You chose the novel.
Now you have to teach it.
Your teenager has the book.
You know roughly how many weeks you have.
You've added “English” to the homeschool plan.
You're ready to start reading.
And then the questions begin...
What am I actually supposed to teach?
Do we discuss every chapter?
Which literary elements matter?
Do they need to write something?
How do I know if we're doing enough?
Suddenly...
Give Me 60 Minutes — I'll Help You Build the PlanA simple novel starts looking like an entire curriculum you have to create from scratch.
And that's where homeschool parents can lose hours searching Pinterest, downloading worksheets and piecing together study guides.
But you don't need to plan 30 lessons.
You need a simple way to identify the moments that matter.
Your chosen novel. One planning session. A complete roadmap for what to teach.
You don't need to teach every chapter.
Imagine opening a novel and thinking you need to create...
Chapter questions
Vocabulary exercises.
Character worksheets.
Theme activities.
Literary analysis.
Writing assignments.
For every. Single. Chapter.
No wonder teaching a novel can feel like building an entire English curriculum from scratch.
But that's not how a novel needs to be taught.
Some chapters are simply there to be read and enjoyed.
Some moments are worth pausing over.
A character makes an important choice.
A theme begins to emerge.
A passage deserves a closer look.
Something happens that's worth discussing.
The skill is knowing which moments matter.
That's what How to Teach a Novel™ shows you.
Instead of trying to teach everything, you'll learn how to identify a handful of intentional Teaching Stops™ across the book — and know exactly what to do when you reach them.
So your novel study becomes:
READ → PAUSE → EXPLORE → RESPOND™
Not:
Read → worksheet → read → worksheet → read → worksheet...
Your teenager gets to experience the story.
And you can still know you're teaching real high-school English.
Give Me 60 Minutes — I'll Help You Build the Plan
The hidden gap
Most homeschool novel studies focus on...
Finding the perfect book.
Downloading more worksheets.
Creating questions for every chapter.
But none of that solves the hardest part:
Knowing what is actually worth teaching.
Because once you've chosen the novel, you're still left wondering...
Which moments should we stop at?
Which ideas are worth discussing?
Which passages deserve a closer look?
What can I simply let them read and enjoy?
And how do I know we've done enough?
That's the part an experienced English teacher does almost instinctively.
They don't teach everything.
They recognise the moments that matter.
How to Teach a Novel™ gives you that missing system.
Instead of wondering what to teach, you'll have a clear way to decide.
SHOW ME HOW — $47See How to Teach a Novel™ in action.
Here’s what happens when you stop trying to teach every chapter — and start teaching the moments that matter.
Imagine opening your next novel and actually knowing what to do with it.
Imagine choosing a book with your teenager and not immediately searching for someone else's unit study.
You'd know...
What is actually worth teaching
And what you can happily leave alone.
Where to pause
Without stopping to analyse every chapter.
What to ask
So discussion goes beyond “Did you like it?”
When to go deeper
And which passages are actually worth slowing down for.
What your teenager could produce
Without every novel having to end in an essay.
When you've done enough
So you can stop second-guessing whether this “counts” as high-school English.
Instead of starting every novel with a blank page...
You'll have a system you can use again and again.
Pick the book.
I'll show you how to teach it.
YES — SHOW ME HOW — $47
Hi, I’m Francesca Hudson
Educator, Mom, Founder of The Classic High School Teacher
I’ve spent more than 20 years in education — including 9 years teaching high school, and the years since helping teachers, parents and students around the world.
And there’s one thing I’ve seen again and again...
Parents are perfectly capable of teaching literature.
They just haven’t been shown how an English teacher decides what actually matters.
When I taught novels in the classroom, I wasn’t creating a worksheet for every chapter.
I was constantly making decisions like...
Where should we pause?
Which character moment matters here?
Is this passage worth a closer look?
What question will open up a real discussion?
What can I leave alone and simply let them read?
That decision-making is the part most homeschool parents were never taught.
And once you understand it...
Teaching a novel stops feeling like you need to build an entire English curriculum from scratch.
That’s why I created:
How to Teach a Novel™
A simple, reusable system for turning almost any novel into a meaningful high-school English study.
Instead of downloading another pre-written study guide...
You learn how to build the study yourself.
And you can use the same system again and again, with novel after novel.
Give Me 60 Minutes — I'll Help You Build the PlanOne toolkit. Novel after novel.
Plan a novel study in around 60 minutes
Go from a book and a blank page to a clear teaching roadmap.
Know what to teach — and what to leave alone
No more wondering whether you're missing something important.
Stop at the moments that matter
Rather than creating a lesson for every chapter.
Have better conversations about books
With questions and scaffolds ready when you need them.
Add genuine literary analysis
Without analysing the enjoyment out of the story.
Choose responses that suit your teenager
Talk, write, create or present — not every novel needs an essay.
Use it again and again
Bring the system back out for the next novel — rather than buying another book-specific study guide.
This isn't a novel study.
It's the system you'll use to create them.
Part 1: First, build your novel study.
BUILD THE PLAN
YOU'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TEACHING BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
✓ What parts of this particular novel is worth teaching
✓ Which 2–3 areas you'll focus on
✓ How you'll break up the reading
✓ Where your Teaching Stops™ will be
✓ What you can happily leave alone
Instead of opening a novel and wondering where to begin...
You'll have the whole journey mapped out.
YES — HELP ME BUILD THE PLAN →
Part 2: Then, know what to do while you're reading.
