A Novel Approach: Whole-Class Novels, Student-Centered Teaching, and Choice

by Kate Roberts

As an English teacher, Kate Roberts has seen the power of whole-class novels to build community in her classroom. But she's also seen too many kids struggle too much to read them--and consequently, check out of reading altogether. Kate's had better success getting kids to actually read - and enjoy it-when they choose their own books within a workshop model. "And yet," she says, "I missed my whole-class novels." In A Novel Approach , Kate takes a deep dive into the troubles and triumphs of both whole-class novels and independent reading and arrives at a persuasive we can find a student-centered, balanced approach to teaching reading. Kate offers a practical framework for creating units that join both teaching methods together and helps - Identify the skills your students need to learn
- Choose whole-class texts that will be most relevant to your kids
- Map out the timing of a unit and the strategies you'll teach
- Meet individual needs while teaching whole novels
- Guide students to choice books and book clubs that build on the skills being taught. Above all, Kate's plan emphasizes teaching reading skills and strategies over the books themselves. "By making sure that our classes are structured in a way that really sees students and strives to meet their needs," she argues, "we can keep reaching for the dream of a class where no student is unmoved, no reader unchanged by the end of the year." Video clips of Kate working with students in diverse classrooms bring the content to life throughout the book.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Professional Development, Nonfiction, College, School, Adult

184 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2018

Reviews

[Rachel Polacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Roberts writes with so much experience but with so much humility that you can really picture her as your colleague. I feel like she is rooting for me and my students in every part of this book. I also love how she sprinkles in personal anecdotes/metaphors that are both extremely helpful and made me laugh out loud. If you’re teaching any kind of reading in your (probably grade 4 up) classes, this book is for you.

[Kara Belden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I love that she balances whole-class novels and choice books in practical and meaningful ways. I really appreciate that she addresses every facet of the unit from mapping out the unit, to daily lesson plans, to tracking growth, etc. Student samples are provided as well as assessment examples. Surprisingly, my favorite chapter was the last - "Celebrate Achievements." As it often seems that teachers are polarized on this topic (students need to read the classics and experience whole-class novels together OR students need to read YA contemporaries on their own), this is a refreshingly simple solution. As a teacher who tends to sway toward the side of valuing independent reading, this was an important reminder that both experiences are worthwhile and productive, and moreover, both experiences can be accomplished in the precious time that we have.

[BookChampions · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually between a 2 and a 3 on this one. This is the 2nd Roberts pedagogical book I've read, and I've come to the conclusion that her work just isn't suited for where I'm at in my career. The problem I had with this text is that tries, early on, to appeal to both traditionalists and workshop teachers rather than embracing a strong position either way. Despite the compromise in the beginning (and the subtitle), this text is almost primarily about teaching the whole class novel. There is only one chapter on book clubs and none guiding us through the teaching of independently chosen and independently read novels.

I didn't disagree with the essentials of Roberts' thinking; there just wasn't a whole lot of new insight. So many of her "aha's" were discoveries I've already had over the 18 years I've been teaching high school English. (Kudos to her for packaging and being so generous in sharing these lessons with us!)

That said, for teachers new to giving students choice or new to teaching English as a whole, there is a whole lot of sense here.

I would love to teach with someone like Kate Roberts. She seems collaborative and humble, and I love that. The approach in her books, though, doesn't leave enough room for individual teachers to "find their own way." Like her earlier text, Falling in Love with Close Reading, A Novel Approach is too singular and dare-I-say "prescriptive" for my tastes.

[Rebekah O'Dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all need more balance in our world right now. And our classrooms are no different. In A NOVEL APPROACH, Kate Roberts proposes the kind of balance in reading instruction that doesn't feel like compromise -- it feels like a stroke of genius.

There isn’t a teacher among us who hasn’t wondered, “How do I do all of this?” Too often, professional books leave us inspired but feeling like we need super-powers. Kate’s book is refreshingly written for the Every Teacher, one who is full of heart to make the best choices for her students, but who also needs realistic, practical tips for getting it done.

Reading this book is like having the world’s best instructional coach by your side to help you craft a clear, manageable, and responsive approach to helping your students become better readers, thinkers, and people. Kate's warm voice and inviting narratives remind us of the tremendous power of our instructional decisions on our students’ reading lives, all the while, handing us myriad invaluable resources, instilling in us a necessary confidence, and high-fiving us through pages of this book. I keep this book on the corner of my desk right now, and I've already gifted multiple copies to teacher friends who will love this, too.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some solid advice and mental frameworks for teaching whole-class novels. The biggest idea I'm taking away is the concept of explicitly teaching a reading skill (analyzing the characterization in a novel) by breaking down specific and concrete strategies students can use (paying attention to the author's word choice when we first meet a character). Roberts emphasizes that when using a whole-class novel, she values the idea of teaching specific transferable skills of good readers rather than teaching "the novel" itself. While this seems like a normal thing I've heard before, in reflecting, I realized many of the lessons, discussions, and activities I've used when teaching with a whole-class novel have been around THE NOVEL, rather than a transferable reading skill to be used with any text.

