10 ideas for planning engaging novel units: creative, engaging lesson ideas for your next whole-class novel unit

Filler Activities for ELA (blog post) What can you do with five extra minutes in secondary ELA? Here are a few ideas to engage students until the bell.

Using these animated shorts, students will practice four different summarizing using different methods.

Teaching theme is not an easy task! Not only do students need to have a strong comprehension of the story's elements (like plot, setting, and characters), but they also have to be able to make inferences to find the author's message, since most themes are not overtly stated by the author. So, what are some of my favorite activities for helping kids understand theme? I'll list a number of them here. 1. Make an Anchor Chart Anchor charts are a great way to make learning visual and to have a record that kids can refer to when they need a bit of extra support. Theme may be defined in a number of ways. To me, the theme is the author's message or what he/she wants the reader to take away/learn from the story. It is a BIG idea, with a real-world or universal concern and can be applied to anyone. Besides talking about what a theme is, you'll also want to go over what it isn't. For example, some kids confuse the main idea of the story with its theme. To help students understand the difference, it's helpful to use stories that everyone in the class knows, like previous read alouds or classic stories like The Three Little Pigs. You can take each story and discuss the main idea (what the story was mostly about - specific to the story) vs. the theme (the lesson the author wants the reader to know - not specific to the story), to contrast the two ideas. The second area of confusion for some kids is that the theme is not specific to the characters in the story. In the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, for example. The theme would not be that...A little mouse named Chrysanthemum learned to accept the uniqueness of her name. The theme would be larger than the book and would be something like...It's important to accept oneself. Also, you'll want to explain to your students that often times, a book has multiple themes and there are several answers which work equally well to describe a book's theme. Since theme is very subjective, I tell students that I will accept any answer, as long as they have the text evidence to prove it. For example, in the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, one might argue that the theme is about friendship, another might say family, or even courage, or kindness. Any one of these themes would be right, and counted as such, since they each fit the story and could be supported by text evidence. 2. Use Pixar Shorts to Practice Theme Besides the sheer enjoyment which comes from watching these mini-films, your students can learn a lot about reading concepts from these. They're great for ELL students or for struggling readers, and for all readers really since the text complexity piece is removed. You can find these clips on YouTube, but you'll want to make sure to preview them first, so you're more familiar with the plot and are able to focus on theme questions. Here are some of my favorite Pixar Shorts for teaching theme: Piper Partly Cloudy Lava Boundin' 3. Use Mentor Texts Mentor texts are one of my go-to teaching tools as picture books are able to portray examples of just about any reading concept you need to teach. One thing I like to do when using mentor texts for theme, is to vary the types of questions I ask. Rather than always saying What is the theme?, I might ask... What is the deeper meaning of this story? After reading this book, what do you think matters to this author? Which idea from the story do you think might stay with you? What did the author want people to learn from this story?... Once kids answer, you might say, Ah...so that's the theme! Some of my current mentor text favorites for theme include the following: Ish by Peter H. Reynolds I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe Journey by Aaron Becker (a wordless book) Beautiful Oops by Barry Saltzberg The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed If you're looking for more titles, I have a FREE Mentor Text List for Literature which includes a page on theme which you can download from my TpT store. 4. Use Posters with Themes to Chart Book Themes I like to choose 8 - 10 common themes and place posters of them in the classroom. These are included in my Theme unit but you could easily make them yourself if you'd like. After we finish a class novel, a read aloud, or a mentor text as part of a mini-lesson, I like to have the kids discuss the theme of the book. Once we decide on the theme, I place a miniaturized copy of the book's cover (about 3 x 3 inches or so) under the correct theme poster. You can also make the posters more interactive by allowing kids to write titles of books they have recently read on sticky notes, under the posters as well. 5. Use Songs to Practice Finding the Theme I love to add music to the classroom whenever possible. Not only does it add instant motivation for some kids, but it is also just good for them in so many ways. There are lots of songs you can use to teach theme, from current pop songs to oldies, rap songs, and country songs. While all of these work well, I especially enjoy using Disney songs. Disney songs are easily recognized for some kids, have catchy, fun tunes, and have lyrics that need no censoring (yay!). You can easily find the lyrics online to project on a smartboard or document projector, and the song clips may be found on YouTube, Here are some of my favorite Disney songs which work well for theme: Hakuna Matata from Lion King Just Keep Swimming from Finding Dory Reflection from Mulan Let it Go from Frozen Something There from Beauty and the Beast A Whole New World from Aladdin 6. Introduce Short Texts Using Task Cards Using task cards for theme gives your students a great deal of practice in a short period of time, which makes them a perfect way to begin to practice finding the theme using text. I love the fact that students can read multiple task card stories and practice finding the theme 20 - 30 times, in the time it might take to read a story and find the theme once. You can do task cards as a center activity, to play Scoot, or as a whole class scavenger hunt. One thing I like to do for the scavenger hunt is to make sure everyone has a partner and to pair stronger readers with struggling readers. 7. Add Some Writing After students have worked on theme for a week or two, I like to have students create their own short stories which show a strong theme, without directly stating it. This changes each student's role from a theme finder, to a theme creator and gives students insight into how authors create a situation that allows a theme to unfold. When I introduce this project, we refer back to the task cards we just completed, as an example of story length and rich content. In a matter of 2 - 3 paragraphs, students learn that they can include enough information to let our readers know our message. After students are finished creating these short stories, it's fun to share them in some way, to give more theme practice. Sometimes I have students meet in small groups to share out, with group members guessing the theme. Other years, I leave a stack on my desk and grab several if we have a few minutes. Either the students or I read the short story out loud, and the class discusses the theme. 8. Move to Passages, Short Stories, and Novels. Once we have scaffolded a great foundation for the understanding of theme, there comes a point where kids have to move on to text which is more challenging. I like to use page-long passages which I have created, before using short stories, and ultimately novels. If you're looking for some ready made materials to help you teach theme, here's a packet I love to use which works well for 4th and 5th Graders. Click here to read more about the Theme unit. Want some more teaching ideas and activities to teach theme? Click here to read Teaching Themes in Literature. If you like this post, make sure to share it with a teacher friend! Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and strategies focused on upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter! Bonus, you'll also gain access to my FREE Resource Library which contains exclusive upper elementary freebies that you won't find anywhere else! I'd love to connect with you! The Teacher Next Door's Website Pinterest Facebook Instagram TpT Store

