Monthly Archives: June 2016

Lesson Plans from The Learning Network: NY Times

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Year-End Roundup, 2015-16 | All Our Lesson Plans, All in One Place

By

KATHERINE SCHULTEN

JUNE 14, 2016 4:33 PM Comment

Kathryn Rosnau, a member of this year’s <a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/introducing-the-final-projects-from-our-teenage-student-council/">Student Council</a>, reads The Times as a regular part of her homeschooling, and <a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/reader-idea-a-home-schooled-teenager-on-learning-with-the-times/">wrote about it</a> for the blog.
Kathryn Rosnau, a member of this year’s Student Council, reads The Times as a regular part of her homeschooling, and wrote about it for the blog. Kathryn Rosnau
Lesson Plans - The Learning NetworkLesson Plans - The Learning Network

CURRENT EVENTS

Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

At the end of every academic year, we collect all the lesson plans we’ve published and list them in a kind of directory for teachers.

Below, you’ll find our 2015-16 offerings, but to scroll through all our roundup posts since 2010, just click here.

This year, we also featured a number of experimental educational features beyond our traditional lesson plans. Though they are not included in the lists below, you can find them here:

Happy summer, and let us know what topics you’d like us to take on in academic year 2016-17.

English Language Arts

Literature and Poetry

By JOHN WOO, NEIL COLLIER and MONA EL-NAGGAR 1:29
Harper Lee, 1926- 2016

Harper Lee, 1926- 2016

Harper Lee, whose first novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” about racial injustice in a small Alabama town, sold more than 40 million copies, died at the age of 89.

By JOHN WOO, NEIL COLLIER and MONA EL-NAGGAR on February 19, 2016. Photo by Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection, via Getty Images.

Teaching ‘Mockingbird,’ ‘Watchman’ and Harper Lee With The New York Times

Text to Text | ‘Antigone’ and Noche Flamenca’s ‘Antigona’

Text to Text | ‘The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’ and ‘On the Reservation and Off, Schools See a Changing Tide’

Reader Idea | Reading ‘Macbeth’ Through the Lens of Ferguson

What’s Going On in This Poem? | ‘Taking It Home to Jerome’

What’s Going On in This Poem? Exploring Poetry Through Open-Ended Questions

I Remember: Teaching About the Role of Memory Across the Curriculum

Literacy Skills and Strategies

What can you infer from this photo?
What can you infer from this photo? Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Skills and Strategies | Making Inferences

Skills and Strategies | Annotating to Engage, Analyze, Connect and Create

Skills and Strategies | Fake News vs. Real News: Determining the Reliability of Sources

Skills and Strategies | Understanding Plagiarism in a Digital Age

Skills and Strategies | Doodling, Sketching and ‘Mind Mapping’ as Learning Tools

Skills and Strategies | Exit Slips

Before, During and After: Strategies From Our News Q’s Feature for Reading Nonfiction

Skills and Strategies | The Four-Corners Exercise to Inspire Writing and Discussion

8 Compelling Mini-Documentaries to Teach Close Reading and Critical Thinking Skills

Reader Idea | An Argument-Writing Unit: Crafting Student Editorials

Thinking Critically: Reading and Writing Culture Reviews

 

 

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/year-end-roundup-2015-16-all-our-lesson-plans-all-in-one-place/?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ln_20160616&nl=learning-network&nl_art=2&nlid=72940163&ref=headline&te=1&_r=0

Ten YA Series to Binge Read

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By on May 20, 2016

Source: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/10-ya-series-to-binge-read/78884

Binge series

2016 seems to be the year for final books in series being released. It can be hard to keep track of so we’ve put together a compilation of some well-loved or highly-anticipated series that you should check out if you haven’t already. Not all of the finales have been released just yet, but this is a great time to start reading so you’re all caught up when the final book is in the world!

1. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys; The Dream Thieves; Blue Lily, Lily Blue; The Raven King)

I somehow missed the boat when The Raven Boys first released in 2012, and suddenly the fourth and final book, The Raven King, has just been released. I just started reading book two in the series and I’m really enjoying them. Maggie is a natural storyteller and I’m excited to see where this exciting, paranormal series goes.


2. Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein (Becoming Jinn; Circle of Jinn)

Jinn series

This is another series I missed when the first book came out but now that the duology is complete, I’m looking forward to reading it. This is a fantasy spin on the wish-granting genies that exist in mythology. I loved Jessica Khoury’s Aladdin re-telling The Forbidden Wish and this seems like a natural choice to pick up next.

3. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (The Selection; The Elite; The One; The Heir; The Crown)

In a sense, this could be considered two separate series. But as The Heir and The Crown are spin-offs of the original Selection trilogy, it’s truly the end of America, Maxon, and Eadlyn’s story. I’ve got the final book, The Crown, on my bookshelf and all I need are a few more hours to finish the series. If you haven’t checked out this dystopian version of The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, what are you waiting for?

