Don't Drink Bees Educational Ideas

BDA: Journey to Jo’Burg

2007-12-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

These are some Before, During, and After activities for Journey to Jo’Burg: A South African Story by Beverley Naidoo:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Make a list of everything you know or have heard about South Africa.

Write a definition of “discrimination.” What does it mean? Give an example.

Have you ever witnessed inequality? Describe what happened. Write a minimum of half a page.

How do you feel about prejudice and discrimination? Write at least half a page.

Write a poem about discrimination.

Draw a picture or a make a poster depicting how you feel about prejudice and discrimination.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

During the story, Naledi learns a lot about the South Africa that exists beyond her village. As you read, describe what happens to Naledi and what she learns from each experience. You may use a table answering the questions below or answer the questions in a paragraph.
Chapter #

What happens?

What does Naledi learn?

At the end of each chapter, write a letter to one of the characters discussing what happened in the chapter and how you feel about it.

As you read, create a map of the journey. Label your map with illustrations that represent each event in the book.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Research the history of South Africa. Write a report describing how apartheid began in South Africa and how it ended.

Make a tape or CD of songs that Naledi and Tiro might have enjoyed on her journey. Include a page listing the song titles and why you chose them for Naledi and Tiro.

Research the history of apartheid in South Africa and create a poster and pamphlets that describe this history.

Create and present a performance illustrating the journey to Jo’burg. Write half a page explaining how your performance shows the story events.

Is there another country that supports inequalities similar to apartheid in South Africa? Research the discrimination problem in that country. Create a report or a poster or a speech. Describe the problem clearly and provide possible solutions.

Talk to at least one other person about the events in Journey to Jo’burg. Record the discussion or write a paper describing the conversation(s) you had. How were your views the same or different?

BDA: Hoot

2007-12-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After activities for Hoot by Carl Hiaasen:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
What do you know about endangered species? What are they? What are some reasons they become endangered? What are some things being done to protect endangered species? Write at least half a page.

Is there a cause that you think is worth fighting for? How far would you go for your cause? Some people commit crimes for something they believe in. How far is too far? Complete at least half a page.

Make a poster showing what you know about endangered species. You do not have to do any research for this project.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Some of the book characters change their opinion about the new Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House. For each character who changes his or her mind, answer the following:
A. Character Name:

B. When character changed his or her mind about the pancake house:

C. Why the character changed his or her mind:

The author uses a lot of similes and metaphors in Hoot. Keep track of all of them in a table with the following information:
page #

This thing is compared to

this other thing.

Is it a metaphor or a simile?

Write a Trace Middle news story for each chapter, describing just the information that is common knowledge to the students.

Illustrate a scene for at least 12 of the book’s chapters. Write a caption for each drawing.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Write a report about burrowing owls in the United States.

Make a poster and/or a brochure explaining an environmental concern.

Make a scrapbook of newspaper and magazine articles about an endangered species. Write one page describing what you learned from the articles.

Write a minimum of five poems about animals that are in danger of becoming extinct.

Describe one of the scenes that took place at the construction site from the owl’s point of view.

What do you think happened to Mullet Fingers? Write at least two pages.

Predict where at least 7 of the following characters might be 10 years from now. Write at least one paragraph for each character.
Roy

Dana Matherson

David Delinko

Curly

Garrett

Miss Hennepin

Beatrice Leep

Mullet Fingers

Chuck Muckle

Mother Paula (Kimberly Lou Dixon)

Kalo

Lonna Leep

BDA: Goodbye, Vietnam

2007-12-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After activities for Goodbye, Vietnam by Gloria Whelan:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
What is a superstition? Give at least two examples of superstitions. Do you believe in superstitions? Why or why not? Write a minimum of half a page.

If you had to leave suddenly and could only four things with you, what would they be? Explain why you would choose each of the four things. Write a minimum of half a page.

What does "immigration" mean? What do you know about immigration laws? What else do you know about immigration? Write a minimum of half a page.

Do you feel like your parents or grandparents treat you and your brother or sister differently? Explain any differences in the way you are treated. Why do you think you are treated differently? Write at least half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

As you read, write down all the superstitions that are mentioned in a format like the one below. Answer all the following questions for each superstition.
Who mentions the superstition?

How does Mai feel about the superstition?

What do you think about the superstition?

As you read, fill in a chart like the one below, showing the differences between the way girls and boys are treated in the book. (see example below)

Type of Difference Girls Boys

Clothing Blouses Shirts and Ties

As you read, make a list of characters and their physical and personality traits.

Draw two scenes for each section of the book. You should make a total of eight drawings. Write a minimum of two sentences to describe each picture you create.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Research and make a poster on one of the following topics.
Growing rice

Vietnamese history

Sampans

Buddhism

Tet (the holiday)

The Vietnam War

Refugees in Hong Kong

What did you think about the way Mai’s family and other refugees were housed in Hong Kong? Write a letter to the Hong Kong government explaining the problems and suggesting solutions.

Research the holiday of Tet. Plan a Tet celebration for the class.

Try growing rice and write a short paper about the experience.

BDA: Flush

2007-11-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After activities for Flush by Carl Hiaasen:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
What do you know about pollution? What types of things pollute? Who is hurt by pollution? What are some things being done to decrease pollution? Write at least half a page.

Is there a cause that you think is worth fighting for? How far would you go for your cause? Some people commit crimes for something they believe in. How far is too far? Complete at least half a page.

Make a poster showing what you know about pollution. You do not have to do any research for this project. Just use what you know from your experience.

Have you ever had to help a family member who was in trouble? Is there someone in your family that you would do anything for. Describe the person you have helped or someone you would help. Describe why you would help this person. Write at least half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Keep a chart of all the characters from the book that includes the following information:
Name:

Description of the person:

How this person is involved with The Coral Queen:

What you think about this character:

Write a news story for each chapter, describing just the information that is common knowledge to the public.

Illustrate a scene for at least 12 of the book’s chapters. Write a caption for each drawing.

Make a list of at least 20 words you are unfamiliar with as you read the story. Complete the following for each word:
Word

Definition

Page #

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Write a report about one of the following:
Gambling laws

Pollution laws

Eco-terrorism

Make a poster and/or a brochure explaining an environmental concern.

Make a scrapbook of newspaper and magazine articles about pollution. Write one page describing what you learned from the articles.

Write a minimum of five poems about pollution.

Predict where at least 7 of the following characters might be 10 years from now. Write at least one paragraph for each character.
Dusty Muleman

Noah Underwood

Paine Underwood (Dad)

Donna Underwood (Mom)

Abbey Underwood

Mr. Shine

Jasper Jr.

Bull

Lice Peeking

Shelly

Grandpa Bobby

Luno

BDA: Down the Rabbit Hole

2007-11-15T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After activities for Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
What do you know about the book Alice in Wonderland? Who are the characters? What happens to Alice? Write at least half a page.

What sports do you play? Describe a great moment you had competing in a sport. Describe a disappointing moment. Complete at least half a page.

Describe any problems you have had getting along with your brothers or sisters. Why do you think you have trouble? Write a minimum of half a page.

Have you ever kept a secret? How did it feel to keep the secret? Were you tempted to share the secret? What was the secret about? Is keeping a secret always the best thing to do? Why or why not? Write at least half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Ingrid likes to notice “the trifles” about people. Keep track of specific details about each character as you read the book. What do you think each trifle might mean?
Character Name

Trifles (details) about the character

What the trifles might mean

Fill out a chart with the following information as you read the story:
Vocabulary Word

How does the word relate to the story?

As you read the story, keep a Clue Journal. Make a list of all the clues. Then, at the end of each chapter, write at least a paragraph about what you think the clues might mean. Explain your reasoning.

Pretend you write for the school newspaper. Write stories for at least 7 important events/issues in the book. You can write about sporting events, local mysteries, school issues, local events, etc.

If you were in Ingrid’s position, would you choose to do the same things that she chooses? At the end of each chapter, describe the problem Ingrid is faced with. What would you have done if you were in the same situation?

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Investigate one of the following topics and create a poster, give an oral report, or write a report.
Sports and Pressure to Perform

Why Art is Important to My Community

Sherlock Holmes

Commercial Development vs. Natural Environment: Pros and Cons to Development

Socioeconomic Issues in My Community

Write an alternate ending to the book. Write your own chapters 29 and 30.

Research the poems used in the book. Make a display that answers the following questions for each poem:
What is the name of the poem?

Who is the author?

When was the poem written?

What is the poem about?

Why do you think Peter Abrahams used this poem in the book?

Did you learn any other interesting facts about the poem?

Write a letter to one of the main characters discussing what you think about one of the following issues:
Commercial Development

Money Issues

Sports Pressures

Rules

Pretend you are the producer/director of the movie adaptation of this book. Choose actors to play each role. Choose locations for shooting the movie. Make at least 2 movie poster mock-ups. Write a short paper describing why you chose the actors and locations that you did.

BDA: Crusader

2007-11-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

These are Before, During, and After activities for Crusader by Edward Bloor:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Think of a problem that you have had or you have in your life. Describe the problem. How did you feel about the problem? What did you do about the problem? How do you feel about what you did? Write at least half a page.

What is the best advice someone has given you? What was helpful about this advice? Did you listen? Write a minimum of half a page.

Describe a person in your life who is a role model to you. What are his or her best qualities? How does this person make you a better person? Write at least half a page.

What do you think about arcade games? How are they good and/or bad? Complete at least half a page.

What is prejudice? Give examples of prejudice. Write at least half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Keep a chart of all the characters from the book that includes the following information:
Name

Job

Place where he or she works

First description of the person

New information about the person

Roberta tries to solve two mysteries in the book. Keep track of the clues in a chart including the following columns:
page #

Clue

What I think it means…

Roberta tells a lot of lies in the book. Keep track of the lies in a chartincluding the following columns:
page #

Lie

Why she told this lie…

There are several direct and indirect references to discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudice in the book. Keep track of these references in a chart including the following information:
page #

Who made the reference?

What did he or she say?

Why?

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Research one of the following topics. Then write a report or a make a poster with the information you learn:
Muckrakers

Talk shows and society

Videogames and violence: are they linked?

Suicide

The mall in American towns

Hate crimes, atrocities, prejudice (Holocaust, Serbia, KKK, skinheads, etc.)

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Roberta learns new information about some of the characters and has to completely change the way she looks at them. Write a paper showing the different facets of at least three of the characters.

Roberta quotes a lot of Dr. Seuss. Write a summary of Crusader in the style of Dr. Seuss.

Several of the characters contemplate suicide. Write a letter giving reasons for not giving up.

Roberta is told to be a “survivor” by Mrs. Weiss What qualities does a survivor have? Give examples of survivors from your own life and/or from history.

Write a minimum of 5 poems on the topic of surviving and survivors.

Design a proposal for a videogame that promotes good values and character traits. Your proposal should include a description of the game, screen shots, how it will be promoted, etc.

Sam and Roberta agree that history has more than one side and more than one description. Read about two sides of any controversial historical event. Prepare an oral presentation or a poster showing both sides.

Interview “a survivor.” Either write up a report of your interview or edit a videotape of your interview.

BDA: The Clay Marble

2007-11-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

These are Before, During, and After activities for The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Make a list of everything you already know about Cambodia.

Write a definition for the word family. Give examples of different kinds of families. Write at least half a page.

Is you family non-traditional? Maybe a grandparent lives with you or you live with just one parent. What is it like being part of a non-traditional family? Write a minimum of half a page.

Have you ever had to leave your home because of an emergency? Describe what happened. How did you feel? Write at least half a page.

Write a poem about your family.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
During the story, Dara asks the clay marble to grant her wishes. Answer the following questions each time she makes a wish:
Describe the situation.

What does Dara wish?

What happens?

Create pictures or 3-D representations of Dara’s family and their temporary homes in different stages of change.

Dara learns about survival during her adventures. As you read, write a manual of survival skills including necessary supplies.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Make at least three toy artifacts such as the ones described in the book.

Create a poster describing current events and issues in Cambodia.

Research and write a report about an issue in Cambodia.

Write a two poems or songs about the clay marble or another topic from the story.

Make a scrapbook of Dara’s family members and their adventure. Write captions for pictures.

BDA: Born Confused

2007-11-06T10:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After activities for Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Do you ever feel like you are playing a role or pretending to be someone you are not? Write at least half a page describing the roles you play, why you play them, and how pretending makes you feel.

Write a definition for the word culture. Give examples of your or another person’s culture. Write at least half a page.

Who are you? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What do you like about yourself? What would you like to change? Write a minimum of half a page.

Who understands you? Who doesn’t? Write at least half a page describing these people and why you think they do or do not understand you.

Write a poem about your family.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Write a letter to Dimple (or another character) at the end of each chapter. Let the person know what you think of what they are thinking or doing?

Pretend you are Dimple or Gwyn and keep a diary from that person’s point of view.

As you read, make a scrapbook of Dimple’s experiences. Use your own photographs or drawings. You may use excerpts from the book as captions for the pictures.

Take your own photographs that you think represent events from the story. Write an explanation of why you chose each photograph and what it represents.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Research Indian-American and South Asian organizations and activities in your area. Make a brochure of the information you gather.

Listen to India music (bhangra, Goan trance music, Lata Mangeshkar, Bollywood film hits, etc.) Create three drawings or write a page saying what you think of the music.

Did the book make you think about your own identity and your relationships with others? Write a paper describing what you used to think and what you think now.

At the beginning of the book, some of Dimple’s relationships with others are strained. Think about your own relationships that could use improvement. Create a plan to strengthen each relationship.

Interview an American-born Indian, and write a paper describing what you learned.

BDA: So Far From the Bamboo Grove

2007-11-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

These are Before, During, and After activities for So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kwashima:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Write down everything you know about Japan (history, location, culture, pop culture). Write a minimum of half a page.

What do you know about Japan’s role during World War II? Write a minimum of half a page.

Have you ever had to move to a new city or town? Describe what happened. Why did you move? Where did you move? How different was the new place? How did it feel to move? Write a minimum of half a page.

Think of a family member (or another person) who you know you can always count on. What makes you feel like you can count on this person? Write a minimum of half a page.

Have you ever had to be very brave? What were the circumstances? What happened? Write a minimum of half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Write a journal entry from Ko’s point of view at the end of each chapter. Do you think Ko saw events differently than Yoko?

Draw a map of Japan and Korea. As you read, plot the story events where they occurred on the map.

Make a historical timeline of world events affecting Yoko’s family (Japan ruling Korea, World War II, etc.). Plot events from the book on the timeline.

Create a postcard at the end of each chapter that represents what happened or how the characters are feeling. You can draw a card or make a collage from pictures and words you cut out. Write a minimum of two sentences explaining each postcard.

Keep a Reading Reaction Journal. At the end of each chapter write at least half a page discussing what you think about what happened.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.

Research and write a report on one of the following. The report should be a minimum of two pages.
Japan’s colonization of Korea

The Korean War

Japanese traditional dance

Japan after World War II

Haiku are Japanese poetry. Usually they are written about nature. Write a minimum of 5 haikus about the events in the story.
The form of haiku is:
1st line – 5 syllables
2nd line – 7 syllables
3rd line – 5 syllables

Research and perform a traditional Japanese dance.

Write a possible next chapter for the story.

Write an obituary for each character that died in the story. (An obituary is a brief biography of the deceased.)

BDA: The Afterlife

2007-10-30T08:41:00.000-05:00

Here are Before, During, and After activities for The Afterlife by Gary Soto:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
How would you like to be remembered by people? What would you like to accomplish in your life? Write at least half a page.

What do you think about suicide? Write a letter to someone who is thinking about committing suicide.

Write at least half a page describing a person who means a lot to you. What is special about this person? What are his or her best qualities?

Has anyone close to you died? What happened? How do you feel now? Complete at least half a page.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Write at least a sentence that each character might say at Chuy’s funeral. You can use the following format.
Character’s Name:
Relationship to Chuy:
What he or she might say at the funeral:

Create a map of Chuy’s travels.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross believes that there are 5 stages that a person goes through when someone close to them dies:

Denial – it didn’t happen
Anger or resentment
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Create a chart with character names written on the rows of the first column and with Kubler-Ross' 5 stages as column headings. Check off the stage box or boxes for each character showing what stages they go through after Chuy dies.

Make a list of all the lessons that Chuy learns in the story.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
“Death makes a person appreciate life more.” Would the author agree or disagree with this statement? Write a paper, using at least 3 examples from the book, to support your argument.

Why do you think Chuy faded away slowly instead of disappearing all at once? Write a paper, at least 2 pages in length, explaining your thoughts.

What do you think of the author’s representation of death? If you had written the story, how would you have represented death? Explain why. Write at least 2 pages.

What clues in the book point to Chuy being killed? Write an epilogue chapter solving Chuy’s murder.

Write at least 5 poems about both Gary Soto’s and your ideas about the afterlife. Write a minimum of 2 sentences explaining each poem.

Create a poster or picture that represents the afterlife. Write at least a page explaining your poster or picture.

What do you think about what Crystal did? Do you think she regrets her decision? Write a paper about how you feel about Crystal’s suicide and her afterlife.

Research the topic of suicide. Then do one of the following with the information you learn:
Make a pamphlet or handout

Make a poster

Give an oral report

BDA: Tuck Everlasting

2007-10-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

These are some Before, During, and After activities for Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt:

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Write a poem or a song on the topic of life or death or about both life and death. Write a minimum of half a page.

Divide a poster into two sides. Use words and pictures to decorate one side, so it represents “life.” Decorate the other side, so it represents “death.”

What would you like on your tombstone? What would you like it to say? What do you want to be remembered for? Design your own stone.

Fill out this Anticipation Guide. Write "+" or "-" or "=" next to each item listed below, based on if you believe it is a positive thing (+), a negative thing (-), or it could it be both (=).
A messy room

Eating fish

Making money

Killing people

Touching toads

Dying

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Personification is giving human attributes to objects, animals, ideas, and other things. Create a log with the following column headings. Then, fill in the columns as you read.
Object

Human Characteristic

Chapter #

The characters in the book are compared to many objects, animals, etc. through the use of similes and metaphors. As you read, write down the names of the characters and the objects and animals each character is compared to.

As you read, pretend you are Winnie, and keep a journal of the important events that happen to her as well as the thoughts and ideas she has.

While you read, draw a map of Treegap and the surrounding area. Make sure you include Winnie’s cottage, the gate, the road, the toad, Tuck’s house, the jailhouse, the gallows, the pond, the tree, the hill, the spring.

The author uses foreshadowing in the book to give you a hint at what might happen next. At the end of each chapter, write a paragraph describing what you think will happen next.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Would you have made the same choices Winnie did? Why or why not? What would you have done? Write at least one page.

Imagine you were born at the same time as Winnie in 1870, and you drank the water. Create a scrapbook of the highpoints of your life. Be creative. Include important historical events.

Write a poem describing life from the point of view of Winnie’s friend the toad.

Compare Tuck’s and Jesse’s views on the water. Why do you think they each feel the way they do? Whom do you identify with more?

Winnie thinks a lot about the rightness and wrongness of things. What do you think about the rightness and wrongness of the following: keeping a messy room, eating fish, making money, killing people, touching toes, and dying?

BDA: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

2007-10-24T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here are Before, During, and After activities for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi:

Before You Begin Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
You are the only passenger on a ship in 1832, sailing from Liverpool, England to Providence, Rhode Island. The captain has told you the crew is dangerous. The crew has told you the captain is dangerous. Whom do you believe? Why? Write a minimum of half a page.

Divide a page into two columns: Boys, Girls. Under the column headed “Boys,” list things you know about boys that are not true about girls. Under “Girls,” list traits specific to girls. Did you have many differences to list? Were these differences good or bad? What do you think about your list? Would others agree with what you have listed? Write a paragraph answering these questions.

Think of an activity that you thought you couldn’t do but for some reason tried and realized that you could do it. Describe what happened. Are there other things that you were unsure about that you might try now? Write a minimum of half a page.

Has anyone ever told you that you couldn’t do something because of your age? gender? race? class? How did it make you feel? Write a minimum of half a page.

While You Are Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Divide a page into 4 columns creating a table with the following labels. Fill in a row at the end of each chapter. If you or Charlotte are unsure, write “unsure” in the proper column and explain why.
Whom do I trust?

Why?

Whom does Charlotte trust?

Why?

Draw a picture of one of the book’s main characters as the voyage begins. Then draw a second picture of the same character at the end of the voyage. Use at least 3 details from the book. (Character examples: Captain Jaggery, Charlotte, Zachariah)

As you read, write down unfamiliar words. Make a crossword puzzle with at least 10 of these words using their definitions as clues.

Choose a character. Explain how this character’s race, gender, age, and class influence how the other characters react toward him or her. You may write a paper or use a chart format.

When You Have Finished Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
After returning home from Rhode Island, if you were Charlotte, would you have chosen to do something different? Rewrite the last chapter of the book.

Write a ballad recounting the events that took place on the voyage of the Seahawk from the point of view of any of the characters.

Write a letter from Charlotte’s mother, father, sister, or brother to Charlotte describing how she/he feels about how Charlotte has changed since she/he last saw her.

Do you think events described in the book are realistic? Why or why not? Write a minimum of one page. Be persuasive.

BDA: The Wave

2007-10-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some Before, During, and After Reading Activities for the book The Wave by Todd Strasser:

Before You Begin Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
What do you think about cliques and groups in school? Is there a group you would like to be in? If so, why?

Do you know any kids who get picked on? Why do you think they get picked on? What do you think could be changed, so they wouldn’t get picked on?

Do you think everyone should be treated exactly the same no matter what? Why or why not? What would be the benefits of this? What would be the drawbacks?

Fill out this Anticipation Guide. Write "+" or "-" or "=" next to each item listed below, based on if you believe it is a positive thing (+), a negative thing (-), or it could it be both (=).
Belonging to a Group

Getting Picked On

Everyone Getting Treated Exactly the Same

Making Difficult Decisions

Following a Leader

Nazism

While You Are Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Keep a chart on the following information about the book characters:
Character Name

Character Traits

Initial Feelings About The Wave

Do His/Her Feelings About The Wave Change? If so, why?

Keep a personal journal as you read the book. At the end of each chapter, answer the following questions:
What are the benefits, if any, of The Wave?

What are the drawbacks, if any, of The Wave?

How do you feel about The Wave? Why?

As you read, write newspaper-style editorials on the topic of The Wave for The Gordon Grapevine, the school paper. Write one at least every 4 chapters.

When You Have Finished Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Research for more information about the experiment the book is based on. Write a paper or create a presentation based on the facts you discover.

Create a poster or another piece of artwork showing both the positive things groups of people have accomplished and the negative things.

Investigate cults and/or gangs and why people join them. Create a poster and a presentation.

Create a brochure or another type of handout that educates people about cults, gangs, hate groups, etc. and how to protect themselves from getting involved in these types of organizations. You may include a list of “danger signs” that a group isn’t good to join or stay in.

Read more about Adolph Hitler and how he became a leader. Create a paper or presentation describing his rise to power.

Write an editorial or essay on one of the following topics:
The Power of Belonging to a Group

Why People Get Picked On and How They Can Stop Being Targets

The Injustice of Everyone Getting Treated Exactly the Same

Making Difficult Decisions Versus Following a Leader

How to Decide if You Should Join a Group or Not

BDA: The Pigman & Me

2007-10-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

Here are Before, During, and After activities for The Pigman & Me by Paul Zindel:

Before You Begin Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
What is a big change that you have gone through in your life? Moving? A new school? Parents’ divorce? Making new friends? Describe what happened. How did you feel? How did you deal with the big change in your life? Write at least half a page.

Is there a person in your life whom you like or admire? Why do you like or admire this person? Describe this person’s qualities, and give examples of things this person has done. Write at least half a page.

Draw a floor plan of your home and a map of your neighborhood. Label interesting places and where interesting people live. Create a key that explains why these places and people are interesting.

Make a list of at least 15 things you have learned in your life. These should be things that you would help another person if you shared your tips with them.

While You Are Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Paul Zindel uses the technique of “foreshadowing” a lot in this book. Foreshadowing is giving hints about what is going to happen later in the story. Create a table including the following columns and fill in examples of foreshadowing as you read:
Example of Foreshadowing

Page Number

What do you think this foreshadowing is hinting at? What will happen next?

Nonno Frankie uses puns a lot to make the people around him laugh. Puns are a play on words that sound alike but mean different things. Keep a log of Nonno Frankie’s jokes. Write an explanation of each pun including definitions of the words used.

Make a scrapbook of this year in Zindel’s life, including important events from the book. Create this scrapbook from any of the character’s point of view: Nonno Frankie, Jennifer, Mother, Betty, Connie.

Create a booklet of advice including the best information from the book. Write one page describing why you chose to include the advice you did.

When You Have Finished Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Think of an interesting event from your childhood. Write this event up as a chapter in the style of Paul Zindel.

