Interactive Notebook Activities for Any Story or Novel~Perfect for 4th-8th Grade

This resource contains ready-made, Common Core interactive notebooking activities to accompany any story or novel.
With interactive notebooks, students are active learners as they cut, fold, glue, and complete activities in their notebooks. Directions for foldables are included for each handout. You choose the activities that best fit the story or chapter or novel you are reading. These lessons are also PERFECT for literature circles or independent novel studies. Students can complete the activities as a group, as they read the story or novel independently, or as a whole class.

The activities included in this unit are perfect for grades 4-8. Your students will analyze setting, conflict, point of view, theme, the author’s craft and much more! If you are looking for meaningful lessons that are not simply cute and generic but that help you teach Common Core standards, then this unit is for you! Use it with multiple novels and stories for years and years. Everything is ready for you to copy and handout. Some of the pages can be used during reading and others are post-reading activities.

We are extremely excited about this product! Completing novels or stories using interactive notebooking is awesome because students are active, and they love it! Once the unit is finished, students can use the notebook as a reference. Literary terms and opportunities for analysis of these devices are provided throughout the unit. The best part is that once you purchase this unit, you can reuse it every year!
*Note: While this packet was created for interactive notebooks, these activities can be used on any type of paper. You don’t have to currently be using interactive notebooks to use these lessons. All directions are very clear, and pictures are provided.
Read below for a detailed list of what is included:

Vocabulary Flaps – Students will use this cutout as they encounter words that they do not know. A definition can be written beside the word, and on the notebook paper underneath the flap, students can use the word in a sentence. You may need to give your students two or more of these pages if there are multiple unfamiliar words in the story or novel.

Story Elements – Use these four boxes to take notes on the main character, setting, conflict, and point of view.

Who is the Main Character Wheel- This cutout will provide four flaps. Students will record information about the main character here. Students are required to support their answers with the text.

Setting – Under each flap, students will record details about the setting. This activity will help students to understand that there is more to a setting than just the time and place. Next, students will complete an activity that will help them determine how the setting affects the characters and plot.

Point of View – With this activity, students will analyze the point of view by rewriting a portion of the story using a different point of view.

Tone – Students will create this flapbook to determine the tone of a chapter or story. They will take a look at the author’s use of word choice, details, and dialogue that create this tone.

Figurative Language – The foldable and cutout included will help students understand types of figurative language and find examples of figurative language used in the story or chapter. A notecard cutout with the definitions of different types of figurative language is also provided.

Foreshadowing – This cutout will require students to analyze the use of and purpose of foreshadowing in a story or chapter.

Plot – A handout is provided with a plot diagram and tips for determining the parts of plot. A cutout with flaps is included so that students can determine the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of a plot.

How to Answer Constructive Response Questions – This is a reference guide that explains how to correctly answer a constructive response question. A practice sheet is included.

Find Textual Support – These cutouts will require students to find textual support . Students will write quotes, lines, or passages under each flap.

Theme – This theme box will be glued at the top to create a flap. Underneath, students will write notes on how to determine theme. Notes are provided for the teacher. Next, students will create a flapbook which guides them in determining the theme of the story or novel and understanding it.

Who’s Who When it Comes to Characters – With this activity, students will determine the protagonist, antagonist, hero, and obstacle character in a story.

Cinquain – This activity will guide students in writing a poem about any story.

Final Text Message – A fun and creative cutout that requires students to think like the main character.

Go and Find – Students will search for a few more passages in the story or novel using this activity.