8.31.2011

What's Your District?

From www.TheCapitol.pn - Each District and its Industry


Observant fans of The Hunger Games noticed a strange hashtag on the Lionsgate® credits page after the teaser for "The Hunger Games" movie was aired. It said #whatsmydistrict. After further examination, they realized it was connected to the new website TheCapitol.pn.

When I checked out the site, I got a strange message to identify myself. It connected to my Twitter account and tweeted the message: “The Capitol knows who I am. Identify yourself immediately: http://thecapitol.pn #whatsmydistrict”. The background image, which was garbled and pixelated, moved, as though it was trying to come into focus. As it moved, the sound coming from my computer was a succession of short eerie screeches.

Each day the site has become more clear, now showing off the Capitol seal, and today it went completely live. I registered and was placed in District 7. I am waiting to claim my District 7 Citizen Identification Card (the process can be expedited by connecting with your Twitter and Facebook accounts).

What I am MOST excited about is the new information the site reveals. It shows each of the districts' industries (finally! See picture, above) and how much tesserae is claimed by each district (below). District 12 has the most, and since we know it is also the smallest, it confirms that it is the poorest district, as well.

I can't wait to look at my map of Panem and update it with the new information. (If only it was still summer and there was more time in the day to dig deeper this website and their Twitter and Facebook accounts!) There's also a scrolling message board that announces the weather as chilly (wear a coat), condolences to District 12 families for mine explosion (and urging citizens to donate to the cause) and a teaser about Caesar Flickerman's hair color.

I'm excited they are giving the fans something to not only discuss, but occupy our time as we eagerly await the movie premiere! Will you have your students register? I will have mine (it seems you still can register even if you do not have  Facebook or Twitter).

So what district have YOU been placed in? Comment below after you are "identified."  http://thecapitol.pn

The amount of tesserae claimed by each District. Since District 12 is the smallest in population (about 8,000 people) it obviously has the most citizens living in poverty. What else do you think these numbers reveal? Theories?
The images are screenshots from TheCapitol.pn and as stated on their site: "Pursuant to Panem Law, Materials Appearing on This Site Are Government Owned and Protected." 

8.30.2011

FRAUD Alert: Beware of Suspicious Email from Global Teacher Exchange



If you received an email from a company called "Global Teacher Exchange" claiming to have a new site to sell materials for teachers and advertising a Hunger Games Unit that sounds like mine, I want you to know it is NOT mine--it is actually stolen from another teacher.

This person has been trying to sell other teacher's materials under the names "EnglishUnitPlans.com", "TheHungerGamesUnitPlan.com" and "TeachingCompanion.com" while using the pseudonyms "Susan Anderson," "Dan Anderson"and most recently "Jennifer Matthews."

This person/company is a known fraud and continues to pop up all over the internet selling their ripped-off lesson plans. Please know that I am in NO WAY affiliated with this person and this is NOT my Hunger Games unit.

I ONLY sell on TeachersPayTeachers and I always use my real name (Tracee Orman). You can actually look me up & look up my credentials. Ask "Jennifer" or "Susan" or "Dan" if they can do the same. (I already know you can't because I've tried. I've only found that one identity is from a deceased teacher, which tells me that this person selling these units under that name is both sick and ruthless.)

Spread the word to your teacher friends so they do not support this scam artist!

8.28.2011

Finally...an Official Hunger Games Movie Trailer!

So, it was more of a teaser than a trailer, but...

MTV aired the first glimpse of The Hunger Games tonight at the Video Music Awards. Though I was hoping for a peek at Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and wanted to see Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), we do get to see Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) in action with Gale's (Liam Hemsworth) voice giving her advice. And the flaming mockingjay pin is just ever so cool every time I see it. Take a peek yourself by clicking  HERE.

So, what do you think? Does it make you even more anxious and excited for the movie? Will you be able to wait until March 23rd?

And did you catch Rue's four-note call at the very end? You can download it FREE here. I only wish they repeated the four notes. Like the video, it's just not enough! ;)

Lionsgate HD Version
One fan's reaction to Trailer LIVE at VMAs

8.27.2011

Congrats to the Winner in The OC Blog Giveaway!

