9th Grade Reading Literature Circles (by date, latest first)

Comprehensive Dahl Exploration: This bundle combines three of Roald Dahl’s most compelling stories, each presented in a detailed ELA unit designed to engage middle school students. Perfect for an author’s study, this bundle allows students to analyze Dahl’s unique narrative style and recurring themes across different works. From the mysterious escalations in "Way Up to Heaven" to the unsettling undertones of "The Landlady" and the darkly comic "Lamb to the Slaughter," students will appreciate Dahl’s mastery in crafting suspense and surprise. This bundle is an excellent resource for end-of-year activities, sub plans, or a focused thematic unit on one of literature’s most intriguing authors.

1. Way Up to Heaven ELA Unit

Description: Explore the suspenseful realms of Roald Dahl’s "Way Up to Heaven" with this detailed ELA unit. This package includes engaging slides for easy teaching, a structured Socratic seminar to foster deep discussion, comprehensive lesson plans for effective learning, and versatile choice board activities to cater to diverse learning preferences. Students will delve into thematic analysis, character study, and the craft of writing through guided essays and creative projects.

2. The Landlady ELA Unit

Description: Dive deep into the chilling story of "The Landlady" with this complete ELA unit. It features dynamic slides that enrich the narrative experience, a Socratic seminar to enhance critical thinking, and a choice board that offers creative and analytical options like comic strips and alternate endings. Additional essays and activities, including a film comparison using a Venn diagram, make this unit perfect for a comprehensive study of narrative techniques and thematic development.

3. Lamb to the Slaughter ELA Unit

Description: Unpack the intrigue of Roald Dahl’s "Lamb to the Slaughter" in this all-inclusive ELA unit. This resource provides detailed slides for seamless instruction, engaging seminar guidelines to discuss the complexities of the plot, and a range of activities including a choice board for student-driven projects. The unit also includes tailored essay prompts and additional activities that encourage a deeper understanding of the story’s themes and Dahl’s distinctive writing style.

Bonus:

Includes in-depth character analysis across three stories and synthesizing essay prompt with graphic organizers!

Transform your middle school ELA classroom with this comprehensive bundle of 12 highly engaging short story units. Each unit is meticulously designed to provide a full week of dynamic lessons, complete with detailed plans, interactive slides, a choice activity board, Socratic seminar questions, three STAAR-aligned essay prompts, a film vs. text Venn diagram, and the text PDF. These short stories will captivate your students and enhance their literary analysis skills, making learning both fun and meaningful.

Included Short Stories:

1. The Most Dangerous Game
2. Sorry, Wrong Number
3. The Hitchhiker
4. The Way Up to Heaven
5. Lamb to the Slaughter
6. The Landlady
7. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
8. Harrison Bergeron
9. Examination Day
10. The Pedestrian
11. All Summer in a Day
12. There Will Come Soft Rains

Bundle Features:

1. Comprehensive 5-Day Lesson Plans: Each story unit includes a detailed five-day lesson plan, ensuring a structured approach to teaching. Lessons are aligned with educational standards and include clear objectives and outcomes.

2. Interactive Slides: Engage your students with interactive slides that guide them through the story, provide context, and facilitate discussions. These slides are designed to keep students focused and involved.

3. Choice Activity Board: Each unit comes with a creative choice board, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding through various projects such as writing an alternate ending, creating a comic strip, designing a literary brochure, and more.

4. Socratic Seminar Questions: Encourage critical thinking and in-depth discussion with six thought-provoking Socratic seminar questions for each story. These questions help students delve deeper into the text and analyze its themes, characters, and literary elements.

5. Three STAAR-Aligned Essay Prompts: Each unit includes three essay prompts (argumentative, correspondence, and informational) that are aligned with STAAR standards, helping students practice their writing skills and prepare for standardized assessments.

6. Film vs. Text Venn Diagram: Enhance your students' analytical skills with a film vs. text Venn diagram activity. Students compare and contrast the short story with its film adaptation, focusing on key similarities and differences.

7. Text PDF: Each unit comes with a PDF of the short story, making it easy to provide students with the text for reading and annotation.

Why Choose This Bundle?

