A Novel Approach

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 conclusion: 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 you: