msdickson
649 Followers
Michigan, United States
About the store
I spent years teaching English on a Shoestring Budget, using Photocopies and Projects to stretch my meager budget of school and personal funds. In addition to limited resources, I also had the challenge of engaging reluctant alternative high school students. I worked to balance high expectations with accessible coursework. I keep an eye out for affordable, yet engaging text options that can be used for papers and projects in class.
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Literary Terms | Literary Devices | Crossword Puzzle Word Search | Fiction Terms
Fun activities to go with learning or reviewing major literary terms! Includes a crossword puzzle with 25 clues plus answer key—good for review. Also includes a word search with the same terms for a fun filler activity—also includes answer key. Also includes bonus Literary Terms definition list. Contents:Crossword Puzzle (Clues from from the Literary Term definitions list)Crossword Puzzle KeyWord Search Word Search KeyLiterary Terms list with definitionsTerms usedALLUSION ANALOGY ANTAGONIST C
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature
The Call of the Wild | Literary Classic | Fiction Unit | Bundle | London | PDF
Save 45% on this bundle of 17 resources to use with the story The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Includes a variety of activities for before, during, and after the story. Lots of options to choose from in a money-saving bundle. Contents:The Call of the Wild Reading, Thinking, Quiz QuestionsThe Call of the Wild Graphic OrganizersThe Call of the Wild Literary Essay WritingThe Call of the Wild Word SearchJack London Author InformationProjectsEach Project is a stand-alone project with its own
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature, Writing
The Metamorphosis | Literary Classic | Fiction Unit | Bundle | Franz Kafka | PDF
Save 45% on this bundle of 18+ resources to use with the story The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Reading and assessment questions, graphic organizers, literary essay writing, and many projects to fit your classroom’s needs! Each activity includes a separate overview and, if applicable, deployment information. See the individual resources for further information. Contents:Reading, Thinking, and Quiz QuestionsGraphic OrganizersLiterary Essay WritingVocabulary ActivityThe Clerk's Report writin
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature
Movie Poster & Book Cover Projects | Any Novel or Short Story |Creative Project
A pair of creative projects that work with any novel or short story. Students will create a book cover or movie poster. The book cover includes images/ motifs from the text as well as a short blurb about the story. The movie poster includes casting the actors/ actresses to play the characters of the story as well as a symbol/motif and a tag line. Self-reflections included to examine the elements used in their project. A fun creative project for a break or to wrap up the story. At its basic l
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature
The Raven | Reading Analysis Questions | Poetry Analysis | Inferring | Poe
Reading comprehension questions and inference questions for the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. Students will answer the questions while reading or after reading to demonstrate their understanding. Students will also strengthen their skills at making inferences and providing support for those conclusions. Answer key provided. Also includes critical thinking questions for students to dig deeper into the text and support their answer. Two short quizzes, multiple choice and short answer, w
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Poetry
Also included in: The Raven | Poetry Comprehension | Social Media | Mini Bundle | Poe
Create a Company | Entrepreneurship | Real World Writing | Business Writing
A fun real-world project that combines business and creative writing. Includes a variety of writing types centered around the fictional company that students create. Students will create a presentation (slideshow or poster) for their company. Students learn about and can practice writing a business letter, complaint letter, a commercial, a flyer, and a proposal. Includes informational texts for different types of business writing as well as sample writing. Fun, engaging project for even reluctan
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Informational Text, Writing
The Metamorphosis | Reading, Critical Thinking, Test Questions | Inferring|Kafka