Do as Nonno Frankie describes in the last chapter of the book. Describe what you learn at the top of the volcano. Write at least one page.

Now that you know what a pigman is, do you have one in your life? Describe your pigman and how you met him or her. What have you learned from your pigman? Write at least one page.

Write a poem based on your reading. Your poem could be a summary of the story, a description of one or many of the characters, a list of wise words or punny jokes, a retelling of one of the events in the book, or something else from The Pigman & Me.

BDA: Seedfolks

2007-10-12T11:39:00.000-05:00

Before, During, and After Reading activities for the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman.

Before You Begin Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Do you know the people in your neighborhood? Why or why not? Do you do any activities with your neighbors? Describe the people who make up your neighborhood. Write at least half a page.

What does “community” mean to you? Create a poster illustrating what you think makes up a community. Use words, drawings, and/or cut-out pictures from magazines.

Have you ever grown a flower a plant, a tree? Describe what you had to do to take care of it. How often did you water it, fertilize it? Did you place it inside or outside? Was it in the sun or a shady space? How did it grow? Write at least half a page.

Write a poem about one of the following topics: community, neighborhood, gardens, farming.

While You Are Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Create a map of the community garden. Include who is gardening in each spot and what they are growing. Where are the gardeners from?

Make a chart and fill in the following information for each character:
Name

Describe his or her personality traits.

Where is he or she from? (history)

What is he or she growing?

Why is he or she growing that?

How does he or she feel about the other people?

How does the garden change this person?

The characters learn a lot about growing flowers and vegetables in the garden. Create a booklet of growing tips for Chicago. Include all the information from the book.

The gardeners have come to Chicago from many different places. On a map of the world, label each place with the person’s name and the approximate date they moved to Chicago. Include the people who moved from another state to Illinois.

Plant and grow a seed of your own in a paper cup or outside. Write a daily journal describing how you care for the plant and how it grows.

When You Have Finished Reading…
Complete one of the following activities.
Create a poster promoting community gardens. Make it clear how they benefit neighborhoods. Give tips for starting a community garden.

Write at least one page describing how the garden changed the lives of at least 5 people. Can you see a community garden changing the lives of people in your community or your school’s community?

Gardens are a metaphor for community and connection to the planet and one another. Write at least one page explaining these metaphors. Give examples from the book.

Write a song or a poem about at least 5 characters in the book and how the community garden changed their lives.

BDA: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2007-10-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

BDA stands for Before, During, and After.

I've created some BDAs with activities students can complete before, during, and after reading books. I've tried to create activity options that appeal to different intelligences. (Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory)

The first BDA I'm posting is for Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Before You Begin Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Are we alone in the universe? Do you think there is life on other planets? If so, do you think there are aliens that are more intelligent than people on Earth? Write at least 1 page, discussing what you think. Give reasons for your positions.

If you met an alien from another planet at a party, and it asked you to describe your home planet, what would you say? Write at least one page, providing details about Earth.

Imagine your perfect planet. What would it look like? Draw pictures of at least 5 views of your planet. Write captions for each picture.

Pretend you are an alien. Describe Earth from the perspective of someone/something from another planet. Remember that it may not be familiar with things like cars, planes, sports, buildings. Write at least a page.

While You Are Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Write diary entries for one of the characters. Make sure you write an entry for each of the memorable moments.

Make a scrapbook of pictures, newspaper clippings, momentos for one of the characters.

Complete a chart of character traits for 8 characters in the book.

Choose at least 15 difficult vocabulary words from the book. Create a crossword puzzle using these words. Make sure you include an answer key.

When You Have Finished Reading…

Complete one of the following activities.
Write your own Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy based on your reading. Include at least 15 entries for important people, places, objects, and events.

What do you think Adams is trying to say about the meaning of life? Why do you think this? Give examples from the book. What do you think is the meaning of life? Write at least three pages.

There are many items advertised in the book. Create an advertisement for at least 5 items. Here are some examples you might choose from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Encyclopedia Galactica, Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the Heart of Gold, Vogon poetry, Infinite Improbability Drive, Sirius Cybernetics Corporation robot with the new GPP feature, Magrathea planets.

Write 5 stories for a galaxy newspaper using important events from the book.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 8: Sharing with an Audience

2007-10-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

Students could share their poetry with a variety of audiences by:

Visiting a school or class of younger students and reading poems to the kids there.

Taking a field trip to a retirement home and presenting poems to the residents.

Taking a field trip to the children's ward of a hospital and acting out poems for the patients.

Having a poetry slam that includes several classes or several schools in the area.

Think about your individual community and what is possible. Think about who might benefit from the poetry readings (in addition to your students, of course). Brainstorm audience ideas with your classes.

If there is a community service component to the school's curriculum, groups of students could visit different locations in the community, based on their interest.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 7: Formal Paper

2007-09-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

Students could write a formal paper analyzing a poem in detail: form, content, and background.

This could be instead of or in addition to teaching a poem in a class presentation.

Alternative activity: Students could write a paper, a journal entry, or a poem about writing and reading poetry.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 6: Teach a Poem

2007-09-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Have each student present a poem to the class.

After reading the poem aloud, students can discuss the following:

Author - Who is the author? What is his or her history? When did he or she write this poem? Give additional pertinent author background information.

Figurative Speech - metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole

Poetic Devices - onomatopoeia, repetition, alliteration

Rhyme Scheme - Does the poem rhyme? If so, which lines rhyme? How many lines does the poem contain? How many stanzas? Is this poem in a particular form such as a sonnet or a limerick?

Meter - What is th meter of the poem? Iambic? Trochaic? How many syllables are accented per line?

Analysis of the Poem - What does it mean? How is that meaning conveyed? Could there be alternate interpretations?

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 5: Poetry Mugs, Shirts, etc.

2007-09-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

Students can create many items with their poetry and artwork:

mugs

coasters

plates

greeting cards

t-shirts

tote bags

posters

Here are a few companies where kits can be purchased or where items can be designed online:

Makit - http://www.makhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifitonline.com/

Zazzle - http://www.zazzle.com/

Cafepress - http://www.cafepress.com/

Office supply, photography, and department stores often offer similar services.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 4: "Publishing"

2007-09-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

Give your students options. Have them publish their best work by:

submitting it to a newspaper or magazine

reading it at a coffee house or in another public forum

displaying it in a public place

giving it as a gift to another person

printing it on a shirt or a mug

putting it on a website

Show students there are many forms of "publishing."

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 3: Class Poetry Compilation

2007-09-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

Create a compilation book of your students' best poems. Put a copy in the library for the entire school to check out.

This could also be used as a resource to give next year's students (or another class) ideas for poems they might want to write themselves.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 2: Literary Magazine

2007-09-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

Publish a class literary magazine. Make a copy for each student.

If you are feeling adventurous and have a small budget, layout the magazine professionally and make copies available for sale to parents, peers, and members of the community.

Students could be involved in editing, layout, printing, and sales.

Poetry Unit Wrap-Up Activity 1: Coffee House

2007-09-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

Have a class coffee house (or even better a school-wide coffee house) where students can read out poems written by themselves or by others.

Parents and the community could be invited to participate as audience members.

Poetry Unit Starter 5: Web Activities

2007-08-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Sign up the class for the computer lab. Visit a poetry website where students can either find a poem they want to share with the class or where students can complete poetry activities (such as www.gigglepoetry.com or www.poetry4kids.com).

Poetry Unit Starter 4: Poetry Free-Write

2007-08-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

This activity is done in three parts:

Ask students to take 5-10 minutes to write half a page about poetry.

Instruct them to circle any 10 words. (Don't tell them what the words are for.)

After they have circled the words, ask them to create a poem using the ten circled words. They may add 3 additional words if needed.

Variation: Display one or a few pieces of artwork. Have students do stream of consciousness writing for 5 minutes about one of the pieces of artwork. Have them circle 8 words or phrases in their writing. Then students can create a poem from the circled words and phrases.

Poetry Unit Starter 3: Poem Sharing

2007-08-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

Here are a few ideas about starting a poetry unit by reading poems aloud:

Read a good poem to students.

Read lyrics to a popular song that most of the kids will know. Choose a song that sounds poetic when read.

Ask students to bring in a poem they like to share with the class.

Ask students to bring in lyrics to their favorite songs to share with the class. Make sure you tell them not to bring in anything with explicit lyrics.

Distribute books of poetry to students. Give them 5-10 minutes to look through the books. Have each student find one poem to read aloud to the class. (This activity can be done in the classroom or in the school media center.)

Have the class read a poem for more than one reader such as the poems in Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices.

Note: I had a student with low-level reading skills who appreciated the opportunity to pick a short poem from a book that he could practice with a classmate, then read aloud to the entire class. It was one of the rare moments that this student participated in a reading activity involving the whole class.

Poetry Unit Starter 2: "Magnetic Poetry"

2007-08-24T16:20:00.000-05:00

Cut words and phrases out of newspapers and magazines. (You can laminate these for later use.) You should probably have about 15-20 words/phrases per group/student.

Each group should arrange a poem out of the words and phrases like they would with "Magnetic Poetry." (It isn't necessary to use all the words, but they should use as many as possible.)

Then each group can share their poem with the rest of the class.

Variation: Have students cut out at least 20 headlines from newspapers. They should arrange the words on a sheet of paper to create a poem. They do not have to use all the words. They should glue down their poems on a sheet of paper and sign it.

Poetry Unit Starter 1: I Wish Class Poem

2007-08-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

Ask each student to complete the sentence "I wish ________________" on a strip of paper. Collect the strips. Shuffle them. Then write out each line on the overhead to create a collaborative class poem.

Other sentence ideas:

I wish...

I am...

I like...

I like to...

I wonder...

I think about...

If I had a million dollars, I would...

If I could change anything, I would...

(pick a color) is like...

I am happy when...

I am (any emotion) when...

If I could go anywhere, I would...

I have learned that...

I like (season), because...

It's (season), so...

If I were an animal, I'd be a ______________, because...

If I were a car, I'd be a ________________, because...

If I were a place, I'd be __________________, because...

Sharing a Poetry Notebook

2007-08-10T11:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a few ideas for ways that students can share their poetry notebooks:

Pass notebooks to the person to the left of them to read silently for 5 minutes. Then the books can be passed again for as many times as the teacher would like.

Visit a school or class of younger students and read poetry notebooks to the kids there.

Read their favorite poems out loud to the class. This could be done as a coffee house or poetry slam.

Place poetry notebooks in the classroom and/or school library.

Creating a Poetry Notebook

2007-08-08T08:02:00.000-05:00

A poetry notebook can be made up of poems that the students wrote themselves - or created from poems the students found by other authors - or a mixture of the two.

In any of these cases, it is important to create a rubric that identifies what kinds of poems should be included and how many poems. Do you want students to write or find poems in different forms, such as haiku, sonnet, cinquain? Or should it be a collection of the students' very best writing? Or should it be a collection of poems that mean something to the student? How many poems should be included?

I think it is important to set a minimum for the number of poems in the book. Ask students to include a table of contents at the front of the book, so you can see at a glance what is included.

Here is a sample rubric that I wrote for an assignment for a poetry notebook of my students' original writing:

Dialogue Poem (5 points)
Emotion Poem (5 points)
Environmental Poem (5 points)
Dada or Found Poem (5 points)
Color Metaphor Poem (5 points)
Concrete Poem (5 points)
Being the Thing Poem (5 points)
Narrative Poem (5 points)
Now & Then or Mirror Poem (5 points)
Haiku, Cinquain, or Limerick (5 points)
Your Choice (5 points)
Your Choice (5 points)
Your Choice (5 points)

Effort (5 points)
Cover (10 points)
Table of Contents (10 points)
Neatness (10 points)
Total

Then & Now Poem

2007-07-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

Directions: Think about your life now and how it has changed since you were younger. In a "Then & Now" poem, you write one line that describes a part of your life now; then, the next line describes what that part of your life used to be like. I recommend at least 4 stanzas for this poem.

Example:

I can write stories and poems confidently
I used to scribble in my mother's notebook and think I was writing

I can score points in tennis
There was a time when I was too little to hold up a tennis racket

I understand everything in my math book
Once I had trouble with math and had to ask my mother for help

I don't know how to play any instruments now, but
I used to play a flute in the school band

My brother and I get along really well today, but
we used to call each other names and hit each other every day

Sense-sational Poems

2007-07-30T10:24:00.000-05:00

You can make your poetry come alive by using all your senses. What does your subject look like? Sound like? Smell like? Feel like? Taste like?

