It’s the start of the school year, and you are nervous yet again. What are you going to do with twenty (more or less) hyperactive children or, even worse, bored adolescents? How are we going to pique their interest while also actually teaching them something? How are we going to offer alternatives to the allure of the world behind the screen? We must teach from the textbooks, of course, but history has shown we can’t do that constantly, right?
Unlike the dominant experiences of the digital age, which are -let’s be honest- quite passive, reading is an active experience (although it may not seem so). It requires us to scan the words, move our eyes about the page with purpose, comprehend, pause, ponder, and repeat. It would be good to give our students motives to do this; tasks to complete when they have finished turning through the pages. Questions to answer and texts to compose of their own accord. This is where this article comes in.
To be specific, I am not offering book recommendations according to grade, because you might be teaching younger children at higher levels or vice versa. So, consider the recommendations below in conjunction with your classroom’s CEFR level and age, and if the combinations of age range and level do not match what you have, then feel free to improvise, mix and match.
Below you can find some suggestions for books that your students are bound to love! There is something for everyone, a sprinkle of fairytale, a touch of mystery, a dash of adventure, a looming shadow of dystopia. Books that will make them think, debate, wonder, laugh and maybe even cry (that can be cathartic). The recommendations are made in accordance with the books’ level of linguistic challenge (i.e., what each CEFR level can handle) and with the books’ thematic challenge (i.e., how complex and/or advanced the topics, themes, and situations are). I have included six books for each CEFR level and age range to offer more options; throughout the school year there would only be time for approximately three-four books. Remember to order the materials within the year in a way that makes sense, e.g., easiest to most challenging or shortest to longest. Many (if not most of) the books below come highly recommended, as they can be found on the syllabi of IB, A-levels and on the reading lists of many English-speaking schools.
Remember, some of these books may contain references to sensitive or mature topics; always research any book for trigger warnings before having your class read it.
Book list
B2 CEFR – 12-14 years old (in order of publication)
- The Little Prince (1943) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- A Wizard of Earthsea [Earthsea #1] (1968) by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Dark is Rising (1973) by Susan Cooper
- Matilda (1988) by Roald Dahl
- The Tulip Touch (1996) by Anne Fine
- Ella Enchanted (1997) by Gail Carson Levine
C1 CEFR – 15-16 years old (in order of publication)
- The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck
- Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell
- Life of Pi (2001) by Yann Martel
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) by Mark Haddon
- Nation (2008) by Terry Pratchett
C2 CEFR – 17-18 years old (in order of publication)
- Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley
- 1984 (1949) by George Orwell
- The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) by Douglas Adams
- The God of Small Things (1997) by Arundhati Roy
- Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline
I am also including a list of activities based on the books students might enjoy. The activities are meant to guide students into a creative engagement with the books, a sort of conversation with the characters and the narratives. They will enhance their reading comprehension skills, while employing critical thinking and a creative mindset to discuss ideas, symbolisms, and literary devices. They will also expand their vocabulary through encountering new words in context. To top it all off, a few suggestions for creative writing tasks will integrate the writing skill into your reading lessons. Not to mention the fact that quality literature cultivates empathy and cultural awareness; your students might also build strong reading habits that will follow them always!
Tasks (these can apply to any book):
Vocabulary building
- Meaning from context: choose ten unknown words from an excerpt of your book and have the students write short definitions based on the context
- Think of a synonym: choose ten words from an excerpt of your book and have the students think of at least one synonym for each
- Find the synonym: give synonyms for ten words from an excerpt of your book and have the students find the original words in the excerpt
- Use it in a sentence: choose five words from the Meaning from context task and have students use them in a sentence
Reading comprehension
- Explain to the students the difference between the main character and the protagonist. After reading the first two chapters, ask the students who the main character and who the protagonist is, provided the book has both.
- Does the book take place in our world or an imaginary one? Or something in between? Ask students and have them justify their opinions.
- Ask students for characterisations: what are the main character’s motives? How are they as a person? Do they have a moral alignment? Have them explore the emotional complexities of a character of their own choosing.
- What are the key themes in the book and how are they expressed?
- Close reading: choose excerpts from the books and assign them to different groups. Ask the students to identify the following (mix, match and subtract/multiply to your liking):
Metaphors, similes, imagery, puns & wordplay, allusions.
- Ask students to closely read the dialogue. Do the characters have different styles or modes of communication? Do they use different dialects or registers?
Writing tasks
- Literary review: Have the students read some book reviews online as samples. Then have them write a review of the book you read, as if it would be published.
- Letter to the protagonist: Have the students write a letter to the protagonist to express their feelings, opinions and questions. They can write as themselves or they can write from the POV of another character.
- Diary entries: Have students write diary entries from the POV of characters you assign.
- Diverging ending: The students should write an alternative ending for the book; ask them to change an important decision a character makes, thus creating an alternative plotline that will lead to a different conclusion.
Art projects (for some fun and relaxed learning):
- Mapping the world: Choose a book set in a different world. The students can conceive and draw a big map with bright colours, sketches etc.
- Poster: The students will create posters inspired by the books that could be used to promote them.