I particularly like Robert's ability to break down the abstract skills of an English class (analyzing the development of a theme in a text; analyzing characterization etc.) into more specific "strategies" students can use while reading. I just used one today while reading Of Mice and Men with students and it went quite well. The main reason I'm giving this a 4/5 instead of 5/5 is just because I want MORE. I wish the text dove deeper into more examples of this kind of teaching.

[Shayne Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I didn't love Kate Roberts already, I certainly do now after reading this book. She is REAL! This book is full of practical application for any Language Arts classroom. What a beautiful tribute to her father.

[Jeff Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading. Solid advice and suggestions for teaching whole-class novels and using book clubs in the ELA classroom. What I enjoy most about Kate Roberts' text is her balance of humor and humility. Like all good teachers, she knows she doesn't have all the answers, but that doesn't stop her from trying to improve every day she enters the classroom.

[Nicole Perry Kurilchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that Kate Roberts is always so down-to-earth and practical in her writing. I have a number of things to think about before the school year starts!

[Kathy Mathey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful insights into teaching techniques, strategies, and approaches found here. Matches my mantra: Never Stop Learning!

[Elizabeth Guillemette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful with lots of applicable ideas on how to get quick data and use it. Lots of the ideas played well with the work of Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher on balancing a variety of reading experiences throughout the year.

[n · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been skipping around in this book for awhile, but I finally sat down and just finished reading it. There's a lot of useful information and activities to work with, though a lot of it is pretty obvious; it's something that is helpful as a tool for considering teaching whole-class novels, giving you outlines of how to do certain activities and ways that could engage students.

Overall, not bad. It's given me a few ideas for what I might want to do in the future.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of professional development books, so for me to list it on my Goodreads and write a review? Let's just say,...it speaks volumes. I read this book as a book study with our reading teachers. It's been so successful (they are finishing up the last chapter), other teachers at another campus have asked me to have a book study with them. We started this week. That being said, let me see if I can sum up why this is an excellent book.

Kate Roberts does a great job of taking the best parts of things she has learned from other sources, and her own experiences, and presents "the why and the how" of teaching students the skill and joy of reading, of making texts accessible to middle school and high school students. She also has a QR code where you can see videos of her modeling whole-group and small-group novel reading for middle and high school students.

The book is not long, it is not boring, and not one word is a waste of your reading time. The book is laid out well and progresses along in a way that just flows. I love her examples and her reasoning. She changed my mind about a few things I thought, and she confirmed other things that I already knew, but it's always nice to hear confirmation from someone with great examples of how to explain it to someone else. Roberts does an excellent job of giving you a metaphor that makes you see things a little clearer. The book will make you a better teacher, no matter how long you've been teaching or how good you already are. We all need to level-up and be life-long learners who continually strive to improve our craft and our profession for the sake of our students, who need us now more than ever.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas in here focused on meeting students where they’re at and helping them grow as readers. I love the way that Roberts balances the pluses of the whole-class text with the pluses of book clubs/student choice in texts. Rather than suggesting one approach is better than the other, she offers productive and useful ways to blend these approaches in ways that make each approach more effective than it would be on its own. I also just love that she acknowledges the realities of classroom teaching in a candid but optimistic way. For example, she notes that we will, inevitably, fail to reach some students but that knowledge shouldn’t inhibit us from staking out goals that imagine we can.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to be friends with Kate Roberts. She's so humble, so real, and so much like me in other ways that it's shocking. When I first started reading this book for mandatory PD, I joked with a colleague that this book's structure was written for me: lots of theatre and Shakespeare references and an ampersand on every page! In the end, we have another thing in common-- our fathers broke our hearts by dying too soon. None of that has anything to do with the clever content of this book, but being able to connect to her helped it not be "just another PD" book. She has great practical ideas that I think I can use in my classroom with my teaching partners. I enjoyed reading this and will recommend it to others.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review #4 of 2021:

I can think of several people who need to read this book. Perhaps some former school administrators who very straightforwardly told me that novels are not the best way to teach reading strategies; that if we want students to succeed, we should be giving them short non-fiction articles and story excerpts. This book is an extended thesis on exactly what I've been shouting from the rooftops: that novels are an excellent way to teach reading and writing strategies, collaboration, language and listening skills, etc., when done right.

