Seedfolks - Complete Book Unit - Teach ELA - ESL Friendly - Fun - Colorful!

Make Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks accessible and fun to all your students with these colorful, standards-based lessons!

This collection of chapter mini-units gives you everything you need to explore the inspiring world of Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks with your classes (apart from the original novel -- which you will need access to). Each chapter is in its own file to make it easy to print out or assign remotely using TPT Easel or as a PDF via Google Classroom or Kami. I have also included Google Forms for the quick quizzes after chapters 4 to 13 to make grading easy and automatic.

The accessible handouts make enthralling teaching easy(ish)! ESL scaffolding and support is built in, which is beneficial to lower level readers and English Language Learners alike. In fact, Seedfolks is a perfect choice for the ESL intermediate or higher classroom, due to its short chapters, reading level, inspiring message and diverse crew of characters who forge hope from adversity (plus beginner ELLs can read along using the Spanish translation of the book, called "Semillas").

Check out the previews to get an overview of the units complete with lesson plans, activities, vocabulary instruction, ELA lessons and handouts for every chapter, plus a delightful project in which students grow their own garden in a model of the vacant lot and five vocabulary word searches.

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Note, you can use the project as an ongoing activity to return to while teaching the book.

All chapters come with standards-based lesson plans.

Chapter 1 - Kim (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Book preview
• Basics of paragraph writing
• Mood
• Setting
• Metaphor
• Vocabulary.

Chapter 2 - Ana (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities: 

• Setting
• Vocabulary
• Characterization
• Simile
• Paragraph writing
• Concluding statements

Chapter 3 - Wendell (3 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Point of view
• Vocabulary
• Using quotes in paragraph writing.

Chapter 4 - Gonzalo (3 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Vocabulary
• Immigration
• Setting
• Characterization
• How setting can change a character
• Linking words (showing cause and effect)
• Quick quiz on the chapter.

Chapter 5 - Leona (3 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Vocabulary
• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• How incidents can reveal character (show don't tell)
• Writing and drawing activity
• Linking words to show cause and effect
• Irony
• Quick quiz on the chapter.

Chapter 6 - Sam (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• Writing and drawing activities
• Linking words to show cause and effect
• Conflict
• Point of view
• Setting
• How conflict and point of view can interact
• A quick quiz on the chapter.

Chapter 7 & 8 - Virgil and Sae Young (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• Writing and drawing activities
• The motivations for characters acting as they do
• Quick quizzes on the chapters
• Conflict
• Listing examples in a paragraph
• Using text evidence to develop a theme.

Chapter 9 and 10 - Curtis & Nora (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• Writing and drawing activities
• Quick quizzes on the chapters
• Point of view (including 1st person POV)
• Theme
• Making personal connections
• Inference on character's motivations and behavior
• Creative writing
• Using text evidence to develop a theme.

Chapter 11 and 12, Maricela and Amir (4 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• Writing and drawing activities
• Quick quizzes on the chapters
• Writing about a social issue
• Theme

Chapter 13. Florence (2 days)

Topics covered through use of the text and activities:

• Pre-reading
• Vocabulary
• Writing and drawing activities
• Quick quizzes on the chapters
• Designing a new book cover
• Appraising the book

Project

• Plans and handouts to analyze setting and character while building a model of the setting, including a live plant that can then be brought home by students.
• 5 vocabulary refresher word searchers to be used as you get through the book.

Plus reusable Graphic Organizers you can use for any book or story covering:

• Character analysis using STEAL
• Timeline
• A graphic storytelling grid

You will need access to the book Seedfolks for this unit. Note, the book has been translated into Spanish (not included), which can make it more accessible to your lower level ELLs.