• Engaging Content: These short stories are highly engaging and perfect for capturing the interest of middle school students. The diverse selection of stories includes suspense, science fiction, dystopian themes, and more.
• Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: Save time with ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, and resources. Each unit is designed for easy implementation, ensuring you can focus on teaching and engaging your students.
• Develop Critical Thinking: The activities and discussions included in each unit promote critical thinking, literary analysis, and deeper understanding of the text.
• Flexible and Adaptable: The bundle provides flexibility in teaching, with a variety of activities and assessment options to suit different learning styles and classroom needs.

Perfect for middle school humanities teachers, this bundle offers everything you need to deliver engaging and effective ELA lessons throughout the year. Enrich your curriculum and inspire your students with these timeless short stories and comprehensive teaching resources.

Unlock Literary Analysis with "The Way Up to Heaven" - A Complete Week-Long ELA Unit

Prepare your middle school classroom for an immersive literary journey with our comprehensive week-long ELA unit centered around Roald Dahl’s gripping short story, "The Way Up to Heaven". Tailored specifically for middle school ELA teachers, this resource is perfect for wrapping up the year, enriching substitute plans, or as an engaging mini-unit.

What’s Included in This Resource?

• CommonLit Text: Easy access to "The Way Up to Heaven", ensuring seamless integration into your curriculum.
• Dynamic Slides: 22 interactive slides designed to guide discussions, enhance understanding, and captivate students' interest from start to finish.
• Socratic Seminar Tools: Everything you need to run a successful Socratic seminar, including detailed procedures and a framework for students to use claim, evidence, and reasoning in their discussions.
• Diverse Writing Prompts: Rigorous prompts for argumentative, informational, and correspondence essays that challenge students to delve deeper into the story’s themes and characters.
• Choice Board Activities: Engage every learner with creative projects such as comic strips, alternate endings, newspaper articles, and literary brochures.
• Film vs. Text Comparison: A Venn diagram activity to critically compare the story's film adaptation with Dahl's original text, fostering critical media literacy skills.
• Comprehensive Teaching Guide: Detailed instructions and tips to help you make the most of each lesson, regardless of your previous experience with the story.

Ideal For:

• End-of-Year Engagement: Keep your students intellectually stimulated and creatively engaged right up to the final bell.
• Substitute Lesson Plans: Robust, easy-to-follow plans ensure that your class remains productive even when you're not there.
• Focused Literary Studies: Perfect for a thematic unit that explores suspense, character analysis, and narrative structure.

Why Choose This Unit?

• Standards-Aligned: Meets key ELA standards, preparing students with essential analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Adaptable and Flexible: Easily modified to suit different classroom needs and student abilities.
• Interactive and Engaging: Encourages students to actively participate in their own learning through a variety of creative and analytical tasks.

Empower your students to explore complex literary themes, develop critical thinking skills, and express their understanding through diverse mediums. This all-encompassing unit is not just a teaching tool—it's a gateway to a richer understanding of literature.

Included in this 12 week unit: Ultimate Middle School Short Story Bundle: 12 Week Engaging Suspense ELA Units (TeachShare.com)

End the year strong with our fully-fledged, week-long ELA unit on "Lamb to the Slaughter," crafted for middle school teachers. This resource is an exceptional choice for end-of-year activities, substitute teacher plans, or as a focused mini-unit, suitable for grades 6-8 but easily adjustable for broader use.

What’s Included in This Comprehensive Unit:

• Text and Film Study: Access the PDF text and use our detailed guides to compare it with its film adaptation, enhancing comprehension with visual learning.
• Interactive Slides: Leverage beautifully designed PowerPoint slides that guide daily lessons and foster lively discussions.
• Socratic Seminar Tools: Utilize our structured Socratic seminar procedures and evidence writing guides to cultivate critical thinking and eloquence in discourse.
• Diverse Writing Prompts: Challenge your students with tailored argumentative, informational, and correspondence essay questions that deepen their analytical skills and understanding of the text.
• Creative Choice Board Activities: Motivate and inspire with options for comic strips, alternate endings, literary brochures, and newspaper articles, catering to diverse learner interests and abilities.
• Venn Diagrams: Facilitate insightful comparisons between the text and film, aiding students in identifying key literary elements and thematic nuances.
• Curriculum Alignment: Ensure educational standards are met with activities designed to hone key literacy skills.

