Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything novel study, lessons, CLICK HERE for the lesson on TpT.
Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything is a contemporary and adventurous story of a teenage girl with an autoimmune disorder who falls in love with the boy next door. This book is perfect for middle and high schoolers due to its captivating story and relatable characters. It makes for a great read-aloud as it can be used to discuss themes such as family relationships, identity, and resilience. Here are some tips on how to teach this popular book in your classroom.
Assign Chapters as Homework
The chapters of this book are relatively short and accessible for students at all reading levels. You could assign one or two chapters for homework each night or day depending on how often you meet with your students. This will help keep them actively engaged with the story and allow them to move through the material at their own pace.
Offer Discussion Questions
Before class, come up with discussion questions that relate to the reading material from that particular chapter or set of chapters. At the beginning of class, use these questions to spark conversation about what happened in the text and any thoughts or feelings that students may have about it. Encourage students to draw connections between what they’ve read and their own lives if possible. This will help them dive deeper into understanding the text while engaging with each other in meaningful ways.
Incorporate Writing Exercises
If you want to assess student comprehension more formally, you could assign writing exercises related to what they’ve read that day or week. For example, you can ask students to write a letter from Madeline’s perspective reflecting on her experiences throughout the novel or have them write an alternate ending based on their own imaginations. These activities will encourage them to think critically about everything they’ve read thus far while also allowing them to express themselves creatively through writing without feeling judged by their peers for having different opinions about certain aspects of the story .
Tips for Classroom Discussions
Nicola Yoon’s Everything Everything can be used as a launching pad for discussions about identity, illness, family dynamics, relationships, and more. When discussing with students in the classroom setting it’s important to make sure everyone is familiar with the material before diving into in-depth analysis. To ensure this happens it can be helpful to assign reading ahead of time or give students the opportunity to watch movie adaptations before delving into deeper topics. That way everyone is on the same page when it comes to understanding plot points and characters. It can also be beneficial to have students come up with their own discussion questions prior to class so they have some ideas ready when it comes time for group discussion. This will make sure each student contributes their own perspectives as well as engage them further in the text itself.
Small Group Projects & Assignments
Going beyond classroom conversation can help deepen student engagement with this novel even more! Creating small groups or assigning individual projects offer another layer of implementing this book into your classroom curriculum. Small group projects such as creating video presentations or writing summaries of sections are great ways to get students working together while still enjoying the content of this book. For individual assignments consider having students write a letter from Maddy’s point of view to Olly asking him questions about his thoughts throughout their relationship or having them draw a timeline showing key events from beginning till end using symbols instead of words. These activities are great at driving home concepts from the novel but also allowing for creative freedom within student work!
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Discussing Character Development
Everything, Everything tells the story of Maddy and her illness which forces her to stay inside her house at all times. As such, she’s never been able to live an ordinary life — until she meets Olly and begins to fall in love with him. Throughout the course of the novel, both characters experience profound changes as their relationship develops. You can use this as a platform for discussing character development with your students. Ask them questions like: How has Maddy changed since meeting Olly? Do they think Olly has changed because of his relationship with Maddy? What are some other examples of character growth in the novel?
Exploring Themes
The novel also explores a range of different themes that can help open up conversations about topics like mortality and health care access among your students. Ask them questions like: What does Maddy’s illness represent in terms of mortality? Does it make her more aware or afraid of death? How does it shape her relationships with other characters in the novel? Additionally, you can ask them how they think health care access affects people differently depending on their socioeconomic status and how this is portrayed in the novel. These questions will help them think critically about how these issues affect us all on a daily basis.
Encouraging Creative Writing
One way to engage your students is by having them write their own stories inspired by Nicola Yoon’s novel. Prompt them to imagine what would happen if one or more characters had made different choices throughout the story — or if their circumstances were different (e.g., if Maddy wasn’t confined by her illness). They could even create short stories based off secondary characters from the book like Carla or Dr. Whittaker! This exercise will not only encourage creative writing but also allow your students to explore new perspectives while honing their storytelling skills at the same time!
Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything is a great option for teachers looking for a modern-day classic that resonates with teenagers at many levels – both emotionally and intellectually. With careful planning , thoughtful discussion questions , and creative writing assignments , teachers can ensure that every student engagement experience is meaningful , authentic , and enjoyable . Whether you’re teaching this novel as part of your regular curriculum or assigning it as extra credit reading material , we guarantee that your students will thank you for introducing them to this beautiful story !
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