Use all your senses that make sense to describe your subject. You can use the format below which uses similes, or you can use a format of your own.

Format:

Line 1: Your subject
Line 2: Looks like ________________.
Line 3: Sounds like ________________.
Line 4: Smells like ________________.
Line 5: Feels like _________________.
Line 6: Tastes like ________________.
Line 7: Another name for your subject

Example:

Goldfish
Looks like a yellow submarine
Sounds like rippling water
Smells like food flakes
Feels like a sequined broach
Tastes like Friday dinner,
but I’ll never eat
My pet, Sharkie

Season Poem

2007-07-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

Follow the following format to create a poem about one of the seasons:

Line 1: (season) is (adjective)

Line 2: Like (another thing that can be described by this adjective)

Line 3: It feels like (What does the season feel like?)

Line 4: It sounds like (What does the season sound like?)

Line 5: It smells like (What does the season smell like?)

Line 6: It tastes like (What does the season taste like?)

Line 7: (What else can you say about this season?)

Example:

Winter is white
Like a blank sheet of paper
It feels like being wrapped in blankets
It sounds like holiday music
It smells like chimney smoke
It tastes like hot chocolate
I love the first snow fall, but I am happy when Spring comes

Noisy Poem

2007-07-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

Read the poem "Noise" by Jessie Pope. All the words in the poem that sound like their meaning are examples of onomatopoeia. (whoop, thud, rattle, boom, etc.)

Think of a rain storm. What are some of the words associated with a rain storm? A clap of thunder, rain drops, sprinkles, dripping, splashing.

Pick a topic to write about that has a lot of noises associated with it. Write a poem about this subject, including as many sounds as you can.

Example:

Too Noisy to Study

I'm trying to study. I really am.
I must do well on my next exam.

But what is that dripping and dropping and plinking?
It really is affecting my thinking!

And what is that buzzing and humming and drone?
Those sounds are really making me moan!

And what is that ticking and tocking and gonging?
For some silence, I really am longing!

And what is that crunching and munching and slurping?
I think it's the dog. Oh no! Now, he's burping!

Everyone quiet! Not one more sound!
How can I study with this noise all around!

Hmmmm.....now, it's too silent without even one peep.
It's too quiet for thinking. I think maybe I'll sleep.

Narrative Poem

2007-07-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

Narrative poems tell stories. They can be long epic stories that fill a book or they can be short stories that fill a page. They can be serious thought-provoking tales, silly fun tales, or something in-between. What you absolutely have to have in a narrative poem, though, is all the elements of a story.

Example:

Big Girl

(introduction)

When I was a little girl
I wanted to show everyone
I was finally a big girl
So I walked beside
Daddy
His legs were longer than
My little, short legs
But I kept up with him to show
I was a big girl

(rising action)

It was hard
And I got tired
But I made sure
My little legs
Kept up with
Daddy's

(climax)

Then, one day
I stopped
And turned around
And saw Mommy
Behind us
She was tired
And it was hard for her to
Keep up with
Daddy and Jeffrey and me
She wasn't as big as us
She was small
Way back there
So, I stopped racing
And trying to show how big I was
And I walked with Mommy

(denouement)

And maybe we were way back
And small
But I felt bigger

Name Poem

2007-07-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

Create a name poem by writing the letters that spell a name vertically and using each letter to begin a line of your poem. The subject of this poem is the person whose name you've spelled. Your poem can rhyme or not.

Examples:

Jokes around
Always moving
Makes drawings
Easy talker
Smart

Maria likes to dance and sing
And she wears a pretty ring
Rarely does she ever frown
I don't think she's ever down
And her favorite season's Spring

Variation: Use a word, not a name, to create a poem in the same way.

Mirror Poem

2007-07-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

Directions: Mirror Poems are composed of two stanzas. In the first stanza, you describe what you look like on the outside, what you would see if you looked in the mirror. In the second stanza, you describe what is inside you, feelings and thoughts that can't be seen.

Example:

On the outside,
I am petite
My hair and eyes are brown
I have freckles
I like to dress in black
I love to eat dark chocolate

On the inside,
I am quiet and sensitive
I am afraid of heights and snakes
I miss my family
I feel guilty that I live so far away
I wish I were a writer

Metaphor Mystery Poem

2007-07-20T09:26:00.000-05:00

How to write a metaphor mystery poem:

Pick a thing to describe. This is the title of your poem.

Brainstorm. Write down as many things as you can that are like your subject in some way. Think about how the things are similar.

Pick at least 5 of the things you wrote down during the last step.

Create the lines of your poem from the five things.

Now, you can read the lines of your poem to people and see if they can guess the mystery subject, the title of your poem.

Examples: (See if you can guess the subject of each poem. The answers are below, written backwards.)

Poem 1:

Cotton balls
Fuzzy rabbit tails
Grandfather's whiskers
Spun sugar
White paint spattered on a workman's blue jeans

Poem 2:

Heartbeat
Steady drummer
Metronome
Ticking bomb
Rooster crow

Poem Example 1: SDUOLC
Poem Example 2: KCOLC

Limericks

2007-07-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

Limericks are a fun, silly form of poetry. They are 5 lines long. The first, second, and fifth lines are longer and rhyme. The third and forth lines are shorter and rhyme.

Examples

There was a young man with a jeep
Who drove across a river quite deep
He was swept off his course
By the river's strong force
And he now sails the oceans in that jeep

There once was a camel with three humps
Who came down with a case of the mumps
When the doctor arrived
He said with a sigh,
"That beast didn't need some more lumps."

Haiku

2007-07-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

Haiku is a poetry form that began in Japan hundreds of years ago.

Haiku is always three lines long and has a total of seventeen syllables. The topic of the poem should be something in nature like animals, trees, or seasons.

Here is the format:

First Line: 5 syllables
Second Line: 7 syllables
Third Line: 5 syllables

Examples:

Maples in Autumn
Trees dancing in a cold wind
Colorfully dressed

Catfish in the pond
Whiskers brush the mud bottom
Eluding the hooks

See more of my haiku:http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Haikus 1

Haikus 2

Fortune Cookie Couplets

2007-07-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Couplets are a pair of lines in a poem. Rhyming couplets are what their name describes: two lines of poetry that rhyme.

Write at least 5 different rhyming couplets. The topic for each couplet should be a future prediction someone might get in a fortune cookie. An example might be "I'm happy to say / You'll have a great day" or "If you cheat on that test / You'll end up in a mess."

Once you've written your rhyming fortunes, cut them into small strips of paper that could fit inside a fortune cookie. (One recipe I read suggested 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.)

Then make a recipe for fortune cookies, placing one of your rhyming couplets inside each one.

Here are a few Fortune cookie recipes I found on the net:

About.com Fortune Cookie Recipe

Fortune Cookies So Easy

All Recipes Fortune Cookies III

Dialogue Poem

2007-07-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

In dialogue poems, a conversation takes place. A person may have a conversation with him- or herself. Two or more objects or animals may talk together. Two people may have a discussion. A person may talk to an animal or object.

Example:

Sock and Shoe Speak

"Oh no!" said my sock,
"What a smell!
You need a bath, Mr. Shoe.
I can tell!"

"I'm leather," said Shoe.
"I don't smell.
Your dryer sheet stink!
I'm unwell!"

"I need a clothespin,"
said the sock.
"It's the only way
we will walk."

Shoe laughed and he smiled
"With no nose,
Sock, what will you do?
Hold your toes?"

I tugged on my shoe
"They're so tight!
Would you both please
stop with this fight!"

See another example of one of my dialogue poems: Wind and Dandelion.

Dada Poetry / Found Poetry

2007-07-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

Dada/Found Poetry is created by putting together words, phrases, and quotations from other sources such as songs, movies, advertisements, signs, TV programs, etc.

When you create Found Poems, you put words and phrases together so that the poem makes sense. When you create Dada Poems, the combination of phrases and words don't make sense; they are nonsense poems.

Possible topics for Found or Dada Poems:

School

Things I like

Things I hate

Favorite sports

Newspaper headlines

Weather

Food

Happy news

Examples of Found Poems:

APARTMENT FURNISHED
Bachelor
unique duplex
carpet, icemaker, microwave oven
fireplace
TV and AC
lakefront
555-1212

SHAMPOOING INSTRUCTIONS:
Wet hair
Massage shampoo into hair thoroughly
Leave in two minutes
Rinse
Repeat
Follow with conditioner

Example of a Dada Poem:

YUM!
Skiddles - taste the rainbow
Mentos - the freshmaker
Snickers really satisfies you
We love the Fishes 'cause they're so delicious
Double your pleasure. Double your fun.
Two for me. None for you.
Two scoops of raisins
in just one bowl of Total
They'rrrrrrre grrrrrreat!
The greatest taste sensation under the sun
We didn't invent the chicken.
They're made by elves.
Got Milk?
Melt in your mouth, not in your hands
Sometimes you feel like a nut
I feel like a Peppermint Patty
What do you want on your Tombstone?

Class Activity Instructions: Complete a poem (in a group or on your own) by piecing together words and phrases from newspapers. This poem should be glued attractively for display. The poem doesn't have to make sense, but it should be on one obvious topic. Make sure all your names are on your poster.

Homework Assignment Instructions: Complete a poem on your own. You may use words and phrases from magazines, newspapers, songs, commercials, signs, movies, TV programs, etc. The words may be cut out of magazines and newspapers or they may be copied down onto a sheet of paper. Your poem should be at least SEVEN lines long.

Concrete Poem (or Shape Poem)

2007-07-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

The shape of a concrete poem adds to the meaning or feeling of the poem. The poem may be in the shape of its subject.

I created a worksheet of different shapes including a heart, a sun, a moon, a flower, and a lightning bolt that students could write their poems inside. Or they had the choice of creating their poems in shapes of their own choosing.

Example:

(Read this poem from the bottom to the top)

TREE.
THIS
NURTURES
THE SOIL THAT
GROUND AND BECOME
THEY TOO FALL TO THE
LEAVES FLOURISH UNTIL
LEAVES TO THE GROUND
THE EARTH WHEN PETALS FALL LIKE
BEAUTY THAT FLOODS THE SKY AND
BUDS THAT BECOME LITTLE FLOWERS
GREENING BLOSSOMING BLOOMING
FORTH NEW LEAVES
INTERTWINING BURSTING
ENDLESS PILLARS
UP INTO THE CLOUDS
THEY REACH LIKE FINGERS
AIR
THE
INTO
UP
SKY
THE
REACHING TOWARD
OPENING SPROUTING
TINY

Color Metaphor Poem

2007-07-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

To create a Color Metaphor poem:

Choose a color. (Creative color names may be found on crayons or on paint color sample strips.)

Brainstorm a list of things that that color makes you think of.

Circle your most creative comparisons.

Make a poem out of your best ideas. (Remember, a metaphor is a comparison between two things without using "like" or "as." You are comparing the color that you chose to the items that you circled.)

Example:

Yellow is sunshine
pollen from the pine tree
honey of the hive
back of the bumblebee
the Autumn moon

It's springtime
and warmth
and a hug
in your mother's arms
It's joy and it's love

Yellow is
buttercups and daffodils
smiling up at me
embracing and illuminating
the wintered earth

Clerihew Poem

2007-07-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

To create a Clerihew Poem:

Pick a famous person's name.

Make a list of words that rhyme with that person's last name.

Write one rhyming couplet (two lines of poetry that rhyme). The first line should end with your famous person's last name. The second line should rhyme with the first line, using one of the rhyming words from your list.

Write another rhyming couplet that gives more information about your famous person.

Example:

Someday I'd like to meet Tom Hanks
And offer him my many thanks
For showing techniques to survive
Now, I know how to stay alive!

Cinquain

2007-07-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

A cinquain is a five-line poem that includes feelings and thoughts about something.

The form for a cinquain is:

Line 1: a noun or topic of the poem

Line 2: Two words that describe the topic (adjectives)

Line 3: Three action words associated with topic (verbs)

Line 4: Four words that show how you feel about the topic

Line 5: One-word synonym restating the topic

Example:

The Cafeteria
Noisy, Crowded
Eating, Drinking, Talking
Too Loud For Me
Lunchroom

Bio Poem

2007-07-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

Directions: Follow the format below to write a poem that tells the reader some important facts about you. A Bio Poem reveals what things make you unique.

