Ready to embark on a thrilling novel study journey with your students, exploring the captivating world of Among the Hidden? Look no further! This no-prep Among the Hidden Novel Study Guide provides the perfect resource to engage your students and delve deep into the pages of Margaret Peterson Haddix's dystopian tale.
Say goodbye to basic comprehension questions and welcome a comprehensive approach that sparks curiosity and critical thinking in your students. This carefully crafted literature study guide provides a variety of engaging activities that go beyond simple understanding, creating an immersive and enriching learning experience.
So grab your book and keep reading to learn more about what this great unit includes!
What you'll find on this page:
Among the Hidden: A Quick Overview
This comprehensive and effortless “Among the Hidden” Novel Study Unit is your perfect partner to explore the captivating narrative without inundating your class with overwhelming basic comprehension questions. Before we dive into the overview, here's a bit about the book.
About the Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Margaret Peterson Haddix is renowned for her ability to create vivid, suspenseful worlds. She has a knack for weaving complex themes into riveting storylines that resonate with young readers. Critics and readers celebrate Haddix's books, including Among the Hidden, for their engaging plots and thoughtful exploration of societal issues.
Synopsis of Among the Hidden
Among the Hidden follows the journey of Luke, a third child living in secrecy. In a dystopian future where families are restricted to having only two children, Luke's life transforms when he encounters Jen, another “third” child. Their meeting sparks a journey for freedom and justice. This gripping tale explores courage, friendship, and the human spirit.
Key Themes in Among the Hidden
Among the Hidden navigates important themes, including individuality, rebellion against injustice, and the value of human life. These themes create a backdrop for engaging discussions and thoughtful reflections, making the novel an ideal choice for a novel study.
Summary of Among the Hidden
Among the Hidden unveils a gripping tale set in a future where families are restricted to having only two children. Amidst this, our protagonist, Luke Garner, is a third child, living his life concealed from the world. He exists in the shadow of secrecy, longing for a regular childhood that seems out of reach.
The Garner's life is cloaked in constant fear and anxiety, but they persist, bending the rules to ensure Luke's survival. However, Luke's world is confined, and his longing for companionship is palpable. An unexpected discovery brings hope to Luke's life – he is not alone.
He stumbles upon Jen, a spirited girl who, like Luke, is a third or “shadow child.” She is bold and rebellious, refusing to accept the oppressive norms. Their friendship marks the beginning of Luke's journey into a broader world filled with courage, resistance, and an urgent cry for justice.
Luke's story is a captivating exploration of resilience. It focuses on freedom, identity, and the power of friendship. It's more than just a book; it sparks thought-provoking discussions and provides enriching learning experiences for your students.
What's Included in the Among the Hidden Novel Study?
This novel study guide focuses on both comprehension and vocabulary. It includes three weeks of lessons, including:
- Instructional guide with daily comprehension skill, objective, and key Tier 2 & text-based
- Comprehension prompts in three formats for differentiation
- Foldable trifold brochures (downloadable as a pdf file)
- Cut and paste journal prompts for interactive notebooks
- Google Slides for digital learning
- Weekly word of the day flipbook for text-based vocabulary
- Easy-to-follow directions for printing and prep
- Instructional planning guide
- Comprehension answer keys
Comprehension skills addressed in this novel study
The comprehension portions of the Among the Hidden novel study were carefully crafted to align with the text and focus on skills that commonly require repeated practice.
This Among the Hidden novel study includes the following skills:
- Generating main idea sentences & summarizing key events
- Text & dialogue analysis from the perspective of self & characters
- Identification of cause and effect relationship
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions based on text clues
- Analyzing point of view & how it impacts the reader's experience
- Examining character traits & the development of relationships
- Exploring the author's purpose & its impact on the reader
- And so much more!
Every day concentrates on one comprehension skill. I structured it this way to enable you to delve deep into each skill, ensuring your students can comprehend, apply their knowledge to the text, and truly understand it. Additionally, this approach allows for a comprehensive exploration of each skill, building a deeper understanding and application of the material.
In crafting the comprehension prompts, my goal was to stimulate profound thinking. It's essential for students to deploy their acquired skills in crafting thoughtful written responses and substantiating their answers using textual evidence.
While this literary analysis nurtures an in-depth grasp of the plot of Among the Hidden, it simultaneously cultivates comprehension strategies that students can apply to other texts.
How do students practice the comprehension skills?
The comprehension prompts are provided in three formats. Below, I've outlined the benefits of each format.
Weekly Trifolds
The initial model for this “Among the Hidden” novel study was based on the use of trifolds. I designed these adaptable, trifolds to provide a week's worth of comprehension activities using a single piece of paper.
Each day, students receive a targeted question that directs their attention to the specific comprehension skill of the day. This approach combines resourcefulness with practicality in a uniquely effective way.
The benefit of the trifolds is that they're both engaging and approachable for students. Daily work takes up a third of the page, keeping reluctant writers from shutting down.
Additionally, the work is easy to collect and grade. Many students use the trifold as a bookmark, helping prevent missing papers.
Click here to learn more about the trifold novel study format.
Reader's Notebook Prompts
The Reader's Notebook prompts are perfect for advanced learners who need more space to provide in-depth analysis or offer differentiation for those who struggle with handwriting.
Google Slides
The digital slides offer another option for differentiation for students who may need to type responses. Instead of writing out their answers, they can type them into the slides to submit. This saves time and effort for those who struggle with handwriting, which makes it an ideal teaching tool.
Additionally, since students can refer back to the slides during class discussions or assessments, teachers can ensure that all learners are on the same page when it comes to understanding a concept.
The digital slides provide an all-in-one alternative to the paper-based format of this Among the Hidden Novel Study, as they also include vocabulary on each day's slide.
What academic vocabulary is included with the Among the Hidden novel study?
Each day has at least one Tier 2 word associated with the assigned comprehension skill. The instructional guide includes over 40 academic vocabulary words.
These include general academic vocabulary and skill-specific vocabulary. Below, I've shared a sample of the terms.
General Vocabulary
- evaluate
- synthesize
- graphic organizer
- analyze
Skill Specific Vocabulary
- plot
- character traits
- main idea
- inference
Why do you include academic vocabulary?
One of the primary obstacles to students' academic success is Tier 2 vocabulary, often referred to as academic language. The influence of academic vocabulary on learners' performance is well-documented, underscoring the necessity of teaching these words to our students directly.
In an effort to simplify this process, I've laid out the Tier 2 words for each skill. This, in turn, allows you to weave these words into your novel study discussions. Moreover, if necessary, you can explicitly explain their meanings to those who may be struggling or English Language Learners (ELLs).
Teaching text-based vocabulary in Among the Hidden
Beyond the Tier 2 vocabulary, every day's lesson also includes a vocabulary word derived from the day's reading text. A few of the words in this novel study include:
- beseech
- pantomime
- coax
- propaganda
- hastily
These concepts can be taught using either the flipbook format or the Google Slides. The Word of the Day Flipbook specifically caters to reading notebooks. Students cut out the flipbook, create tabs, and glue it into their journal for a hands-on learning experience.
Depending on your students, there are various options for engaging with the day's word. They can write a definition, generate a list of synonyms and antonyms, or even draw a picture showing its meaning.
How to Purchase the Among the Hidden Novel Study
This Among the Hidden Novel Study Unit can be purchased from my store or at Teachers Pay Teachers using the buttons below.
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