How to Build a PBL Unit Around a Novel

Novel studies are a common way of building student vocabulary and fluency, creating opportunities for modeling strategies key to a deeper enjoyment of literature, and exposing students to authors and genres they might not select otherwise. Additionally, many schools have preselected books that are required to be studied at specific grade levels, so the novel study is often a fixture in many secondary English language arts (ELA) classes today.     

This prevalence of novels within ELA classrooms is one of the reasons why I frequently see the following need-to-know question appearing in my project-based learning (PBL) workshops: “How do you build PBL units around novel studies?” Not only is this question common, but it’s challenging to approach, as there are many factors that have to be taken into consideration in order to design such an experience. 

The suggestions that follow are my answer to how you might integrate novels into a PBL approach for your learners and what to consider before you do. 

What To Consider, What To Avoid

The way in which you approach novels affects how you will design and facilitate your project. Here are three things you need to ask yourself before you begin:

1. Do learners read the novel mostly in class, mostly outside of class, or both? 
2. Is the novel that you’re building a project around new to you or one you know well?
3. Do you already have established reading routines (e.g., literature circles or close reading)?

These factors determine the length of your project and how you’ll approach the reading portions that will complement the PBL work your learners do while they read their novel. Note that I said “while they read” rather than “after they read.” While there are many negotiables for integrating novels into PBL, it’s important for the project and the book to live side by side, not one after the other.   

A common inclination is to go through the novel first, then do a project. This is not true PBL, as the project becomes what John Larmer refers to as “dessert” or an afterthought that serves little to no real purpose. In a true PBL project, students don’t just apply what they already know to the completion of the project—they also build and demonstrate their knowledge through its completion. What’s more, this process literally doubles the length of time that such a unit could take. The result is that many ELA teachers dismiss PBL as something that can’t possibly fit within their pacing calendar.    

So instead of a “one then the other” approach, here are a few tried-and-true PBL concepts you might choose or adapt for your next novel study.

Thematically Align Novel Beats With Project Milestones 

One of the most rewarding ways to integrate a novel into a PBL project is to use the novel as the main source for a thematic project. Some examples might include exploring injustices in modern society while reading Animal Farm, trying to decide if perfect societies are possible through Fahrenheit 451 or Uglies, or reflecting on how we grow and change while reading The Catcher in the Rye or Bless Me, Ultima. 

The key to this type of project is that the book and the project follow each other simultaneously while the problem or question at the project’s center is answered as the book progresses. Be warned—this approach may be the most rewarding, but it also requires expert-level knowledge of the book, since the project activities and assignments align to specific chapters or moments in the book. 

To understand this complex approach, let’s use Little Red Riding Hood as an example. First, we must consider the helpful knowledge it could bestow on the reader and how it relates to the real world. The idea of safety comes to mind, so a teacher might design a project around “How can we create a plan to keep ourselves and our families safe?” The final product would be a family safety plan. Next the teacher considers the “beats” in the book and aligns the parts of the project to the beats so that as the story progresses, the final product is developed.

Certain parts of the story connect to parts of the safety plan, allowing the project to progress alongside the book and inform the project as the students read.    

Analyze and Understand the Novel Through Collaboration 

Instead of having students just read and discuss the novel, they can work collaboratively to build their abilities as “literacy leaders” and develop analytical skills. The driving question for such a project could be something along the lines of “How can we create and lead an inclusive book club in our class?”  

Students take turns acting as leader of the group for the day/week. They lead the discussion, prepare prompts or supplemental materials, and practice the analysis strategies that their teacher has modeled for them in service of supporting them as the leaders. This kind of project leans heavily into shared norms and values and relies on a culture built atop shared responsibility. 

The Edutopia article “5 Tips for Teaching Novels When Students Won’t Read” presents additional effective strategies to use if you have reluctant readers in your class. The methods shared can help improve your students’ experience with novels and encourage them to contribute to group projects.  

Demonstrate Deep Knowledge Through Creative Writing

Books with open-ended plot points (such as The Giver) are an effective way to integrate both critical thinking and creative writing into novel studies through PBL.  

In this type of project, students work together to critically analyze the novel’s characters and narrative arc so that they can create an alternate ending or additional chapter that fits seamlessly with what they’ve read together. Daily reading, writing, and discussion activities provide the method for students to workshop their alternative endings.

This kind of project invites a great deal of reflection and critique as students question and justify the choices they make in their writing. Would Romeo and Juliet’s untimely deaths finally bring peace to Verona, or would they result in an escalation of the family conflict and exacerbate circumstances “where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”? Rich discussion and revision opportunities abound.  This project could also culminate with an outside audience, such as the school’s ELA department, choosing the best entries and reading them aloud.