods, they were begging for the math and science lessons needed to make their design the most stable and secure by the time they actually got to reading the book!