A set of reading, critical thinking and assessment (test or quiz) questions for use with the text The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Reading questions are in order of the text, divided in sections to match the text. Answer Key provided. Critical Thinking questions is a 15 questions list with students writing a paragraph answer (with optional Paragraph Model) using support. Plus short answer assessment, for use as a quiz or test. Reading questions are print-and-go! Ready. Student printable in
8th - 11th, Adult Education
Close Reading, English Language Arts, Literature
Also included in: The Metamorphosis | Essential Activities | Mini Bundle | Franz Kafka
The Raven Poetry Comprehension Activities Poem Analysis Literary Classic Poe PDF
Save 45% on this bundle of 15+ resources to use with the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. Includes reading questions, graphic organizers, vocabulary, and literary essay writing. Also has a variety of culminating projects offered as stand-alone items as well as arranged in Task Cards, Student Menu, and Choice Board versions. Plus, includes the separate digital communication analysis activity Quoth the Raven (formerly "The Raven Tweets" now revised and expanded!) This money-saving bundle
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry
Quoth the Raven | Social Media | Text Messaging | Poetry Comprehension | Poe
Fun activity for the poem “The Raven” has students translate the poem into a digital text-based format (such as social media or text messaging). This activity was formerly “The Raven Tweets” but has been revised and expanded to include multiple digital formats. Students will work to rewrite the content of the poem in an online format then reflect on their work. Several templates provided for students to write on, or they can use presentation software to create their own mock-ups. This activity
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Poetry
Also included in: The Raven | Poetry Comprehension | Social Media | Mini Bundle | Poe
The Monkey's Paw | Movie vs. Books | Film Comparison | Fiction Analysis | Jacobs
This activity bundle gives you several choices for comparing a movie, a portion of a movie, or a TV show adaptation with the text of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. While use of movies in the classroom can be controversial, bringing different media into lessons for comparison and evaluation can be a worthwhile activity. A well-structured comparison and evaluation activity requires higher-order thinking Contents:Comparison Table with 8 items for comparison and 2 'your choice' spotsBest of Bo
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
Movie vs Book Comparison | Film Comparison | Fully Editable Activity | WORD
Works with any story or book paired with any movie or play. Can be used with a portion of the story or the whole. Keeps students working while a movie or play is shown. This item is fully editable to fit any movie and book pairing. Contents:Comparison Table: includes spots for up to 10 points of comparison. Students or teacher can choose the points to compare. Plot points, characters, setting, and more are good options for the comparison. Students must be detailed in the book column, but may wri
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Writing-Essays
Literary Terms | Poetry Terms | Crossword Puzzle | Word Search | Digital & Print
Fun activities to go with learning or reviewing major literary or poetry terms! For review or reinforcement, there is a literary terms crossword with 25 terms and a separate poetry terms crossword with 21 terms. Also includes word searches with the same terms for a fun filler activity. Answer keys included. Bonus literary terms and poetry terms lists included for reference. INCLUDES both Print version and Google Drive Compatible Digital Activity! The Crossword puzzle clues come from the inc
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature, Poetry
The Metamorphosis | Graphic Organizers | Mind Maps | Fiction Unit | Franz Kafka
Set of graphic organizers to use in examine the text of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Several options to choose from to fit your classroom needs. Includes comparing Gregor’s life before and after, as well as comparing the impact of the transformation on Grete and the family. Explore expectations of the story with an Expectations chart and a KWL. Examine how Gregor becomes more bug-like with the Going Buggy chart. Word Webs provided for Mood, Setting, Grete, and Gregor, after Transformation.
