How do you "capture" a novel?

7 Riddles to Nowhere... I've posted about this book before, as it was a new addition to our 6th grade classroom this year. There's definitely some changes I will make when using it next year, but, for the most part, it was a worthwhile read and focus for my students.

When I first introduced the novel to the students, I had no idea what the end project would be (bad teacher move, I know), but as I thought about it, an idea came to me that I thought just might work - take the social media with which many of my kiddos are familiar and use it as a medium for the kids to show what they know. Thus, the "Day in the Life...Instagram Style" project was born.

Nothing fancy, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. I was blown away by some of the creativity in the posts, user handles (or whatever you call them on Instagram), comments, etc. Some kids got creative doing it digitally with an app called "Juxtaposer," where they would put the characters onto a photo (from the internet) of one of the churches in the book.

Later this week we will take a field trip to the cathedral to see some of the objects and structures described in the book, and our book study will officially be at its conclusion. I hope that the students take away at least a few important lessons about the Church from the book - how the people are its treasure, how we are called to give back to the church as stewards, and more. Time will tell...