 

4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave; The Infinite Sea; The Last Star – releasing 5/24/16)

fifth wave

If you’ve missed this series, it’s safe to say you might have been living under a rock for the past year. The post-apocalyptic series has aliens and a strong female lead character. The 5th Wave was even released as a movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz in January 2016. The third book in the trilogy comes out next week, so you’ve still got time to catch up before spoilers begin to show up on the Internet.

5. The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (The Winner’s Curse; The Winner’s Crime; The Winner’s Kiss)

The final book in The Winner’s Trilogy recently released to extremely high anticipation. Marie Rutkoski’s series is probably one of the most hyped series that I still need to read. Now that it’s complete, it’s a great time to pick up the books and binge read them one after the other.

6. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows (The Orphan Queen; The Mirror King)

This fantasy duology is now complete. Jodi Meadows tells a story of magic, spies, and royalty inThe Orphan Queen and The Mirror King. According to Goodreads, it’s “a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.” This is perfect if you’re looking for fantasy series that doesn’t require years of commitment!

The Naturals series

7. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Naturals; Killer Instinct; All In; Bad Blood – releasing 11/1/2016)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my all-time favorite writers. She has a skill for crafting mysteries/thrillers that have you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing up to the very end.The Naturals series tells a story of teens with special talents that are put to use solving FBI cases. The most recent book, All In, revealed that things are not how they’ve seemed. Bad Blood is set up to be an intense, heart-pounding finale to a fantastic series.

8. Nil by Lynne Matson (Nil; Nil Unlocked; Nil on Fire – releasing 5/31/16)

“On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days–to escape, or you die.” If that doesn’t intrigue you, I’m not sure what will. It sounds like The Hunger Gamesmeets Lost meets Lord of the Flies. The third book in the Nil trilogy comes out in two weeks, so you’ve got plenty of time to read the first two books.

9. The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You; Ten Thousand Skies Above You; A Million Worlds with You – releasing 11/1/16)

This is one of my most anticipated series finale’s this year. Claudia Gray has created an incredible world that spans different dimensions and characters that I love and want to protect. The mix of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and world-threatening stakes have me incredibly excited for A Million Worlds with You. If you haven’t read this series, why not?

six crooked

10. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom – releasing 9/27/16)

Heist stories are my favorite (need proof? Check out my obsession with Heist Society, anything else by Ally Carter, and now Six of Crows). In my opinion, Six of Crows was one of the most beautifully crafted stories of 2015. The cliffhanger-esque ending is brutal and I am absolutely dying for Crooked Kingdom to be released and sitting on my bookshelf. I am so ready for the ending of this duology, but I would also love to see more heist stories in Kaz’s world from Leigh Bardugo.

Binge series

2016 seems to be the year for final books in series being released. It can be hard to keep track of so we’ve put together a compilation of some well-loved or highly-anticipated series that you should check out if you haven’t already. Not all of the finales have been released just yet, but this is a great time to start reading so you’re all caught up when the final book is in the world!

1. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys; The Dream Thieves; Blue Lily, Lily Blue; The Raven King)

I somehow missed the boat when The Raven Boys first released in 2012, and suddenly the fourth and final book, The Raven King, has just been released. I just started reading book two in the series and I’m really enjoying them. Maggie is a natural storyteller and I’m excited to see where this exciting, paranormal series goes.

Jinn series

2. Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein (Becoming Jinn; Circle of Jinn)

This is another series I missed when the first book came out but now that the duology is complete, I’m looking forward to reading it. This is a fantasy spin on the wish-granting genies that exist in mythology. I loved Jessica Khoury’s Aladdin re-telling The Forbidden Wish and this seems like a natural choice to pick up next.

3. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (The Selection; The Elite; The One; The Heir; The Crown)

In a sense, this could be considered two separate series. But as The Heir and The Crown are spin-offs of the original Selection trilogy, it’s truly the end of America, Maxon, and Eadlyn’s story. I’ve got the final book, The Crown, on my bookshelf and all I need are a few more hours to finish the series. If you haven’t checked out this dystopian version of The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, what are you waiting for?

fifth wave

4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave; The Infinite Sea; The Last Star – releasing 5/24/16)

If you’ve missed this series, it’s safe to say you might have been living under a rock for the past year. The post-apocalyptic series has aliens and a strong female lead character. The 5th Wave was even released as a movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz in January 2016. The third book in the trilogy comes out next week, so you’ve still got time to catch up before spoilers begin to show up on the Internet.

