Hunger Games Interactive Bulletin Board and Activity

 
I'm so excited to share my latest Hunger Games resource: a fun interactive bulletin board you can use before, during, or after reading!
Based on my popular poetry bulletin board series of products, this set includes:• 42 quote cards that can be displayed as a bulletin board (or on a wall, door, or any flat surface) or passed around• 127-slide presentation that shows each quote and the answer• 42-question student handout (with answer key) that can be used alone or with the presentation
Grab it here: Hunger Games or Song? Bulletin Board, Presentation, & Handouts

USING IT IN CLASSTo utilize the product to the fullest, I would plan a class period for showing the presentation to your class. Print off the student handout in advance and have students fill it out FIRST, guessing each answer. Give them about 10 minutes or so for this activity.

After students have filled out their guesses on the handout, begin the presentation. Have them check their answers as they go. (THIS IS FOR FUN, so if you have to give a grade, give participation points. This activity should not be graded!)
You can give a piece of candy or another incentive for the best score, but please don't take their scores for a grade. 
The next day and for the rest of the unit, have the bulletin board on display. When you reach certain quotes in the book you can discuss them and talk about why they may seem like song lyrics.
I did NOT use any quotes from the song in the book so it would not be confusing. But it offers a great opportunity for noting how some passages may seem more lyrical than others. And also why some song lyrics seem to fit perfectly with the book. For example, one of the quotes says "I want you to hold out the palm of your hand." When students get to chapter 25 they will realize why this lyric goes perfectly with the book.
I hope you and your students have fun with this activity! If you have additional books you'd love to suggest for a similar one, contact me via Instagram. 
If you have already purchased my Mega Bundle, you get this activity FREE!
You can see the bulletin board in action below.

Banned Books Week: Create an Interactive Classroom Display

Banned Books Week: Create an Interactive Classroom (or Library) Display

Banned Books Week is always one of my favorite weeks for teaching because I love the reactions my students have when they learn one of their favorite books was challenged or banned.

"What!? That can't be!"

"No way! That's so stupid!"

"No one can tell me what I can't read!"

Students who seem nonchalant and disinterested in reading all of a sudden become passionate book lovers and defenders. It is truly a glorious thing for an English teacher to witness.

So how do you incite this behavior? 

One of the things I like to do is raid my classroom library for all the books that have been banned or challenged. I then cover them up with warning labels with the reasons they were challenged.

When I first started doing this a few years ago, I placed the books in paper sacks (or covered them with whatever I could find) and taped the warning labels to the outside. Students could lift up the sacks to reveal the book.

This worked well, but some of my labels were messy or didn't have the "Caution" tape warning. So two years ago, I streamlined all of them into one bundle. You can find them HERE.

The labels can be used alone, on a paper sack, or just with a piece of paper to wrap around the book (use colored paper in a variety of colors to make them stand out).

If you are using paper (as shown above), use a scrap piece of paper or an index card in the back to tape the two ends of the paper/label together. This serves several purposes: it makes the paper/label long enough to fit around the book, it secures the paper/label without damaging the book, and it allows the students to easily pull the paper/label up to reveal the book.

I guarantee your students will be shocked to learn of some of the reasons their favorite books have been challenged and banned.

Don't have books? No problem!

For those who don't have a classroom library, I've got you covered. My label bundle also includes an interactive display (complete with "Caution" tape) to use on a bulletin board, wall, chalkboard, or wherever you can find room. Your students won't be able to stop themselves from lifting the flaps to reveal the titles. 

I also made both formats with a blank template so you can type any updated or new labels directly onto the page.

The bundle also includes an activity to introduce the interactive display and begin a serious
discussion about censorship and the dangers of limiting our freedom to read.

For more information about Banned Books Week, check out the official website by the American Library Association. It includes downloadable posters, a coloring page, lessons, and many other free resources for teachers and librarians.