One of the eighth grade language arts teachers and I closely followed the stories and conversations about A Fine Dessert and A Birthday Cake for George Washington. Her students had already worked with case studies on controversial books, so this process wasn’t totally new to them; they’d also just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird, so they were primed to discuss race and history. Their discussions were fascinating. Continue reading “Representing History and Race in Picture Books”
Category: teaching
Investigating Historical Fiction with Primary Sources
Grade level: 6th, but you could easily modify this to work with younger or older students
Background: Students were working on a historical fiction genre study. They’d just finished Breaking Stalin’s Nose as a class read-aloud, and had just broken into book groups. For this project, they worked within those groups and focused on the book they were reading. Continue reading “Investigating Historical Fiction with Primary Sources”
Build-Your-Own Dystopia
Grade levels: 8+
Background: We spent 8 classes (so for us, eight weeks) on this unit. Students had read The Giver in class; we wanted to give them a better understanding of where dystopian literature comes from and why it resonates with so many people. Continue reading “Build-Your-Own Dystopia”
Lesson: Sorry Not Sorry
In this lesson, we’ll look at a book of poems based on William Carlos Williams’s “This Is Just to Say”. Then students get to write their own apology poems. Great for Poetry Month – or any time, really. Continue reading “Lesson: Sorry Not Sorry”
Antarctic Adventures
In this unit, we learn how to differentiate between fiction and nonfiction by reading about Antarctica. There are opportunities for tech integration, songs, crafts, and research! Continue reading “Antarctic Adventures”
Why We Live Where We Live
In this unit, we read about unusual homes from around the world – some fictional, some real – and think about how we express ourselves in our own homes. Continue reading “Why We Live Where We Live”
Goldilocks and the Three What?!
In this unit, we deconstruct a well known fairy tale and figure out how it works! We also look at different responses to the fairy tale, like sequels, satire, and retellings, before setting out to write our own. Continue reading “Goldilocks and the Three What?!”
Selling Series
Description: Acting as agents for their chosen author, student groups will pick a series to “sell†to their teacher, who is playing the role of a book publisher. Students will use technology and original writing for their presentations. Continue reading “Selling Series”