Line 1: Your first name only
Line 2: Four adjectives that describe you
Line 3: Sister/brother/son or daughter of …
Line 4: Lover of … (three nouns—things, people, or ideas)
Line 5: Who feels … (three items)
Line 6: Who fears … (three items)
Line 7: Who would like to see … (three items)
Line 8: Resident of … (city, country, or street)
Line 9: Your last name only

Example:

Lisa
Silly, nice, creative, smart
Daughter of John and Janet
Lover of eating chocolate, writing poems, and spending time with my brothers
Who feels happy with family, cranky when sick, and short when reaching the top shelf
Who fears snakes, roaches, and war
Who would like to see a peaceful world, an unpolluted earth, and happy people
Resident of Austin
Parker

Being the Thing Poem (Personification)

2007-07-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

Imagine that you are your pencil. Describe a day in your life as a pencil. How does it feel in your pencil case? How about when you are lost in the bottom of a locker?

A poem about your life may go like this:

I came in a package of twelve
You took me out first
And I was your favorite
You used me on all your exams
Until the day
You lent me to the kid
Who sits behind you
He tapped me rapidly
He gnawed me repeatedly
And when the period was over
And he finally handed me back to you
You said "Ew.
You know what?
Just keep it."
And I spent the rest of my days
Tapped and gnawed
Staring at the back of your head
From the hand of Beaver Boy.

When you give human qualities (like feeling emotions and speaking) to an animal or object, it is called personification.

Brainstorm ideas about your life as an object or an animal. Then, write a poem about your life as that object. Include what you do and how you feel.

Because Poem

2007-07-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

I was late to class, because I was abducted by aliens
I was abducted by aliens, because they were looking for intelligent life on earth
They were looking for intelligent life on earth, because they hadn't found any yet
They hadn't found any yet, because they were looking in a rural area without many people
They were looking in a rural area without many people, because they were afraid of tall buildings
They were afraid of tall buildings, because their saucers couldn't fly very high
Their saucers couldn't fly very high, because they were full of chocolate bars
They were full of chocolate bars, because even aliens can't resist chocolate
So the reason I was late to class was because aliens can't resist chocolate.

Choose one of the poem starters below or choose one of your own. Write a poem of at least six lines.

I had to eat my dessert before dinner, because…

I couldn't clean my room, because…

I was late, because…

I didn’t sleep at all last night, because…

I am wearing two different colored socks, because…

I forgot your birthday, because…

I am wearing this hat, because…

Poetry: Alphabet Poem

2007-07-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

To create an alphabet poem:

Start your first line with any letter of the alphabet.

Your next line should begin with the next letter of the alphabet. (Each line can be as short as one word to as long as a sentence.)

Continue until you have at least 6 lines.

Example:

Lily llama
Makes music
Nobody likes to hear
Only when she stops singing is there
Peace and
Quiet!

Now, it's your turn!

First Day Activities 5

2007-06-30T17:11:00.000-05:00

Some activities are all about serious information gathering than.

Contact and Other Information - Have students give you the following information: 1) name; 2) nickname; 3) father’s and mother’s (or guardians’) names; 4) home address; 5) home phone number for father; 6) home phone number for mother; 7) work phone number for father; 8) work phone number for mother; 9) birth date; 10) favorite subject; 11) what he or she would like to learn in this class this year; 12) any other important information he or she thinks it would be helpful for you to know.

Strengths and Weaknesses - Have students chart their strengths and weaknesses in general skills or specific subject-related skill sets on a line sectioned into the following: can help others, can help others sometimes, comfortable, need help sometimes, need help.

Person Goals - Have students make a list of four personal goals for themselves for the class. What would they like to know about the subject at the end of the year?

First Day Activities 4

2007-06-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

I've done this interviewing activity many a time on the first day of college and grad school classes. (Education professors seem to like us to show us what an activity is like from actual experience with that activity.)

Students divide up into pairs. Each student interviews the other for 5 minutes. Then students switch roles. Finally, each student introduces his or her partner to the entire class.

For class numbers that aren't even, one group of three may be used. Or one student can be paired with the teacher.

Pros: Good get to know you activity. Involves speaking/presentation, interviewing skills.

Cons: Each student only gets to know one student well, but it's on a deeper level than he or she would participating in a scavenger hunt activity, for example.

First Day Activities 3

2007-06-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

Scavenger Hunt

A good get-to-know-you activity. Students circle the room finding classmates who match statements on their list.

Example Sheet:

First Day Scavenger Hunt

Directions: You will have 10 minutes to get as many items as possible on this sheet signed. To get a signature, you must find a person who matches the statement. You may only get one signature from each person.
_______ 1. Person is ambidextrous.

_______ 2. Person listens to jazz music.

_______ 3. Person has red hair.

_______ 4. Person can draw cartoons.

_______ 5. Person plays a musical instrument.

_______ 6. Person has dyed his or her hair.

_______ 7. Person is on a baseball team.

_______ 8. Person has baked a cake.

_______ 9. Person has sung in public.

_______ 10. Person knows origami.

_______ 11. Person has more than 3 siblings.

_______ 12. Person can use chopsticks.

_______ 13. Person is the youngest member of his or her family.

_______ 14. Person has broken more than one bone.

_______ 15. Person is an only child.

_______ 16. Person has been in an ambulance.

_______ 17. Person's favorite color is purple.

_______ 18. Person can draw people's faces.

_______ 19. Person has traveled to a continent outside North America.

_______ 20. Person can speak more than one language.

_______ 21. Person has relatives in New York.

_______ 22. Person has been in a wedding.

_______ 23. Person has more than four pets.

_______ 24. Person can do a hand stand.

_______ 25. Person’s family owns a motorcycle.

_______ 26. Person has had his or her picture in the newspaper.

_______ 27. Person has been on a boat.

_______ 28. Person is left-handed.

_______ 29. Person likes to eat mushrooms on his or her pizza.

_______ 30. Person can rollerskate or rollerblade.

_______ 31. Person lives in a brick home.

_______ 32. Person has met a celebrity.

_______ 33. Person likes to read mystery books.

_______ 34. Person has twins in his or her family.

_______ 35. Person reads comic books.

_______ 36. Person wears contact lenses.

Pro: Gets students moving around, interacting, and learning about each other.

Cons: The activity can become more about getting signatures than getting to know people. Needs supervision to make sure students don't get too rambunctious.

First Day Activities 2

2007-06-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone.....get to know your students with a first day activity and decorate the classroom bulletin boards/walls at the same time.

Here are a few such activities:

Have each student create a bio-poem to read out loud and then place on the wall of the classroom.

Bio-Poem Format

Line 1: Your first name only
Line 2: Four adjectives that describe you
Line 3: Sister/brother/son or daughter of …
Line 4: Lover of … (three nouns—things, people, or ideas)
Line 5: Who feels … (three items)
Line 6: Who fears … (three items)
Line 7: Who would like to see … (three items)
Line 8: Resident of … (city, country, or street)
Line 9: Your last name only

Have each student create a poster describing him- or herself for the classroom wall.

Have each student create a coat of arms to put up on the wall. Students can be given a paper with a shield-shape on it, divided into quadrants.

Directions for Coat of Arms Activity: Complete the coat of arms below. In the upper left quadrant draw a picture that represents yourself and write four words that describe you. In the upper right quadrant draw pictures and write four words that describe your family and friends. In the lower left quadrant draw pictures and write four words that describe your hobbies and other things you like. In the lower right quadrant draw pictures and write four words that describe what you expect and how you feel about this school year and this class. Decorate your coat of arms, so it represents you!

Pros: Students feel pride seeing their work decorating the classroom walls. It makes them feel involved. Students enjoy reading each other's bio-poems or looking at each other's artwork regularly. It's a nice visual way to learn about your students - and have them learn about each other.

Cons: Some students don't want to be so vulnerable with their classmates, so they won't put much information on their poster. Also, you need to watch for vandalism and graffiti on any of the posters. Sometimes kids can be cruel to one another.

First Day Activities

2007-06-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

I know that many school years have just ended or are about to end, but it's never too early to start thinking about the next school year.

Coming up with interesting first day activities can be a challenge.

Over the next few days, I'll be listing some that I have collected while teaching and while in grad school - including any pros and cons that I'm aware of.

1. Friendly Letter

Have students write you a friendly letter introducing themselves. You may want to ask them to include answers to specific questions.

Pros: Nice way to get to know more about students, see their writing skills, and review friendly letter writing form. Students also really enjoy receiving replies to their letters. I actually had a real mailbox in my room to hold our correspondence back and forth.

Cons: Keeping up with writing reply letters to students is time consuming - especially if you have a lot of students. Some students may not express very much in their first day letter.

Variation: Have students pretend that they are a friend or a family member. Have them write a letter to you as that friend or family member. He or she should tell you what that student’s strengths and weaknesses are, how he or she feels about the subject, how he or she feels about school, what kind of student he or she is, etc. (This might make it easier for students to share information about themselves.)

Newspapers

2006-11-17T17:38:00.000-05:00

If you are doing a newspaper unit, your students might find it interesting to do a study of how different ethnic groups are represented in the newspaper.

How many stories members of a group are mentioned in
What types of stories members are mentioned in
How members of a group are represented in the stories
What sections of the paper represent members of a group the most
Compare the amount and type of representation in the newspaper with representation in other forms of media
Compare the amount of representation in the newspaper with the group's percentage in the area's population
If a person only read the newspaper and never came into contact with people, what might he or she think about each ethnic group?

It would be interesting to see what types of conclusions students draw from a study such as this.

Students could break the data down further and look at how men and women of particular groups are represented. Or they could look at different age groups.

Special Months

2006-11-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

I think that it is important to include multicultural literary works throughout the year, but these are the months dedicated to the following groups:

Black History Month: February

Women's History Month: March

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month: May

Caribbean-American Heritage Month: June

Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15-October 15

Native American Indian Heritage Month: November

Asian and Asian American Young Adult Literature

2006-11-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

Here are some websites I found for Asian and Asian-American Young Adult Literature:

Children's and YA Books With Asian American Themes
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/diversity/asian_am/asian_am.html

Asian-Pacific American History Month (New York Public Library)
http://kids.nypl.org/holidays/asian.cfm

Paper Tigers: Reading Lists and Links
http://papertigers.org/listLinks/readingLists/index.html

Asian American Literature for Young Adults: A Bibliography
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/asian.htm

Interviews

2006-11-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Conducting interviews of persons from underrepresented groups could be a great way for students to gain a personal, unique perspective on historical events and political and social issues.

Students could interview individuals in their community to find out:

What was it like to live during the Civil Rights movement?
What was it like to be a minority during World War II?
What is the biggest problem facing your community today?
How do you feel about your group's representation in the media?
How do you feel about your group's representation on television and in the movies?
How do you feel about your group's representation in history books?
Which stereotypes do you feel are the most harmful? Is there such a thing as a good stereotype?

Then students could write up their interviews and share their findings with the class.

Or you could invite a panel made up of members of the community to your class, and students could interview them as a group.

Speeches

2006-11-13T10:17:00.000-05:00

Most people are familiar with the following speeches that would be considered multicultural because they were given by African-Americans and Native-Americans.

Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream
Chief Seattle's Treaty Oration 1854
Malcolm X's The Ballot or the Bullet
Chief Joseph's I Will Fight No More Forever

As I searched the net, I found a variety of speeches: historical and from current times; given by politicians, entertainers, and historical figures; covering a wide variety of topics. Here are some speech sites to check out:

I will add more websites as I discover them.

Native American Literature

2006-11-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

In my web search, I found a few sites created for the purpose of recommending accurate portrayals of Native Americans in literature. Some of the sites also point out which books should be avoided and why. Before teaching a book with Native American characters, you might want to check out these sites to see what they say:

Native American Books
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/books/bookmenu.html

Oyate
http://www.oyate.org/faqs.html

A Critical Bibliography on North American Indians, for K-12 (Smithsonian Institution)
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/Indbibl/bibliogr.html

Native Americans: A Resource List for Teaching
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/ChildrenLit/nalist.html

Poems of the Harlem Renaissance

2006-11-09T12:11:00.000-05:00

The Harlem Renaissance was a time during the early 20th century when African American arts flourished. You may be familiar with writers from this period such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, and Richard Wright.

One of my texts for an African American literature class that I took was: The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader (edited by David Levering Lewis). It includes a poetry section (as well as sections of essays and fiction).

