Incorporate Free Rice Into Your Class "Games"

Use Free Rice as part of your Hunger Games class challenge.

If you plan to have a mock reaping and have your students participate in a class "Games" for your Hunger Games unit, think about incorporating the website FreeRice into it. Free Rice celebrates its 5th birthday this week and you and your students can join in on the celebrations!

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
Using FreeRice is an excellent way your students can help combat world hunger. During your Hunger Games unit, have your own "Games" based on who earns the most grains of rice. The student with the most becomes the "Victor." Make sure that your students log in (or create accounts) and have them keep track of the amount of rice they earn. You can create a class group and have the website figure the amount for you, but it will take a little work setting up the group and having students join it.

To help you, here's a free download that has a link to directions and a log to keep track of donated rice: Using FreeRice.com in the Classroom

You can also submit your challenge to the website and have live updates during that time. :) May the odds be ever in your students' favor!

Click on the icon below to begin!

Banned Books Week 2012

Celebrate Banned Books Week Sept. 30-Oct. 6.

This week kicks off the American Library Association's (ALA) Banned Books Week to celebrate our freedom to read and educate people about censorship.

I thought it would be worth noting that The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is number three on the list of frequently challenged books for 2011, up from number five last year. (Challenged means that someone objected to the book and asked that it be removed from either the shelves/library or classroom and/or from the curriculum in school.)

Other books making the list included ttyl by Lauren Myracle, Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar, and classics like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Image from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged

Also worth noting is why these books are challenged. The reasons given for The Hunger Games included "anti-ethnic" and "anti-family." And To Kill a Mockingbird? "Offensive language" and "racism."

From: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged

I believe that parents have the right to decide what they do or do not want their children to read. If they are offended by the material, their child should be given the opportunity to read an alternative book. But I do not think those parents have the right to remove materials for all students. I do not want another parent telling me what is right for my son.

Censorship only breeds more censorship, and societies that begin to censor materials are preventing the population from becoming informed and educated citizens. Leaders such as Adolf Hitler used censorship to promote his own views. Freedom of speech includes the right to read materials of our choosing. We don't have to like what others are reading, but it is not our place to take away that freedom from anyone else just because it may offend us. If we don't believe in freedom of speech for everyone, then we simply do not believe in it. Period.

Spread the word about Banned Books Week and check out all the great resources on the ALA's website.

I have a pinboard on Pinterest for Banned Books Week. You can also browse my other book-related pinboards:
All Things Books
Book Community Board
Bookish News and Fun
Books Worth Reading

I'll be posting about my all-time favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, on my other blog www.traceeorman.com. Check it out later this week to see what I have in store for you!

To the Victors, the Spoils

Classroom Connections: The Price of Fame for the Victors

In Panem, winning the Hunger Games allows the Victor a lifetime of fame, fortune, and ease...or does it?

As you and your class read Catching Fire, there are several opportunities to discuss the price of "fame" - both in the novel and in real life.

Students can look (and unfortunately, not too hard) for examples of celebrities who have not dealt very well with their new-found fame.

Then ask your students how Katniss deals with the pressure of being a Victor:

  - Is living in Victor's Village ideal for her family?
  - Is not worrying about feeding her family enough to ease her mind?
  - What other pressures and responsibilities must she take on?
  - Does money buy happiness?

Then, finally, poll your students; ask how many of them think Katniss would gladly go back to her old way of life, starving and all.

District 4 Revealed...How is Your Map of Panem Shaping Up?

Map courtesy of MyHungerGames.com

With as many different maps of Panem I've created, you'd think it would get old. But it doesn't! I still love the speculation that goes into each placement of the districts and finding context clues for support.

The new map that was released from The Hunger Games Adventures Facebook game is as close to an official map that we'll get, albeit it's based on the movie rather than the book. But how different can it be?

Last week District 4 was revealed to fans. I was not at all surprised of the placement on the Pacific side. In fact, if you look at my past maps, you'll notice that I favored that side on almost all of them. My reasoning was the "dead zone" area in the Gulf of Mexico. Author Suzanne Collins makes reference on several occasions that humans have brought about much of the destruction of North America. That was enough evidence for me.

So where will the rest of the districts be placed? Here are my new picks:

The only districts I'm not sure about are the top three: 5, 9, and 7. District 5 is probably the one that is most up in the air for me, but I do believe that there are many sources of power in northwestern Canada. I had never thought of District 5 being there, but with the water, wind, and oil potential for power, it could definitely work. The rest I placed based on World Atlas maps (yep, old school from the book) and the most plentiful places for each industry.

