With changing times, updating the novels taught in schools becomes necessary. This year, Al-Haadi School invested time and money to bring new novels into the curriculum. Several factors were considered when introducing new novels into the English classrooms for grades 5, 6, and 7. In the post-COVID recovery period, there were concerns about students’ reading habits and interest levels. Students expressed a lack of interest in reading because they found novels unengaging. The challenge was to select contemporary, age-appropriate novels free of unsuitable content.

The aim was also to find novels that could introduce fun themes and projects, aligning with the holistic standards of our school. With these criteria in mind, we began our research and incorporated the following novels into our classrooms:

Grade 5: 

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

“The Lemonade War” tells the story of two siblings competing to have the best lemonade stand in their neighborhood. This novel was introduced to Grade 5 and its themes were easily incorporated into our lessons, leading to two engaging projects:

1. Lemonade Board Game: Students created a board game based on themes from a novel. Steps included: devising a company name and logo, developing game ideas, writing instructions, making the game, testing it with peers, and noting improvements. The activity engaged students’ creativity and served as a writing prompt for instructions and game descriptions. Observations revealed the effectiveness of their writing.

2. Classroom Lemonade War: Students formed two teams to compete in a lemonade sale for the school. Preparations included marketing plans, identifying target customers, budgeting, and assigning roles. They designed ads with Canva and decorated the classroom for their stands. The sale was highly successful, providing valuable learning experiences.

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

This novel tells the story of a family facing homelessness due to difficult circumstances, narrated from the perspective of a young girl. It vividly describes the experience of losing a home, spending time at a police station, and enduring long days at a homeless shelter. The themes include bravery, family, poetry, and more. The novel inspired a month-long theme on homelessness in the Grade 5 classroom, culminating in a walkthrough presentation for the entire school. This presentation included perspectives on homelessness from an Islamic viewpoint and coincided with Ramadan, allowing for the inclusion of themes of thankfulness. Theme-based projects included in the walkthrough were:

1. Family Trees with write-ups about the most inspiring person in one’s family.
2. Poetry books containing 8-10 different poems related to themes from the novel.
3. Paintings that depicted symbols of resilience. 
4. Signs that homeless people hold when asking for help. 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

This novel is told from the perspective of a gorilla kept in a zoo cage, exploring themes of friendship, bravery, standing up for what is right, and hope. It captivated students and inspired engagement through group projects centered around these themes. Each group focused on a specific endangered animal in captivity, conducting research and creating models of their assigned animals. This allowed students to delve into the issues faced by these animals and express their findings creatively.

Grade 6/7: 

The Richest Person in Babylon by George S. Clason

This novel quickly became a favorite among both students and teachers due to its wealth of financial and life advice. We read the book as a class, dedicating one period to each chapter, followed by discussions on the advice presented. Students learned the 5 laws of gold, timeless rules for making and managing money. The novel facilitated numerous discussions on finance, covering topics such as interest, mortgages, credit scores, and more. Projects included:

1. Scrolls made by students summarizing their understanding of the 5 laws of gold. 
2. Business Proposals that included market research, SWOT analysis, marketing plans, logistics, budgeting, etc. 

Restart by Gordon Korman

This novel follows a boy who loses his memory after a fall and, upon regaining consciousness, discovers he was the school bully. Determined to make amends, he learns valuable lessons about second chances and the importance of treating others with kindness. The story resonated with students, inspiring empathy and self-reflection. As a related project, students created comic books summarizing the novel and crafting alternate endings, allowing them to engage creatively with the story while reinforcing its themes.