I also searched the net for poems from the Harlem Renaissance, and here are some of the sites I found:

Langston Hughes
http://www.afropoets.net/langstonhughes.html
http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/poetry/hughes_langston.html

Jessie Redmon Fauset
http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Jesse_Redmond_Fauset

Countee Cullen
http://www.afropoets.net/counteecullen.html

Claude McKayhttp://www.poemhunter.com/claude-mckay/poems/
http://www.afropoets.net/claudemckay.html

Arna Bontemps
http://www.afropoets.net/arnabontemps.html

Jean Toomer
http://www.poemhunter.com/jean-toomer/poems/
http://www.afropoets.net/jeantoomer.html

Angelina Weld Grimke
http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Angelina_Weld_Grimke

Sterling Brown
http://www.afropoets.net/sterlingbrown.html

Gwendolyn Bennett
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bennett/poems.htm

Mae Cowdery
https://lists.usm.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0308&L=wom-po&T=0&P=38803

Fenton Johnson
http://oldpoetry.com/oauthor/show/Fenton_Johnson

Anne Spencer
http://www.afropoets.net/annespencer.html
http://www.poetry-archive.com/s/spencer_anne.html

Georgia Douglas Johnson
http://www.dclibrary.org/blkren/bios/johnsongd.html

Helene Johnson
http://www.aaregistry.com/pdetail.php3?id=408
http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/writingsonthewall/helenejohnson.html

James Weldon Johnson
http://www.poemhunter.com/james-weldon-johnson/poems/
http://www.poetry-archive.com/j/johnson_james_weldon.html

Young Adult Literature Featuring African-Americans

2006-11-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

I highly recommend the following young adult authors: Christopher Paul Curtis, Virginia Hamilton, and Mildred Taylor. Mr. Curtis' Watsons Go to Birmingham is both humorous and serious, looking at regular family problems and at the 1963 bombings in Birmingham. Mildred Taylor shows us the inequalities between blacks and whites in the south after the Civil War but before the Civil Rights Movement. Taylor's books may be challenging for some readers, but they shouldn't be missed. I love to read Virginia Hamilton's Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush out loud. The words are musical.

For a list of additional young adult books, try this website:

African American Fiction and Literature for Young Adults (Evanston Public Library)
http://www.epl.org/library/bibliographies/ya-afam-fiction.html

Latino / Latina Writers of Young Adult Literature

2006-11-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I have not read many young adult books by latino/latina writers. So, doing research for this blog entry has helped me find some books to add to my "to read" list.

I have read and can recommend Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven and Gary Soto's collection of short stories Baseball in April.

Here are two websites I found that may help you add to your "to read" list too:

Pura Belpre Award Winners (American Library Association)
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprepast/belprmedalpast.htm

Latino Voices for Young Adults (Evanston Public Library)
http://www.epl.org/library/bibliographies/latino.html

What About the Classics?

2006-11-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

During discussions about using a multicultural approach to teaching literature, the following question often comes up: "What about the classics? I don't have enough time now to teach the classics in my classroom. How can I fit in multicultural literature too?"

I have a few answers to this question. My first immediate response is this. Our job is not to teach every work of classical literature to our students. Our job is to expose them to different types of literature and give them the tools, so they can read, comprehend, and evaluate written works on their own.

There will never be enough classroom time to spend on every piece of literature that I feel is important and "classic." And what works I label "classics" and what you label "classics" may be different. And our students' definitions of classics will again be different than our own.

A multicultural approach to education asks us to evaluate what literary works make our "classics" list. These days, every book we are teaching should not have been written by a dead, white male. Because there is wonderful literature out there composed by women, by people of color, by fresh young writers. Today you can inspire the students in your class with writing from the "classics" list of the previous century and with from the "classics" list of today.

A word of caution, just as you shouldn't dismiss all the works of the dead, white male writers; you shouldn't include a work, for example, because it was the first book you found that takes place in Cambodia and you have a Cambodian student in your class. Evaluate every piece of literature. You don't have to teach books written by every ethnic group represented in your class. If the writing isn't there now, maybe your students will be the future authors to fill those gaps and holes.

As I said before, there isn't enough time to teach everything you'd like, so here are a few ways to include multicultural literature:

Book Talks - Give book talks on some of the "classics" you can't cover, so students can read the books on their own.
Library Visits - Ask your school librarian to show off parts of the collection on each visit. Maybe African-American literature on one visit, Asian-American on another visit, etc.
Classroom Library - Make sure that your classroom library includes all the "classics."
Reading/Writing Workshop - Not everyone in the class needs to be reading the same book at the same time. Spend part of the school year doing reading/writing workshops.
Different Perspectives/Same Time - Choose 4 or more books that are written from different perspectives but take place during the same time period, such as World War II. (Students could choose to read about the experiences of a family of Koreans or Japanese-Americans or Jews or Poles. This could lead to interesting class discussions.)
Invite authors of different ethnicities to speak in your classroom or at your school.
Have students do research projects on authors from different time periods and of different ethnicities.
Take a class in African-American literature or Native American literature, or Southern Writers, or Women Writers, or Latino Writers. This is a fast, effective way to expose you to writing you may not be familiar with. And you can share what you learn with your class.

Evaluating Multicultural Literature Critically

2006-11-03T07:47:00.000-05:00

Before teaching a "multicultural book" in your classroom, I think it is important to read the book thoroughly and ask yourself the following questions:

What does the represented cultural group think about this book? (For example, if the book is about Native Americans, what do Native American groups think of this book? Do they think it is an accurate representation? Oyate is just one of the sites you can find on the web that offers book critiques written by Native Americans. Some of the titles on their "Books to Avoid" list will look very familiar to you.)
Who wrote this book and why? (It's important to know what biases the author may have.)
What makes this author knowledgeable of the culture she is writing about?
What do you think about the book? Make a list of what a reader would think about the represented cultural group if he only read this one book. Then look at your list and ask yourself if this is an accurate representation. If your not sure, do some research.

If a book is inaccurate or only represents a small percentage of the cultural group, you can still teach the book, but it is very important that you make the limitations of the book clear to your students. Involve your students in evaluating the validity of the book content. Ask them why an author might write a book like this. Discuss bias. If the book seems inaccurate and still received awards, have students investigate the criteria for receiving those particular awards.

Having students evaluate a book in this way could exercise critical thinking skills and offer an opportunity to conduct a fascinating investigation. Students will learn that just because someone wrote it or published it or gave it an award, doesn't necessarily make it true.

Finally, think about how the book fits in with what is happening in the world today. Shortly after 9/11, a teacher told me that she wanted to teach Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind in her language arts class. This book attempts to portray rural Islamic society in Pakistan. At any time in history, it would be negligent to teach a book such as this without proper evaluation, critical discussion, and historical context. But after September 11th, it is especially important.

I know that teachers have far too much to do, but I hope we will take some time to evaluate the books we are teaching in a critical way and not allow our students to leave our classrooms accepting the stereotypes and biased information they read without giving it a second thought.

Don't See Color?

2006-11-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've heard this before. A teacher proudly proclaims that he or she sees no color when looking at his or her students. All the kids are the same. And then maybe you've heard some applause from the audience.

There was a time when I saw nothing wrong with this. It seems like a great idea to treat all students exactly the same, right?

Well, we are actually taught the opposite in teacher education programs. We are taught to adapt assignments for particular learning styles and abilities. We are taught to treat each student as an individual, special person. And race is part of what makes a person who he is.

Even if you don't see race, your students do. My first day of teaching, I saw many heads peeking in the window of my trailer door. And I heard a lot of whispering and shouting to each other, details about the new teacher. And what did I hear? "She's white!"

If you don't notice your student's race, you are denying a part of who she is. You are not really seeing her completely, and you aren't accepting her completely.

Once I observed a teacher's classroom while the book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was being taught. There were three African American students in a predominantly white class. The discussions seemed so strained, like there was an elephant in the room that was being ignored: race. Conversations surrounded the unfair events of the past, as if racism completely ceased to exist after the 1960s. Mildred Taylor's book is a wonderful jumping off point for discussing racism throughout history, for discussing individual experiences of racism and inequality.

You have to be fearless and honest. You need to have a classroom where students feel "seen," accepted, and safe. In my most diverse class, we had the very best discussions, because we were honest with each other. They knew I was white, and I acknowledged it. One kid even teased me about my being prejudiced against him when I disciplined him and not another student. He said, "I'm in trouble, because I'm black, right? Oh wait, he's black too." And we laughed.

I'm not saying that it's easy. It can be very hard. (You have to be an expert moderator, because you never know what your students might say.) But, I can tell you, the rewards are well worth the effort. :-)

Multicultural Education

2006-11-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

It's November, and time to switch gears from Halloween activities to something more serious and very close to my heart: multicultural education.

The education class that influenced me most was on this topic and taught by an amazing professor at NC State University, Dr. Patricia Marshall. The course was challenging to me on many levels, personal as well as professional. It made me see the world in a completely different way.

I'll write more about this later. For now, I want to recommend two of the texts we used in the class.

Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender by Christine E. Sleeter and Carl A. Grant

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki

Trick or Treat?

2006-10-31T08:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! :-)

Halloween has its controversies, so it is a perfect holiday to write a persuasive essay about. The question is which side will your students take in each issue? Here are some possible issues:

Trick-or-Treat - Should kids trick people who don't provide candy on Halloween? Why or why not? Support your position.
Halloween Pranks - Do some people go too far with their pranks on Halloween? What are acceptable guidelines for pranks? Back up your position.
The Mall or the Neighborhood - Malls around the country are providing "safe Halloween experiences" for trick-or-treaters. What do you think about this? Is it taking something away from traditional Halloween activities? Is it making Halloween better? Support your view.
Over-Age Trick-or-Treaters - Is there such a thing? How old is too old to be going house to house for candy? Why do you think this? Support your position.
Halloween in School - Halloween is considered a pagan holiday, so should Halloween-related activities be allowed in school? Consider the following: separation of church and state, respecting personal beliefs. Support your view.
Halloween Festivities Out of Control - Some towns have a reputation for Halloween celebrations that go out of control. What do you think town officials should do to make sure Halloween is fun and safe in their town? Or should it be every goblin for itself? Support your ideas.

This Has Been a Public Service Message

2006-10-30T06:49:00.000-05:00

News stations always make a point to remind us how to be safe on Halloween. Maybe it has something to do with walking around in the dark, impersonating someone or something else, and taking candy from strangers. Things we were warned not to do since we could walk, talk, and eat candy. We hear the same messages every year, and they just don't pack a punch anymore. Maybe it is time for a different approach, one that will get people's attention.

Students could write and act out an entertaining public service message / news story for one of the following:

Getting the best candy in town
Being visible to cars in the dark
Ideal mobility in bulky costumes and masks
Winning Halloween costume contests
Making an uncool flashlight part of a cool costume
Getting through Haunted Houses with dry pants
Trick-or-treating in the north: staying warm without ruining your costume
Best mall trick-or-treating
Having the best Halloween party
Avoiding tricks
Where you should go for the best Halloween experience for different age groups
Best creepy snacks for a Halloween party
Staying safe on Halloween
Decorating your house and yard and scaring the trick-or-treaters
Healthier treats kids will actually eat

If your school has a TV news station, the best messages could be played for the entire school. They could also be performed on a stage as an assembly.

Only Available on Monster TV

2006-10-27T06:47:00.000-05:00

Monsters can't always use products made for humans. They have special needs. Monsters may have horns or tails or fur or scales or huge claws or lumpy heads.

This assignment is to make up a product for the monster community, write a television advertisement for the product, and act out the ad in front of the class.

Variations

Students could make print or radio ads.
Students could work in groups (ad agencies).
Students could pretend they are making a proposal to a potential monster product manufacturing client (the class). They could show story boards and describe the TV ads they have designed.
Student-created ads could be used later as illustrations of particular advertising techniques.

Bats!

2006-10-26T08:16:00.000-05:00

Janell Cannon's Stellaluna is a picture book that changes the reader's mind about bats. The story is heart-warming and entertaining at the same time that it provides interesting facts about fruit bats. The reader can't help but fall in love with the adorable main character, a bat named Stellaluna.

Some ideas for how this book could be used in the classroom:

Read-aloud & discussion book
Facts & Opinions about bats
Research project (Students could do their own research on other creatures who have a bad reputation like wolves, snakes, sharks, rats, cockroaches, spiders, flies, scorpions, piranha)
Storywriting (Students could write their own story that gives the facts about a creature with a bad reputation. This could be the second part of a research project -- or this could be one option for sharing research.)

Aliens!

2006-10-25T05:55:00.000-05:00

May Swenson's poem “Southbound on the Freeway” is a lot of fun. The poem is from the alien’s point of view. The alien sees cars, and it thinks that cars are creatures on Earth. What the alien thinks are guts are really the people inside the cars. It thinks this, because it has never seen people before.

My class did a really great job of writing their own descriptions of what they saw as aliens.

