Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in grades 7 and 8 ELA and Social Studies. Students will have a background in pirates before being given the assignment, but it is also adaptable for different significant people, as well. When I have assigned it, I have also reviewed features of eulogies and compared them to different styles of writing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and can be used alongside any novel with a theme of survival. In the past, I have used this alongside novels such as Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (STEAM pack with this add-on available), and The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence (STEAM pack with this add-on available). The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s reading objectives for Year 6. Product includes: research, design, prototyping, evaluation. A link to a digital file is provided for completing activities in a paperless environment.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence. About the Novel: There was once a village bred by evil. On the barren coast of Cornwall, England, lived a community who prayed for shipwrecks, a community who lured storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of their shore. They fed and clothed themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage; dead sailors’ tools and trinkets became decorations for their homes. Most never questioned their murderous way of life. Then, upon that pirates’ shore crashed the ship The Isle of Skye. And the youngest of its crew members, 14-year-old John Spencer, survived the wreck. But would he escape the wreckers? This is his harrowing tale. About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Standards for Year 6. Chapter summaries are provided, along with comprehension questions, and opportunities to analyse the setting, characters, point of view, and theme. Creative writing prompts and non-fiction research opportunities related to the text are also provided. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley. About the Novel: Since she was a baby, Aza Ray Boyle has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name. Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found by another. Magonia. Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—but as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war between Magonia and Earth is coming. In Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie? About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Standards for Year 6. Chapter summaries are provided, along with comprehension questions, and opportunities to analyse the setting, characters, point of view, and theme. Creative writing prompts and non-fiction research opportunities related to the text are also provided. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. About the Novel: Popular fantasy about Peter, the boy who won’t grow up, and his companion Tinker Bell, transports young readers to Never-Never Land where together with Wendy and the other Darling children they meet Princess Tiger Lily, the Lost Boys, and the nasty Captain Hook. About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Standards for Year 6. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Coraline by Neil Gaiman. About the Novel: When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Standards for Year 6. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. About the Novel: A perennial favorite, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which has sold more than one million copies and is the only novel to win both the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal. Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? The Graveyard Book is the winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hugo Award for best novel, the Locus Award for Young Adult novel, the American Bookseller Association’s “Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book,” a Horn Book Honor, and Audio Book of the Year. About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core Reading Standards for Grade 7. The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and quotation and structure analysis. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Frankenstein by Gris Grimly. About the Graphic Novel: Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein is a twisted, fresh, and utterly original** full-length, full-color graphic-novel adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original text, brought to life by acclaimed illustrator Gris Grimly**. The first fully illustrated version to use the original 1818 text, this handsome volume is destined to capture the imagination of those new to the story as well as those who know it well. New York Times bestselling illustrator Gris Grimly has long considered Frankenstein to be one of his chief inspirations. From the bones and flesh of the original, he has cut and stitched Mary Shelley’s text to his own artwork, creating something entirely new: a stunningly original remix, both classic and contemporary, sinister and seductive, heart-stopping and heartbreaking. About the Resource: The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core Reading Standards for Grade 7. The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and quotation and structure analysis. A link to an editable digital copy of the file on Google Slides for completing without printing is available with download.

This 51-page resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Clockwork (All Wound Up) by Philip Pullman. The pack has been designed in alignment with he 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Objectives for Year 6. **About the Novel: **A tormented apprentice clock-maker, a deadly mechanical knight in armour - and the sinister Dr Kalmenius, who some say is the devil … Wind up these characters, fit them into a story on a cold winter’s evening, with the snow swirling down, and suddenly life and the story begin to merge in a peculiarly macabre - and unstoppable - way. Almost like clockwork … About the Resource: The pack includes templates to write summaries, opportunities to analyse text, make connections, creative writing, and study the setting, characters, theme, and literary devices. **A digital copy of the file is also available on Google Slides for students to complete online instead of printing.

