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Need a way to review what your class has learned at the end of the school year? This fun and interactive game is what you need!

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Have students break into groups. Give each group the supplies above. Begin by dividing the popsicle sticks into four piles and color code the sticks into the following categories: assignments, , , and . The sticks can be color coded by coloring the ends with a preselected category color, or students can use symbols by drawing them on the ends of the sticks. You can choose to have your students create these sticks, or you can do it yourself; it's up to you, but students have fun making them, and the brainstorming process is an effective reflection activity in and of itself.
Step Two
For the "Assignment" sticks, write on them the major assignments from the school year ( i.e. Macbeth Project, Non-fiction Newspaper Project, Renaissance Gallery Walk, etc.). For the "Skills" sticks, write the major skills targeted during the school year ( i.e. persuasive essay, blending evidence, compound sentences, metaphors, close reading, etc.). For the "Texts" sticks, write the titles of the major texts from the year ( i.e. Macbeth, Into Thin Air, Canterbury Tales, etc.).

Here are questions to consider using for the "Questions" Sticks. You can use them, change them, or add to them as you wish. Consider giving students this list as they create their sticks to play the reflection game:

1. What did you think about __________ this year?

2. What was your favorite part about __________? Why was this your favorite part?

3. What was your least favorite part about __________? Why was this your least favorite part?

4. What do you remember most about __________? Why is this so memorable?

5. What was the most difficult part about __________? Why was this so difficult?

6. What was the easiest part about __________? Why was this part easy?

7. What confused you the most about __________? Why?

8. What did ______________ remind you of? Explain.

9. What did you learn about __________?

10. What do you still want to know more about __________?

11. Do you think you mastered __________? Why or why not?

Step Three

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Prompt Sticks Reflection Game: An Interactive Way to Reflect Back on the School Year - TeachWriting.org

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There are lots of creative ways to facilitate reflection at the end of the school year. Integrating novelty into any lesson makes it more interesting, and the same concept applies to reflection questions. So I set out to create an interactive "Prompt Sticks" Reflection

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Use this fun method of discussion for book or unit review and encourage student participation!

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If you've never conducted a fishbowl discussion in your classroom, you and your students are missing out. Similar to a Socratic Seminar, fishbowl discussions are organized classroom discussions that require students to prepare thoughtful responses to deliver in class.

I love using fishbowl discussions as an end of the unit review activity because I can give my students a lot of content to review and use to prepare for the discussion, and I can also use the discussion itself as a way to assess my students' speaking and listening skills.

Organize your classroom

You will want to prepare your classroom for the discussion. Typically, I place two tables or four desks in the center of the room. That is my fishbowl. During the discussion, four students will sit in the middle of the room and answer and discuss the topic questions. The rest of the tables and desks in the room are arranged in a circular pattern around the fishbowl. That way, just like people look at the fish inside a fishbowl, the rest of the students in the classroom are looking at the students who are actively participating in the discussion. At the front of the room, or at the top of the fishbowl, I usually place two desks or one table. This is designated as the "hot seat."

Prepare your students

In order for the fishbowl discussion to be effective, students need to be prepared for the discussion questions, and that is why this activity works very well as a review activity. Typically, a couple of days before the discussion, I will assign my students about 20-30 review questions to help them prepare for the discussion and the end-of-unit test. Open-ended questions that require evidence and explanation and opinion-based questions typically work best for the discussion. When students can either agree with one another or disagree, the discussion will be more powerful. The day before the discussion, I will have my students either work in groups to answer the questions, or I will conduct some sort of collaborative activity (gallery walk, question jigsaw, or review stations) that requires students to answer the questions.

Conduct the Fishbowl Discussion

Before I begin the fishbowl discussion, I print out the review questions and cut them up into little strips. I then fold each strip a couple times and place them in some sort of bucket. I use my small bucket from the Target Dollar Spot. I then explain the fishbowl procedures to my class: each student must speak at least once; each student must contribute something meaningful to the conversation that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of the content; only the "fish" inside the fishbowl can answer the discussion questions and participate in the conversation; students sitting in the outside circle can participate at any time as long as they move to the designated "hot seat" location; only two students may occupy the "hot seat" location at a time; all students need to be respectful at all times; and once the fish inside the fishbowl are satisfied with their answers, they must tap in a student from the outside circle that hasn't been inside the fishbowl yet. I also explain to my students that they are being graded based on their responses and that in order to receive full credit, they must contribute something meaningful to the discussion.

Usually right before I begin this activity, I provide my students with some sentence starters and sentence frames to help them properly agree or disagree with their classmates. I want to model to them proper communication strategies that will help them in college and in the workforce.

Sentence Frames for the Fishbowl Discussion

"While I agree with ______ about ______, I also feel that_______."

"I respectfully disagree with _____ about his/her stance on ______ because I feel that ______."

"Adding onto ____'s contribution, I would also like to say ________."

"While _______ has a great point, I believe that _________."

"While I can see why _______ said _______, I think differently because _______."

Holding a fishbowl conversation in your classroom is a great way to get all of the students involved in a classroom discussion. It is also a great way to help students learn difficult concepts and prepare for upcoming tests. Additionally, having fishbowl conversations in class helps students open up and share their thoughts because even though they are sharing their thoughts and answers with the entire class, the intimate setting of the four seats in the center feels more like an intimate conversation that a classroom presentation.

If you enjoy holding fishbowl discussions in your classroom, you may be interested in my Socratic Seminar resource. This resource will help prepare your students for Socratic Seminars and fishbowl conversations. Teaching in a digital classroom? You might be interested in my SMARTePlans Digital Socratic Seminar.

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Engage your Students with Fishbowl Discussions

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If you've never conducted a fishbowl discussion in your classroom, you and your students are missing out. Similar to a Socratic Seminar, fishbowl discussions are organized classroom discussions that require students to prepare thoughtful responses to deliver in class.

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End the year with a fun review of the literature that you taught your ELA students!

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Complete the final few days of school with an end of the year Socratic Seminar. This activity is perfect for an end of the year activity, final exam review, or final activity.
This resource includes
Color and B&W copies of everything

Teacher instructions

Student instructions

Universal questions for any subject/classroom

Student-generated question organizer

Reflection

& More!

Your students will remember this as a reflective learning activity.
This resource is included in a BUNDLE: End of the Year Bundle for the Secondary Classroom Check out additional end of the year materials: End of the Year Activities for the Secondary Classroom End of the Year Growth Mindset Activities

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End of the Year Socratic Seminar Activity and Class Review

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Complete the final few days of school with an end of the year Socratic Seminar. This activity is perfect for an end of the year activity, final exam review, or final activity.This resource includesColor and B&W copies of everythingTeacher instructionsStudent instructionsUniversal questions for a...

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Tired of using PowerPoints to prepare students for an upcoming unit? These interactive suggestions are way more fun than a lecture!

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Once you've found your websites, all you need to do now is create your QR codes and the handout students will use as they travel around the room visiting each station. For the handout, I simply create a table (3x3 for six stations) and design a pointed, specific question for each station. To create the QR codes, I use this QR code generator (it's free!) , and then print out a sign for each station that says Station 1: and the QR code. Finally, print and hang up your stations and print or make your student handouts electronically accessible and your lesson is ready!

Looking for a lesson to get you started? Check this one out: Villain Archetype Digital Stations Activity !

2. Artifact Carousel:

This is a no-tech, hands on version of the QR Code Stations activity. Instead of finding websites and videos, in this approach, you'd bring in physical artifacts for students to examine. Students travel around the room from artifact to artifact recording their observations and making predictions as to what they might mean or signify in the context of the next unit that you're beginning.

For example, before I start teaching a Shakespeare play, I might give students the heads up that we are in fact starting Shakespeare, but I want to see what they know about him and his life before beginning. One artifact I like to use is a sun (picture or other toy/item from around the house). The kids look at it, discuss it, and make guesses as to why I would have included that as an artifact leading up to a study in Shakespeare. When the carousel is over, and after hearing a number of student guesses, I would reveal to them that the sun is included because all of Shakespeare's plays had to take place during the day time because the Globe did not have electric lighting. Also, Shakespeare uses some beautiful poetic language to describe night because it would have be be imagined during the play. Have fun choosing your artifacts! When Shakespeare is concerned, I love using a plastic skull head (to talk about drama), a stick of deodorant (those groundlings were pretty stinky!), and a crown (to talk about Shakespeare's connection to Queen Elizabeth). It's great to watch the kids work together making predictions and actively pulling together their background knowledge.

3. Persona Poem:

I love this creative writing approach to starting a novel! If you've never written or heard of persona poetry before, it's really quite simple, and at the same time extremely powerful for students. The idea of a persona poem is to take on the "persona" of another person (or in some cases object). So, before we started Of Mice and Men, I shared with the students some of Dorothea Lange's photography of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. After viewing and discussing the photos, I asked students to write a poem from the perspective (persona) of someone they saw in the pictures that day. By having students work to put themselves in the shoes or life of the context of the novel before reading it, they were ready to start meeting characters once we started reading. I love these two persona poems to use as examples (use at your discretion) by Jamila Woods and Margaret Atwood .

4. Pear Deck/NearPod:

These two tech options are a great alternative to the powerpoint lecture. Both Pear Deck and NearPod allow you to communicate a lot of new information to students quickly, but they have built in methods of checking for understanding and interaction along the way. Each platform has their own unique style, so be sure to check them both out to see which fits best with your goals.

5. Text Scavenger Hunt:

Does your text have features that would be helpful for students to discover ahead of time? Maybe your next novel has really intriguing chapter titles or a particularly telling epitaph. If you're starting a play, there are probably lots of features that you want students to discover and discuss before starting. And if you're starting some nonfiction, there are probably some important different ways of sectioning the text that your students should notice ahead of time, too. To create a text scavenger hunt, I usually identify a few important features (titles, characters, vocabulary, structures, table of contents, author's notes, dedications, the cover picture(s), etc.) and send the students on a scavenger hunt through the text to find each of the components I've identified. Then, students can work in pairs to find each of the elements and at the end of the class period come together to discuss the significance of all their findings.

6. TedEd:

If you haven't used TedEd yet, what on earth are you waiting for?! Similar to EdPuzzle, TedEd videos take students through a TedTalk with layered questions. There is also a discussion board option that I LOVE using with students! TedEd has tons of pre-created lessons connected to videos, but also offers educators the chance to design their own lessons, too!

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RIP Powerpoint Lectures - Mud and Ink Teaching

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Long gone are the days that I stand in front of my class before the start of a novel and go through a three day powerpoint slide. Ten years ago, that was best practice for so many of us. They were lessons I looked forward to, but I fear it's because I loved being center stage.

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Use these essay alternatives to turn the boring 5-paragraphy paper into a fun assignment that'll engage the students!

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The Analytical Cube or the Say-Mean-Matter Quiz

While the cube and the say-mean-matter quizzes still both involve assessing writing, they do do so in more succinct formats that make them easier to assess (time-wise) than traditional essays. Here's how they work.

A cube quiz involves analyzing any four components of a text. Here are the components I like to use:

1. Explain the importance of the TITLE.

2. Explain how a CHARACTER changes.

3. Explain an important SYMBOL.

4. Explain an important THEME.

Students respond to each part of the cube in order to analyze a text. Since each part of the "cube" is focused on a single element or technique, I can very quickly read and assess a student's understanding of the text.

The say-mean-matter quiz is also a focused assessment strategy that challenges students to analyze a text. In the say-mean-matter quiz, students are given 3-5 items from text. These items can be objects, character names, places, quotes, symbols, etc. The student then explains what the text literally says about that item (plot), what the item means (commentary), and why it matters (thematic connection). The succinct format of these assessments break the analysis into focused chunks that get to the heart of analysis very quickly.

Click for an editable say-mean-matter template to use with your students. Be sure to subscribe to Bespoke ELA to unlock the Freebie Library over there for even MORE free lessons to print and use in your classroom.

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5 Alternatives to the Traditional Essay for Writing Teachers - TeachWriting.org

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This blog post by Bespoke ELA explores alternatives to the traditional essay that include oral essays, infographics, one-pagers, and other projects to demonstrate the same analytical skills as a written essay. These alternatives are great to helping struggling students and those with special needs

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This unit bundle offers great games for teaching argumentative writing!

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This digital and printable, engaging, and scaffolded unit will take your students through the entire argumentative essay with a student argument writing notebook. Lessons on writing a hook statement, a thesis statement, argument and counter-argument paragraphs, citing evidence, and formal writing. Plus, 5 fun and engaging argument games & a citing text evidence board game! This is also digital resource. It can be used for distance or e-learning. Each unit will contain a Google File Link Page that will provide you with a Google Doc/Slides for each activity. A video tutorial I created will provide you with some tech tools to assist you with delivering the content via distance learning.

☟ This Argumentative Writing Unit Includes: ☟

1. Complete argument writing notebook (both digital and print) keeps all documents and argument essay graphic organizers for the unit in one place for students.

2. Lesson on writing a quality, engaging hook (lead) statement with fun, interactive hook stations activity to practice the skill before students write their argument essay.

3. Lesson on writing a thesis using the thesis generator I created. This 'generator' uses a step by step guide to create an arguable thesis statement using formal writing.

4. Lesson on in-text citation with valuable note-taking documents within the student notebook. This lesson will teach students how to use in-text citations as well as showing them how to seamlessly incorporate evidence within their argument paragraphs.

5. Lesson on crafting an argument with specific graphic organizers for support and strong examples provided with the student argument notebook.

6. Lesson on crafting the counterargument paragraph with the formal 5 point counterargument method. Specific graphic organizers, note taking documents, and strong examples support students as they draft the ideal counterargument paragraph.

7. Graphic organizers take students through the entire argumentative essay.

8. Rubric for assessment and self-assessment.

9. Two beautifully designed class posters: 5 point counterargument model poster and citing sources poster

10. Handouts for supporting students with transition words, strong academic language, persuasive language, citing evidence sentence starters, etc.

11. Amazing Argument Pre-Writing activities with lesson plans, documents, printables, and instructional pages!

12. The Argument Games - five fun, collaborative games for creating arguments, counter-arguments, evaluating perspectives and sufficiency of evidence!

13. Citing and embedding text evidence board game!

14. Google Links Page- digital links to ALL documents for digital classrooms

15. Printable pages for non-digital classrooms

16. Lesson plan and unit outline for teaching this unit.
✨CCSS Aligned:✨
⛱ No Prep Plans

100+ pages, 100+ Slides

Follow my store by clicking on the link at the top of the page for updates, announcements, and fun freebies! You can also find me on my blog, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

Teaching students to analyze an author's arguments is a great way to prep for their own argument writing, check out these products!
Analyzing Arguments with Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail Ethos, Pathos, Logos- The Three Pillars of Persuasion Logical Fallacies made Easy! Rhetoric- Ethos/Pathos/Logos Bell Ringer Activities! Rhetorical Analysis-Analyzing an Author's Argument
Save money with these UNIT BUNDLES!
Analyze Arguments: King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail- COMPLETE UNIT BUNDLE! Rhetorical Analysis Unit Bundle Analyze an Author's Argument with Atticus Finch's Closing Arguments-

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Argument Writing w/ Argument Games and Citing Evidence Game - Distance Learning

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This digital and printable, engaging, and scaffolded unit will take your students through the entire argumentative essay with a student argument writing notebook. Lessons on writing a hook statement, a thesis statement, argument and counter-argument paragraphs, citing evidence, and formal writing. P...

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Writing Commentary for Literary Analysis 

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Writing Commentary for Literary Analysis 

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This mini-lesson helps you show students how to write literary analyses on a deeper level!

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Find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Mega Bundle, sold separately.
Bundle and save! CLICK HERE!
Writing commentary is without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the literary analysis essay. It is the ONE part for which there is no formula because it's the part of the essay that contains the writer's original thoughts, or commentary/ analysis, on the evidence of the essay.

In this 38-page bundle, I have provided students with two methods for crafting commentary that will help them not only write analysis but also take it to a deeper level: the "This Shows That Method" and the "LET" Method.

This bundle also contains:

--Commentary vs. Plot Summary Practice

--Commentary Do's and Don'ts

--Teacher Approval Forms

--Commentary Four-Square Activity

--Commentary-Evidence Connection Guide

--Commentary Depth Guide

--Crafting Commentary Practice

--Essay Ratiocination Guide

--Commentary Task Cards

--Targeted Skill Rubric: Commentary

This is an essential bundle for the writing process because the commentary is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the literary analysis essay.

Check out the blog at BespokeClassroom.com for more ideas and FREEBIES!
FOR YOU:
* Be sure to click the "FOLLOW" button that is located next to my picture so that you can hear about sales, new products, and freebies!

* Don't forget to leave feedback to EARN POINTS that turn into cash towards future purchases!

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Related Blog Posts: Acronyms for Literary Analysis: A Comprehensive List of Strategies Characterization Activities for ANY TEXT! Teaching Students How to Write Commentary for the Literary Analysis Essay Commentary for Literary Analysis: Four Square Strategy for Success The Essay Shaping Sheet: Friend or Foe? 8 Ways to Help Students Break Through Writer's Block You might also like: Literary Analysis MEGA BUNDLE 30 MENTOR SENTENCES with Writing Revision for GOOGLE SLIDES Comment Cards for Academic Essay Writing: Helping Students Give Quality Comments Commentary vs. Paraphrasing: A Mini-lesson for Literary Analysis Follow Bespoke ELA for UPDATES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, & FREEBIES

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Writing Commentary for the Literary Analysis Essay: Strategies for Success

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Find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and save! CLICK HERE!Writing commentary is without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the literary analysis essay. It is the ONE part for which there is no formula because it's the part of the essay that...

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This guide helps you not only understand when to talk about figurative language, but how to teaching it in a fun and insightful manner!

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Figurative language is easy to make one of the most engaging aspects of an ELA class. By nature, it is playful. Because it can be paired with pretty much any unit, it can be woven in throughout the year to ensure students get the repetition and practice they need. Here are some ideas for teaching figurative language in middle or high school.

Any time! Figurative language is fun to teach with almost any unit. When lesson planning, consider what type of figurative language is the most relevant to the text and the skills students need to develop.

With Poetry...

For example, build figurative language into your poetry units. Teaching poetry? Try to identify the technique the poet uses most frequently. Think, what literary device packs the most power? Then, as students practice literary analysis, make sure that figurative language is part of their response. This lesson will work with any poem of your choice.

With Shakespeare...

While most of my literature units only focus on a few literary devices, teaching figurative language with Shakespeare's plays is different. They are so rich in a wide range of poetic devices that we spend more time studying how they reflect his craft.

Try beginning a Romeo and Juliet unit byintroducing figurative language. Then, before finding examples from the play, ask students to look for them in a text that is more familiar, like The Lion King. With this scaffolding, students are more prepared to notice and analyze figurative language in the play.

With Short Stories...

Throw in a literary terms with each short story students read and analyze. Reading "The Gift of the Magi"? Study irony. While reading "The Lottery," dig deep by analyzing the symbolism of the ritual, the people's names, and the objects involved. Additionally, "The Scarlet Ibis" provides opportunities for discussion of many similes and metaphors.

With Novels...

Novels are the perfect opportunity to focus on more complex figurative language. They generally contain multiple examples of a device. For instance, To Kill a Mockingbird is full of allusions and idioms. What's more, novels provide the chance to study figurative language that develops over the course of an entire work. Consider: Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm both are perfect for studying allegory.

With Creative Writing...

Don't forget to build figurative language into writing units. It can be a powerful way to frame an essay, but even more so, students generally love learning to use literary devices in creative writing. In particular, this lesson has been enjoyable for students because it allows them to respond to high-interest nonfiction texts through figurative language, color, and abstract thinking.

How to Hook Students:

Sadly, even figurative language can be boring if all students do is identify examples and practice with worksheets. Try adding some divergent thinking and movement, like this.

Analyze figurative language in movies...

Students love seeing the application of what they are learning in popular culture. Youtube is full of videos that will engage students. Play one like this, and have a meaningful discussion about how the literary devices add to the viewers' experiences.

Discuss figurative language in songs...

Students will find this clip and many others like it engaging. So, watch them dance in their seats and sing out loud as they reflect on how song writers embed figurative language in popular music. Ask students: What would this song be like without the similes? How does the power of this poem rest in its figurative language?

Write figurative language to complement art...

Art is visually appealing, which makes it an excellent writing hook. Try asking students to write a short response to a piece of artwork using a specific type of figurative language. For example, maybe they think Van Gogh's brush strokes look like tufts on a blanket or scales on a lizard (similes). Or, perhaps they think their favorite surrealist's work is just a little crazy (understatement). Alternatively, students responses could be a narrative to accompany the artwork instead of a commentary on the artist's style.

Act it out...

Put students in pairs or small groups. Then, assign them one type of figurative language, and ask them to write a script that uses that device at least ten times. Students can record their skits and play them for the class or perform their skits live. The repetition generally makes these skits entertaining and memorable.

Watch Flocabulary clips...

Flocabulary has some high-interest figurative language clips students love. Here is one for similes and metaphors. They also have one for hyperboles and personification, and this one is for figurative language in general. Instead of just showing students the clip and moving on, have them write down examples or explanations from the clips that they haven't thought of before.

Play games...

Games can bring energy and social learning benefits to the classroom. Figurative language lends itself well to game play, if your classroom culture calls for such. Try Figurative Language Truth or Dare for a basic level game. Want to add more terms and challenge advanced students? Play Get Schooled!

Teaching figurative language can and should be fun and memorable. Begin by hooking students, make sure to sprinkle it in frequently throughout the year, and add some divergent thinking to push students beyond simple identification.

Interested in reading more about figurative language? In this post, Language Arts Classroom writes about 10 poems and figurative language to teach with each.

This scaffolded literary analysis activity works with any poem or song and helps students reflect on how figurative language impacts the text and the reader overall.

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11 Ideas for Teaching Figurative Language Meaningfully | Reading and Writing Haven

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Figurative language is easy to make one of the most engaging aspects of an ELA class. By nature, it is playful. Because it can be paired with pretty much any unit, it can be woven in throughout the year to ensure students get the repetition and practice they need.

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Here's how to make a choice board for you digital learners that is fun and engaging!

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STEP THREE: SETTING UP THE BOARD

Randomized: If this board is for enrichment or simply as something to refer to for practice over the course of a unit or a few weeks, your board can have tasks randomly arranged.

Organized by Columns: On this choice board, you can easily create controlled choices for students - this is my personal favorite! Title each column of your choice board with the skill focus that you want to make sure students tap into during their choice board experience. For example, if you want students writing poetry with their board, you might have your columns titled:

Under each of these headers, you can list links to websites explaining the poem, YouTube videos of examples, or other documents that you have personally created.

Tic Tac Toe Rules: This option uses a 3 x 3 grid. You can also use columns if you like. The goal of this board is that students must choose any three boxes to complete, but they must create tic-tac-toe with their choices (across, down, or diagonal).

STEP FOUR: GOING DIGITAL:

Check out my YouTube for a how-to tutorial that walks you through the digitization of this activity. Remember, don't let the word "digital" scare you! This is on the low-tech end of the spectrum. Click below to watch and download my free template to get started!

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How to Make a Digital Poetry Choice Board - Mud and Ink Teaching

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Randomized: If this board is for enrichment or simply as something to refer to for practice over the course of a unit or a few weeks, your board can have tasks randomly arranged. Organized by Columns: On this choice board, you can easily create controlled choices for students - this is my personal favorite!

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Here's an activity that'll help students analyze non-fiction work with an infamous story!

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Jack the Ripper. One of the most notorious serial killers of all time. And he was never caught. There are over 100 theories about his identity. If you're looking for a high-interest nonfiction topic to get your students interested in analyzing nonfiction, this is it!

This activity has two parts. The first parts takes students through an exercise of identifying tone in a news article written about Jack the Ripper. There are four articles in this part of this lesson that all come from The London Times, late 1800s. (please note that all texts are in the public domain)

Each article is followed by a series of three multiple-choice questions written using Common Core question stems. These questions will help students understand the overall message of each article and encourage them to read critically. Students are then to record examples of tone from the articles and label the tone accordingly. Identifying tone will help with part two of this activity series in which students begin to analyze sources for bias.

In part two of this activity, students will assess a series of stories about Jack the Ripper all written on the exact same day, all about the exact same grisly discovery of two more female victims. By reading multiple sources on the same event, students will be able to compare/ contrast how each source represents the "truth." After assessing sources for bias, students will evaluate which source is more reliable and present their findings to the class.

I have also included FIVE extension activities to use with your students after completing this activity in order to keep your students engaged with nonfiction.

***Please note that there are a couple of paragraphs in this collection that are quite graphic and may be inappropriate for some students. Please censor the articles as you see fit.***

Jack the Ripper is a topic that will keep your students intrigued from the very get-go!

If you like this bundle, be sure to check out these other HIGH-INTEREST nonfiction bundles:
Lizzie Borden: Infamous Murder Case Nonfiction Unit, Tone, Bias, Persuasion The Donner Party Tragedy-- A Nonfiction Research Synthesis Project FOR YOU:
* Be sure to click the "FOLLOW" button that is located next to my picture so that you can hear about sales, new products, and freebies!

* Don't forget to leave feedback to EARN POINTS that turn into cash towards future purchases!

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Related Blog Post: Engaging Secondary Students with Crime Stories You might also like: Nonfiction Resource Bundle Literary Analysis MEGA BUNDLE Crafting Commentary for Literary Analysis Follow Bespoke ELA for UPDATES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, & FREEBIES

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Jack the Ripper: Tone & Bias in the Media Coverage of this Infamous Murder Case

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Jack the Ripper. One of the most notorious serial killers of all time. And he was never caught. There are over 100 theories about his identity. If you're looking for a high-interest nonfiction topic to get your students interested in analyzing nonfiction, this is it! This activity has two parts...

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High Interest Writing for Distant Learning

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High Interest Writing for Distant Learning

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With schools still shifted in remote learning, these three assignment ideas can help make the distance a smaller obstacle!

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A Personal Philosophy Statement is a topic that is well-known to college and graduate school applications. In brief, it is an essay in which a person makes a statement about who he/she is, what he/she believes in, and what is most important to him/her.

A great model for this type of essay assignment is the "This I Believe" Series by NPR. In this series, people write brief essays about what it is they believe based upon their life experiences. As the series has ended in recent years, you can still find the archived essays online. These essays were submitted by normal everyday people but also by famous contributors such as Tony Hawk, Muhammed Ali, Helen Keller, Elie Wiesel, among others. NPR even has an entire curriculum for teachers, which you can find here. It is a fantastic assignment that allows students to think about their beliefs in life and what has shaped those beliefs.

Here are some "This I Believe" essays that might intrigue students:

There are many more "This I Believe" essays where these come from. You can find the assignment for this essay by going to NPR's teacher curriculum guide here. When students are able to reflect back on their lives and think about who they are in terms of their core beliefs, they can engage in the process of evaluating their lives in a way they maybe haven't done before. The "This I Believe" Essay is, perhaps, the most important piece of writing for any person to complete. Students can begin by listening to other "This I Believe" essays from NPR and then write their own versions to share their unique perspectives and voices.

Creative Product Reviews

Ok- so with this one, you may find yourself asking, Is this for real? But YES- it IS a REAL THING! Certain brands have become a haven for inspiring creative writing through online reviews. One of the more popular ones is the Haribo Gummy Bears reviews found on Amazon by going here. For some reason, the mythical nature of the gummy bear has spawned an entire world of creative stories inspired by these cute, little, yummy, gummy bears- that apparently are also LAXATIVES!!!

Check out this hilarious review example:

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Three High-Interest Writing Assignments for Distance Learning - TeachWriting.org

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Distance learning resources are in high demand right now as we shift our teaching outside of the classroom. As a result, distance learning resources are in great demand-- especially assignments that help keep students motivated and engaged. Check out these three high-interest writing assignments f

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Thinking of teaching Of Mice and Men in your English classroom? This guide offers suggestions for you lesson plans!

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Looking for Of Mice and Men lesson plans? I have lots of ideas to help personalize your lessons for teaching Of Mice and Men.

I've taught Of Mice and Men, and I have lesson plans for everyone! Personally, I enjoy the book, but The Grapes of Wrath is my favorite Steinbeck novel. Still, teaching Of Mice and Men is fun, and like most novel studies, I never teach the same way twice.

No matter what novel you are teaching, and no matter how many times you've taught it, you will want an assortment of activities for individual classes. You can download these activities (for free!) and then bookmark these other links for extra engagement during Of Mice and Men.

Sometimes having varying activities and resources will add oomph to whatever novel guide you are using. Here are quick extension activities for teaching Of Mice and Men.

Incorporate nonfiction from Steinbeck.

Steinbeck wrote "The Harvest Gypsies," and students can relate this reading to the novel. I normally jigsaw the eight parts and have students present a brief summary. Then we work on meeting informational text standards, such as central ideas and details.

After you meet informational text standards with those nonfiction pieces, connect the situation to America's crisis today.

I typically introduce the novel with those informational pieces. Not only do students get introduced to Steinbeck, but they also are shown a connection to their lives today. As I continue with Of Mice and Men lesson plans, I relate the material back to our initial activities.

Play a song.

Add music to your Of Mice and Men lesson plans. Songs about migrant workers and their lives exist! You can play the songs or have students read the lyrics. Start here.

You can play those pieces throughout the novel. As we review the men's interactions in the bunk house, I play a song to better set the atmosphere.

Build empathy.

Students normally feel empathetic toward Lennie. Sometimes they wonder why George participated in teasing him. This takes some reflection; it helps to ask students if they regret behavior from when they were younger. Also, it helps to discuss how treatment of those with disabilities has changed throughout time. Take into account students' abilities and then apply research.

For instance, when I taught Of Mice and Men with students who found the book difficult, I found that they had all seen "Forest Gump." They understood that Forest had a learning disability, and I could relate that character to Lennie.

We discuss how society changes as well. Honestly, our discussions about Lennie are some of the more meaningful ones. Students reflect that younger children sometimes don't understand differences, and they share that older generations still treat anyone who is differently poorly. I'm normally engaged with what students share with me concerning this topic.

Understand Curley's wife.

Curley's wife doesn't have a name, and I take the opportunity to introduce feminist criticism. Her lack of a name was not an accident, and students deserve to understand the cruelty of this. Steinbeck is emphasizing the role women had during this time period. I allow students to express their anger.

Honestly, the men's treatment of her angers me, and I think being honest about literature is an important part of teaching it. We briefly cover critical theories in literature as part of our Of Mice and Men activities.

A bit of perspective will lead students to understanding why this is significant. Research for women's role in society can be found at the Institute of American History and the History Channel.

Furthermore, I show students that students research this character extensively.

Steinbeck background.

Steinbeck has won a Nobel Prize. Students typically recognize that honor, and they understand the magnitude of winning it. I encourage students to read the novel and then research the author; they seem to look for clues about the author more if they have already read some of the author's work.

Are you interested in more specific ideas for other common stories? I have ideas for The Hunger Games, Animal Farm, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet.

American literature literature activities literature lessons of mice and men

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Of Mice and Men Lesson Plans | Language Arts Classroom

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Looking for Of Mice and Men lesson plans? I have lots of ideas to help personalize your lessons for teaching Of Mice and Men. I've taught Of Mice and Men, and I have lesson plans for everyone! Personally, I enjoy the book, but The Grapes of Wrath is my favorite Steinbeck novel.

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This lesson package combines "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Sympathy" for a unified poetry lesson!

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This excerpt from Maya Angelou's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings pairs beautifully with "Sympathy," a short poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Students will explore and analyze the similar themes/messages within these two different mediums. This four day, no prep/no plan, unit includes a student notebook for the entire unit and a teacher presentation that even includes the daily bell ringers/agenda/goal slides.
Unit Includes:

Full lesson, activities, assessment and discussion opportunities for an excerpt (provided) of Maya Angelou's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Full lesson, activities, assessment, and discussion opportunities for "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Symbolism lesson as it applies to the poem, "Sympathy."

Literary analysis lesson, graphic organizers, and writing prompt for assessment.

Close reading strategies and graphic organizers.

Graphic organizers to support students with Maya Angelou's memoir excerpt.

SOAPSTone lesson, activity, and assessment for analyzing poetry.

Complete student notebook

Complete and fully editable teacher presentation that includes bell ringer slides, agenda slides, and goals/standards slides.

Notes on each PPT slide to help you in teaching the material making this truly no plan/no prep.

Lesson plans with a list of all standards covered in the unit.

Quiz and answer key for the memoir excerpt.

Follow my store by clicking on the link at the top of the page for updates, announcements, and fun freebies! You can also find me on my blog, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

Looking for more great resources for your classroom? This unit is a part of my semester 2 bundle AND my Full Year English Curriculum Bundle. These curriculum bundles will take you from the first day procedures, syllabus, and get-to-know-you activities to the final semester reflection and/or end-of-year writing prompts. Every day and every lesson is planned and created for your 8th or 9th-grade students. This curriculum is aligned to CCSS standards; the semester 1 and semester 2 curriculum will cover all of the CCSS standards for both 8th and 9th grade.

Other top-selling lessons to consider:
Tone and Mood in Literature In-Text Citation Lesson, Practice, and Assessment Analyzing Arguments with Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail Analyze an Author's Argument with Atticus Finch's Closing Arguments- Ethos, Pathos, Logos- The Three Pillars of Persuasion Rhetorical Analysis Unit Bundle Rhetoric- Ethos/Pathos/Logos Bell Ringer Activities! Logical Fallacies made Easy! Literary Analysis Made Easy

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and "Sympathy" - A Paired Passage Lesson

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This excerpt from Maya Angelou's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings pairs beautifully with "Sympathy," a short poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Students will explore and analyze the similar themes/messages within these two different mediums. This four day, no prep/no plan, unit includes a student noteboo...

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An interesting and interactive take on reviewing The Raven!

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Description

Interactive reading flip book for The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe

Each "flap" is ready for you to easily line up by using the directions on how to assemble the activity book.
Includes:
Writing Prompts and answer key
Comprehension questions and answer key
Poetry Literary devices and answer key

Aligned and Outlined ELA Common Core State Standards, 9-12 Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Print in grayscale. White paper or color paper.

Great alternative to the run-of-the-mill study guide. Students will practice reading, citing evidence, recalling details, writing and inference skills...and everything will be in this one pack! Great for Center Task / Differentiation -Class Discussion -Fast Finishers and Review.

Created by Danielle Knight, © Study All Knight, The Knight Stuff, LLC

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The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe Poetry Literature Guide Flip Book - Study All Knight

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Interactive reading flip book for The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe Each "flap" is ready for you to easily line up by using the directions on how to assemble the activity book. Includes: Writing Prompts and answer key Comprehension questions and answer key Poetry Literary devices and answer key Aligned and Outlined ELA Common Core State Standards, 9-12 Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Print in grayscale.

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Great on online learning, utilize this prompt-filled slide show to encourage critical thinking in students!

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This product is 50-slide Google Slideshow/ Digital Notebook that contains 50 prompts to respond to a piece of literature. Students can type directly into the slides to respond to the questions. These also make great bell-ringer activities during the regular school year for any novel unit.

The 50 journal prompt style activities ask students to complete various tasks from creating a poster for the book using Canva.com, putting their characters in hypothetical situations to respond, and, of course, analyzing the text for various literary techniques and devices from theme to style to setting and conflict.

This reader response bundle of prompts can be used as a digital journal and can help students interact with any novel-- whether they are reading in class or outside of class!
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Related Blog Posts: 5 Innovative Activities & Projects for Any Novel Unit FOUR Ways to Get Your Students Hooked on Reading 5 Activities to Encourage Creative Thinking in Secondary ELA Five ESSENTIAL Questions to Guide Textual Analysis Other Resources for Distance Learning: Rhetorical Analysis-- Introduction + Independent Study for Distance Learning Independent Vocabulary Study for Secondary ELA-- Great for Distance Learning! Google Form Digital Escape Room: Literary Devices for Distance Learning Bell-Ringers for the ENTIRE Year-40 WEEKS - EDITABLE PROMPTS w/ Mentor Sentences 30 MENTOR SENTENCES for Literary & Rhetorical Devices with Writing Application 25 Essential Handouts for Writing Workshop Crafting Commentary for Literary Analysis Literary Device Bell-Ringers for Analysis + Close Reading Practice- EDITABLE
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Reader Response Google Slideshow for ANY NOVEL-- Great for Distance Learning!!

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This product is 50-slide Google Slideshow/ Digital Notebook that contains 50 prompts to respond to a piece of literature. Students can type directly into the slides to respond to the questions. These also make great bell-ringer activities during the regular school year for any novel unit.The 50 jo...