Monday, February 24, 2014

Literature Task Cards

Literature Task Cards

Language Arts: Literature Task Cards
This product offers teachers a set of Elements of Literature Task Cards when they want their students to

  • reinforce, 
  • review and 
  • develop their understanding of a text, and to 
  • work on expanding their comprehension/higher thinking skills and /or writing aptitudes.

The elements of literature: Plot/Conflict, Character, Setting, Theme, Symbols, Tone and Point of View as well as a set titled, My Insights, are each represented by six color-coded task cards that reveal questions for students to explore their comprehension of the text. The points that they address cover:


  • Understanding/ Remembering 
  • applying knowledge 
  • analyzing ideas 
  • evaluating situations
  • characters' actions, and 
  • composing original pieces based on the text.
Literature Task Cards-Character
Literature Task Cards-Symbols
Literature Task Cards-My InsightsLiterature Task Cards-Plot/Conflict
These cards are beneficial for individual, small group or whole class study and discussion, for in-class writing and for homework. 

Inspire your students to build powerful academic homes with these 48 Language Arts Literature Task Cards.


Download this engaging product from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Literature-Task-Cards-1131263

Happy Teaching,







Teach it Write
Building Powerful Academic Homes

Monday, February 17, 2014

Language Arts Activities - "Writing About Reading"

Writing About Reading

Language Arts Activity - "Writing About Reading
A folder that we teachers love to feed is the one where we collect topics for writing about reading.  We can never have too many ideas to students to write when their brain isn't sparking any thoughts, or when we want them to write to a prompt. My newest set of activities,Writing About Reading, offers teachers two new activities

  Language Arts Activities - Writing About ReadingLanguage Arts Activities - Writing About ReadingLanguage Arts Activities - Writing About Reading

  1. "Quotation Journals: What did the character say?  What did the character mean?" Note: this is terrific for nonfiction pieces as students can explore the author's point of view, tone, etc., and
  2. Writing Journal Topics  Note: 30 writing ideas.

Language Arts Activities - Writing About Reading
As with the majority of my product, a Teacher Notes page details the Common Core Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy objectives that apply to this packet. It also explains What is being taught, WhenWhy and How regarding Writing About Reading.

Students can use these for Warm-Up writing, after a discussion to reveal their understanding, for a short answer assessment (the teacher selects a topic), for a small group discussion, for a, "Who Said That?" quotation review game, as a class closure assignment, for homework, or for whatever teachers think would fit the needs and abilities of their students.

When students have the chance to Read text, to Think about it, to Write about it and then to Speak about what they read and wrote, they will remember so much more about what they are studying. At the same home run!


Download Writing About Reading from my TpT store http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Activity-Writing-About-Reading-1118924

Thank you to The 3AM Teacher for the wonderful Free borders-http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Frames-Backgrounds-by-The-3AM-Teacher-196582

Happy Teaching,











Middle School Lesson Plans, High School Lesson Plans, Language Arts Lessons, Writing Lessons Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Thinking Skills

Monday, February 10, 2014

Language Arts Activity – “C’mon in to My House”

C’mon in to My House

Language Arts Activity – “C’mon in to My House” cover
Every house has a story. Every student has a number of  stories. In Part 1 of this product, Language Arts Activity – “C’mon in to My House,” students will relate the details of one situation that took place in their current home, or another where they have lived. They will use the elements of literature to guide their thinking and writing.  After this, they will analyze how these elements form the framework of a family and their home.

In Part 2, students will follow the same directions, but this time, with a character from the story that they are studying. At the end of this segment of the activity, students will analyze how all of the elements work together to build a story’s structure, just like they work together to compose a family and their home.

For each segment of this activity, students will also draw the floorplan for the homes that serves as the setting for that part, and will include the characters that played a part in the situation. They should add any other embellishments that they feel are integral to the situation, and which help illustrate their summaries.

Language Arts Activity – “C’mon in to My House”
Language Arts Activity – “C’mon in to My House”

This activity requires students to touch on each of the five parts of the Bloom’s Taxonomy wheel: Remember/Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create. It is also aligned with Common Core Standards, which may be adapted to a state’s specific standards.

After they complete this activity, students will understand, and be able to discuss how the composition of their family and home, and  the framework of a story are connected by the elements of literature.

As always, a Teacher Notes page that provides the Common Core and Bloom's Taxonomy standards and includes the What, When, Why and How to Teach details is included.

Download this Language Arts activity from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Language-Arts-Activity-Cmon-in-to-My-House-1107073


Happy Teaching,






ELA Middle School Lesson, ELA High School Lesson,  Elements of Literature,  Analytic Writing, Expository Writing, Bloom’s Taxonomy,  Common Core Standards

Monday, February 3, 2014

A Novel Idea to Celebrate President's Day



 Hail to the Chief Activity cover
If a character from a novel could be the president of the United States, who would you choose?  Who would your students choose?

This project is a great way to engage students in a presidential campaign, an inauguration, or to celebrate President's Day in February. For this project, each student chooses a character from a novel to run for President of the United States. 

This character can be from a book they read in class or from their independent reading. All information that the students include must reveal the author's presentation of this character as well as the student's analysis and interpretation of the person. 

Students will create a whole campaign for this character.
Criteria: 

  • The requirements to be covered are detailed on the first page of this handout. 
    Hail to the Chief page 3
  • Final Project Format- Students choose one of three options
    • a PowerPoint presentation 
    • a webpage presentation 
    • a Poster Board presentation
Standards:
  • All of the facets of Bloom's Taxonomy: comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and knowledge are addressed. 
  • This activity focuses on the  Common Core Standards for Literature: R 1, 2, 5, 8 W 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9 SL 1, 4, 5 L 1, 2, 3, 5, but teachers may choose their state's corresponding standards. 

The project should take a month to finish if all of the suggested writing is required. Teachers should alter these requirements to fit their time frame and their students’ skills and abilities. Students may start it in class and complete it for homework. If teachers want to spend a shorter time on this project (1-2 weeks depending on class time/homework time allotted for completion), they can divide the students into groups of 3-4. Each group will decide on a character to run for President and will divide up the required work into equal parts.

If time permits, a final Speaking and Listening activity could be a debate between two characters with the
Hail to the Chief Activity p.4
most opposing views. For projects done individually, each student whose character is chosen can present his/her material and argue the issues. If either character chosen was a result of a group project, the members of the group can decide who presents which material. In this case, each student should have equal time.


* Page 2 offers detailed Teacher Notes.
Download this President's Day activity from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Activity-Hail-to-the-Chief-192533

Which character will each of your students choose to be the next 
President of the United States?



Happy Teaching,