While essays and essay-based tests are effective methods that ask students to demonstrate their comprehension of a novel after they have read it, it is also necessary to ask students to prove that they are reading the text carefully as they go. Requiring students to keep a weekly or daily reading journal that responds to specific aspects of the novel they are reading forces them to articulate their opinions and interpretations of the story as they progress through it. You may choose to provide specific prompts for sections or chapters of the text, or to allow students to choose their own topics for each entry.
Instead of asking students to write character analyses individually, assign them to work in small groups or pairs and to act out a specific scene in the novel. Choose the groups or pairs ahead of time and make the assignments in class for presentations to be made in the following class. Ask students to first write down as many attributes and passions of their chosen character as possible. After each group performs, ask them to share the reasons they depicted each character and situation the way that they did. This explanation, along with the acting itself, will require demonstrate how well they grasped the scene and characters.
When the day to day routine of regular class discussions gets old, it can be helpful to mix things up by challenging the class with a round of Jeopardy. Write the questions ahead of time and draw categories on the board. Break the class into two teams and have them choose team names that are somehow related to the novel you are reading. Make each question about some aspect of the text, so that the game will not only be fun, but will test the students' understanding of the book. You may offer extra credit for the winning team.
Journals are a very effective way of gauging how carefully students are reading on their own, but it is helpful to have additional writing activities in your classroom as well to offer additional opportunities for them to show what they know. At the beginning of class, give them a writing prompt that serves as a warm-up or lead-in for the aspect or section of the novel you wish to discuss that day. Ask students to be as specific as possible in their responses and to support their opinions with details from the text itself. Ask two or three of the students to share their responses as a warm-up for discussion.