LitDocs

This anticipation guide is designed to introduce students to the major themes and ethical dilemmas explored in The Giver before reading. Students will respond to a series of 10 thought-provoking statements by agreeing or disagreeing and then explaining their reasoning in writing. This activity encourages discussion, activates prior knowledge, and helps students begin making personal connections to ideas such as freedom, individuality, memory, rules, and choice that will appear throughout the nov

This is a complete, student-facing packet ready to print for a fishbowl-style discussion on the beginning of Part II of Tangerine by Edward Bloor. It includes three categories of questions: Character, Plot, and Theme. There are three discussion-based questions in each category. I typically run three rounds of discussion, selecting one question from each category for each group to discuss. The packet also includes a discussion rubric and a note-taking page for students to use during the discuss

This student-facing packet prepares students to participate in a fishbowl-style discussion after reading both "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and The Giver by Lois Lowry. The packet includes instructions and a rubric, nine discussion questions formatted in a graphic organizer which requires students to provide text evidence, and space for note taking during the discussion. Discussion questions are divided into three categories: Theme, Character/Setting, and Personal Reflection. I typically div

This mini-unit is for the graphic novel version of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and Hope Larson. Materials are designed to be used with student-led literature circles. Each Lit Circle Guide focuses on one or two chapters in the novel and follows a Before/During/After Reading approach. Students begin each day with a Turn & Talk that will help students connect their own lives and the real world to issues in that particular chapter. Then, students will read the chapter and complete com

I use this reading activity during Jewish Heritage Month, but it works well any time of year. It includes pre-, during-, and post-reading activities that accompany a class read-aloud of The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. In the prereading stage, students research and sketch key terms related to Jewish traditions that appear in the story. During reading, comprehension questions guide them through the text. As a culminating activity, students design their own ‘keeping quilts’ that highlight t

These cards can be printed and used as students assess sample essays/narratives or assess peer essays/narratives. The evaluation cards are meant to be used with the NJSLA writing tasks rubrics (Narrative, Argumentative, OR Informative) for grades 6-8. I created these to save paper and have students view the rubrics online. There are six assessment cards per page.

Use this checklist as students decode the NJSLA released rubrics and sample prompts for all three writing tasks: Informative/Explanatory, Narrative, and Argumentative. This can be used throughout the year, or as a review of key terms and elements used in each type of writing.