Perfect For:

• Dynamic Learning Environments: Whether it's wrapping up the school year with engaging content, needing robust plans for substitute teachers, or focusing on a thematic unit, this package delivers.
• Adaptability: With materials adjustable for different learning levels, you can tailor the experience to fit your classroom's specific needs.
• Comprehensive Coverage: From reading comprehension to creative expression and critical writing, every base is covered, making this a turnkey solution for busy teachers.

Educational Objectives:

• Foster an appreciation for literature through multidimensional study of a classic text.
• Develop critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills through structured activities and discussions.
• Encourage creativity and personal expression through diverse, engaging projects.

Elevate your teaching toolkit with this rich, engaging ELA unit that promises not just to meet educational standards but to exceed them, sparking students' creativity and critical thinking. Perfect for teachers looking to provide a comprehensive, engaging literary experience that students will remember.

Included in this 12 week unit: Ultimate Middle School Short Story Bundle: 12 Week Engaging Suspense ELA Units (TeachShare.com)

Elementary Spanish Bundle

More than a $23 savings!!!

-One More Product coming in this Bundle 9/18/204

Everything in this BUNDLE is BILINGUAL OR in Spanish.

Please see the list of all the items that are included!

3 Little Pigs with a twist- Part of my first story of my Bilingual Series

Tales with a twist is designed to give students a familiar feel, but with surprising elements throughout the story.

Print out the stories in either English, or Spanish or both!!!

It is not direct translation rather I focused in translating the stories in a way they feel right and are authentic.

More stories coming soon!

Character traits and analysis fun!

Have some outdoor fun (or use butcher paper for indoors) with sidewalk novel characters! Students choose a character from their novels then do body outlines with sidewalk chalk. Fill these with physical and character traits from quotes within the novel...full directions for implementing and making a competitive game. Can be used with all ages and novels. Excellent for comprehension and assessment.

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. After they completed a book they choose from the list of extra activities.

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

Fostering avid readers means consistently presenting books to your class. I have witnessed, first-hand, the power of consistent Book Talks with my students. Book Talks have the power to foster continued love in avid readers and reach even the most struggling readers.
Check out my brand new series of no-prep Book Talk Guides for teachers--starting with this Freebie for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

What's Included?

• Teacher Tips and Tricks for successful book talks, including suggested links for book trailers*

• Book Talk Guide, including genre, what kind of students might enjoy each book, and a plot summary

• At least one student book talk response activity

Follow my store and check back as new titles and themed Book Talk bundles will be added in the days and weeks to come!

This resource features a bundle of four exciting lesson plans, activities, and classroom decor for your unit on the hero's journey. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. You will not find tedious lists of comprehension questions and vocabulary words in this bundle; instead you will find materials that will allow your students to understand and connect with the hero's journey on a deeper level.

⭐ Hero's Journey Anticipation Lesson Plan:

This product features an engaging introductory lesson plan that will have your students thinking, writing, speaking, and moving on the first day of your hero's journey unit. In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes by famous figures about what makes a hero, articulate why the quote aligns with their own perspective, then share their findings with the rest of the class in a fun, non-intimidating way.

⭐ Hero's Journey Socratic Seminar:

This resource features everything you need in order to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom for any novel that follows the model of the hero's journey. Socratic Seminars are high-order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class texts. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. They are also a great way for students to work together and build upon one another's ideas without the assistance of a teacher. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, with this resource, the work has been done for you and you will have several days of student-led learning during your unit on the hero's journey!

⭐ Hero's Journey ESCAPE ROOM:

Though your students have been learning about the 12 stages, 8 archetypes, and countless examples of the hero's journey through literature and film, it is time for them to become heroes themselves by escaping your classroom! In order to do this, they must work in small teams to solve 5 different puzzles related to the hero's journey, discovering a hidden message, and finding clues along the way.