Congratulations, Karen!


Congratulations to Karen K., who won my Hunger Games Trilogy Teaching Unit 3-pack with bookmarks & pencils!

And thank you ALL who entered The Organized Classroom Blog Giveaway! This just shows that Suzanne Collins has created a very powerful novel series with numerous teaching opportunities.And a big thanks to Charity Preston for putting this all together!

If you missed the opportunity to enter the giveaway, or was one of the 294 who did not win, to show my appreciation I'm going to have my Hunger Games Trilogy Writing Prompt activity listed as FREE for 24 hours.

No matter which novel in the series you are teaching, this expository writing compare and contrast prompt will challenge your students to make connections to events and people in real life to Katniss's world. It's an excellent way to connect history with the novels. To focus on the theme of killing people to show one's power, I have my students connect The Hunger Games trilogy with events such as the Holocaust and lynching in America. Because we read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, as well, these two connections in history show students that it was not that long ago in our own history that we allowed this to happen. No, we didn't make the victims compete on reality TV, but many deaths were photographed and used for propaganda purposes.

The download includes the writing prompt, a graphic organizer, and a teacher's guide. It is also aligned with the Common Core Standards, with each standard listed in the teacher's notes.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Writing Prompt activity will be listed free from noon 8/27/11 to noon 8/28/11. It is normally listed for $1.75 on www.teacherspayteachers.com.  Please rate the activity if you are happy with the product. Thanks for your support!

8.24.2011

Fabulous Free Downloads in this Free-For-All!


Today is the official launch of The Lesson Cloud, so head on over there to find oodles of free downloads for teachers! Whatever you teach, it'll be represented. Plus, the lessons will be archived so you can always go back and find them. Support your fellow teachers today & don't forget to comment or leave feedback for them! :)

And don't forget to sign up to try to win my three CDs of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay teaching units on The Organized Classroom Blog! The entry form ends at midnight Friday. There are plenty of other prizes there, as well. Check them out after you get your freebies from The Lesson Cloud!

8.22.2011

EXCLUSIVE: 'The Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins to be featured in new comic

http://www.examiner.com/the-hunger-games-in-national/exclusive-the-hunger-games-author-suzanne-collins-to-be-featured-new-comic-1

EXCLUSIVE: 'The Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins to be featured in new comic

As announced on tonight's Hunger Games Fireside Chat...Your favorite author will be the feature in a comic book style biography.

The 900 section of the library will be getting a great facelift with a comic-style biography of Suzanne Collins written by Sara Gundell from The Hunger Games Examiner. I think this is a perfect way to add a little spark to the biography section, which always seemed to bore me just a little. I cannot wait to get this (pre-ordered on Amazon already!) and learn more about The Hunger Games author. How about you?

Here's a lesson idea: Have your students create a mini comic biography of an author or poet you have studied. Don't teach English? How about a comic-bio of a famous figure in history, scientist, politician, or athlete? Your students can use Comic Life or other comic-book creators online, or do it the old fashioned way with paper. Click here for FREE templates you can save and print.

8.20.2011

Win Hunger Games Trilogy Teaching Units!



  Would you like a chance to win all three of my Hunger Games Trilogy teaching units on CD?

  If so, head on over to Charity Preston's Organized Classroom Blog! She is giving away loads of prizes, including my 3-pack of Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay CDs. It's part of her Back to School 2011 promotion, and you do not want to miss it. She is giving away over $2,300 in prizes from various teachers, educational websites/companies, and more.

 My 3-pack includes all three CDs (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay complete teaching units) in a nice 3-pack DVD case, pencils for all three books, bookmarks for all three books, AND a bonus CD with loads of free lessons from various TpT teachers. It's already a deal at $59.99, but if you check out The Organized Classroom Blog, it could be yours free!

8.19.2011

Check Out Katniss!

