Valentine's Day at Blackthorn Academy" Middle School ELA Short Story

Explore this engaging Valentine's Day short story featuring whimsical magic, a vocabulary awareness chart for pre-reading, and comprehension questions. It is perfect for middle school classrooms! This story also includes a creative writing prompt to spark imagination and critical thinking. Bring fun and learning to your ELA lessons!

What’s Included

"Love Potion Gone Wrong"

At Blackthorn Academy, Valentine's Day turns chaotic when prankster Jasper Thorn falls victim to a botched love potion, leading to hilarious and magical misadventures. Join Ivy and Oliver as they race to brew an antidote in this whimsical tale of friendship, problem-solving, and enchanted chaos!

**Vocabulary Awareness Activity: **a pre-reading activity designed to help students engage with key terms from the story. It includes three columns:

1. Familiarity - Students mark whether they know the word well, have heard or seen it before, or have never encountered it.
2. Definition - Students write the meaning of the word in their own words.
3. Understanding - Encourages students to reflect on their knowledge of the word before reading.

**Comprehension Questions (with Answer Key): **Require students to summarize the story and identify key events, ensuring understanding of the text.

• Character Analysis: Explore motivations, traits, and development of characters like Ivy, Jasper, and Oliver.
• Literary Devices and Author's Craft: Focus on how the author uses humor, magical elements, and setting to enhance the story.
• Theme and Plot Analysis: Delve into the story's themes, tone, and resolution, encouraging deeper insight into the narrative.

Creative Writing Prompt: Inspire students to reimagine the story through their perspective or craft a new subplot, blending creativity with narrative understanding.

**Answer Key for Teachers: **Detailed answers to all comprehension questions, facilitating discussions and streamlining grading.