This 56-page resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core State Standards for Grade 7 Reading. About the Novel: Chip Clewt, known simply as the weirdo, lives like a hermit in the Powhatan Swamp, a National Wildlife Refuge that is at the center of a heated controversy between local hunters and environmentalists. A hunting ban on the Powhatan is about to expire. The environmentalists want to protect the wildlife; the hunters are oiling their guns. Then someone completely unexpected comes forward to spearhead the conservation effort - the weirdo. **A digital copy of the file is also available on Google Slides for students to complete online instead of printing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang. The pack has been designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s Reading Objectives for Year 6. About the Novel: In the tradition of The Diary of Anne Frank and I Am Malala, this is the incredible true story of one girl’s courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century. It’s 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, popularity, and a bright future in Communist China. But it’s also the year that China’s leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolution—and Ji-li’s world begins to fall apart. Over the next few years, people who were once her friends and neighbors turn on her and her family, forcing them to live in constant terror of arrest. And when Ji-li’s father is finally imprisoned, she faces the most difficult dilemma of her life. Written in an accessible and engaging style, this page-turning, honest, and deeply personal autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages. **About the Resource:**This pack includes chapter summaries, comprehension questions, opportunities for deeper learning (character analysis, setting analysis, theme, point of view), creative writing, and non-fiction tasks. **A digital copy of the file is also available on Google Slides for students to complete online instead of printing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core State Standards for Grade 7 Reading. About the Novel: Young Sylvia Mendez never expected to be at the center of a landmark legal battle. Young Aki Munemitsu never expected to be sent away from her home and her life as she knew it. The two girls definitely never expected to know each other, until their lives intersected on a Southern California farm in a way that changed the country forever. Who are Sylvia and Aki? And why did their family stories matter then and still matter today? This book reveals the remarkable, never-before-told story—based on true events—of Mendez vs. Westminster School District, the California court case that desegregated schools for Latino children and set the stage for Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education at the national level. About the Resource: The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and language analysis. **A digital copy of the file is also available on Google Slides for students to complete online instead of printing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with Samurai Rising by Pamela Turner. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core Reading Standards for Grades 6-8. About the Novel: A samurai fights for honor and survival in a real-life Game of Thrones. Stirring narrative nonfiction recounts the rise of Minamoto Yoshitsune from seemingly doomed infant to immortal warrior-hero (and one of the most famous samurai in Japanese history). Acclaimed author Pamela S. Turner delivers all the drama, romance, and tragedy of the original story–with delightfully dry wit and a healthy dose of modern perspective. Gorgeous ink paintings by celebrated graphic-novelist Gareth Hinds complete this irresistible package. About the Resource: Chapter Summaries Comprehension Questions (two for each chapter) Digging Deeper (setting, character analysis, point of view, big ideas) Creative Writing Tasks Non-Fiction Tasks (Yoshitsune Minamoto, Kiyomori Taira, bushido, Go-Shirakawa, samurai, Kyoto) A digital copy of the file on Google Slides is available with download for students to edit online instead of printing the pack.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core State Standards for Grade 7 Reading. About the Novel: Feo’s life is extraordinary. Her mother trains domesticated wolves to be able to fend for themselves in the snowy wilderness of Russia, and Feo is following in her footsteps to become a wolf wilder. She loves taking care of the wolves, especially the three who stay at the house because they refuse to leave Feo, even though they’ve already been wilded. But not everyone is enamored with the wolves, or with the fact that Feo and her mother are turning them wild. And when her mother is taken captive, Feo must travel through the cold, harsh woods to save her—and learn from her wolves how to survive. About the Resource: The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and language analysis. **A digital copy of the file is also available on Google Slides for students to complete online instead of printing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with El Deafo  by Cece Bell. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core Reading Standards for Grade 7. I am trying out a new format and would appreciate feedback! The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and quotation and structure analysis. A digital copy of the file is available with download.

Introduce children to different novels by copying segments of different novels and offering them on tables (like food on a table) without any information about authors, titles, or context. Give children time to read different texts before they use the templates included in this pack to decide which “tasting” is the most delicious (best fit). In my own classroom, I choose different novels with similar themes and then use this to differentiate the reading that the children will read concurrently based on their preferences during the tasting. An editable and digital copy is provided with download.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with the epic poem BEOWULF. The pack includes: Background on the context of the poem, activities for understanding the poem, activities for digging deeper, creative writing tasks, and research into non-fiction related to the text (Anglo-Saxons, oral storytelling, heroic codes of honour, monsters, dragons, and venom). A digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

This resource has been made using the properties of shape objectives for Year 4 from the 2014 National Curriculum of England: Compare and classify geometric shapes, including quadrilaterals and triangles, based on their properties and sizes Identify acute and obtuse angles and compare and order angles up to two right angles by size Identify lines of symmetry in 2D shapes presented in different orientations Complete a simple symmetric figure with respect to a specific line of symmetry The pack can be used for reinforcement, in Maths centres for review, Morning Maths work, as well as for home learning tasks.