Here are 15 engaging and creative TV episodes to use in ELA to teach genre, narrative techniques, characterization, and more. (Blog post)

Teaching theme will be engaging for your students with videos! Find the 5 Best Videos for Teaching Theme in your ELA classroom.

Flu season is upon us, so I wanted to compile some of my favorite free resources for last-minute sub plans. Everything I've chosen is 100% free and ready to print. These resources don't take a lot

Download and post these FREE Figurative Language Posters for your learners to use to remind them of the terms and definitions.

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The burning question that most new, and even experienced, teachers have is what types of writing to teach and how to structure it all within a school year. Most of us are beholden to meet state standards and this can leave us feeling like we are teaching to the test rather than helping students produce […]

Engage your students in great lessons using these videos for teaching figurative language! Check out the Top 5 here and save time searching!

Discover famous short stories with surprise endings. This list includes links to read some of the stories online.

How to facilitate successful Socratic Seminars in the secondary ELA

Close reading is an essential skill for middle school and high school English Language Arts. Students need to be able to decipher complex texts, and this strategy will help students take their literary analysis to a deeper level during reading workshop. It will also help facilitate writing worksho

Your new favorite teaching strategy: This pared-down version of learning stations keeps the movement, interactivity and variety while minimizing the prep work.

If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.

Learn how to do a simple ELA curriculum audit and add more diversity your ELA unit plans. This post offers diverse ELA reflection and action tips.

Text structure is something my students always seemed to struggle with. We would practice and practice, and they still wouldn't understand. I finally came to

Add diversity to your current events assignments with these 5

This interest survey is a google form that asks students about their interests in general, in reading and in writing. This is a 3 page google form survey.

Finding great resources online is the best! In this post (and podcast episode) I’m sharing my favorite sites for free creative lesson plans and teaching ideas online. Listen in below, or read on to learn about my favorite online resources.

Trashketball is a student approved review game. With very little preparation, you can keep students motivated and angaged during review time.

Our Spelling dictation words this week are focusing on plurals. I'm a bit worried about introducing this concept with ELL learners, so I thought I'd make some posters to help guide them. I'll use these with a center activity that I can ask my EA to help out with. Big thanks to Michelle, the 3 AM Teacher, and Nikki at Melonheadz Illustrating, and Mel at From the Pond for the great graphics! Click either of the images for the link to these free posters. - Amanda

The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.

I really dislike icebreakers. They make me cringe. When I became a teacher, I swore I would spare my students the torture of icebreakers. That being said, I also realize how important it is to buil…

Teach figurative language meaningfully with purposeful literature selection and engaging activities.

The Present- For Teaching Plot Twist and Theme This story has the most amazing plot twist! Get your tissues ready! A young boy is behaving like an awful brat. He disrespects his mother when she brings him a new puppy. He even treats the puppy terribly when he discovers it is missing a leg. But […]

Whether you're brand-new to block scheduling or you've been doing it for years, these strategies will have you handling those 90 minutes like a boss.