5. The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski (The Winner’s Curse; The Winner’s Crime; The Winner’s Kiss)

The final book in The Winner’s Trilogy recently released to extremely high anticipation. Marie Rutkoski’s series is probably one of the most hyped series that I still need to read. Now that it’s complete, it’s a great time to pick up the books and binge read them one after the other.

6. The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows (The Orphan Queen; The Mirror King)

This fantasy duology is now complete. Jodi Meadows tells a story of magic, spies, and royalty inThe Orphan Queen and The Mirror King. According to Goodreads, it’s “a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.” This is perfect if you’re looking for fantasy series that doesn’t require years of commitment!

The Naturals series

7. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Naturals; Killer Instinct; All In; Bad Blood – releasing 11/1/2016)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is one of my all-time favorite writers. She has a skill for crafting mysteries/thrillers that have you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing up to the very end.The Naturals series tells a story of teens with special talents that are put to use solving FBI cases. The most recent book, All In, revealed that things are not how they’ve seemed. Bad Blood is set up to be an intense, heart-pounding finale to a fantastic series.

8. Nil by Lynne Matson (Nil; Nil Unlocked; Nil on Fire – releasing 5/31/16)

“On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days–to escape, or you die.” If that doesn’t intrigue you, I’m not sure what will. It sounds like The Hunger Gamesmeets Lost meets Lord of the Flies. The third book in the Nil trilogy comes out in two weeks, so you’ve got plenty of time to read the first two books.

9. The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You; Ten Thousand Skies Above You; A Million Worlds with You – releasing 11/1/16)

This is one of my most anticipated series finale’s this year. Claudia Gray has created an incredible world that spans different dimensions and characters that I love and want to protect. The mix of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and world-threatening stakes have me incredibly excited for A Million Worlds with You. If you haven’t read this series, why not?

six crooked

10. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows; Crooked Kingdom – releasing 9/27/16)

Heist stories are my favorite (need proof? Check out my obsession with Heist Society, anything else by Ally Carter, and now Six of Crows). In my opinion, Six of Crows was one of the most beautifully crafted stories of 2015. The cliffhanger-esque ending is brutal and I am absolutely dying for Crooked Kingdom to be released and sitting on my bookshelf. I am so ready for the ending of this duology, but I would also love to see more heist stories in Kaz’s world from Leigh Bardugo.

Something: My Note to Three Teen Girls at Starbucks

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Michelle Icard

Published on May 31, 2016

This morning, I sat at a table at my local Starbucks and I listened to three very pretty, very boisterous, horribly behaved young teenage girls at a table near me.

I heard them laugh about the girl who sang a song about being lonely at the talent show. “She is so weird!”

When they complained about the crappy presents people had given them in the past, “I swear, it looked like a used water bottle,” I began to squirm uncomfortably in my chair.

As they bashed some poor girl named Catherine who “wanted to be the lead singer, but we took a vote and everyone wanted me instead, so sorry Catherine – you can be the manager,” I glared at them, but it went unnoticed.

With each new topic I thought, “This couldn’t have been written in a more cliché-mean-girls way by a Hollywood scriptwriter.”

I fantasized about turning to them and telling them to stop. But instead I hemmed and hawed, hoping at any moment one of them would say something nice and redeem themselves, supposing maybe I was misunderstanding them… but, you know, that’s not how these things go. They fueled each other on and laughed louder and complained more. Finally, I couldn’t take it. I left to do my grocery shopping.

The entire time in the store, I felt conflicted. Should I have said something? Should I have stood up for the Catherines of this world? Professionally, I teach girls how to stand up for each other as part of my job and this felt like a problem I couldn’t ignore. Personally, it hit home, too. I remembered being 13 and invited to a Bat Mitzvah. I persuaded my mom to take our very small budget-for-gifts money to a department store so I could pick out a bracelet for my friend. I chose a pretty collection of bright glassy beads strung together. And I vividly remember watching that friend open my gift at her house later, and then turn to another girl with a snickering, “A bunch of marbles? Okay….” I felt like a failure.

I drove by the Starbucks again on my way home, and saw them still sitting in the window. I raced home, ran into my house, grabbed a note card and wrote a quick, heartfelt note.

Then I ordered three mini Frappuccinos on my mobile app and headed back up to Starbucks. They were still there. I walked up to them and said, “Hi Girls. You don’t know me but it looks like you’re here studying and I wrote you a note of encouragement.” I handed them the card and walked away. (The drinks weren’t ready, but the barista agreed to deliver them for me.)

Here is what I wrote:

“Hi Girls!

“I sat near you today in Starbucks and listened as you talked. You three are obviously pretty and hard-working. I wish your kindness matched your pretty exteriors. I heard you talk about a girl who sang a song about being lonely in the talent show – and you laughed. About a girl who couldn’t be lead singer because you got all the votes, about crappy presents other people have given you…and you sounded so mean and petty.