⭐ Hero's Journey Quote Posters:

Make your classroom pop with this set of 25 posters featuring provocative quotes about the hero's journey. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) PDF poster contains a quote about heroes imposed over a stunning photograph to spruce up your ELA classroom during your unit on the hero's journey. The square format makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board and serves as a great conversation starter. I suggest laminating the posters so that you can use them year after year!

Purchasing this bundle saves more than 20% off the cost of the four resources for your hero's journey unit.

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Also, check out these great products for your unit on the hero's journey by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ The Alchemist

⭐ Divergent

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

Now with newly added material!

This resource features a bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for Shakespeare's beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the play's themes, characters, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. Comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and journal prompts for each scene are included so that students may achieve a basic level of understanding of the play, however the real winners in this bundle are the rest of the materials that bring the play to life!

Included in this bundle:

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Literature Guide

This resource features a comprehensive literature guide for use while reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. The packet provides an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for the play and promotes strong reader response by encouraging students to connect and have fun with this highly relatable text! The wide range of activities in this guide from daily journal prompts, illustration activity, and a creative writing assignment to the final essay questions will keep your students engaged throughout and help them to gain a deep understanding of possibly their first interaction with the great William Shakespeare. A full answer key is provided for this guide.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Anticipation Activity

This product features a fun and engaging pre-reading activity for A Midsummer Night's Dream called "Tossing Lines." Give your students a chance to become familiar with the lines before they even begin reading the play. This is a prediction activity that encourages critical thinking and actually gets students excited to start reading Shakespeare! Over the years, this non-intimidating approach to Shakespeare has been the most often requested anticipatory activity that I do with my students.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Bell-Ringer Prompts

One of my goals in teaching A Midsummer Night's Dream is for my students to be able to easily relate to the play. I begin each day with a reflective bell-ringer journal prompt that allows students to connect with the day's scene. These prompts are tried and true and encourage deep thinking from students but more importantly, they allow students to understand the timelessness of the play and Shakespeare in general.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials

This resource features lesson plans and materials to conduct a formal set of Socratic Seminars for Shakespeare's most beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as referred to in this resource) are higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class texts. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, this student-tested resource includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding the play... and no preparation is required by you at all.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Social Media Materials

This resource features two fun, interactive activities to bring A Midsummer Night's Dream into the current day! In this 50 minute lesson plan with accompanying materials, your classroom will transform into a real life "tweeter-world" in which students will create tweeter accounts for characters in the novel and interact with one another through their tweeter pages. The Snap Chatter worksheet and assignment is perfect for an engaging homework or sub-plan that your students will look forward to working on and sharing with their friends. Your students will thank you for offering such fun ways to connect with the play and will not even realize how much they are learning by digging deep into the text. Both activities work perfectly for a Friday or any day that students need a mental break and a chance to tap into their creativity!

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream HOT SEAT!

This resource features all the materials you need to conduct a thoughtful and engaging "HOT SEAT" for A Midsummer Night's Dream. The hot seat is set up essentially like a talk show, however in order to allow for full class participation, there are multiple interviewers and multiple character guests. Through role play, this lesson tests your students' understanding of the play and allows them to showcase their knowledge of the characters and the relationships between them.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream ESCAPE ROOM

Get ready to have the most fun you'll have teaching with a lesson that your students will be talking about for years to come with A Midsummer Night's Dream ESCAPE ROOM! There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock! This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Escape Room for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game!

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review A Midsummer Night's Dream. Let's face it, review days can be difficult... and boring... so your students will appreciate you making learning fun with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but 75 questions on characters, plot, quotations, and vocabulary from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study!

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay Prompts & Rubric

This product contains 9 thoughtful essay prompts for A Midsummer Night's Dream, all perfect for a 5 paragraph essay or a short open response for a test (I have used them in both ways). A detailed rubric is also included.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Puzzles

This resource features 3 fun puzzles that focus on elements from A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is the perfect activity for when a school vacation is coming up and you’re scrounging for lesson ideas or when you need a quick sub plan during your Midsummer Night's Dream unit. I like to use it prior to a break; while so many other classes are watching movies, you have three activities that will keep them busy and challenge their knowledge about the play.

⭐ A Midsummer Night's Dream Quote Posters - newly added!