This packet is PRINT and GO ready! No time spent laminating, cutting, or setting up. Print and your kids are ready to use engaging ELA activities that follow K-2 ELA standards with the Magic Tree House series: Vacation Under the Volcano! This set is perfect for small groups, centers, homework, morning work, or part of your novel study! *Side Note: I did add several Greek god/goddess in this set that were not covered in the book. This will extend your Greek mythology study even further. I made sure all of the facts were written in a "kid friendly" way that can be used in even the youngest grades. This packet includes the following: * 11 anchor charts * Beginning, Middle, Ending Sounds * Split/Write Phonemes * Phoneme Deletion * Phoneme Switcheroo * Real vs. Nonsense * Syllable Counting Practice * Homophones * Figurative Language: Similes * Figurative Language: Hyperbole * Figurative Language: Personification * Figurative Language: Onomatopoeia * Greek god Sight Words * Grammar Search & Find * Let's Talk: Quotation Marks * Let's Talk: Punctuation * Roman Contractions * Comparing Facts * Greek god/goddess' Adjectives * Which Word Doesn't Belong * Greek Spelling ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Like this set and want more like it? Be sure to check out my other NO PREP (ELA) resources for the Magic Tree House. I have my sets bundled for more savings!! Magic Tree House Books 1-5 BUNDLE NO PREP (ELA) Magic Tree House Books 6-10 BUNDLE NO PREP (ELA) Magic Tree House Books 1-10 BUNDLE NO PREP (ELA) ********************************************************************************************************************************************************** @2016 Holly Hawley All rights reserved by author. These materials are intended for personal use by a single classroom only. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. For use in multiple classrooms, please purchase additional licenses. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Clipart and elements found in this PDF are copyrighted and cannot be extracted and used outside of this file without permission or license. See product file for clip art and font credits. Thank you so much for your download! Drop me a note and let me know what you think of this product! I respond to EVERY comment:) If there is a problem with anything, you can email me at [email protected] AG fonts used for Cover. Love, Holly Vacation Under the Volcano NO PREP (ELA) by Holly Hawley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Teaching with Biographies and Ben Franklin With all of the fabulous biographies available today for children, teaching about and with biographies can be such fun for your students. It hasn't always been this way. When I was a little girl (many, many years ago...) I remember biographies being boring, fact-filled chapter books. They were definitely not the books that I chose when I went to the library. The only biographies I remember reading were those assigned to me by my teachers. Today's biographies for children are very different. Biographies for children are now colorful picture books full of interesting information that grab the reader's attention and are enjoyable to read. I recently gathered a variety of biographies for my students on Benjamin Franklin. My school library has several wonderful biographies about Mr. Franklin. We combined learning about the characteristics of biographies with learning more about this U.S. founding father. Some great biographies about Benjamin Franklin include: Ben Franklin His Wit and Wisdom by Alan Schroeder Who Was Ben Franklin? by Dennis Fradin Now and Ben by Gene Barretta Although all of these books are excellent, I chose to begin by using How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer. Before we read this book, I had the students to do a variation of an ABC brainstorm activity. With ABC brainstorm, students write what they know about a given topic using each letter of the alphabet. Instead of ABC's, we did a BEN brainstorm. Students wrote one fact about Ben Franklin with each of the 3 letters: "B", "E", and "N". (3 facts are much faster to write than 26.) I discovered that many of my students knew very little of Ben Franklin or thought he was one of our presidents. After we discussed our prior knowledge, we then discussed characteristics of biographies. My sweet teacher friend next door has this adorable biography anchor chart that she let me share. After reviewing the characteristics of a biography, we read and discussed How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning. My students really enjoyed this colorful and interesting biography. Next, students used their Chromebooks to read an online book about Ben Franklin. This book is actually part of a paid website that my school system has purchased called myOn. It was a fun graphic biography that my students enjoyed, but if you do not have access to this website, another great choice is this page from Mr. Nussbaum. The students then used the information they learned from both resources to complete a graphic organizer. This biography graphic organizer can be found in my store in a packet containing four graphic organizers for your students to use as templates as they research and write about a person. Choose the graphic organizer that is perfect for your whole class, assign different graphic organizers for different groups of students, or choose specific organizers to differentiate the needs of your students. Use the graphic organizer alone, or as a writing template for the writing page essay paper. A grading rubric is also included if you choose to use this as an assessment. Click here or the picture below to purchase. Finally, we watched a 90 second video that recapped the information we had learned about Benjamin Franklin. This short video can be found here. If you are looking for a fun lesson to use with biographies, I hope you may want to try these activities out with your students. I know my kiddos had a lot of fun and learned a lot about Benjamin Franklin and biographies. Have a blessed day! Check out my blog: Teaching Fourth Visit my TpT Store Find me on Instagram Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Pinterest

Figuring out how to outline a series may explode your preconceptions about the process and teach you so much more about outlining and storycraft in general.

The Michael Jordan Reading Comprehension Worksheet is a general biography of Jordan's life, career and impact of the sport of basketball. It can be used as an alternate assignment for Physical Education or as a reading comprehension worksheet in the ELA setting. ...

Let's talk about how using podcasts in your K-2 classroom can take your student's learning to a whole new level! Engagement is about to go through the roof!WHY PODCASTS IN THE CLASS?So WHY podcasts? Why should I use podcasts in my room and what if I don't have 1:1 technology? That answer is simple. Podcasts provide a wide variety of topics for students to choose from and listen to. They provide students with the opportunity to practice listening skills, critical thinking, and they are engag

Last week I shared one of my FAVORITE Pixar shorts "Mike's New Car" on Instagram as a way we practiced recording cause and effect relatio...