“You are smart and you are pretty. It would take nothing from you to also be kind. – M.”

Normally, I wouldn’t focus on a girl’s appearance like this, but in this case, I thought it was important to speak their language before I delivered my point. I also wanted to point out that having a “pretty card” only hides bad behavior for so long before people see past it. In high school, being pretty is still high value and I wanted to call attention to that.

Possibly they laughed and ditched my note in the trash along with the Frappuccinos. Or, they may have gotten defensive and complained to each other that I was a total over-reactor, and they didn’t mean what I thought I heard. And perhaps it’s true that I overstepped my bounds, but I have to believe that there is still room in our village for lessons from strangers with good intentions in their heart. I didn’t want to shame them out loud or put them on the spot. But my hope is that maybe, just one of them was only going along with the others, and tonight she will think about that in a meaningful way as she’s falling asleep.

***

Michelle is the author of “Middle School Makeover: Improving The Way You and Your Child Experience Middle School” and a member of the TODAY Parenting Team. Visit MichelleIcard.com for more thoughts on helping kids navigate the tricky adolescent years.

 

Source: http://community.today.com/parentingteam/post/if-you-see-something-say-something-my-note-to-three-teen-girls-at-starbucks?cid=sm_fbn

Scholastic 2016 reading bingo

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Deimosa Webber-Bey January 28th, 2016

Setting reading goals for yourself and the children in your world is a fun way to open a world of possible each year. The reading challenge that I tried in 2015 pushed me to read more adult books and genres that I don’t hit that often. This year, OOMers’ reading resolutions cover our reading habits, genres, and methods, as well as how some of us will track our progress using checklists, spreadsheets, or websites.

We are making the challenge of achieving your reading goals even more fun in 2016 by turning it into a game –the Scholastic 2016 Reading Bingo!

How to play:

  1. Download the PDF for the Scholastic 2016 Reading Bingo board.
  2. Read a book.
  3. See which descriptions/squares the book matches.
  4. Write the name of the book in the square or, for a fun visual, print out a small image of the book’s cover and paste it in the box.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 several times.
  6. Once you fill in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally – yell “BINGO!” nice and loud.

If you really want to challenge yourself, read 49 unique books and complete the whole board!

I already got started with Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s 2016 Newbery medal winning picture book Last Stop on Market Street in the center square and Laura Resau’s middle grade novel The Lightning Queen in the top row.

We’d love to follow your progress if you want to share your reading bingos on social media; just use the hashtag #ScholasticReadingBingo !

Challenge your students and library patrons to play!

Happy reading.

Source: http://oomscholasticblog.com/post/scholastic-2016-reading-bingo

ENGLISH TEACHER RE-TITLES CLASSIC POEMS…

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The re-title classics are fantastic! –but may not be suitable for middle school.

…AS CLICKBAIT IN LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO TRICK STUDENTS INTO LEARNING

June 1, 2016 

High School for Technology and Communication

Ms. Greene    

English 12 Syllabus

Unit: Poetry

Student Task:
Read the following poems (also posted to your instagram, twitter, tumblr, snapchat, tinder, apple watch, hoverboard, wifi hotspot, $300 headphones, etc.). Tweet, snap, gram, or mind-beam your thoughtful, text-based responses to each piece.

Assigned Texts:

“8 Squad Goals You Should Get Rid Of RN” by Gwendolyn Brooks

“The Relatable Reasons Why I Literally Do Not Have Time For Death” by Emily Dickinson

“5 Ways To Complicate Your Decision-Making Process” by Robert Frost

“Dis Fruit Ain’t Loyal” by William Carlos Williams

“Confessions Of An Angst-Ridden Sailor Who Took Out His Emotions On The Wrong Bird”              by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“13 Ways To Have No Chill When It Late At Night & You Lonely AF”  by Edgar Allan Poe

“This Tyger Is Way Too Turnt” by William Blake

“3 Foods You Never Knew You Could Compare To Your Dreams” by Langston Hughes

“You’ll Never Guess Why This Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

“An Anthem For (deleted for inappropriate content for middle school)” by Andrew Marvell

“This Reason Why Money Can’t Buy You Happiness Will Destroy You” by Edwin Arlington Robinson

“Why You Should Turn Up On the Regular” by Dylan Thomas

“Can We Guess The Fate Of Your Life Based On How You Emotionally Respond To These Daffodils?” by William Wordsworth

“26 Lit Words You Didn’t Know You Needed In Your Life” by Lewis Carroll

English Teacher Re-Titles Classic Poems As Clickbait In Last-Ditch Effort To Trick Students Into Learning

Source: http://excusethebananas.com/english-teacher-re-titles-classic-poems-clickbait-last-ditch-effort-trick-students-learning/