ELA 9 Student Choice Novel Unit

Mr. Steel

In conjunction with our Read Across Canada literacy program, students in my class will be given the opportunity to read a novel that they have never read before (I will check through the list of novels they have already submitted to me on their mileage records!) and to investigate this novel as a means of fulfilling the objectives of the ELA 9 curriculum. Each student novel must be shown to me first in order to ensure that it is sufficiently challenging and that its content is appropriate. During this unit, students will be expected to:

1. Read quietly in class from their selected novel. At the end of each class students must submit a journal or notes that they have taken about their readings. These notes ought to include some information about the plot, the characters, the setting, the action that transpires in the story, notes on any symbols or metaphors noted by the student, as well as any questions that the student might have about what he/she has read. Each student reflection/journal entry must end with a statement concerning a central theme that arises out of the reading that they have just completed. We will be reading our student choice novels each day for the first week of this unit. Students who do not finish their novel in class should finish it at home, since the following week we will be moving on to narrative essay writing and project preparation.

2. Write an in-class mock exam narrative essay that will be due at the end of the period. Every student will have finished their novel by the end of the first week of this unit. Students will next be asked to pick from among the themes that they have identified in their journals and write a narrative essay that explores ONE of these themes.

3. In groups of no more than three, students will decide from among their novels which novel to present as a project to the rest of the class. Students are expected to work diligently and cooperatively, and to be prepared to present when their time comes. Student presentations ought to:

• explain the basic premise of the book, its plot, its characters, and setting.
• explain or demonstrate why the book is worth reading to the audience members.
• engage the audience, teaching them something significant.

Student presentations may take the following forms:

• students may present in a basic lecture format.
• students may enact their story dramatically.
• students may compose a musical version of their story.
• students may create a short film that tells the story they have read.
• students may use posters or PowerPoint to enhance their presentations.