Make your classroom pop with this set of 30 beautifully-made posters featuring quotes from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) PDF poster contains a noteworthy quote from the play imposed over a stunning photograph that will spruce up your ELA classroom. The square format is reminiscent of Instagram and makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board. I suggest laminating the posters and using them not just during your Macbeth unit, but all year long!

Buying this bundle saves OVER 20% off the price of these resources.

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⭐ Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence⭐

Now with newly added material!

This resource features a bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for Walter Dean Myer's highly relevant novel, Monster. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the novel's themes, characters, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. This bundle is all that you need for the study of Monster from basic comprehension and vocabulary acquisition to activities that will bring the novel to life!

Included in this Bundle:

⭐ Literature Guide:

This product features a comprehensive literature guide for use while reading Monster. Monster is such a fun book to teach students about the American justice system while bringing up many moral issues and thoughtful points for discussion. This literature guide provides an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for Monster and encourages students to play along with the jury as they read. I am confident that it will increase your students' understanding of this spellbinding novel dramatically.

⭐ Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan:

This product features an anticipation guide and meticulously-explained lesson plan that is in my opinion, the absolute best way to approach a new novel. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of Monster.

⭐ "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity:

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during your study of Monster. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on Monster!

⭐ Socratic Seminar Lesson & Materials:

Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as I like to call them with my students) are fantastic, higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class text. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, this student-tested resource includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding Monster... and no preparation is required by you at all!

⭐ Monster vs. Murder on a Sunday Morning Compare Contrast Project:

This week-long project asks students to view the Oscar Award-Winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning, and compare it to the shockingly similar novel. Students love seeing the real-life courtroom action play out and connecting it to the novel they read in class. It is incredibly relevant for our times and is in my opinion, a "must-do" for your Monster unit!

⭐ ESCAPE ROOM

Salvatore Zinzi and Wendell Bolden are at it again, snitching on their buddies to lessen their own sentences in prison. Except this time, they've snitched on your students! Each one has been accused of being a part of a robbery gone wrong and now they are trapped in a frighteningly dark and dreary jail cell. The only way to escape is by solving 5 different skills-based puzzles, discovering a hidden message, and finding clues along the way.

⭐ Monster (Myers) Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review Monster. Let's face it, review days can be difficult and boring... so your students will appreciate you making learning fun with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but 60 questions on characters, plot, and vocabulary from Monster. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study!

⭐ Quizzes for Entire Novel:

This resource features 3 comprehensive and thoughtfully-written quizzes for the acclaimed novel, Monster. While Monster is perfect for optimal student engagement and involved discussions on contemporary issues in society, it is also important that students understand what is going on. These straightforward quizzes will make sure that you students understand the plot, characters, and vocabulary of this amazing and relevant novel!

Purchasing this bundle saves over 20% off the cost of all resources.

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features a bundle of all of our lesson plans, materials, and activities for Paolo Coelo's inspirational best-selling novel, The Alchemist. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the novel's themes, characters, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. You will not find tedious lists of comprehension questions and vocabulary words in this bundle; instead you will find materials that will bring the novel to life!

Included in this Bundle:

⭐ The Alchemist "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during the study of The Alchemist. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on The Alchemist!

⭐ The Alchemist Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

This product features an anticipation guide for The Alchemist, and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that is in my opinion, the absolute best way to approach a new novel. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of The Alchemist.

⭐ The Alchemist Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

This resource features a set of 25 reader response journal prompts for use during your unit on The Alchemist. Each bell ringer is comprised of a quote from the novel and a thoughtfully crafted question that encourages students to personally connect with his inspirational words. Prompts can be used as bell-ringers (most popular and mean the first 5 minutes of every class for a month are planned for you!), summarizers, stations, full class or small group discussion questions, for homework, task cards, sub plans, as a filler activity… the possibilities are endless!

⭐ The Alchemist ESCAPE ROOM

This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Escape Room for The Alchemist. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. All tasks are skills-based so that with this fun lesson, learning is not sacrificed. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game!

⭐ The Alchemist Quote Posters

Make your classroom pop with this set of 20 gorgeous posters featuring quotes from The Alchemist. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) poster contains a provocative quote from the novel imposed over a stunning photograph meant to inspire your students and motivate them to follow their dreams. The square format is reminiscent of Instagram and makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board. I suggest laminating the posters and using them not just during your Alchemist unit, but all year long!

