I like to start by telling students that today is about meaning, not marks. We’re stepping back from chapters and assignments and asking what this novel actually did to us as readers. I usually frame it like this: “You won’t remember every character or event, but some books leave something behind. Today we’re figuring out…
I begin today’s lesson by reframing confusion as a strength. I tell students that strong novels want readers to feel unsettled at times. When authors leave questions unanswered or introduce surprising moments, they’re inviting readers to think, predict, and interpret—not just follow the plot. I explain that today’s focus is noticing moments that feel strange,…
This lesson is designed to help students move beyond what happens in a story and start thinking about what it means. Symbolism and imagery are powerful tools for helping students uncover deeper themes, character motivations, and author intent—no matter what novel they’re reading. I like this lesson because it’s flexible. You can drop it into…
Political cartoons are one of my favourite teaching tools because they force students to do real thinking—no skimming, no guessing, no shortcuts. Students have to interpret symbolism, understand context, and infer meaning, all while engaging with humour and exaggeration. This lesson connects political cartoons directly to our novel study, helping students move from analysis to…
Today’s lesson is all about anticipation. By this point in the novel, students can usually feel that something big is coming—even if they can’t quite articulate it yet. This is the perfect moment to slow things down and ask students to think like authors and careful readers. I introduce the idea that most stories build…
Today’s lesson sits right at the intersection of reading comprehension and critical thinking. When students understand who is telling the story — and how much that narrator knows — their interpretations become sharper, more skeptical, and far more interesting. In book clubs especially, narrative point of view matters. Two students can read the same chapter…
I begin today by reminding students that stories don’t move forward only through events—they move forward through people. Characters change, sometimes quietly, sometimes dramatically, and strong readers notice when and why that change happens. I let students know that today’s focus is on: noticing character growth during reading, briefly revisiting participles as a descriptive tool,…
One of the biggest shifts students make in Grade 9 English is learning that opinions don’t stand on their own—they need proof. This lesson is designed to slow students down and help them notice what the author is doing and where that evidence lives in the text. The focus today is simple and powerful: gathering…
Today’s class blends reading, grammar, and literary thinking in a way that helps students build strong habits as readers and writers. We begin with time to immerse ourselves in our novels, then shift into a brief introduction to active vs. passive voice. Finally, we move into a theme hunt—a guided activity that teaches students how…
As we move deeper into our novel studies, conflicts are starting to bubble up—some quietly, some loudly, and some we’re not even sure how to label yet. Today’s lesson is designed to help students recognize the conflicts that are developing and start thinking about where those tensions might lead. It’s a simple, collaborative task that…