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature
Also included in: The Metamorphosis | Essential Activities | Mini Bundle | Franz Kafka
The Time Machine | Fiction Comprehension | Literary Classic | Bundle | Wells|PDF
Save 45% on this bundle of 19+ resources to use with the story The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Includes a variety of activities for before, during, and after the story. Lots of options to choose from in a money-saving bundle. Contents: Reading Questions, Reading Quiz Questions, Critical Thinking Questions, Whole Text Assessments (Multiple Choice Tests and Short Answer Tests)Graphic OrganizersLiterary Essay WritingMy Personal Time Machine Personal Writing ProjectMovie vs. Book Comparison (fo
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature, Writing
A Christmas Carol | Movie vs Book Comparison | Film Comparison | Dickens
This activity bundle gives you several choices for comparing the text of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens with some or all of one of the movie or play versions. Includes evaluation of the movie vs book pairing with several options. While use of movies in the classroom can be controversial, bringing different media into lessons for comparison and evaluation can be a worthwhile activity. A well-structured comparison and evaluation activity requires higher-order thinking. This activity i
7th - 10th
English Language Arts, Literature
Also included in: A Christmas Carol | Essential Mini Bundle | Holiday | Seasonal | Dickens
Frankenstein | Movie vs Book Comparison | Film Comparison | Mary Shelley
This activity bundle gives you several choices for comparing the text of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley with some or all of one of the movie versions. Includes evaluation of the movie vs book pairing with several options. While use of movies in the classroom can be controversial, bringing different media into lessons for comparison and evaluation can be a worthwhile activity. A well-structured comparison and evaluation activity requires higher-order thinking Contents:Comparison Table with 8 items
8th - 11th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
The Time Machine | Reading, Critical Thinking, Test Questions | Inferring |Wells
A set of questions for use with the text The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells. Includes Reading Questions with key that includes recall, comprehension, and inference. There are 35 Critical Thinking open-ended questions in 3 categories. There are 12 short-answer reading quizzes focusing on basic understanding and accountability. The Whole Text Assessment comes in short-answer with answer key, plus multiple choice. The multiple-choice has 2 versions, with key. The questions have minimal overlap, so th
8th - 11th
English Language Arts, Literature
10 Creative Culminating Projects | Final Projects | Any Novel Short Story | WRD1
A set of culminating projects to use with any novel or story in high school or middle school English ELA courses. Projects are a great way to review and analyze the text while including creativity and engagement. This collection of 10 Creative Culminating Projects offers many choices to use with any novel or short story. Plus the set of projects is offered as Task Cards, Choice Board, and Student Menu options for student choice and differentiated learning. Contents:Collage or Photobook
8th - 11th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Literature
I Have a Dream | MLK Speech | Reading, Critical Thinking, Test Questions
Use with: Martin Luther King Day / MLK DayTexts or speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Black History MonthLooking for something a little different for older students? Check out the Informational Text reading MLK vs. FBI using excerpts from the House Select Committee Report. Pairs great with the "I Have a Dream" Speech.This resource includes Reading, Quiz, and Critical Thinking questions for the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There is a short answer set of questions fo
8th - 11th
English Language Arts
The Story of an Hour | Literary Classic | Fiction Unit | Bundle | Chopin | PDF
A set of activities for use with the story "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. Includes reading activities, assessment (test/quiz) questions, and graphic organizers. Also include a variety of projects in a Culminating Projects set with choice of Task Cards, Student Menu, and Choice Board versions. Many flexible options to fit your classroom. Contents Reading Activities: Reading Questions in order of the text with recall and inferences questions. Graphic organizers including Word Webs, Mrs
8th - 11th
Creative Writing, Literature, Writing-Essays
Showing 1-20 of 484 results
About the store
Experience
I spent years teaching English on a Shoestring Budget, using Photocopies and Projects to stretch my meager budget of school and personal funds. In addition to limited resources, I also had the challenge of engaging reluctant alternative high school students. I worked to balance high expectations with accessible coursework. I keep an eye out for affordable, yet engaging text options that can be used for papers and projects in class.
Teaching style
The goal of any activity in education is for students to learn and then demonstrate their understanding of the concepts. However, they cannot understand what they know if they are not engaged in the activity. It is always my goal to create activities that are accessible and/ or engaging so that students can be successful. Projects are my favorite as they allowed flexibility and opportunities for differentiation. I also do appreciate reading questions to guide students, and hold them accountable for reading (and they are accessible, since I make them in order and limited "tricky" questions.)
Awards & shining teacher moments
Recognized by the State of Michigan, along with the other teachers, for Excellence in Adult Education.
My own education history
I earned my GED rather than be a senior in high school. I spent two years at a local community college before transferring to finish my degree in Secondary English and History education. I later returned to online schooling to get a Graduate Certificate in Educational Media and Technology. I always try to help my own students have a better high school experience than I did.
Additional biographical information
I share teaching ideas and more at www.msdicksonsclass.com
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