In this resource, children will look at how Christmas stockings have changed over time before building a prototype. They will then design their own Christmas stocking and making it using textiles and different stitches. Children will then participate in peer- and self-evaluations. A link to digital resources for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available upon download.

Students will be analyzing different topics related to gothic horror before researching and writing their own report. The pack includes different graphic organizers, resources for lower ability pupils, as well as lesson plans and rubrics. In the past, I’ve used this resource during a unit on gothic horror, but it could be used as a stand alone learning outcome, as well. A link to access an editable file for use on Google Drive is available with download.

Students use the stops made by Charles Darwin on the H.M.S. Beagle to write a travel blog about their discoveries and challenges. The pack includes different graphic organizers, resources for lower ability pupils, as well as lesson plans and rubrics. In the past, this resource has been used alongside Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman, but can be used independently of the novel, as well. A link to access an editable file for use on Google Drive is available at download.

Students choose an endangered organism facing extinction before researching its significance to its ecosystem and the consequences of its decreasing population. Students then draft correspondence to a chosen audience (letter or e-mail) before sending it in the last session. The pack includes different graphic organizers, resources for lower ability pupils, as well as lesson plans and rubrics. In the past, this resource has been used alongside Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman, but can be used independently of the novel, as well. A link to access an editable file for use on Google Drive is available at download.

Using the angler fish scene from Finding Nemo as a model, students will research a deep sea organism to draft a narrative using a flashback in a different tense. The pack includes different graphic organizers, resources for lower ability pupils, as well as lesson plans and rubrics. In the past, this resource has been used alongside Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman, but can be used independently of the novel, as well. Link provided to access an editable file for use on Google Drive provided with download.

Students choose an organism to research before writing an explanation text about how it has made adaptations based on Darwin’s theory of natural selection to thrive. The pack includes different graphic organizers, resources for lower ability pupils, as well as lesson plans and rubrics. In the past, this resource has been used alongside Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman, but can be used independently of the novel, as well. A link to access an editable file for use on Google Drive is available at download.

This resource is meant to be used alongside a novel study on The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Students choose (or are assigned) a product that they must rebrand for either the Greasers or the Socs. They’ll consider questions about what would make a product more appealing to one group over another? What colors and logos would make it appealing? Students create a persuasive advertisement for the Greasers or the Socs. A link to an editable file is available with download.

Students choose (or are assigned) a product that they must re-brand for either the Greasers or the Socs. They’ll consider questions about what would make a product more appealing to one group over another? What colors and logos would make it appealing? Students follow through with the design and engineering process, designing, prototyping, making, and evaluating. A link to an editable file is available with download.

Students will evaluate different myths about monsters as well as different trapping devices before designing their own. In the past, I have given students access to littleBits prototyping boards for this STEAM project, but they’re not required. Resources for researching different monsters and traps are provided. This unit follows the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Design Technology objectives. A digital copy for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

Students will evaluate different myths about monsters. They will then listen to different examples of Public Service Announcements to evaluate what makes them effective before designing and recording their own P.S.A. about a monster. Resources for researching different monsters are provided. This unit follows the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Design Technology objectives. A digital copy for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

About the Novel: Take a romp in the swamp with this New York Times bestselling mystery adventure set in the Florida Keys from Newbery Honoree Carl Hiaasen! Noah’s dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor—which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can’t prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. Right. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah’s dad is in the local lock-up. Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally . . . somehow. About the Resource: This pack includes Chapter Summaries, Comprehension Questions, Digging Deeper Opportunities (includes character studies and plot studies), Creative Writing Tasks, and Non-Fiction Tasks related to content of the novel (water pollution, Florida Keys, green flash, loggerhead turtle). Resource is provided as a PDF but a digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw available with download.

Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in Middle School ELA. Students will a novel being studied to re-write the climax of the story. In the past, I’ve used this extra credit assignment with: Flush by Carl Hiaasen, The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor, The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, and The Last Wild by Peter Torday – all in a unit about the environment and conservation. *A link to the digital file is provided for completion online using Google Slides.

About the Novel: Rebellions are built on hope. Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp’s Director and his guards. Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today. About the Resource: This pack includes** Chapter Summaries, Comprehension Questions, Digging Deeper Opportunities** (includes character analysis, setting analysis, and plot studies), Creative Tasks (includes writing and cooking), and Non-Fiction Tasks related to content of the novel (Korematsu v. United States, banned books, Milgram experiment, shooting at Chapel Hill, Charlottesville riot, Japanese internment camps, White Rose, Red Cross visit to Theresienstadt, 442nd Infantry Regiment). Resource is provided as a PDF but a digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw available with download.

Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in Middle School ELA. Students will have a background in Norse Mythology before being given the assignment. When I have assigned it, I have also reviewed features of narratives and storylines and compared them to different styles of writing. *A link to the digital file is provided for completion online using Google Slides.

In this resource, children will use cohesive devices to develop their explanations before using an editing checklist to support their writing of an explanation of a topic. A digital and editable file is available with download.

**About the Novel: **They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise. Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. **About the Resource: **This pack includes Chapter Summaries, Comprehension Questions, Digging Deeper Opportunities (includes character studies and plot studies), Creative Writing Tasks, and Non-Fiction Tasks related to content of the novel (Floating Markets, Lagos, Kingdom of Benin). Resource is provided as a PDF but a digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw available with download.

About the Novel: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free. About the Resource: This pack includes Chapter Summaries, Comprehension Questions, Digging Deeper Opportunities (includes character studies and plot studies), Creative Writing Tasks, and Non-Fiction Tasks related to content of the novel (Star Wars, Black Panther, Malcolm X, Obamas, Civil Disobedience). Resource is provided as a PDF but a digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw available with download.

An extra credit writing assignment designed for middle school ELA. Students assume the roles of Vikings applying to go on a raid before writing a cover letter and resume that use modal verbs and persuasive devices.