⭐ The Alchemist Socratic Seminar Materials

This resource features lesson plans and materials to conduct a formal set of Socratic Seminars for The Alchemist. Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as referred to in this resource) are higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class texts. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, this student-tested resource includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding The Alchemist... and no preparation is required by you at all.

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This resource features a bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for Margaret Atwood's chilling dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the novel's themes, characters, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. You will not find tedious lists of comprehension questions and vocabulary words in this bundle; instead you will find materials that will bring the novel to life!

Included in this Bundle:

⭐ Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint:

This is an engaging, fully editable powerpoint presentation for introducing (or reviewing) Dystopian Fiction to your students! Powerpoint presentation goes through an entire lesson from warm-up to explanation, application, and summarizer. Also included are 2 pages of "guided notes" so that you may differentiate your lecture for all levels of students. Since dystopias are intrinsically motivating for students, this lesson is always a fun one and gets students excited about the upcoming unit on whatever dystopian novel you'll be reading!

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan:

This product features an anticipation guide for The Handmaid's Tale, and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that is in my opinion, the absolute best way to approach a new novel. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of The Handmaid’s Tale.

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity:

Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all! This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during your study of The Handmaid's Tale. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on The Handmaid's Tale!

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale "Hot Seat!":

This product features all the materials you need to conduct a thoughtful and engaging "HOT SEAT" for The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The hot seat is set up essentially like a talk show, however in order to allow for full class participation, there are multiple interviewers and multiple character guests. Through role play, this lesson tests your students' understanding of the novel and allows them to showcase their knowledge of the characters and the relationships between them. Your students will be having so much fun that they will not even realize the high-order thinking skills they are applying.

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials:

Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as I like to call them with my students) are fantastic, higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class text. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, I have done the work for you! This packet includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding the novel, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Journal Prompts:

This product features 16 reader response journal prompts for your study of the harrowing dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Prompts are intended for contemplation following each section of the novel and work great for both independent study and open-ended class discussions. These prompts encourage deep thinking from students but more importantly, allow students to understand the relevance of the novel to today's world.

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Social Media Materials:

This resource features two fun, interactive activities to bring The Handmaid's Tale into the 21st century! In this 45 minute lesson plan with accompanying materials, your classroom will transform into a real life "twitter-world" in which students will create twitter accounts for characters in the novel and interact with one another through their twitter pages. The Snap Chat worksheet is perfect for an engaging homework or sub-plan that your students will look forward to working on and sharing with their friends.Your students will thank you for offering such fun ways to connect with Atwood's dystopian tale and will not even realize how much they are learning by digging deep into the text. Both work perfectly for a Friday or any day that students need a mental break and a chance to tap into their creativity!

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Essay Questions:

This product contains 15 Common Core aligned essay prompt_s_ for The Handmaid's Tale. Prompts are all perfect for a 5 paragraph essay, discussion questions, or a short open response for a test (I have used them all three ways).

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Escape Room:

Get ready to have the most fun you'll have teaching with a lesson that your students will be talking about for years to come with The Handmaid's Tale ESCAPE ROOM! There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock. This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Escape Room for The Handmaid's Tale. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys to help yours run smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game.

⭐ The Handmaid's Tale Quote Posters:

Make your classroom pop with this set of 21 beautifully-made posters featuring quotes from The Handmaid's Tale. Each 7.5 x 7.5 (square) PDF poster contains a noteworthy quote from the novel imposed over a stunning photograph that will spruce up your ELA classroom. The square format is reminiscent of Instagram and makes for an eye-catching arrangement on your wall or bulletin board. I suggest laminating the posters and using them not just during your unit on The Handmaid's Tale, but all year long!

⭐ What is Feminism Activity included for FREE with the purchase of this bundle - newly added

The perfect supplement to any unit on women's studies or current events, this product features a thought-provoking lesson to help students articulate what feminism means to them and to see how it varies widely (and often passionately) from person to person. In this activity, they must choose between 6 different quotes about feminism and explain why the quote aligns with their own perspective. It is a great way to gain insight about your students' current attitudes about what it means to be a feminist in the midst of a higher level thinking activity.