TEACH THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER
WHEN YOU REACH A TEACHING STOP, YOU'LL KNOW HOW TO:
✓ Start a meaningful discussion
✓ Get past “I don't know”
✓ Explore characters and bigger ideas
✓ Slow down for a Close Reading Moment™
✓ Collect evidence worth keeping
✓ Know when to stop teaching and get back to the story
You don't need a lesson for every chapter.
You just need to recognise the moments worth stopping for.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED →Part 3: Finally, finish the novel knowing you've actually taught it.
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
BY THE END OF THE NOVEL, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:
✓ Pull together the important ideas
✓ Have a meaningful final conversation
✓ Revisit the best evidence and passages
✓ See what your teenager actually understood
✓ Choose a final response that suits them
✓ Finish without automatically assigning another essay
The goal isn't to complete a pile of worksheets.
It's to finish a great book knowing your teenager didn't just read it — they thought about it.
YES — I WANT THIS →
This isn't another pre-written novel study.
It isn't a boxed curriculum.
It isn't 50 pages of chapter questions.
It isn't a list of activities you have to complete.
And it isn't tied to one particular book.
It's the system that teaches YOU how to teach any novel of your choice.
Bring almost any novel.
Use the tools to decide what matters.
Build your plan.
Then use the same system again with the next book.
And the next.
And the next.
Instead of buying someone else's novel study every time, you'll know how to build your own.
PERFECT FOR HOMESCHOOL PARENTS WHO...
Have chosen the novel... but aren't sure what to do next.
Worry they don't know enough about English to teach literature properly.
Don't want to create questions and worksheets for every chapter.
Want their teenager to think deeply about books — without analysing the enjoyment out of them.
Wonder whether they're doing “enough” for high-school English.
Want the freedom to choose books based on their teenager, rather than a boxed curriculum.
Are teaching a reluctant, neurodivergent or differently wired learner and need flexibility.
Want a system they can use with novel after novel.
You don't need to become an English teacher.
You just need someone to show you how an English teacher approaches the book.
Imagine starting your next novel...
You and your teenager choose the book.
You sit down to plan it.
But this time, instead of wondering...
“What am I supposed to teach?”
You know.
You know what to focus on.
You know where you'll pause.
You know what you'll discuss.
You know when to go deeper.
And — just as importantly —
You know what you can leave alone.
No worksheet for every chapter.
No hours searching for someone else's study guide.
No wondering whether you're doing “enough.”
Just a good book, meaningful conversations and a clear plan for teaching the moments that matter.
And when you choose the next novel?
You know how to do it all over again.
YES — I WANT TO TEACH NOVELS THIS WAY →
How to Teach a Novel™
One payment. Instant access. Use it novel after novel.
$47
NORMAL RETAIL PRICE $97
Start building your first novel study today.
Perfect If:
✓ You've chosen a novel but aren't sure how to teach it.
✓ You're not an English teacher and worry you'll miss something important.
✓ You don't want to buy a different study guide for every book.
✓ You want meaningful literary analysis without worksheets after every chapter.
✓ You want your teenager to think deeply without losing their enjoyment of reading.
✓ You need flexibility for a reluctant or neurodivergent learner.
✓ You want to know when you've done “enough.”
Instant Access for Just $47
A reusable planning and teaching toolkit for almost any novel you choose.
👉 Instant digital access
👉 Printable + device-friendly resources
👉 4, 6 and 8-week planning options
👉 Discussion, close-reading and response tools
👉 Novel Study Rescue Guide™ for when things aren't going to plan
👉 Use it again with your next novel
Got Questions?
What ages is this for?
Designed primarily for homeschool parents teaching middle and high-school learners, approximately ages 11–18. You can adjust the depth of discussion and response to suit your teenager.
Do I need to be an English teacher?
No. That's exactly why I created it. The toolkit walks you through the decisions an experienced English teacher makes when planning a novel study — what to focus on, where to pause, what to discuss and what to leave alone.
Will it work with any novel?
It's designed to work with almost any novel rather than being tied to one specific book. You'll choose the teaching focus and activities that make sense for the novel you've selected.
Do I need to use every tool?
No. Please don't! Choose what suits your novel and your teenager. Some books need more discussion; others might deserve a close-reading moment or a creative response. The toolkit helps you decide.
How long does it take to plan a novel?
The system is designed to help you map your novel study in around 60 minutes, rather than spending hours creating a unit from scratch.
Does my teenager have to write an essay?
No. The Final Response Menu™ includes different ways your teenager can demonstrate understanding. Depending on your goals, that might include discussion, writing, creating or presenting.
Is it suitable for neurodivergent learners?
The toolkit is designed to be flexible. You can change reading chunks, reduce written output, use discussion instead of writing and choose response formats that better suit your teenager.
What if we fall behind — or my teenager hates the book?
That's exactly what the Novel Study Rescue Guide™ is for. A homeschool novel study doesn't have to be rigid. You can shorten, adapt, change direction or decide that a particular book simply isn't working.
Is this a complete English curriculum?
No. How to Teach a Novel™ is specifically designed to help you plan and teach novels. It can sit alongside the rest of your homeschool English program.
Ready to stop wondering what to do with the book?
GET HOW TO TEACH A NOVEL™ — $47 →The work of The Classic High School Teacher has been extensively reviewed by educators worldwide, for over 13 years.
How to Teach a Novel™
One payment. Instant access. Use it novel after novel.
$47
NORMAL RETAIL PRICE $97
Start building your first novel study today.