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A Low-Prep Activity to Wrap Up Your Novel Unit

Are you looking for a creative but low-prep project idea for your novel study unit? Then, keep on reading.


I had been brainstorming engaging final project ideas for my grade 9 ESL learners to wrap up our novel study unit on Restart by Gordon Korman, but I realized that I would have neither the energy nor the time to prepare a project booklet for them. So, as an alternative assessment idea, I decided to have my learners prepare a gamified quiz for the novel they read in class. This activity may be used either as a formative or a summative evaluation, depending on your learning goals. I assigned it as formative assessment. Since my students had already completed chapter quizzes individually, at the end of our novel unit, I wanted to observe their conversation skills and ability to ask and provide accurate answers to plot-based and critical thinking questions. And the outcome? Well, we all had a blast this morning! So, if you're running short on time, try this low-prep activity as a culminating task.


  1. Learners will work in pairs or teams of four. They could also carry out this task individually.

  2. They will need to prepare a 20-question quiz, but you can also ask for more.

  3. Teams may prepare a card game, an interactive Kahoot game or even a board game. If your learners choose to create a Kahoot game, make sure you ask for a copy of their questions and answers typed in a Microsoft Word document as they won't be able to share their game with you due to student account limitations.

  4. Answer keys must be provided, of course.

  5. Their game must cover 4 sections, and each section must have 5 questions for a total of 20 questions: 1) elements of plot, 2) conflict situations, 3) characters, 4) the way the main character changes. You may choose different criteria depending on the complexity of the novel studied in class and your learners' proficiency level.

  6. Allow students to work on this project both in class and at home.

  7. Set the deadline for the project presentations.

  8. On the selected date, learners will play each other's game in class.

I hope this activity will help you to wrap up your novel unit while you and your students are having a great time.


If you're looking for other ways to end a novel unit, you might find these resources useful:


Happy teaching!


Kynga C.









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