10.27.2012

Pin-Worthy...My Favorite Pins This Week!




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Pin-Worthy! www.hungergameslessons.com

I have to admit my blogging has slacked some with school, so I apologize for my lack of posts the last couple of months. My class just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I've also been working on a new novel unit for The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking trilogy, book 1). If you haven't read it, you MUST! A fellow teacher (thank you, Mrs. Cobb!) suggested I read it after I finished Mockingjay. Since all three books in the trilogy were already published, I did. And all I can say is...wow. Patrick Ness is definitely one of my (new) favorite authors. I have since read almost everything he has published and am waiting anxiously to see how Lions Gate Movies® will portray the movie for Knife.

In the meantime, I've compiled some of my favorite pins this week (or...from the past few weeks) and I promise I'll be writing more when I finish the novel unit and school slows down some. (We had parent/teacher conferences, Red Ribbon Week, and Halloween all this past week while teaching a full regular school week. I know you can relate to that craziness!) You can follow all my pins HERE.

Catching Fire Set Pics:

The Cornucopia from Catching Fire via www.thehob.org

The Chariots via www.thehob.org


Halloween:

Free Download: Truly Evil President Snow-Created Word Search
Free Hunger Games Word Search www.hungergameslessons.com


Hunger Games Pumpkin Carving Stencils


Halloween Costume Ideas:

Katniss & Peeta's Son
Hunger Games Camo Archer Costume www.hungergameslessons.com

Hunger Games Arrows & Quiver

An Array of Links for Katniss Everdeen Costumes 

"Priceless"
Priceless Costume

"Meme Guys"

"50 Shades of Grey"
http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444743669/

Miscellaneous:

My 5 seconds of fame in NEA Today's Fall 2012 magazine:
NEA Today Works 4 Me Fall 2012 www.hungergameslessons.com

Reached...Coming Soon! (Who else is excited for the third book in the Matched trilogy??)
Reached by Ally Condie

New Product: To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions Handouts

New product: Expository News Writing Presentation & Handouts
Expository Writing Common Core Aligned

Just For Laughs...

Oh, Scout...
"Hey, Boo." Scout Finch www.hungergameslessons.com

My dog has chewed a student's paper before...
My Dog Ate YOUR Homework. www.hungergameslessons.com
This can go on my Grammar Errors board, too: Did you notice the misspelling?
http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444707845/

Reading can save your life.
Read: It Might Just Save Your Life. www.hungergameslessons.com

Animals and "Ermahgerd" = Laughter
Ermahgerd www.hungergameslessons.com

Dorothy and Toto Pun
Dorothy & Toto www.hungergameslessons.com

Have a great week, my friends!

10.15.2012

Introducing the The Hunger Games with The Lottery



Using The Lottery to Open for The Hunger Games Reaping on www.hungergameslessons.com

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How do you introduce The Hunger Games to your students? Do you jump right in and start reading? Do any activities prior? Research the author? Read about Greek mythology or Roman gladiators?

All of those activities are good openers for Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. But I like to start with a short story by Shirley Jackson called "The Lottery."

"The Lottery" is set in present time, which makes its story all the more chilling. Without giving anything away, "The Lottery" serves as a good comparison to the reaping in The Hunger Games. Both happen on or near the summer solstice and both events are annual rituals steeped in tradition and serving a purpose.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Lessons & ActivitiesTo begin, I bring in a container of river rocks and have students choose one without telling them why. (I use river rocks because of their variety in size and color. You can find them in the landscaping section of your local hardware or garden shop. Or if you live close to a river, collect them yourself.) After each student chooses a rock I have them describe the rock and why they picked that particular one.

I show them a chart with the "symbolism" of the shape, color, and texture of their rocks and they se if it matches with their personality. It's amazing how many actually do. Is the "symbolism" a little hokey...sure it is (like reading horoscopes). But it's fun and the students like it; and because I love irony, it helps throw the students off a little when we get into the story. I point out in the end to look back at the rocks the different characters chose and what that means in the context of the story.

