How To End A Novel Study

 

Today is day 15 of the Slice of Life Challenge.

My class of juniors in the Advanced Placement Language & Composition class have finished reading The Great Gatsby. I hate the end of a novel study because I'm never quit sure how to end them. Test? Projects? Essay? This decision just feels like the What's For Dinner conundrum I have every day! And, yes, I KNOW I'm already supposed to have had this part figured out, but I've never been good at backwards planning. It's a flaw in my teacher school or something didn't click when I took the "planning" course. IDK.

Anyway....

This morning, I had to decide how I was going to handle this part of the unit. I have given fairly easy reading quizzes throughout the month, so I know who has been reading and who hasn't. We've had two circle discussions which turned out pretty good. After our reading and quick write time, I still didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I gave them the last quiz for the book's last chapters. While they took that stupid multiple choice quiz, I knew that I didn't want to give a test. And I didn't want to assign any projects. I just felt (this morning at least), that those things didn't matter. 

When I finish reading a book, all I want to do is talk about it with someone who's read it! I don't do fake Instagram posts or book advertisements. Like, is that not wasting their time for me to assign those things? Is that petty because I have given these assignments. But this year, for some reason, I'm just not into time being wasted. 

The story of Jay Gatsby, Nick, the Buchanans, and the Wilsons sort of speak to our time and what it means to want/work for something that might be out of reach. I just don't think a test or project will make this group of 17-year-olds think about that. 

There are changes I need to make for next year when I teach this class, but for now, I'm going to have them participate in a class discussion and grade them on their participation in that. But then, the whole grade thing is another issue I have to tackle some day. 

I'd love some positive thoughts for my plight!! haha....

And, if anyone reading this has any ideas for the end of a novel study, I'm always open for advice!