THE NOVELS IN VERSE COLLECTION: Supplemental and Alternative Text Ideas [S7 EP. 246]

Listen to the full episode below:

We’re in the middle of our novels in verse series and so far we’ve talked about the possibilities that come with a novels in verse unit, essential questions, and gateway activities.Now it’s time to get into our favorite part…supplemental ideas! 

Get ready to hear creative ways to supplement The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. We focus on the essential question: Which is more important, knowing your story or telling it? And we discuss key themes that can help students connect more deeply with the novel and their own experiences.

You’ll hear a mix of literary and pop culture resources that can bring these themes to life in fresh and exciting ways. From classic texts to modern music and even moments from film and theatre, these ideas will encourage your students to think critically about storytelling, identity, and self-expression. We also talk about different approaches to integrating these supplementals into a unit without overwhelming students - or teachers!

If you have more ideas for making a novels in verse unit more dynamic and engaging, we would love to hear from you! Send us a message on Instagram @bravenewteaching and join us in Happy Hour, where we share done-for-you resources, new strategies, and a supportive community of teachers like you!

Topics Discussed:

  • The core themes that we’re focusing on alongside our essential question

  • Types of supplemental tools we would use in this unit and why we’ve chosen them

  • Considering the purpose that your supplements should serve

  • Addressing pushback you may have to these ideas

  • Specific supplemental ideas that would match well with our essential question

Supplemental ideas that we shared in this episode:

  1. America Ferrera’s monologue from the Barbie movie - watch on YouTube here!

  2. Legally Blonde from Legally Blonde the Musical

  3. Defying Gravity from Wicked

  4. Taylor Swift’s album Red

  5. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

  6. Twenty-One album by Adele

  7. Back to Black by Amy Winehouse

  8. Rumors by Fleetwood Mack

  9. The Odyssey, Book 12

More Resources:

check out other bnt episodes:

More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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