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Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all!

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during the study of Harper Lee's ever-enduring tale, To Kill a Mockingbird. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird.

Product Includes:

- 5 "Silent Conversation" worksheets with 5 different quotes from the novel

- Full lesson plan

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Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Language Arts Excellence:

To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide &

Lesson Plan

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all!

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during the study of Harper Lee's ever-enduring tale, To Kill a Mockingbird. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird.

Product Includes:

- 5 "Silent Conversation" worksheets with 5 different quotes from the novel

- Full lesson plan

_________________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Language Arts Excellence:

To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide &

Lesson Plan

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This set of 32 unique task cards contain engaging thought-provoking questions meant to prompt lively discussion for literature circles or books clubs in your middle or high school ELA classroom. Questions are mainly reader-response and are fully aligned to the Common Core. They can be used at any point during the reading of a novel or short story and are great as both full-class lesson plans or for time-fillers at the end of class. I also like to use these cards as bell-ringer activities to check in on my students' thoughts and understanding of the novel as we go. These are the perfect task cards to add to your teacher's toolbox and use all year long! __________________________________________________________________________ Also, check out these great resources that can be adapted for any novel by Language Arts Excellence: Differentiated Essay Prompt Task Cards Novel Soundtrack Assignment Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials Adaptable for ANY Topic Differentiated End of Term Reflection Activities Book Recommendation Form Differentiated Essay Prompts for use with ANY Novel Active Reading Strategy Task Cards

Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as I like to call them with my students) are fantastic, higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class text. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, I did the work for you! This packet includes everything you need to conduct a formal and structured set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding the novel, The Contender by Robert Lipsyte - NO PREPARATION NEEDED • Assignment Directions with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct fishbowls in your classroom • 5 Discussion Questions for each “Fish Bowl” • “Fish Bowl” Preparation Sheet • Conversation Builder Prompts • Observation Sheet • Rubric

Perfect for literature circles or book clubs! This product contains 36 unique task cards with thought-provoking questions for novel study arranged by 6 active reading strategies (Predict, Connect, Visualize, Question, Evaluate, Clarify). The uses for these cards are endless but I suggest laminating the cards and using them during literature circles or book clubs! _________________________________________________________________________ Also, check out more great active reading strategy resources by Language Arts Excellence: Active Reading Strategy Signs for the Classroom Active Reading Strategy Book Marks Save 25% by purchasing the Active Reading Strategy Bundle by Language Arts Excellence! Active Reading Strategy Bundle

This resource features everything you need in order to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom for any novel that follows the model of the hero's journey. It is the PERFECT addition to any hero's journey unit for middle or high school students!

Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as they are referred to in this resource) are high-order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class texts. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. They are also a great way for students to work together and build upon one another's ideas without the assistance of a teacher. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, with this resource, the work has been done for you and you will have several days of student-led learning during your unit on the hero's journey!

Product Includes:

• Assignment Directions with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct fishbowls in your classroom
• Engaging Introductory Activity for Conversation Building
• 7 Editable Discussion Questions that you can tailor to any novel
• “Fishbowl” Preparation Sheet
• Conversation Builder Prompts
• Observation Sheet
• Detailed Rubric

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Save 20% off this resource when you purchase as part of a bundle of hero's journey products by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Hero's Journey BUNDLE

Also, check out these great products for your unit on the hero's journey:

⭐ Hero's Journey ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Hero's Journey Anticipation Activity

The Alchemist

⭐ The Alchemist "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity

⭐ The Alchemist Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

⭐ The Alchemist Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ The Alchemist Quote Posters

⭐ The Alchemist Socratic Seminar Materials

Divergent

⭐ Divergent "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity

⭐ Divergent (Roth) Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials

⭐ Divergent Faction Acrostic Poem Assignment

⭐ Divergent Faction Personality Quiz

⭐ Divergent Final Project - Long Lost Sixth Faction

⭐ Divergent Mock Choosing Ceremony - Lesson Plans and Materials

⭐ Divergent Unit Test

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