You must check out Ariel's post "Katniss Goes Camping" on her Nerdy, Wordy, and Almost Thirty blog. She dressed up as Katniss in the first moments of the arena. Down to the braid and orange back-pack, she has hit all the details Suzanne Collins includes in the book. Great pics, Ariel!

8.17.2011

The Best of TeachersPayTeachers



Check out Victoria Leon's "The Best of TeachersPayTeachers" to access hundreds of great lessons each day! She separates the FREE resources by content area, and keeps her posts active so you can always go back to previous lessons to find the download link. Thanks for providing such a great resource for teachers, Victoria!

8.16.2011

Cloudy With a Chance of...Greatness


When has cloudy been good? When it's The Lesson Cloud, of course!
The Lessons Cloud is a new place for teachers to go for resources, support, excellent tips, and so much more! It's made up of 100 educators, representing all levels of instruction and all content areas, who bring you the latest ideas, links, freebies, giveaways, and resources. Check it out & make sure to follow them!

8.13.2011

Mockingjay Paperbacks Available at Scholastic


I went into school this week and was excited to see my Teen RC (Reader's Club) and TAB Scholastic book order forms waiting for me in my mailbox. As I browsed through them, of course the Mockingjay book cover caught my eye. Scholastic has released the third novel in the Hunger Games series in paperback and is also offering a 6-pack for teachers.

Thanks, Scholastic! It makes it so much more affordable to teach this novel. They also have a 3-pack trilogy set in paperback that comes with a free Mockingjay pin. I think I am going to have lots of orders this fall when my students see this! :)

You can request class order forms from Scholastic (I teach high school & get the TAB and Teen RC forms). Mention that I referred you (if you are new to book clubs) & we both get 250 extra bonus points! I used up my bonus points last year to get over 20 (maybe even 30) new books for my classroom.

If you need teaching materials, I offer a Mockingjay unit in my store.

8.12.2011

Friday Freebies




Check out Vintage Teacher's Friday Freebies - this week she is posting ten back-to-school free downloads for teachers! Thanks for posting, these!

8.10.2011

EW Releases New Pics of Peeta...oh, and that Gale guy, too

Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Riedel for EW

If you haven't guessed, I love Peeta! So when I read Sara Gundell's post in The Hunger Games Examiner that Entertainment Weekly released new photos of "The Men of The Hunger Games"...well, of course I had to check them out! You can, too, by looking at their updated slideshow, found here: 'Hunger Games' Meet the Cast


Peeta is played by Josh Hutcherson. I love his work and think he is the perfect Peeta. By the way, when I write that I love Peeta, please note that I am not a "cougar"! I am happily married and am old enough to be Josh's mom. I just love the character Peeta and Josh's portrayal of him. I just wanted to say that so I don't creep anyone out here!

Oh, and here's Gale (Liam Hemsworth). I don't find the character Gale attractive because I hate his attitude, although he does have his moments. Since I haven't seen any movies with Liam starring, I can't vouch for his acting like I can for Josh's. But, I have to say he looks good as Gale. Pretty close to how I imagined Gale to look. Enjoy...

Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, by Jeff Riedel for EW

Are You Ready for the First Day of School?



I still get nervous on the first day of school each year. Having twenty-five pairs of teenage eyes staring at you like you are the last person they want to listen to can be very intimidating. That's why icebreakers are so popular on the first day. It loosens the students up and takes a little of the focus off you and places it on them.

There are oodles of icebreaker ideas out on the web. Here are some sights with multiple ideas:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson131.shtml
http://712educators.about.com/cs/icebreakers/a/icebreakers.htm
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_650dvtj3dgk

The question is, which icebreaker do you use? Which ones have been most popular in your classroom?

I've used many different ones and have had the most success with using humor to break the ice. Because I teach English, it's common for me to start with some images of public grammar or spelling mistakes. The underlying message, of course, is how important English class is. (See link below for a presentation I use.)

