This topic can become rather heated for English teachers. Should we read whole class novels? Donalyn Miller speaks out against it in her book Book Whisperer but not everyone agrees.
The reasons many people are against whole class novels include:
1. Not everyone is going to like the book, so reading it could do more harm than good. You don’t want to force a kid to read a book they hate.
2. Some students have already read the book,
3. Some students will find the book too hard and not want to ask questions.
4. Many students have anxiety over reading out loud and would not be focused on the content of the books.
5. It takes too long.
I get it. There are a lot of reasons to not read books together as a class, but I enjoy the shared reading experience. I do most of the reading, but I do call on students to read out loud occasionally too.
Here are the reasons I enjoy reading the books together:
1. I get to share some of my favorite books with students.
2. I can stop at strategic places, lines, and quotes to discuss or check for understanding.
3. I know most students are at least hearing the book. The problem I have is when students are absent. Sometimes they just listen to discussions and then hope they don’t have to read.
4. I love to hear the students react to the twists in the story! I love hearing them get surprised and invested.
It is so hard to decide whether or not to read whole class novels. And if you do, how do you do it? Do you use popcorn reading? Leave a comment and let me know how you handle this in your classroom.
Read, Write, Teach: North Dakota 