The book begins by explaining the divide between teachers viewing whole-class novels as burdensome and teachers viewing whole-class novels as an enriching experience. I probably fall into the latter camp; this year, I've had the pleasure of working with a curriculum that bases its activities/assessments on the assumption that students are doing constant independent reading - my dream scenario. That being said, in a few weeks, I'll be doing a couple whole-class novels, and I was really interested in looking at new approaches, besides the typical "chapter discussion questions" and "five-paragraph-essay on theme at the end." This book does that. It provides incremental ways to improve your teaching of novels, whether as a whole-class study, in book clubs, or independently.

And also, Kate Roberts lets her humor shine several times in this book. I can't say I've ever laughed out loud several times during an ELA pedagogy book - but here it is. This belongs on the "All ELA Teachers Should Read This" shelf, along with Nancie Atwell's In the Middle. I can't wait to read other stuff Roberts has written!

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for a teacher who wants to start moving beyond just the teaching of whole-class novels. I think a lot of English departments should read it together, for it will spark a lot of much-needed conversation. There were some very helpful suggestions about how to start thinking about novel units differently, as well as ways to ease into book clubs.

For myself, this book was a little too late. I am now moving beyond these steps, so Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher’s 180 Days was much more helpful. I also appreciated the research woven within 180 Days, which this book did not really focus on.

[Leanne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

This is worth the read if you’ve ever taught, or intend on teaching, a whole-class novel. I had a lot of “aha” moments. Even though what she discussed (teach reading skills, not the novel) sounds like common sense, reading this made me realize I’ve focused too much on the book as opposed to the fundamental skills students should be practicing in the unit so they can transfer those skills to another book. Roberts does a great job of breaking down the structure and organization of a whole-class novel, which is always the most daunting part of a unit.

Gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because I wanted more explicit examples on how to teach the strategies she was referring to. Overall an extremely helpful read!

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous resource for teachers who want to move from teaching the traditional whole class novel to more choice while not having to give up the whole class novel - just approaching it differently. Roberts's writing voice is funny, poignant, and honest - smart without ever being condescending or judgy to teachers, acknowledging the reality of the classroom but still upholding high standards for our accountability to students. I'm excited about sharing this with teachers!

[Kris Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have one suggestion for improvement if she later makes a revised edition. Whole class novels can be an invitation for trouble in conservative communities. Remember that Kate lives in Brooklyn. I would direct readers to Keep Them Reading: An Anti-Censorship Handbook for Educators.

https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Them-Read...

[Rita Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for 6-12 summer learning and I am so thankful to Kate Roberts for sharing her ideas and learning with all educators. The discussions, ideas and questions in our online conversations show that this professional read pushed all of our thinking!

I love Kate's honesty in her writing and I enjoy the conversational tone! Lots of great idea!

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. It presents reasonable and meaningful ways to approach whole class texts and balance with student choice. The whole class text approach she outlines makes sense! It’s an important shift from thinking about teaching “books” to teaching strategies and skills.

Excited about using this with my preservice teachers in their methods class this fall.

[Chris Minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely some nuggets of insight. I struggled with vignettes and anecdotes as the only metrics of impacts on student learning. I felt like adding "metrics" (read standardized testing) that administrators care about would acknowledge the high stakes testing realities of myself and colleagues so that we could promote such an approach to meet the needs of our diverse learners.

[Sherry Guice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I wish I had written...practical and timely addressing many issues teachers of English and literacy face--how to pace and organize teaching with depth while fostering independence and avid reading...LOVED it.

[Amanda K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roberts delivers an innovative reader-friendly guide to teaching whole class novels. Her ideas are organized neatly, making them seem easy to implement in the classroom. The most compelling part of her argument is shortening the time teachers spend on novels while focusing that time on mini lessons, choice, key activities, and differentiated instructions.

While I know the supplemental materials are available online, I would have benefited from more substantial visual aids instead of the sized down, handwritten exhibits that were included.

[Sarah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely helpful for integrating independent reading and book circles/clubs well and with meaning. I’m using it to reformat some units for my sophomores as well as integrate further opportunities for choice in both my preps. Some great ideas here and a worthwhile read.

[Jenny Leitsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some stealable stuff in here. The most helpful part for me was the appendix of teaching videos at the end. It's always helpful and affirming to watch other teachers in action and think, "Okay, I'm on the right track."

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Roberts's exceptional professional book is a must-read for English/language arts teachers. Her writing is gorgeous, her ideas inspiring. This is a work I will return to again and again.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this for any middle or high school English teachers.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for student teachers learning how to structure reading-based units. I enjoyed this, and it helped QUITE a bit.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked all of the pragmatic and practical methods shared. This would be good for any ELA/Reading teacher.