Do you see that up ahead? It’s the finish line to the school year! Testing season is coming to a close, and the school year is drawing near. From my own experience, students think it’s summer vacation once testing week is over. It can be a challenge to keep them focused and invested in their work! Many teachers are in the same boat and are searching to keep their students engaged in their learning while having fun. A novel study is an excellent way to achieve both goals. By reading a popular book and completing activities related to it, students can connect the skills they’ve learned throughout the year in a fun and engaging reading activity.
What is a Novel Study?
A novel study is kind of like a book club in your classroom. As a class, you read the book together and then dive into a variety of activities related to the book. A novel study is an excellent way to bring together all the reading skills you’ve worked on and apply them. You can tie in almost every reading comprehension skill, dive into vocabulary and work on strategies used by a good reader.
Unlike when students choose an independent reading activity, since the entire class is reading the same book you will have a common starting place for rich, literature-based discussion. And. . . if you keep your ears open you are very likely to hear discussions about the book on the playground, in the bus line, and in the cafeteria.
Novel studies can be completed with the entire class or in small groups. A whole class study will require some support for students who might not be at the best reading level for the book. However, this can be easily done through class discussion as you read, and enrichment activities related to the book. A small group novel study allows you to better meet student reading levels, but it can add a lot of individualized work for you. I honestly think there is a time and place for both types of novel studies.
Why Novel Studies are Great for End of Year
You may be wondering why anyone would start a novel study at the end of the year. You’re exhausted. Your students are exhausted. You all are yearning for that first morning of summer vacation when you can sleep in. I am daydreaming right there with you, BUT there are many benefits to ending the year with novel studies.
For one, they provide a structured opportunity for students to practice and reinforce skills that were covered throughout the year. Your students have worked diligently to learn and apply these reading comprehension strategies all year. Now’s not the time to lose them!
While there is still a lot of learning and application going on, it doesn’t feel as “formal” as other reading lessons or practice activities.
As students read the book, they work on activities such as character analysis, predicting outcomes, and summarizing key plot points. By the end of the novel study, students gain a deeper understanding of the story, its characters, and its themes while honing in on their skills in a fun and engaging way.
Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather at the end of the year and head outside for some reading time. Show your kids just how much fun reading can be through an end of the year novel study.
Do You Know the Candy Man?
One book that I continuously find myself returning to over and over is Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” It is a fantastic book for an end of the year novel study. Actually, it is great to use any time of the year! My students, year after year, find so much enjoyment in immersing themselves in Dahl’s storytelling.
I love entering into conversations on this book with my students, especially if they have seen one of the movie adaptations. The excitement, or the awe, when they come across a similarity or difference, makes this teacher’s book-loving heart warm!
And if they haven’t seen the movie, watching one or more of the movie adaptations is a great way to wrap up this study.
With its fantastical characters, imaginative setting, and engaging plot, this classic tale is the perfect choice for a novel study to end the year.
Let’s take a look at some book study activities to pair with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Using Novel Study Activities to Bring the World of Reading to Life!
One goal with any reading activity we do is working on reading comprehension. I want to make sure that my students are understanding what they are reading. During a novel study, we do this at the end of each chapter. This not only allows me to make sure my students are all on the same page with the story, but we can quickly correct any misunderstandings. This helps all students to be able to stay engaged with the book.
But novel studies are so much more than just reading comprehension activities. Below are a few creative ideas to make novel reading magical for your readers:
Host a Willy Wonka-Style Candy-Making Contest
After reading about all the wondrous sweets and treats in the book, I challenge my students to create their own imaginative candy creations. I also encourage them to use descriptive language to describe what their candy looks like, tastes like, feels like, and smells like. Then they draw pictures or diagrams of their creations in the most fun and brightest colors they can imagine. Afterward, we hold a candy-making contest to see whose creation is the most imaginative. We always vote as a class, and then I let faculty and sometimes other classes vote too!
Create a “Golden Ticket” Scavenger Hunt
In the book, Charlie finds a golden ticket that grants him access to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. With that knowledge in mind, my readers create five of their own golden tickets. They design, color, and cut out the tickets themselves. Depending on the time frame, they then hide them around the classroom or school. The timeframe and locations of hiding places are going to vary based on your school and your schedule.
I have organized the hiding of the tickets in multiple different ways. The way I typically go about doing this is by giving each student a day when they will hide their tickets. They can come to the classroom early in the morning, or they can hide them during morning break or recess.
Then, the class has the rest of the day to find them. If that is too many days, you can always partner your students up.
To build community throughout my school, I have also worked with my building administrator to hide tickets around the school. I open it to all grade levels. If someone finds a ticket, they can come to our room or the school office for a small prize (pencil, water bottle sticker, homework pass).
This is honestly one of my favorite activities to do with my students during this novel study because of their excitement and giggles throughout the creation and hiding of the tickets! The cheers when they find a ticket are an added bonus! And. . . the ability to teach my students how easy it can be to share happiness with others.
Plan a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Day
I send home a letter to parents at the beginning of the novel study sharing with them what we are reading, the skills being studied, and how we will celebrate with a special day based around the novel!
On this day, I have students dress up as their favorite characters from the book. Depending on any allergies or restrictions your students have, sometimes they are able to bring in chocolate-themed snacks to share. I have been fortunate enough to receive donations from families in years past. If chocolate is not possible, I find two snacks that everyone can have – one salty and one sweet.
I fill this day with lots of movement and hands-on activities all tied around our novel! The students love finding connections! For example, we will have an Oompa-Loopa dance party where we listen to music from the movie. To tie in math for the day, I grab a bag of mini chocolate bars that come in different varieties. Students will practice their graphing and data analysis skills by creating graphs showing the number of each type of candy.
We wrap up the day by watching one of the movie adaptations of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as a class. Check with your school policies because you may have to receive permission. A little creativity can turn a day focused on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” into a memorable and engaging experience for your students.
With these ideas and more, you can create a fun and engaging “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” novel study that your students will love.
Novel Studies Enhance Your Students’ Learning Experiences
So as you wind down the school year, consider incorporating a novel study like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” into your curriculum. Don’t have time to plan everything? No problem! I’ve got everything you need for a fun and in-depth novel study done for you.
With my “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Novel Study, you have the ability to choose from a variety of activities that your students will love! Each chapter is accompanied by comprehension worksheets to ensure students understand the story. There are fun activities like designing their own golden ticket, word searches, and character studies. Additionally, there are wrap-up activities to assess comprehension at the end of the novel. This comprehensive novel study has everything you need to bring the book to life while meeting your readers’ needs.
With its fun and engaging storyline and the wide range of skills it reinforces, this novel will surely be a hit with your students and help fuel their love for reading.
Looking for some additional novel study resources? Check out these:
- Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing – Novel Study
- James and the Giant Peach Novel Study
- The Twits by Roald Dahl Novel Study
- The Magic Finger – Novel Study
- The Witches by Roald Dahl | Novel Study
Save these Novel Study Activities for Later!
Whether you are looking for an end of the year novel study or just novel study activities to use any time, save this post to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back when you need novel study ideas!
