Sometimes fighting back feels like opening the pages of a book. Bridging the political divide sounds like civil classroom discussions. And practicing your civic duty looks like teaching Animal Farm by George Orwell. These Animal Farm lesson plans are designed to help you get to the heart of Animal Farm while making your efforts mean something. With your guidance, students will dig deep into Animal Farm history, themes, and allegory in order to better apply Orwell’s message to their own lives right here, right now. Animal Farm Short Summary But before we get into the Animal Farm lesson plans, here’s a quick refresher: On the surface, Animal Farm is a simple story ... Read More about Animal Farm Lesson Plans: Teaching Orwell Like It’s Your Civic Duty
Do you want exclusive ELA teaching ideas and free resources? Let me send you a Building Book Love Letter!
A Christmas Carol Teaching Ideas: Activities for a Festive Novel Study
I don’t remember the first time I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens because it somehow feels like I’ve always known Scrooge. However, I vividly remember the first time I tried to teach it. I’m dating myself, but we’d just received a classroom set of Nooks and one of the pre-loaded books was A Christmas Carol. I jumped at the chance to coast through December with a fun and “easy” book, ha! Needless to say, I soon realized I had underestimated this familiar novella. It’s one of those rare stories that’s universally loved, but more complex than the cartoon versions of our childhood led us to believe. So, if you are looking for A Christmas Carol teaching ideas, here’s the novel ... Read More about A Christmas Carol Teaching Ideas: Activities for a Festive Novel Study
Teaching Mars Patel: Podcast Worksheets, Activities, & Discussion Questions
ELA teachers know that visualization is a key component of reading comprehension. And nothing works those visualization muscles quite like a podcast like The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. The sound effects, voice actors, and music really bring this story to life and hook students from episode one! If you are ready to take off, here are some Mars Patel podcast worksheets, activities, and ideas to make the most of your listening and speaking standards! The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel Book Series Is The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel a book series? No, but in some ways it’s even better! For starters, you won’t need funds to get a class set ... Read More about Teaching Mars Patel: Podcast Worksheets, Activities, & Discussion Questions
Color Symbolism: The Masque of the Red Death Activities
There are very few short stories where English teachers get to go all out on their love of color symbolism, but “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe provides the perfect excuse to do so! Poe supplies the colors in this spooky short story, but it’s up to his readers to decipher their meaning. Every hue tells a story in this haunting tale, so get ready to go absolutely wild with these Masque of the Red Death activities! They will up the engagement and help students see the dark side of the rainbow (insert maniacal laugh, MUAHAHAHA). Hook Students with a Red Death Vibe Set the mood before you even say a word. When students walk into your classroom, have a creepy ... Read More about Color Symbolism: The Masque of the Red Death Activities
Resources
I strive to design helpful, engaging, and relevant ELA teaching resources. Here is what educators are saying:
Do you want exclusive ELA teaching ideas and free resources? Let me send you a Building Book Love Letter!
