Each classroom brings students of multiple learning styles and backgrounds. It is our job to provide opportunities that reach all of the many different learning styles that come to us. For this reason, it is
Do you think writing an outline of your chapters will help you but don't know where to start creating one? Create the perfect chapters outline.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover, a non-fiction book worth adding to your reading bucket list.
Each classroom brings students of multiple learning styles and backgrounds. It is our job to provide opportunities that reach all of the many different learning styles that come to us. For this reason, it is
Do you have an idea for a novel? Before you start writing, here are two exercises that will help you test out your story idea before penning the first draft!
The days of dioramas and book reports may be long gone. (Is it wrong that I’m a little sad about that?) Yet the expectation that students read and express their understanding of what they’ve read remains as strong as ever. So what’s a teacher to do? More specifically, what’s a creative teacher to do, when she doesn’t want to rely on worksheets? Get creative, of course! I’ve compiled 9 Fun Book Projects for you. They’re quick and easy to prepare, and best of all, they’re engaging – for both your students and you. No more slogging through piles of “Why I Liked This Book!” Take a look: Write a different ending -- What if the main character didn’t make it in the end? Or the dogs had lived? Or the culprit was the best friend? Your students’ imaginations can really wander with this assignment. Maybe their alternate ending will be even better than the original! Offer to let students draw their new ending as a bonus. Give a book talk --- Book talks are a wonderful way for students to demonstrate their understanding of books that they have read while practicing their writing and speaking skills. They're a great book project because they combine so many skills...and students love listening to one another. Oh, and the added bonus is that students can learn about books that they're interested in reading as they listen to the book talks. If you'd like to give them a try, then check out this FREE BOOK TALK GUIDE. It includes an overview of book talks, pre-write, final copy, and tips and tricks for presenting a book talk. Find it HERE. Write a sequel -- If you have the time, your students may want to extend their alternative endings into a whole second book (or at least a few pages or a chapter). After all, who hasn’t reached the end of a great read and wished for more? This will be a challenge, as students will have to build on the original plot lines and character outlines. Refer them to some famous book series for inspiration. Write a letter to the author -- Take a page from Beverly Cleary’s classic Dear Mr. Henshaw and have students write a thoughtful letter, with questions for the author of their current reading selection (or a favorite book). Most authors love to write (of course!) and appreciate opportunities to interact directly with their readers. Address letters (or e-mails) to the publisher, or see if the author has contact information on his or her website. It never hurts for students to practice their letter-writing and envelope-addressing skills, either – at least as long as snail mail is still around. Your students will be thrilled to get a response, too. Great news! I've put together three stationary templates that students can use when drafting their letters. They're a special FREEBIE just for you! Click here to check them out...and download them for free! Choose a response --- Here's an idea that students love...give them choices! It's amazing how giving students the ability to select the response or project that they would like to complete instantly increases their engagement. With that in mind, I created a series of "This or That" reading responses. Each This or That Reading Prompt includes instruction at the top of the worksheet and then 2 reading response choices for students to showcase their learning. After reviewing the choices, students can choose to do the "This" prompt or the "That" prompt. You can easily turn this into a book project by having students complete 5 (or so) different prompts while reading the book and submit them all as a final project when they finish reading the book. Learn more HERE. Set it to music -- Have your students capture a pivotal scene from the book in a song set to familiar music. It can be a ballad, a pop song, a rap – whatever speaks to them or best works with the scene. Encourage students who select this option to put on a concert. For students who are shy to perform, give them the option of recording their song privately, so you can play it without them having to get up in front of the class. Doodle it --- This is my FAVORITE type of book project! That's because it combines reflection, thinking and DOODLING! You can instantly take book reports and book projects to a whole new level with a Doodle Book Review! First, students complete a planning guide. Then, they design a Doodle Book Review! Check it out HERE! There's even this cinema-themed version that your students are sure to love. Find it HERE. Create a File Folder --- I first developed this book project idea many years ago as a summer reading project. Then, I altered it slightly so that it could be completed during anytime of the school year with any book. With this project, students compile critical information from the book they read including the plot, characters, setting, and a reflection in a manila file folder. The file folder book report includes detailed instructions so that students can complete it all independently. The end result is a compact project that students love! Oh, and you can store the file folders by your classroom library for students to reference when picking out a book! Find more details HERE. Blog about it -- If you have a classroom webpage, it can be fairly simple to create a live (and private) blog that students can use to discuss and debate the merits of their favorite books. This option might work best for students who have read the same book. Make sure you establish expectations for a civil online conversation. You can get in on the convo, too! Focusing on nonfiction in your classroom? Try one of these book report alternatives: Ø Create a scrapbook with images and facts about the book topic. Ø Write interview questions for the main character (if reading a biography, for example). Extend this assignment by allowing students to dress up as the character and record their responses to the interview questions. Ø Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept before, during, or after the book’s events. Make sure students emphasize what the character is thinking and feeling to give it an authentic feel. Ø Write a news story about the main event in the book (for example, the sinking of the Titanic). This is a good opportunity to practice this very specific form of writing. You’ll want to review inverted pyramid style and how to use quotes if you go this route. BONUS: Wait! I have one more idea. Here's a new spin on the classic book report mobile! Why not have students report out on the plot, setting, characters, and theme on fun pieces of paper clothing? Then students can hang their work from a hanger that says, "Try this book on for size!" This project includes a set of first draft materials and final copy elements so that students can create a high quality project! Here's some links for some of the project ideas above: ➧ File Folder Book Project (any book!) ➧ Doodle and Do Book Review (doodle book project) ➧ This or That Reading Response Prompts ➧ Book Talk (freebie) ➧ Letter to the Author Stationary Templates (FREE!) ➧ Clothes Hanger Book Report I hope that you've found some fun book project ideas to try in your classroom! Happy reading! Mary Beth
I had so much fun with our Non-Fiction Cereal Box Book Reports, I decided to make one for any Fiction book! My students had a great time creating these! It is a simple, fun way to do a book report. There are two options to choose from, one primary and one geared toward intermediate. The elements include: Title Page: Draw your own cover for the book Characters & Traits: Identify main characters and give each a trait Setting: Draw the main setting Plot: Primary- beginning, middle, end. Intermediate- Conflict/Resolution, Rising Action, Falling Action, Climax, and Summary Making Connections: Text-to-text/self/world Theme/Lessons Learned A New Ending: Create an alternate ending Meet the Author If you like this, check out my store for the Non-Fiction version! Follow me for FREEBIES!
