HS ELA Guide

Standards for Classroom Novel Use To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and deeply from a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts. Through extensive reading of stories, dramas, poems, and myths from diverse cultures and time periods, students gain literary and cultural knowledge as well as familiarity with various text structures and elements. Novels act a mirrors, window, and sliding-glass doors where students can “celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what makes us all human” (Bishop, 2015) As stated in District Policy 600.02 - Instructional Materials, any book taught in its entirety will need to be approved through the Fiction and Nonfction Book Approval Process (Exhibit 5) and listed in the Book Approval Database. All instructional materials (including teacher-selected materials) need to follow the Instructional Materials Selection Criteria. If your novel will address controversial topics, follow Policy 600.16—Study of Controversial Issues. Instructional materials that have sensitive materials are not not allowed to be taught in Utah Schools per state law (House Bill 29 and related codes cited in the bill). Guiding questions 1. What standards am I teaching? How does this novel support those standards? 2. What are the needs of the students in my class? How will I scaffold this novel to meet those needs? Purpose of novels in classroom instruction District Policy and StateLaw

3. What background knowledge do students need in order to access this novel? 4. What will students be doing to show their thinking during the reading of this novel?

Implementation and Alignment to

Meets Standard

Does Not Meet Standard

Scopeand Sequence

A variety of text types and complexities are used in class with appropriate tasks. Actively reading using strategies, e.g., ● Annotating the text ● Citing textual evidence ● Note-taking (Cornell notes, guided notes, etc.)

Diffcult texts not appropriately scaffolded.

Low-level texts not matched to diffcult task.

Students follow along as the teacher reads without an accompanying active task.

Students listening to tape without accompanying active task. Students reading silently without accompanying active task.

Use of text is focused on standards. Short sections selected for close reading.

Students demonstrate their thinking through academic discussion and writing in a variety of ways. Teachers require students to use textual evidence to support academic discussion and writing, demonstrating a varying degree of depth of knowledge. Class time used to actively read sections for whole-class activities. Other sections assigned as outside reading. Limited sections of audio used to support active reading (eg., a few minutes of listening followed by independent reading, followed by partner discussion).

No close readings of the novel performed.

Understanding of the novel demonstrated through an end of novel test focusing on recall. Discussions and writing focus on the events of the novel, not pulling evidence to support larger ideas.

Depth of knowledge 1 or 2.

Considerable class time spent to read or listen to the novel in order to read the entire novel in class.

Last Updated August 13, 2024

High School ELA, Page 15