Language Arts Activity - Road Trip Time

No matter the time of year, road trips often fill the daydreams of students-and teachers. This language arts lesson for Middle and High School students, Road Trip Time, allows students to live vicariously through the character that they select. These characters may be from:
1. The teacher's pre-made list using stories they have studied in class
2. The student's choice from stories they have studied in class, or
3. Students' choices from their independent reading.

The teacher chooses when this activity will enhance lesson content and will develop reading comprehension as well as writing and higher level thinking skills.

By the time that they have completed this activity, students will have exhibited their range of thinking skills from knowledge through evaluation. These handouts allow them to show their understanding of all aspects of the elements of literature as well as their analytic and critical-thinking skills in their writing and talking.

Here are a few of the requirements from the Directions that students must address:

• Where this character goes depends on his/her age, personality, likes, dislikes, and physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
• What is the purpose of this trip- a vacation, a work/vacation combination, a quest, some other reason?
• If the story takes place in this world, the place(s) the character visits on this Road Trip should actually exist.
• If the story takes place in a made up world, create places that could exist and that are true to the story.
• Research and analyze the real or make-believe world Road Trip places to make sure that they fit the real or imagined setting, and all aspects of the character you chose as well as his/her purpose for the trip. 

Students are to complete all three of the Teacher Required Components - 

1. Travel Agent Survey - See handout
2. Road Trip Itinerary- See handout
3. Character’s Road Trip Journal- See requirements
as well as one Student Component Choices- See explanations
1. Facebook Road Trip Fan Page
2. Road Trip Tweets
3. Road Trip Scrapbook
4. Road Trip Slide Show
5. Student’s Idea
Note: helpful links for free templates, etc. are given for both the Character's Road Trip Journal and for the Student Component Choices.

Whether teachers use this as to end the school year, to begin the new term in the fall, or during the year, at some point, everyone needs Road Trip Time's "Ahh I needed that" interlude. 

This language arts activity is based on specific standards (see the Teacher Notes), assesses Middle and High School students' comprehension, thinking and writing skills and engages students on all of the Bloom's Taxonomy levels.

Download it from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comprehension-Writing-Activity-Road-Trip-Time-1256981

Happy Teaching,

Language Arts Lesson - Making the Most of May

Due to the scheduling of various standardized tests, i.e. A.P testing and individual state assessments, May can be a difficult month to keep students inspired and the learning momentum smooth.

The anxiety that might crop up as teachers plan around the Testing Calendar will abate when they use this middle and high school English lesson plan. With this unit, students’ not only choose the novel that they will study,  but they also create a daily reading and writing calendar that works with their scheduled exams and the teacher’s due date. These factors maintain a flexible and flowing learning environment that engages students and promotes responsibility.  

Students select a book of their choice to read and complete the detailed activities included in the packet.  

These requirements involve a

1. General Novel Packet with four aspects: Book Notes, Plot Diagram, Quotes and Theme worksheets

2. Full-length Essay (500-750 words)

3. Group Project: "Threads-Making Connections"

 

Every day the students will either

•  read for half of the period, or
•  work on their packets for half of the period.

The second half of the period, they will

•  participate in a whole class writing session, concentrating on a facet of writing, or
• discuss various aspects of their chosen novels with peers. NOTE: Each student in the group should be reading a different novel. Members take notes. These will enable them to complete the Threads-Making Connections activity.

By managing their class time wisely, students will only have to complete the typing and compilation of the required activities at home right before the final packets are due. They should bind all of the components of their packet together in some way - a folder with pockets is best.

Teaching time won’t be interrupted and chaotic because of testing when you let this unit plan become your May learning keystone.  Its effectiveness stems from dual factors - students hold the ownership for what they are learning and when they are learning.

Teachers do need to

• specify minimum length, genre and anything else you deem necessary for your charges.
• Mentor students’ progress with mini-conferences

And you, my teacher friends, will appreciate the fact that your students are challenging themselves mentally as they increase their reading comprehension, their higher level thinking and their writing skills with substantive activities and no loss of learning continuity.

Download Language Arts lesson - Making the Most of May from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Lesson-Making-the-Most-of-May-681650 

Happy Teaching,

Teach it Write

Building Powerful Academic Homes

What's the Idea?

Texts that are difficult to understand can turn off students to reading and analyzing the fictional and non-fictional pieces that they study in school. They need to push aside their comprehension fear factors and turn their, "I don't understand this; it's too hard," frowns into, "Wow! Now I get it," smiles. 

They can accomplish this by practicing to deconstruct complicated texts so that they can understand them, and, subsequently, the whole piece. In this free activity, students will select a passage that they find difficult to understand.

Teachers will divide the students into groups of four; each person will share his/her confusing passage with the other three group members. The students will read and revise their group members' passages for clarity.

When their original papers are returned, they will choose the revision that they feel best clarifies the passage, and will discuss, in writing, how/why the revision accomplishes this. Finally they will analyze the meaning of the original passage and explain its importance to the whole piece.

Teachers can use this activity again and again to check the development of their students’ comprehension as well as how they utilize their higher level thinking skills orally and in writing.

“What’s the Idea?” reduces students’ fear factor when they read challenging fiction and non-fiction. This Freebie is aligned with Common Core Standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy, and includes a detailed “Teachers’ Notes” page.

Download this free activity from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Activity-Whats-the-Idea-889395 and say, "Good bye," to reluctant readers. Your students will be fist pumping to, "I read it, I thought about it, I wrote about it and now I get it! YES!"

Happy Teaching,

Activities for Analyzing Character: Getting to Know Them...Getting to Know Me

It's the first few days of school and you have

• Reviewed your syllabus
• Explained and discussed the school's and your classroom rules
• Assessed students' writing as a jumping off point to empower your charges to develop their skills and abilities
• Assessed students' comprehension levels so you can decide what elements of literature to use a focal points and activities in your lessons
• Handed out forms parents need to sign and collected the completed items
• Enjoyed a few ice breaker lessons, and
• Attended a variety of department, PLC and whole faculty meetings.

Now you need some activities. These engaging printables will hook students into reading and writing about the first text that they will study. The two activities will check off two of your, "Need to Do" boxes. Not only will they engage students in their character exploration of the people they meet in their reading, but they will also allow your charges to reveal their own personalities and thoughts.

This is a great way for young people to turn their private "The Me You Don't Know" traits and thoughts into their "The Me I Want You to Know" word pictures that they are willing to share publically.

Also, these FREE activities fulfill two objectives on most lesson plans- they will jump start students' higher level thinking skills and also give them the chance to exhibit their thinking in their writing.

Young people love to talk about their lives and to offer what they choose about themselves.  Here is their chance to do so while they are analyzing literature.

This product is aligned with Common Core Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy:
Reading: R1, 3, 10
Writing: W1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10
Speaking and Listening: SL 3, 4,
Language: L 1, 2, 6
Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Remember/Understand: describe, discuss, explain, identify, observe
• Apply: illustrate, compose
• Analyze: infer, differentiate, examine, distinguish, determine, deduce
• Evaluate: conclude, discuss, verify, support, select, give your opinion, justify
• Create: hypothesize, imagine, compose
Download this product from: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Activities-for-Analyzing-Character-Getting-to-Know-ThemGetting-to-Know-Me-859283

Happy Teaching,