Another activity is using the format of David Letterman's Top 10 lists to have students compose a "Top 10 reasons why it's great to be back in school" or the "Top 10 reasons why being a sophomore is better than being a freshman" (or switch it around for different groups). I try to give them positive choices so they think of the GOOD things about school. So if a student wants to write a top 10 list on why your class sucks, you might want to steer that person in another direction! You can download this free activity here.
Back to School Top 10 Lists Activity

I also have free BINGO templates for a "get-to-know-you" activity, which works to get the students moving around.

One assignment that I love giving is for them to create a collage mobile. I usually assign this on the second day, having it due by the end of the week or the following week, depending on whether we start on a Monday or mid-week. Since we begin on Thursday this year, I will assign it Friday and they will need to complete it by Wednesday. We only spend a little time in class on it, then they have to complete it on their own. It's now uploaded on the site, so you can click the "collage mobile" link above.

If you are looking for a presentation with a compilation of public mistakes that show the importance of English, here is a link to my Powerpoint: Using Humor in English.... I usually don't show all the slides the first day. I give them a tease of a few, then we come back to it later in the year, using specific examples for certain kinds of mistakes (whether it is punctuation, spelling, word usage, etc.). It never fails to make them laugh.

8.09.2011

New Site for ELA & Graphics




As you may already know, I am an English teacher who loves & teaches The Hunger Games trilogy.  But I also teach & do many other things. I purchased my domain name url a while ago and thought maybe I should start using it. So I decided to use that site to feature some of my other English/Language Arts (ELA) ideas and graphic design projects.

You can head over to Mrs. Orman's Classroom to see my new site.

And I will, of course, continue to post here!

8.07.2011

Hunger Games Posters to Download


   I created some Hunger Games-themed reading posters for your classroom. Download them now HERE while they are listed as FREE. There are 16 printable posters, some as 8 1/2 x 11 (letter size) and some as 8 1/2 x 14 (legal size).

Laminate them for longevity.

Have a great school year!

8.06.2011

Last Day for Back to School SALE!


Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the 20% off discount in my teacher store! My lessons and resources are marked 10% off, plus you get an additional 10% off if you use the code B1T1S at check out. Stock up on all your novel units, activities, poetry presentations, and--of course--Hunger Games-related materials!

Try these Trilogy resources that are included in either my Catching Fire or Mockingjay units (not included in The Hunger Games unit):

CHARACTER PLAYLIST ACTIVITY

COMPARE/CONTRAST WRITING PROMPT

HUNGER GAMES ARENA BOARD GAME ACTIVITY - This is included on the CD Hunger Games unit, but not in the digital download

Sale ends tonight at MIDNIGHT!

8.03.2011

The Capitol: How Do You Envision the Characters?


A great internet friend (who happens to live in Charlotte, NC) shared this link from The Charlotte Observer's post on the filming of "The Hunger Games" movie. It confirms that filming has begun on the Capitol scenes (in case you hadn't heard about that yet).

The article includes pictures of extras dressed in Capitol attire, and looking quite fake, I might add! I did expect to see more color, but these were just a few of the extras, so I am sure Collins' vision of a rainbow-colored world will come to life in the movie.

A few weeks ago a teacher from NC shared with me that the costumes were very "funky" with lots of dyed hair. She happens to live nearby and has many students who are in the movie as extras.

 She also shared with me that Suzanne Collins will have a small role in the reaping scene. "Apparently, they have added a scene where each Reaping candidate must give a blood sample for DNA identification," she said. Collins plays the woman who is conducting that process.

Classroom Connection
How do you picture the characters from the Capitol? Do you have your students draw depictions from the novel?

If they are artistic, this is a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent. Even though incorporating art is not included in our learning standards, it is, indeed, one way to spark interest in novels, especially for those reluctant to read. Some students are more visual, so allowing them to both see and create pictures can help them visualize the story and characters.

If they struggle with creating art, you can direct them to websites that help, such as http://www.sp-studio.de/, which allows users to create South-Park-style caricatures; or http://bomomo.com/.  Both sites allow you to keep your artwork, unlike others. Another option is to use Wordle.net  or Tagxedo.com. They can type in words associated to a character or chapter and create a word cloud.
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