My 5 year old LOVES superheroes. Everything about them. He draws them, he talks to them, he pretends to be them. All of it. With this in mind, I created this printable comic book page that he can c…
These recommendations from readers come with favorites by Kristin Hannah and Mary Hall Kelly.
An epic and unforgettable love story begins in Binding 13, the first in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.
If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.
Books are not the original sources of power, but observation, which may bring to us all wide experience, deep thinking, fine feeling, and the power to act for oneself, is the very dynamo of power.
You’ll love this list of some of the best historical fiction books to read, including historical series, epic novels, and popular historical fiction books.
Each classroom brings students of multiple learning styles and backgrounds. It is our job to provide opportunities that reach all of the many different learning styles that come to us. For this reason, it is
Are you ready for the month of March? We are all geared up for some fun learning this month! Our March NO PREP packets are done and we are ready to go!
Regretting You [Hoover, Colleen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Regretting You
No matter what genre you’re writing in, there are probably some things you’ll want to keep hidden from your readers until the time is right to surprise
50 Books To Master 10 Skills
Generally, when we think of book reports, we think of fiction reading response. However, nonfiction book report templates serve equally as important of a purpose for digging deep into nonfiction texts. Book reports are such
These methods of outlining will help you create a novel outline that makes writing your first draft a breeze, whether it's your 1st or 10th time writing a book.
Want to write a story that works? Learn how to plot your novel using the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet in this post! (Free worksheet included!) #writingtips
Engage your students in reading response activities with this fun Cereal Box Book Reports activity. Your students will "eat up" this activity!
ai & digital artist
An early lesson you want to teach your students is the difference in books that tell stories and books that give information. I have found that the best way to teach this is within context of different types of texts. Let's read more about some resources that I have used to teach the differences in the two types, as well as meet our pesky friend, the BOOK BANDIT! We begin the unit learning the text features of both types of texts by creating this anchor chart and using real text examples to discuss the differences between the two. I print the anchor chart from the pack as a poster, along with the two mini posters, for students to reference throughout the unit. I printed the sorting cards on cardstock and students helped me attach them to the anchor chart during our whole group discussion. They then completed their own sort below. This is great to glue into their reading journal for additional reference during the unit. I have lots of activities that I use included within the pack, but you don't have to use them in the order laid out in this blog post. ;) The activity below is one I like to always do with a new reading skill. My students become reading detectives during this cooperative group activity. Each group gets an envelope with the following recording sheets and a text, which might be a book or a passage, inside. They work with their group to decide if the book tells a story or gives information. They have to prove their thinking by providing three pieces of evidence from the text. After you do a few rotations of these throughout your unit, you can add it to a learning center for additional practice. Throughout the unit, I kept two bins of books labeled books that tell stories and books that give information. I referred to a few of them during the unit. But at the end of the unit, I threw them all over the classroom for students to walk in and find the next morning with a letter from the Book Bandit! He had came in and made a mess of our sorted books, so it was the students' challenge to sort them back into their proper bins. They had to provide three pieces of evidence from the text to prove their thinking and they attached it to a craft of the Book Bandit that they had made. This was such an engaging activity and a great assessment! I have included lots of other resources in the pack to use during your lessons. Throughout the unit, students pretended to be detectives, so they wore these little badges! We used these interactive notebook pieces for different texts. If you have Scholastic flyers, you can have students sort them in these flapbooks. This is another great quick assessment! We always finish our lessons with an exit ticket for me to quickly assess their understanding of the different features of these two types of texts. After completing a unit, I love to give my students new bookmarks for them to use during independent reading just to remind them of the previous skill taught so that they can independently apply those skills during reading. Click any of the pics in the blogpost to check this resource out! As always, happy teaching and happy reading!
If you find yourself in a book slump then these 17 addictive books will snap you right back out of it. I guarantee that these are all books you can't put down once you get
A blank novel outline template for use with Google Docs, Google Keep, and Scrivener. The One Page Novel is a simple, memorable structure for novelists.
Baloo is a popular Disney character and the deuteragonist from the 1967 film the Jungle Book and its 2003 sequel, and the main protagonist of the 1990-92 series TaleSpin. He is a sloth bear and best friends with Mowgli. Even though he's not the main character of the film, Baloo has become the most popular Disney character from the Jungle Book. He has been voiced by Phil Harris, Ed Gilbert (until their deaths), Steven Curtis Chapman, John Goodman (replacing the deceased Phil Harris; in Jungle Boo
"The Last Letter is a haunting, heartbreaking and ultimately inspirational love story."--InTouch Weekly Beckett, If you're reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn't. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella's raising the twins alone. She's too independent and won't accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It's too much for anyone to endure. It's not fair. And here's the kicker: there's something else you don't know that's tearing her family apart. She's going to need help. So if I'm gone, that means I can't be there for Ella. I can't help them through this. But you can. So I'm begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family. Please don't make her go through it alone. Ryan
