Central Burke

This is BY FAR my favorite lesson to do with my students. To practice argument writing, I have students choose a Disney (or even Pixar) character and ask them to identify negative traits these characters may have. For example: Ariel - ignorant, brain dead, rebel; Cinderella - golddigger, fake, liar. Try not to hate me for that - I swear I actually love Disney! The point of this is for students to refute these traits in a writing assignment. This product is the VIRTUAL DISTANCE LEARNING edition.

Use the cute activity to combine "Star Wars Day" and Teacher Appreciation Week. In Star Wars, you cannot become a Jedi without a teacher – the way Yoda turned Luke into a Jedi. We all have a Yoda in our lives, someone who has inspired us or believed in us or simply never gave up on us. Think about the Yoda in your life, the one person who has awakened the force within you and complete one of the following: 1. Tell a story about a teacher or a mentor who awoke the force within you. 2. Write a

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL OSCAR AWARDS! Use this activity to have your students compare a movie adaptation of a novel you read. In this activity, students will analyze how actor's portray the character's roles. They will focus on two characters and track notes on Google Slides on how the character looks and acts as compared to the novel. Then, they will narrow their options to ONE character and write a nomination letter to The Academy for Best Actor/Actress. This product is in Google Slides, and i

Wow, this honestly might be the biggest product I've made so far. And I've never done anything like this, but with COVID-19 causing us to teach from home, I'm challenging myself to try new things. This choice board asks students to choose one activity from each column - a visual activity, a writing activity, and a reading activity. In total, they'll complete three activities. However, you can modify this to meet your needs. Here's a breakdown of what this choice board offers: (Everything inclu

Through this distance/virtual learning experience, it's been increasingly difficult to think of ways to keep learning fun and engaging for my students. I don't want to get so caught up in the monotony of "read this and answer these questions." In an effort to keep learning fun and engaging, I'm using Wonderopolis.org to offer some student choice! In this assignment, students will explore Wonderopolis.org to find a topic they are interested in. Then, they will create an informational video on t

A reference sheet and short activity to help students with using dialogue in their writing. Enjoy! :-)

Just a quick reference sheet for students when writing a summary. Enjoy! :-)

This is one of my FAVORITE activities to do with The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963. After reading the first five chapters, I give students a modified medical report on Narcissistic Personality Disorder and ask them to play "doctor" to determine if Byron should be diagnosed. For part one, students work in groups to read the symptoms and search the novel for evidence. Then, for part two, students work independently to write a final diagnosis essay. An optional idea is to have students revisit t

An easy-to-use- reference sheet for your students. I usually print this out on colored paper for my students and have them use it when they're completing any assignment using RACE. A rubric is included as well! Enjoy! :-)

In light of the recent tragedy of Kobe Bryant's passing, I decided to have students read his poem, "Dear Basketball." As we read, students noted his use of figurative language, his structure, and writing techniques. Then, using his poem as a model, students wrote about one of their passions. **Newly Updated - 2/6/20 - I added an extension activity for students to record a reading of their poem using Vocaroo. As a class, we had a great discussion about how there was so much more emotion listenin

This activity goes great with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TEDTalk, "The Dangers of a Single Story." There are several videos of it online. After we analyze the TEDTalk, I have students write a poem that challenges stereotypes. In this product, you will find: directions for writing the poema writing templateexample poemsgrading rubricThis is one of my favorite activities. Enjoy! :-)

This is just a simple reference sheet for writing introductions and conclusions. I usually print this out for students to keep in their binders as a reference for writing introductions and/or conclusions. Enjoy! :-)

If you're reading "My Brother, Martin" by Christine King Farris, have students complete this inference-making activity. There are 8 inferences and students must locate text evidence to support each inference. In addition, students will need to create two inferences of their own. *I usually use this as a station in station work, so students work together to read the book and complete this activity. Here's a link to the book this pairs with: https://www.amazon.com/My-Brother-Martin-Remembers-Gr

Just a quick activity for students to complete - great for a bulletin board for Back to School Night. Have students fill in their goals of what they'd like to improve on. Include a picture of them or have them draw their own. Enjoy! :-)

In a podcast, Peter Oldring speaks to concerned mother, Diane Burns, about why she is trying to regulate Halloween in Kingston, Ontario. Students will listen to the podcast and take notes while listening. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thisisthat/kingston-to-ban-scary-halloween-decorations-1.1725260 Then, students will read an article that discusses a mom in Bristol who feels her neighbors Halloween decorations are too scary. *I edited this article to better fit the audience of my younger students.

Use this quick "Stop & Jot" activity with your students while you read the story, "The All-American Slurp" by Lensey Namioka.

This activity is one of my FAVORITES! First, to help with this activity, I suggest purchasing an app that allows students to transform their selfies into zombies (zelfies!). There are quite a few out there. The app I used is "ZombieFaced." You do need to pay for it, but it really does help with engagement in this activity. Then, use this packet to help with the writing process. In the packet includes a brainstorming sheet, a general outline for writing, a sample I wrote for my students for mode

Too many of my students opt to take a zero on an assignment and it's often the difference between the "A" or the "B" at the end of the term. Not to mention, homework counts for a low percentage in our district, so students dismiss the impact that a single zero can make. This Zero Zeros Challenge will encourage students to avoid taking any zeros on an assignment. It teaches students to take accountability for their actions and be responsible enough to communicate their needs. In this product is

This is the perfect activity to do around the holidays - specifically Thanksgiving time! To use this lesson, you will need to watch the video, An Experiment in Gratitude: The Science of Happiness by Soul Pancake. It is on YouTube - *just a warning though, there is slight inappropriate language in the video. Don't let that be the reason you skip the video though, it is well worth it! Steps of the lesson: Watch the video and have students record their initial reactions/feelings.Then, have student

Are you reading Zlata's Diary with your students? Use this resource to practice citing evidence with your students. In this resource, students will: - Find evidence to support claims about Zlata - Find evidence to complete a paragraph - Read a sample written response that includes evidence - Write their own paragraph using evidence Enjoy!