Here are the instructions I gave them for the project:

Choose a place or a thing that an alien might see on Earth. (Examples: a baseball stadium, a movie theatre, the mall, an animal, a roller coaster ride, etc.)
Describe the place or thing from the alien’s point of view. What might an alien think of one of these things? (Use at least four sentences.)

Example
If an alien saw a baseball player, it might think that people had blue, plastic heads that lifted off (baseball caps). It might think that baseballs were hard fruits that different people were trying to crack open with a large stick (bat). What else might the alien think?

I landed on Earth today and got my first glimpse of human beings. They have blue heads which they remove when they are not trying to break a small, round, white fruit with a large stick. These creatures have two hands, but some of tem have one hand that is bigger than the other. I saw that one of the creatures had a face with metal stripes. People with striped bodies speak only in hand gestures.

Now, it’s time for you to describe “What the Alien Saw.” Answer the questions below to plan your writing.

Place or Thing the Alien Saw
Facts About the Place or Thing
What Will the Alien Think It Saw?

Noisy Neighbors

2006-10-24T07:03:00.000-05:00

Noisy Neighbors is a story I wrote in the form of Mad-libs.

Have students write down words for the following parts of speech, then place the words in the appropriately numbered spots as they read the story. Funny words and funny stories can be shared with the entire class.

The Words

A Number
Plural Noun
Verb -ing
Plural Noun
Verb -ing
Plural Noun
Noun
Adjective
Adjective
Adverb

The Story
Our next-door neighbors are noisy. It sounds like (1) people are living in that house. There is always the sound of (2) (3) and (4) (5). At first, we thought they were renovating, but when we didn’t see any (6), we decided that the neighbors were just making noise for (7). After a year of (8) headaches and (9) sleep, we decided to move, but we are afraid that only a heavy metal band will be able to live (10) next to Mr. and Mrs. Poltergeist.

Variation
Students make their own Mad-libs from scary stories or poems they have written themselves.

Spooky Because Poem

2006-10-23T06:24:00.000-05:00

These silly poems trace back reasons (or excuses) for something that happened, by repeating the last thing that was explained and then giving a reason (or excuse) for that explanation. This is repeated until you finish with a ridiculous reason for the thing that happened. (The poem should be at least 6 lines long.)

Example of a Spooky Because Poem:

The ghost scared the children, because he floated through the wall
He floated through the wall, because he wanted to get away fast
He wanted to get away fast, because the children had sticky candy
The children had sticky candy, because it was melting in their buckets
It was melting in their buckets, because the haunted house was hot
The haunted house was hot, because the ghosts liked it hot
The ghosts liked it hot, because they only wear sheets
They only wear sheets, because duh! that’s what ghosts do
So, the ghost scared the children, because duh! that’s what ghosts do

Here are some examples of spooky poem starters:

The mummy stopped chasing the children, because his bandages got stuck on something.
The witch turned the boy into a frog, because he played a trick on her.
The vampire was hungry, because he didn’t have any blood.
The monster went to the dentist, because it had something stuck between its teeth.
The ghost was grounded by his parents, because he failed the scare test.

Pumpkin Personification

2006-10-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

This pumpkin needs some personality. Students start this activity by giving him or her a proper Halloween face. Then they can write about a day in the life of this pumpkin. What does it think, what does it feel, what does it do, what does it wish it were doing instead?

This pumpkin’s day can be written as a poem, a song, a rap, a narrative, a diary entry, or an interview.

Personification – an idea, object, or animal is given the characteristics of a person
Example: The tree whined in a harsh wind.

Creature Research Report

2006-10-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

Students can write a research report on a Halloween creature. Here is a sample report outline:

A. Introduction

B. Physical description of the creature

C. Beliefs associated with creature

What will injure it
What does it like
What is it afraid of
What are its habits

D. “Birth” of the creature

Who first described the creature?
When was the creature first described?
What was the original description like?

E. Creature’s evolution

How have stories about the creature changed over time?
Who contributed to the changes?

F. How creature became associated with Halloween

G. Popularity of the creature today

Is this creature featured in books, movies, tv shows today?
Do kids dress up as this creature for Halloween?

H. Conclusion

CREATURES:

Witch
Ghost
Vampire
Warlock
Poltergeist
Dracula
Demon
Werewolf
Vampire Slayer
Frankenstein
Zombie
Goblin
Black cat

SAMPLE RUBRIC:
10 points for each section A-H (total points = 80)
Proper Punctuation = 5 points
Complete Sentences = 5 points
Proper Paragraph Transitions = 5 points
Appropriate Topic = 5 points

VARIATIONS:

Students could give an oral presentation on their creature.
Instead of researching just creatures, students could research any Halloween costume.

Witch-like Poem

2006-10-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

Below are the directions and format for a simile poem about witches.

Directions:

Imagine the parts of a witch’s face. What is another thing that each part is like? Is her hair more like moldy spaghetti, young grey snakes, Spanish moss, brittle sticks, silver-colored tinsel, or something else you have imagined?

Finish each line below with a simile to create a Witch-Like Poem. Finish the last two lines any way you would like.

_____________________________________ (poem title)

She had

Hair like _________________________________________

Eyes like _________________________________________

Eyelashes like _________________________________________

Nose like _________________________________________

Ears like _________________________________________

Teeth like _________________________________________

Lips like _________________________________________

Chin like _________________________________________

Skin like _________________________________________

Mole like _________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Bonus: Write another simile poem about a person or thing associated with Halloween.

Haunted Haiku

2006-10-17T17:25:00.000-05:00

Haunted Haiku format:

First Line - 5 creepy syllables
Second Line - 7 scary syllables
Third Line - 5 frightening syllables

Example I wrote:

Gaping eyes and nose
Jack-o-lantern on the porch
Big, flickering smile

Here are some first lines students could use to get started. (They will only have to write the 2nd and 3rd lines.)

Dark, abandoned house
Black Halloween cat
Halloween night dare
Draping spider webs
Moon casting shadows
Flowing, ghostly girl
Bubbling witch's brew
Moonlight on werewolf

Life as a Piece of Candy

2006-10-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

This is a creative activity that allows students to pretend they are a piece of Halloween candy and write their autobiography as that candy.

Here are some questions to get students feeling like candy:

What type of candy are you?
Where were you born? (made?)
Who were your parents? (be creative)
What have you done during your life?
Where have you traveled?
What have you seen?
Do you enjoy traveling?
Who or what have been your role models?
What are your goals for life? (be creative)
What mistakes have you made?
What successes have you had?
What is your personality like? (What are your ingredients?)
How do you think your life will end?

Create a timeline of your life as a piece of candy. This will help you write your autobiography, the story of your life written by you.

Varaition: Students could write the biography of a piece of Halloween candy.

Halloween Facts & Opinions

2006-10-13T08:03:00.000-05:00

The following statements about Halloween can be used to teach about Fact and Opinion. After determining which statements are facts, students might enjoy finding out if the facts are true or not.

Jack-O-Lanterns were first carved out of turnips.
The world record for the biggest pumpkin is 1,337.6 pounds.
Candy is the best Halloween treat.
More candy is sold for Halloween than for Valentine’s Day.
Thirteen-year-olds are too old to go trick-or-treating.
Pumpkins are fruits.
Ghost costumes are the easiest to make on short notice.
Kids started dressing in costumes for Halloween in the 1900s in America.
Goblins are ugly and make a very scary costume.
The Monster Mash is a fun Halloween song.
Americans spend $2.5 billion during Halloween.
Silver Shamrock is the leading maker of masks in America.
Carving a Jack-O-Lantern isn’t easy, especially when the pumpkin is over 1,000 pounds.

Answer Key:

Fact
Fact
Opinion
Fact
Opinion
Fact
Opinion
Fact
Opinion
Opinion
Fact
Fact
Opinion

Answering Halloween's Whys

2006-10-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

This writing activity is about creating myths to explain the whys of Halloween. Instead of explaining how the deer got his antlers, students can explain why witches have black cats.

Stories may be serious or silly. No research is required. Students should just use their imaginations to explain one of the following (or a "why" of their own).

Why Witches Have Black Cats
Why Witches Cook in Cauldrons
Why Vampires Turn into Bats
Why Vampires Wear Capes
Why Ghosts Wear Sheets
Why Ghosts Can Float Through Walls
Why Houses Are Haunted
Why Kids Dress in Costumes for Halloween
Why Werewolves Change When There’s a Full Moon
Why Monsters Are Ugly and Scary
Why Witches Ride Brooms
Why Vampires Sleep in Coffins
Why Zombies Walk Slowly and in Unison
Why Poltergeists Are Noisy
Why Witches Have Warty Noses

Spooky Simile Poems

2006-10-11T08:17:00.000-05:00

I wrote the following spooky, simile poems. Each describes one Halloween-related subject using similes. Students guess what each poem is about and give poems the appropriate titles.

They can also write spooky, simile poems of their own.

___________________________________

Like a grumpy, old man
Sitting on the front porch
Resting his chin on the rail
Scaring away trick-or-treaters
With his fixed stare
And his flickering grin

___________________________________

It felt like a cool, mountain cloud passing through the room
It sounded like a rusty windchime clanking in a whistling breeze
It looked like nothing was there at all
But I knew I was no longer alone

___________________________________

She had
Hair like moss, tangled, in the dell
Eyes like caves where bats would dwell
Eyelashes like webs a spider forgot
Nose like a sweet potato starting to rot
Ears like hornets nests that sag
Teeth like barnacles on rocky crags
Lips like dry, cracked desert land
Chin like kelp-covered dune of sand
Skin like earth after a hard hail shower
Mole rising like the Devil’s Tower
No need for her to stir brew and chant
One look at her would make one faint

___________________________________

She looked like a sculpture
Chipped from black onyx
On exhibit, in the middle of my path home

Her eyes were like two topaz stones
Shining like lighthouse beacons
Or a hypnotist’s medallion on the upswing

I stood there like an art critic
Admiring her chiseled form

Then she broke from the pose
Leaving the path, empty
And me, with bad luck

Scary Short Story

2006-10-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

Have students write a short story about a time when they were scared.

This can be a true story or a made-up story or a combination of both.

If your students can't think of anything on their own, here are some prompts they could consider:

A UFO lands on the top of the school. An alien grabs you and tells you to take him to your leader. What happens next?
Someone dares you to knock on the door of a haunted house. When you knock, the door opens. What happens when you go inside the house?
You are taking a walk and you get lost in the woods. It begins to get dark. You hear creepy noises and you see a greenish glow. What is glowing? What happens next?
You find out that there is a ghost living in your house. Is it a nice ghost or a scary ghost? How do you know? What happens when you see the ghost?
One morning, you look in the mirror and see that you have started to turn into a monster. What happened the day before that might have made you a monster? What will you do now? Do you want to be a monster? Will you do something to try to become human again?
You notice a black cat following you. The cat crosses your path over and over again on purpose. Why? Do you get bad luck? What happens to you? What happens to the cat?
You kill all the ants in an ant hill (accidentally or on purpose). The ghosts of all the ants start to haunt you. What do they do to you? What do you do about the tiny, angry, ant ghosts?
Your science project goes horribly wrong. You've created a monster! What happens? Do you get first prize at the science fair?

Scary Excuse Letter

2006-10-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

This is a fun way to review or introduce the basics of friendly letter writing.

Here are the instructions for the assignment:
Pretend you are a monster, a witch, a ghost, or another Halloween character. Write a friendly letter to a teacher, explaining why you did not do your homework. You should include clues / details that show that you are the Halloween character you chose.

The letter below is from a student who is a witch. Which words and phrases help you see that she is a witch?

Your real full name
Name of the school
The school address
October 31, 2006

Dear Ms. Mortal,

I am writing to explain why I do not have my homework today.

I had a very busy night. First I had to fly my broom to softball practice. Someone used my broom as a bat, and I lost a lot of bristles, so I had to walk all the way to the broom repair shop. (I haven't learned any teleporting spells yet.) It took an hour to fix the broom. Then I flew home to start on my homework.

It took me two whole hours to complete the worksheet you gave me, but I got it all done. Then my mother asked me to help her with the holiday brew. I was stirring the brew while I looked over my homework. Suddenly, our black cat jumped on my back. I dropped the spoon. My homework flew into the air. I tried to catch it, and I slipped and landed in the cauldron with the homework. The worksheet was ruined, and so were my new, black pumps.

I hope you will understand why I do not have my homework. I also hope you will give me another day to complete it. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Hazel Witch (This can be a made-up name.)

