Whole Class Novel: Part Deux

Andrea Reichenberger contributed this post. Click here to read more of Andrea's thinking.

Click here to read Andrea's previous post about the whole class novel.

A few months ago I shared my thoughts about using the whole class novel in the ELA classroom.  Although I’m certainly not a proponent, I argued that it could be done, but only when used in the correct context.  Recently, I had experiences with two different schools asking me the same question: Should the whole class novel be used in a science and/or social studies classroom?

Admittedly, the teachers’ hearts are in the right place.  Of course we want to encourage students to read and of course we want teachers to incorporate literacy into their classroom instruction, but using a whole class novel--especially in science or social studies isn’t the way to go about it. There are more authentic ways to promote literacy within these areas.  

Let’s start with the standards themselves. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are very content-driven and if you’ve looked at them, there are a significant amount of topics to cover.

 

If you use the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS), you are lucky, as the C3 framework clearly outlines the connections to the literacy standards. However, the ELA standards also clarify specific literacy skills in that should be addressed in science and technical subjects as well as in History and Social Studies.

(History and Social Studies) ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

(Science and Technical Subjects) ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

Novels are not primary sources or technical texts, but maybe we need to remind teachers that literacy isn’t just about reading.  The reading-writing connection also needs to be addressed in all disciplines. The writing standards for both science/technical subjects and history/social studies are the same. What types of text should we use in science and history when we review the writing standards listed below?  

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

There are better ways to promote literacy in the science and social studies classrooms.  Do a book talk. If you are a reader, share the books you are reading with your students (both novels and informational texts). If you read The Martian and 1984 and think they would be great books for students to read as an extension--share that with them!  If you find an excerpt that ties in with your content, take a few minutes and read it aloud or provide a copy and have the students write a response or reflection and then talk about it!  Collaborate with an ELA teacher or literacy coach in your building if you need more ideas.

As a science or history teacher, you could certainly use a novel excerpt that aligns with a topic in your content area. Use it to create a close read with text dependent questions.  Then have the students do a close read of an informational text (maybe something from their textbook) on the same topic to make intertextual connections. Develop questions that align with both the literacy and the discipline standards.

I strongly encourage teachers to use authentic mentor texts from within their content area.  Scientists don’t use novels when researching.  The discussion about the texts we use needs to begin with not only the type of text, but also with the standards.  There is so much to choose from!  Photographs, video clips, research documents, journal articles, charts, graphs, diagrams, polls, law documents, personal accounts, newspaper articles, artifacts, and the list goes on and on.  A rich literacy experience can be created within any classroom without using a whole class novel.