Nancy Maistrovich

This is an organizer for students to track and analyze various uses of poetic elements (personification and repetition) in Part 1. There is a writing prompt at the end asking students to go more in-depth.

This is a research assignment that can be used as a stand alone research project, or a context project for a historical fiction book set in the Holocaust. Students research and produce writing on one aspect of the Holocaust. There is a list of possible topics and five different product types (essay, speech, creative writing, etc.), and a rubric for each.

This assignment asks students to analyze various passages from the first stave of A Christmas Carol using Beers and Probst's Notice and Note. It then asks them to synthesize in relation to what theme they think is emerging.

Basic reading comprehension check for every three chapters of The War That Saved My Life. I had a group of low readers who needed a quick low-level check after every section. This was a way to check comprehension of basic plot and characters that opened the door for discussion daily. Example: Ch. 1-2 1. Ada’s mom constantly calls her a cripple. Why? a. She only has one leg. b. She has a hurt knee. c. Something is wrong with her foot. 2. Why did Ada say she would become her Mom? a. She c

Students are asked to analyze Langston Hughes poems Harlem, Refugee in America, and I, Too. This is part of a larger unit where students determine what the American Dream is and whether or not various groups throughout history are able to achieve the American Dream.

Students are asked to analyze various Wise Words (from Beers and Probst's Notice and Note) and explain which words have taught Deza something throughout the novel. Includes several Wise Words for students to choose from, a prewriting and paragraph checklist.

There are several examples of metaphor from Part 2 of Brown Girl Dreaming that students will analyze in an organizer.

This anchor project asks students to read five different books of their choice related to certain categories (Award Winner, Reread and old favorite, specific genre, etc.). Each assignment has a writing assignment to go with it.

This assignment asks students to analyze various quotations from Stave III of A Christmas Carol to determine whether or not Scrooge is a dynamic character. There is a close reading section where a more abstract/metaphorical quotation is pulled out for students to analyze.

This assignment has students analyze the memories Scrooge sees in Stave II with the Ghost of Christmas Past through the Notice and Note Memory Moment lens. I had students do this on Google Docs and type right into the doc, but you could also add more space in the organizer and use it as a print out.

This assignment asks students to choose their own examples from Stave IV that show Scrooge as dynamic and then write two short paragraphs. This has less scaffolding from previous assignments, and is meant to be an assessment of their ability to employ the writing process.

This activity introduces Kylene Beers and Bob Probst's Notice and Note to students. First, students are introduced to the signposts. The teacher will then read aloud to the whole class and model use of signposts with the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Then students, in groups, will read and analyze the use of the signposts in various children's books. This download includes powerpoint slides to introduce the signposts and has activity directions and discussion prompts; the activity fo

In this unit students will be introduced to American Romantic poetry. They will hear a lecture about the time period/era for context, analyze various Romantic poems and write a mini essay that explains why a poem they choose from a list of new poems is a Romantic poem. Poems they will analyze include: Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow The Village Blacksmith by Longfellow I Hear America Singing by Whitman O Captain! My Captain! by Whitman Hope is a Thing with Feathers by Dickinson I'm Nobody by

Students will assign traits to each character in the play (there is no "right" answer). This asks students to carefully consider which trait best relates to each character and then justify.

This assignment walks students through vocabulary words of Dahl's "The Landlady." It asks them to consider the meaning of the word and apply it their larger understanding of the story's plot, character, tone, mood.

This is an end of novel assessment where students are asked to choose passages from the novel that align with Beers and Probst's Notice and Note. They will then use the signposts to determine and analyze the author's theme of the novel.

Students read various science fiction texts (There Will Come Soft Rains, Harrison Bergeron, A Sound of Thunder, The Veldt) and watched Wall-E and a few Twilight Zone episodes. This is their summative assessment that asks them to create a podcast addressing the question: where do you see themes from the various narratives connect to our world today? Most students focus on the dangers of technology. This packet includes pre-writing, the podcast script shell and a rubric.

This activity asks students to analyze one of three Taylor Swift videos/songs for its use of motifs (nerdy girl vs popular girl, damsel in distress, forbidden romance, etc.).

Students will do a characterization of Scrooge by closely reading pages 2-8 in A Christmas Carol. There is brainstorming and a paragraph.

Students will find and analyze lines from Parts 4 and 5 that explore Jackie's identity.