Laptops in the Classroom Tips : Using Laptops to Introduce a Novel

Written by: Pauline H. Gill • Edited by: Wendy Finn
Updated Sep 21, 2009 • Related Guides: Subject Matter | Reviews | Laptops

Direct instruction can set a dull tone for the introduction to the novel. Instead, create a student-centered class and let the kids find out all they need to know before reading the class novel. If you have a class set of laptops, let the fun begin with a competition to gather background material.

Research Questions

Each student needs a laptop or use a computer lab. Pass out a list of 25 to 50 questions about the upcoming novel. Questions should cover material about the author, the subject matter, the setting, and reviews over the book. Make some questions relatively easy and some more difficult to find the answers. Put the students to work finding the answers. You can create a map of the setting to go with the questions. When the students complete the work, correct it in class. Each correct answer lets the student move forward on the map through the setting of the story. Those who make it through the city, country, or wherever the story takes place, win points towards the first test. This works great for The Crucible. The map can be the dark forest that no one is to venture into because of all the evil. Students must pass through the woods to Salem Towne and return to Salem Village without the devil or witches catching them. Use historical places for the time period to help them understand the distance between the towns and the well known people of the period such as Rebecca Nurse.

Creating a student-centered activity allows students to be part of the research on background material for a novel. Standing in front of a class while you lecture and students take notes can produce boredom for what could be an exciting book. Set the tone with a challenge to discover new ideas.

While Reading the Novel

Once the class has started reading the novel, use the laptops for continued research. For example, if you are reading The Great Gatsby, have the class research the Black Sox Scandal, download jazz music, discover twenties fashion, read reviews on twenties cars, learn about speakeasies, or they can read reviews on the two Gatsby movies: Robert Redford 1970's movie and A&E's

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recent production.

Join a forum with other students across the country who are reading the same book. Create trivia questions to challenge other students or have discussions on the themes of the novel. Connect a webcam, so students can talk with students in other classrooms.

Using computers to introduce a novel will keep students engaged, and help them see how books connect to their own lives.