Creating Radio Plays

2006-10-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

Once your students have been exposed to how radio plays look, sound, and work, they might want to try creating their own spooky, Halloween radio plays. (It would probably be helpful to write a very short radio play as a class first.)

Here are some guidelines you could use:

Work in groups of up to 4 people or you may work alone. Every person in the group should contribute equally to the finished product.
Use the proper radio play format.
Give instructions that describe how lines should be read by characters. Examples: whispered, yelled, frightened, laughing
Include important sounds that let the listener know where you are and what you are doing. Scary sounds like wind blowing, thunder, and music set a scary mood.
Make sure your story has all plot parts: exposition (tells the listener who is in the story, where and when the story takes place, why characters are where they are); rising action (a few, small events that catch the listener's interest); climax (the big event that scares your listener out of his or her seat); falling action (what happened to the characters right after the big, scary event); resolution (an ending that wraps up any loose ends).
Your radio play must be a minimum of 25 lines (the speaker changes 25 times).

Sample Rubric:

	Excellent	Good	Needs Work
Proper formatting	20	19	18
Instructions for reading lines	20	19	18
Important sounds	20	19	18
Plot Parts	20	19	18
25 lines	10	8	7
Punctuation	3	2	1
Spelling	2	1	0
Working together	5	3	1

Radio Plays to Play in Class

2006-10-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

War of the Worlds was performed by Orson Welles for a Halloween special in 1938. The broadcast caused panic and chaos, because so many people thought they were listening to an actual news report about aliens attacking the planet. The original broadcast is available on CD now. (For more about War of the Worlds, check out this Wikipedia article).

Ann Petry's The Bones of Louella Brown is a great ghost story that addresses racism in the 1920s. This story is available as a radio play from Scribbling Women. Lots of resources for teachers are available at the Scribbling Women website.

Maco Light - QAR Questions

2006-10-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some QAR questions I created for "Maco Light" from Richard Walser's North Carolina Legends. Select stories can be found at: http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/kidspg/legends.htm.

Where did Joe's head land? (RIGHT THERE)
When did President Cleveland see the ghost? (RIGHT THERE)
What does Joe carry with him? (RIGHT THERE)
How many years after the accident were the tracks removed (THINK AND SEARCH)
The narrator gives a couple different reasons why Joe's ghost may haunt the tracks. Which do you believe? (THE AUTHOR AND YOU)
Do you think President Cleveland really saw the ghost? (ON YOUR OWN)

Maco Light - Radio Play

2006-10-04T07:41:00.000-05:00

MACO LIGHT - RADIO PLAY
(adapted from Richard Walser's North Carolina Legends. Select stories can be found at http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/kidspg/legends.htm.)

Narrator 1: On a night in 1867, at the small Brunswick County station of Maco fifteen miles west of Wilmington, a slow freight train was puffing down the track.
(puffing noise of train)

Narrator 2: In the caboose was Joe Baldwin, the flagman. A jerking noise startled him (banging noise), and he was aware that his caboose had become uncoupled from the rest of the train, which went heedlessly on its way.

Narrator 3: As the caboose slackened speed (puffing noise of train slows), Joe looked up and saw the beaming light of a fast passenger train bearing down upon him. (sound of a second train) Grabbing his lantern, he waved it frantically to warn the oncoming engineer of the imminent danger. (metal creaking)

Joe: (frantically) Stop! Stop! Can't you see my lantern? Stop!

Narrator 4: It was too late.

Narrator 5: At a trestle over the swamp, the passenger train plowed into the caboose. (crashing noises) Joe was decapitated. His head flew into the swamp on one side of the track (thump). His lantern fell on the other side. (crash of metal)

Narrator 6: It was days before the destruction caused by the wreck was cleared away. And when Joe's head could not be found, his body was buried without it.

Minister: (solemnly) "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust."

Woman: (whispering) You say they never found his head?

Narrator 7: Thereafter on misty nights, Joe's headless ghost appeared at Maco (ghostly wailing) (creak of a lantern), a lantern in its hand.

Narrator 8: Anyone standing at the trestle (footsteps) first saw an indistinct flicker moving up and down, back and forth.

John: You see it? See it there?

Jennifer: Where? (pause) Oh! Over there? I see it!

Narrator 9: Then the beam swiftly moved forward, growing brighter and brighter as it neared the trestle.

Jennifer: (frightened) It looks like it's coming closer! Let's go!

John: Don't worry. It'll stop before it gets to us.

Jennifer: It better!

Narrator: About fifty feet away, it burst into a brilliant, burning radiance. After that, it dimmed, backed away down the track, and disappeared. (cry of a ghost)

Jennifer: (gasps)

John: See? Show's over. Let's go. (footsteps walking away)

Jennifer: (whispers) What was it?

Narrator 11: It was Joe with his lantern, of course. But what was he doing? Was he looking for his head? Or was he trying to signal an approaching train?

Narrator 12: In 1889 President Grover Cleveland, on a political campaign, saw the mysterious light, as have hundreds of people throughout the years.

Cleveland: (giving a speech) I want to appeal to the American people to do the right thing and support me as I - (ghost howl) (whispers) What- what was that?

Narrator 13: But in 1977 when the railroad tracks were removed (metal noise) and the swamp reclaimed his haunting grounds (buzzing of insects, frog noises), Joe seems to have lost interest in Maco. At least, he has not been seen there lately. (ghost howl)

Notes:

I used 13 narrators in this story, because I had a large class, and I wanted to make sure as many students as possible got a chance to participate.
I made sure some of the parts were just one line, so my reluctant readers were more willing to participate. (It worked!)
Students enjoy making the sound effects which makes reading this story even more fun.
Many stories can be adapted in this way.

North Carolina Ghost Stories

2006-10-03T07:29:00.000-05:00

Here's the link to some North Carolina Legends and Ghost Stories: http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/kidspg/legends.htm. They are all from Richard Walser's North Carolina Legends.

I used the stories "Girl at the Underpass" and "Maco Light" in my classroom.

I made "Maco Light" into a Radio Play that I will post tomorrow.

Here are some QAR questions I created for "Girl at the Underpass":

Where did the man meet the hitchhiker? (RIGHT THERE)
What time of year was it? (RIGHT THERE)
Where is the man's home? (RIGHT THERE)
What clothing was the hitchhiker wearing? (RIGHT THERE)
Why did the man slow down his car before he saw the hitchhiker? (THINK AND SEARCH)
What do you think the word "resplendent" means? (YOU AND THE AUTHOR)
What happened to the hitchhiker? Where did she go? (THINK AND SEARCH)
Who was the woman who answered the door when the man knocked? (THINK AND SEARCH)
Will the hitchhiker ever make it home? (YOU AND THE AUTHOR)
If you quarreled with someone, would you ask them to drop you off at the place where the hitchhiker was dropped off by her date? Why or why not? (ON YOUR OWN)

Halloween LA Activities

2006-10-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

I began teaching mid-year, in October. My 6th graders had been through several subs and one teacher at that point, and they thought Language Arts = Wrestling 101. (The walls of my trailer were filled with holes from kicks, punches, and body slams.) So, I used creepy, hopefully engaging Halloween activities to try to compete with the previous weeks' "lessons."

The first activity I'd like to share is: Monster Exchange.

I found this activity online. There is a reading and a writing aspect. Classrooms partner with other classrooms at the website. Then each student draws a picture and writes a description of his or her monster. The written description must be very detailed, so that the partnering class will be able to draw the monster from the description.

Descriptions are exchanged between classes. Then, your students read the partnering class' monster descriptions and try to draw their monsters.

Original drawings and redrawn monsters are scanned and swapped between classes.

This is a great way for kids to see if they are describing in the best way possible for their audience. It's nice for students to have a different, online audience. And students practice following directions skills when they try to reproduce monsters from written descriptions.

Variations

Don't want to partner with a class online? You can always swap monster descriptions between the classes you teach -- or between your class and another teacher's class in your school.
Just want to focus on the reading part for now? You can write a monster description yourself. Then have students draw the monster from your description. They can work alone or in groups.
And if you are more interested in practicing listening skills, read the monster description out loud slowly. Kids can draw from what they hear.

Cloud Mythology

2006-09-29T08:06:00.000-05:00

This is a creative writing activity that answers the questions: where did the first cloud come from? Why did it come? What happened when it came? Why are there so many clouds now?

The answers should be imaginative and not about science.

Think about what early man might have thought when he saw his first cloud. Where would he have thought the cloud had come from? What would he think the cloud was for?

Write answers in story form to explain the existence of clouds.

Cloud Haiku

2006-09-28T14:05:00.001-05:00

What do these clouds look like?

Here's an easy formula for a cloud haiku that teaches about simile:

Like ____ ____ ____ ____ (4 more syllables, total of 5)
Like ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ (6 more syllables, total of 7)
Passing, fluffy cloud (total of 5; the 2 adjectives can be changed to others with 4 syllables)

This formula can be changed easily for a metaphor poem.

Examples:

Like fish in the sea
Like celestial bulldozers
Passing, fluffy clouds

A scurrying cat
Hiding in ether bushes
Become a lone cloud

Reading Cloud Poems

2006-09-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

I'd like to share one of my own cloud poems here:

Craggy
Where I touched my first cloud
Standing in a meadow of
Wild flowers and long yellow grasses
At the very top of my climb
I was there to pick blueberries
With my grandmother and my brother
I was taking a break
From the searing heat

It surprised me
Drifting slowly
Out of place
A cloud in a meadow
Moving toward me
And I stood still
And let it pass through me
Like a spirit
Cool and lovely
Exhilarating

I closed my eyes
Held my breath
And felt it
Surround me
Touch me
And then it had gone

That day I became a cloud chaser

Here are some links to better known cloud poems:

A Curious Cloud Surprised the Sky by Emily Dickinson
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth
Low-Anchored Cloud by Henry David Thoreau
The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Roaming Cloud by Rabindranath Tagore
Clouds and Waves by Rabindranath Tagore
To a Cloud by William Cullen Bryant
Cloud Dancers by Jade Buehler

Cloud List Poem

2006-09-26T09:12:00.000-05:00

This is a class activity that involves metaphor, poetry, and imagination.

Show the class a picture of a cloud.
Ask students to write down three things that the cloud looks like.
Go around the room asking each student for one of his or her answers.
As each student gives an answer, write it down on a new line, so the class creates a list poem.
Write "A cloud" as the last line. (Variations: "passing cloud," "fluffy cloud," etc.)
Read the completed poem out loud.

Here's an example of what a Cloud List Poem might look like:

A dancing bear
Two cotton balls
A puppy
A videogame character
A leaping lamb
Rocks
A turtle whose head is out of its shell
Ice cream scoops
A passing cloud

Creative Clouds

2006-09-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

It's fun to figure out what a passing cloud looks like.

This week's activities bring that enjoyable past time into the classroom.

I think the above clouds look like at least two critters. But what are they? And what are they doing?

That's something for your students to discover!

And here's how:

Make copies of cloud pictures so each student has one.
Ask students to draw what they see in the clouds onto the cloud pictures. (You can demonstrate by projecting the clouds photo onto a whiteboard. Draw eyes, limbs, tails, whatever you see in the clouds over the projected image.)
Now, ask students to describe what is happening in their picture. Ask what happened before and after the captured moment.
Have students write stories about their cloud critters.

Here's an example of what can be done with the picture above:

Of course there are less friendly looking options too. ;-)

It will be fun to share what everyone sees, because there are absolutely no wrong answers when it comes to cloud creativity. :-)

7 Habits for Teens

2006-05-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits, but did you know that there's a version for teens? Covey's son, Sean, has written The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

The Teen book is very accessible to young adults, using anecdotes and cartoons to illustrate the new habits, and activities to practice them.

This book could be used in a middle school in the following ways:

getting an entire team on the same page with a common language and common goals
advisor/advisee group discussions and activities
a foundation for student court/facilitation (think win-win; seek first to understand, then be understood)
school-wide common language and philosophy (sharpen the saw, think win-win, be proactive, paradigms and principles)
class reading and activities for a language arts, social studies, or health class

Classroom Posters

2006-05-25T14:18:00.000-05:00

Posters can reinforce a topic you are teaching (and they really dress up the classroom walls).

For one classroom assignment, my students created posters that illustrated illiteration, onomatopoeia, repitition, or rhyme. (I made the following materials available for them to use: posterboard, scissors, glue, markers, magazines.)

When they were finished, I covered the walls with the posters, a daily reminder of the literary devices we were learning.

Poster-making works well as an individual or group activity. And it is a great reinforcer for both tactile and visual learners.