I think the lottery in the story is a great comparison to the reaping. I have a compare/contrast writing prompt I give my students after we've read chapter 3 in The Hunger Games. Later in the novel we refer back to different concepts from the story, as well. In fact, I used it to introduce Catching Fire one year with one group and Mockingjay with another. Both novels work well with the whole concept of sacrifice and in Mockingjay, in particular, we discuss the the age of those who are fighting for their country or for the betterment of humankind. It opens up the discussion about drafting during wartime (even though this generation of students haven't lived through a draft, the boys are still required to register in the selective service when they turn 18).

If you wish to use "The Lottery," the audio version is available online and you can find the print version of the 1948 story, as well. Here are some helpful links:
The Lottery Audio via The New Yorker
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (print)

Classroom Connection: Using "The Lottery" short story as an opener to The Hunger Games trilogy from www.hungergameslessons.com

I also sell my lesson pack that includes the rock exercise/activity, comprehension questions, quiz, vocabulary, and The Hunger Games comparison writing prompt. You can find it here in my TeachersPayTeachers store:


The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Short Story Unit from www.hungergameslessons.com

10.09.2012

Hunger Games Inspired Digital Paper and Clip Art


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Hunger Games Themed Digital Paper & Clip Art
If you've ever wanted to create a Hunger Games-themed display for your classroom, library, birthday party, scrapbook, or even holiday invitations, look no further for the perfect images and clip art. I just posted my Hunger Games-inspired Clip Art & Digital Paper in my teacher store. They can be placed into any word-processing or design software so you can add text, pictures, or whatever you wish.

Here are some examples of uses:
Hunger Games Clip Art & Backgrounds
Make cards or invitations.
Hunger Games Digital Scrapbook Paper
Use the backgrounds to create a digital scrapbook.
Hunger Games Hunger Drive Flyer
School or Club flyer.
The bundle contains 26 digital backgrounds, including those pictured below:

It also features over 40 clip art files, including arrows, silver parachute, golden cornucopia, Mr. Mellark's cookies, district breads, apple with an arrow through it, Peeta's burned bread.

 Other clip art images are nightlock berries, dandelions, and meadow flowers; I also included photographs I took over the summer, including President Snow's roses. 
All of these high-quality PNG graphics can be downloaded in one zipped folder (HERE). They can be used for educational, personal, and non-profit purposes. They are not available for commercial use.

10.07.2012

If Panem Had Elections...Things That Make Me Go Hmmm...

Panem Elections Government www.hungergameslessons.com
If Panem had elections... from Hunger Games Lessons
Last week's Presidential debate got me thinking about what Panem would be like if they held Presidential elections, and other government-related questions. Of course, this being a "Things that make me go hmmm..." post, it's a great way to get your students thinking critically about the novel and relating it to the real world.

Classroom Connections
You can prompt your students with the following questions that begin with "If Panem had elections...":
• If Panem had elections...
...would President Snow run for re-election? Why or why not?
...who would run against President Snow? Why would this character make a good candidate?
...who would be elected President? Why?

Have them delve even deeper with these questions:
• If Panem was a democracy, how would life be different for the district citizens? How would it be different for the Capitol citizens?
• Would there still be a Hunger Games each year? Why or why not?
• What should the voting age be? Why?
• Would there be age restrictions for those running for President? If so, why and what minimum age would you set? If not, why not?
• Would each district have their own leaders? What would they be called: governors? Mayors? Or something completely new?

If you would like handouts with graphic organizers and a student/group project for your students relating to the elections, I just posted these in my store tonight: Hunger Games Trilogy Presidential Elections Activity Pack 
  It's 14 pages of activities that encourage critical thinking; students will have to support their opinions with facts. It's also aligned with the ELA Common Core State Standards for grades 6-12. Download the free preview for additional information.

Government Activity Pack The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games Trilogy President Snow Election Activity


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