Melissa Burch 0:00
Hey friends welcome to another episode of annotated ELA I am so excited you're here. Today is definitely going to be a bit of a shorter episode we are talking all things novels in verse, and why they are perfect for all reading levels and all types of student readers.
Melissa Burch 0:20
If you're looking to explore novels in verse for middle grades with your students during Poetry Month or anytime of the year, novels inverse provide an opportunity for reluctant readers to find books they love, and more advanced readers can explore new genres. Let's get started and dive into novels in verse for middle grades, because they are perfect for all reading levels.
Melissa Burch 0:43
But before we get into the episode, I wanted to let you know that you can grab my poetry explore board for free. This resource will help introduce elements of poetry to your students, and provide opportunities for choice. The link will be in the show notes if you want to check it out.
Melissa Burch 1:00
Alright, so first, accessibility and engagement are definitely reasons to check out novels in verse. When novels are written in verse it makes them accessible and inviting for younger readers, but also for reluctant readers. The poetic form offers a unique and often more approachable way to engage in storytelling because it is so concise and structured and the format of poetry. The novels allow for easier digestion of content, which can be really really beneficial for reluctant readers or those who might struggle with longer narratives. It allows for shorter, more impactful bursts of storytelling, and it encourages students who may be intimidated by longer passages or prose. To dive into reading, it's a quick win rate novels inverse feels like you're reading quickly, you're getting short little bursts of the narrative when you're reading novels, inversed. And for students who struggle with reading that helps them feel successful, and they're getting the story in smaller amounts, smaller passages, smaller chunks. So accessibility and engagement are definitely a reason that this is great for all readers. For advanced students. Those shorter passages are a great way to then understand on a deeper level, digging in to the elements of novels in verse digging into the figurative language and understanding it on a deeper level.
Melissa Burch 2:31
Number two, it encourages creativity and discussion. So these novels often offer features of characters who express themselves through more creative outlets like poetry, dance, art, sports. This can inspire students to explore their own creative abilities and find new ways to express themselves. Maybe even our students who are reluctant to engage in writing will find their voice through poetry, and see that there are ways to communicate in a different way that isn't just the normal paragraph or essay. Also, the themes and topics explored in these novels can serve as excellent conversation starters in the classroom that allows us as teachers, and even the students amongst themselves, to have discussions on relevant issues, historical contexts and other deeper topics that maybe are harder to access when we're reading longer novels.
Melissa Burch 3:29
Number three, it's an engaging narrative style. Each novel employs a unique narrative style and voice, it gets readers engaged in the storytelling, and the variety and styles can keep them engaged and excited about exploring different types of reading. This is just another way to engage and expose our students to different forms of storytelling. I don't know about your middle school students with my reluctant readers want to pick all the graphic novels and I am all about graphic novels, I am all about anything that is going to hook our students I also think that graphic novels are a unique way to tell stories, they have high vocabulary, however, I tell them that just because you love a certain food doesn't mean you're going to eat it every day all day, your body would lack the proper nutrients to survive and thrive if you're just eating the exact same food all day every day. It's the same with novels, or same with reading. Our brains are lacking the necessary nutrients that they need to thrive if I want to become a more well read, knowledgeable, intelligent, critical thinking, able to notice and ask questions and think about things in a different way. I need to read different genres and novels in verse are a really great hook into exploring different genres with our students.
Melissa Burch 4:55
And number four is it provides lots of different learning opportunities. The poetic nature of these novels allows for exploration of literary devices and how authors use craft to create a story to create meaning. It is such a great way to dive deeper into Writer's Craft. Not only are you exploring metaphor, simile, imagery and rhythm, analyzing these elements, deepen students understanding of language tone, and again, just the art of storytelling, and it's so accessible, they feel like they're on a scavenger hunt. When you read a passage from a novel in verse and ask them to find metaphor, simile, and imagery, they're hooked. They're engaged, they're paying attention to what you're reading. And that is just a win every time. The apathy and the lack of motivation goes out the window because the students are engaged in what they're doing.
Melissa Burch 5:55
So no matter what level your students are reading at novels, in verse have the ability to provide an entrance to reading and engage reluctant readers and even deepen and extend our advanced readers. It also provides that opportunity for deeper analysis, and higher order thinking for students who are not reluctant to read and engage, but even are reluctant readers probably have that ability for that deeper analysis and higher order thinking if they like what they're reading.
Melissa Burch 6:28
Novels in verse are often an overlooked and underrated genre. And this provides a possible new genre for students, like I said, especially those who might love graphic novels, or prefer short, engaging text.
Melissa Burch 6:40
Let's recap the four ways that novels and verse are a great way to engage all readers. First, accessibility and engagement, it just is an easy way to open the door for our students to engage in reading. Number two, it encourages creativity and discussion. Being able to read multiple passages in a shorter amount of time helps start discussion but also you can discuss literary techniques, as well as storytelling techniques. Number three, engaging in a different narrative style, but also allowing students to write in a different style, they can emulate that mentor text, and number four, it provides so many learning opportunities for exploring literary devices such as metaphor, simile, imagery, language, tone, and just the author's craft.
Melissa Burch 7:37
If you want more reasons to use novels and verse, check out the blog post at annotated ela.com/episode40. It has 20 engaging and relatable novels in verse for middle grades and also expands on the reasons discussed in this episode. You might also want to take a listen to episode 39. The episode just before this one called Five Dynamic Poetry Month activities to Engage Middle Schoolers. It's a good companion to this episode because it has lots of ideas for activities to engage your students in poetry, and could even pair well with reading a novel in verse. As always friends, I just so appreciate you being here. Until next time, friends. Remember, the magic is in the process.
