Cogitare

This packet is a complete independent research project in which students will sign up for a person in history who interests them. Their due dates will be based on the figure they choose, so that they will each be ready to present their essays to the class when their chosen figures appear in the text. In essence, they will become our class "expert" on the day when they present their essays and research to their peers. Since the presentations are staggered, they will not take up a significant p

This unit is a complete study of the novel Journey to Topaz, a story of the Japanese relocation during World War II. It includes an initial webquest to excite student interest, a variety of daily reading activities, such as a vocabulary list, comprehension questions, charts, plot pyramids, and review guides, and a teaching strategy for introducing point of view. In addition, a mid-book vocabulary quiz and a final vocabulary quiz and answer key are included, as well as the final essay topic and

This worksheet is a quick way to assess new students' retention of the parts of speech covered in earlier classes. I start the year with this so that I know how much review of the parts of speech, if any, must be done before moving into more advanced grammar concepts. It gives students a real sense of the emphasis I plan to place on their knowledge of basic grammar. If review and reinforcement of the parts of speech is necessary, I end the review unit with the same sheet to show students th p

This long-term assignment lasts throughout the unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. As students read as a class or independently, they add significant events to the worksheet to reinforce comprehension of the plot and knowledge of the parts of the plot. This can be graded incrementally through the unit or collected at the end of the unit as a final grade. It is an excellent review tool for students to use as they review for a final test or begin to plan and write essays on the novel.

This unit is a complete study of the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry!, a story of one family's efforts to withstand and overcome a racist community that deprived them of their rights and freedom during the Great Depression. It includes an initial introduction to the Great Depression, a creative journaling project that lasts the duration of the unit, a variety of daily reading activities, such as a vocabulary list, comprehension questions, discussion guides, small group work, plot chronolo

This unit will allow teachers to review the novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond after students have read it as a summer reading project. The unit begins with a day of plot review in which students are put into groups and asked to recap a set number of pages for the class. In this way, the entire plot will be quickly recapped as a foundation for the unit. A vocabulary list is included, and students will define the words, write sentences for each word to practice meaning and usage, and be quizzed

This book report alternative allows students to design a descriptive book jacket for a book they read to present to the class and to be displayed in the hallway, on a bulletin board, or in the school library. Students follow a detailed format to create book jackets that showcase their comprehension as well as their writing ability. The project documents include the detailed requirements that students will be given at the beginning of the project, a format that can be transferred to their compu

This project allows students to work collaboratively or independently to analyze the strengths of the literature studied throughout the year. They will use the format of the elements of literature studied throughout the year, and they will give the "award" for each element of literature to two of the literary works studied. Since the project is a Word document, teachers can modify it to better assess the concepts covered in their own classrooms, using my format and requirements as a foundation

Peer reviewing is a skill to be developed, rather than a natural process for most students. Students need support to know the type of feedback they should provide and how to explain their feedback clearly. This peer review worksheet guides students as they review one another''s work. It provides five detailed prompts. For each prompt, students record a sentence or idea from the work they are reviewing and then explain, defend, or describe their evaluation. As it is a Word document, teachers

This chart can be used during a unit on the eight cases of pronouns or as a review tool or even an assessment at the end of the pronoun unit. Pronouns can be difficult for students, especially once they need to correctly use the eight cases, and this chart acts as a quick reference guide for them. I always use this chart at the end of the unit as a graded homework assignment to require students to review the cases. I collect the charts, grade them, and return them so students can use the corr

This outline will help students organize their ideas to support a thesis statement when planning their independent book review essays. I typically give students this format when I assign a book review/ report, so they can collect their thoughts as they read their chosen books. Before they are cleared to begin writing their essays, they submit this sheet to me for my approval. In this way, I can make sure their thesis statements are accurate and their organization is clear. I can ask them to

This chart is used to help students review a short story that has been studied either independently or as a whole class review. Because it is a Word file, it can be altered or modified to include different literary elements or to include multiple columns to allow students to compare and contrast multiple stories. It works well as a story-by-story review activity to assess comprehension of one story before moving on to other stories in a unit. It also works well as a final review activity befo

This Proofreading Scavenger Hunt is designed to have new essay writers evaluate their own essays, reinforcing their knowledge of the basic components of an essay and allowing them to locate and correct their own errors before submitting a first draft. I assign it as homework the evening before the first draft is due, and students are required to attach their completed scavenger hunts to their drafts so that I know they have done their own proofing before I begin to correct their essays.Essay Sc