So, only time will tell if my speculation is way-off or not. What do you think? Where would you place the districts based on the new "official" map?

Get Ready for the Victory Tour 2013

If you haven't heard about the Victory Tour 2013 event planned for next summer, you are in for a treat! Leaders Gamemakers in The Hunger Games fandom have organized an event to unite the fans from around the world for a few days of entertainment, conversation, and just plain fun.

According to the official Victory Tour 2013 website, Victory Tour 2013 will be held in an undisclosed location in North Carolina, revealed only to Tributes who are the most passionate about the Hunger Games and what it stands for. It is an arena devised to encourage education and healthy discussion. You will meet the gamemakers and the fansites dedicated to keeping us out from under Capitol supremacy. You will laugh in the face of tyranny at the Hunger Games Musical, conquer your fears during The Tribute Games, and declare your stylistic freedom during the district fashion extravaganza.
The Gamemakers are looking for donations to help bring some big-name stars to the event, as well. If you'd like to donate (and receive some great perks in return), visit the Victory Tour 2013 donation page.

Share the news about the Victory Tour 2013 with your students to generate even more excitement for the novel.  

In other exciting news, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" began filming this week in Atlanta. Lions Gate® Movies also launched a new sweepstakes for fans to win a trip to visit the set & filming of the movie, which will be filmed in Hawaii, as well. You can check out all the details on their Facebook fanpage:  www.catchingfiresweeps.com

The contest asks entrants to submit a video with their question for the cast of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." You could make this a "classroom connection" and have your students do it for an enrichment exercise. Or compile a list of questions as a class. (Official entrants must be 13 years or older.) The contest deadline is Oct. 12.

You could have your students create videos with their questions as an enrichment exercise.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

If You Like The Hunger Games...Try These Book Suggestion Sites

Chances are you're having a hard time finding a book that is as engaging as The Hunger Games. Or Catching Fire. Or Mockingjay.

Try Tastekid.com for kid-friendly book suggestions.

So what do you do after you've read a series (multiple times) and want to find another one? As a teacher, I love giving suggestions to my students. But sometimes I'm stumped or my students have read all that I've suggested. I do like it when their peers give suggestions (see my "Good Reads" board). And librarians are also wonderful sources for book suggestions. When students have exhausted all the human sources (or those sources aren't available), they can try out these "book suggestion" websites.

To test them out, I typed in "The Hunger Games" to see the results. Then I typed in "The Age of Miracles" (by Karen Thompson Walker, which I just finished reading) to see if it would produce results. Here's a run-down on some of them:

YourNextRead.com - Same concept but has many features and can be connected to your GoodReads account.

What I like: I can connect my Good Reads account and utilize the site for more accurate suggestions. Also, the book cover "web" visuals are nice.

What I don't like: It only gives you fewer suggestions. Newer books (even Mockingjay) had even fewer suggestions. Plus, it recommended The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. One would assume those have already been read, so they should rule them out.

Your Next Read did produce some results for The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, a relatively new book.

Whatshouldireadnext.com - A more simple search that produces pretty good results.

This list actually goes on and on, producing a nice long list of suggestions.

What I like: A lot of suggestions.

What I don't like: Newer books, again, do not produce as many results. But I was pleased that The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker actually produced results, albeit fewer.

Tastekid.com - This is a kid-friendly site that will give pretty accurate results...for kids. (See the results when I typed in 50 Shades below...) Thanks to my Twitter friend Jack McNally for letting me know about this website.

Tastekid.com is a kid-friendly site...obviously.

What I like about it: it's not just for books. Type in an author, song/music, movie, games, etc..
What I don't like: Newer books produced zero or fewer results. Also, it's kid-friendly. If you are looking for books for yourself, the results may not be what you expected (see above).

Do you have other book suggestion generators you like to use? Share them in the comments below!

The Hunger Games Movie Moments...The Silver Parachute Charms

As I sat and watched "The Hunger Games" movie for the umpteenth time, I was reminded of my first thought when the silver parachute smoothly sailed to Katniss as she was perched in her tree: those charms sound familiar. Where have I heard them before? It was driving me crazy trying to remember.

And then it came to me: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood! Yes, the Neighborhood Trolley. I watched that show on PBS as I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s and my favorite part of each episode was always the trolley's journey into the Neighborhood of Make Believe. I couldn't get enough of the little puppet characters like X the owl and Daniel the tiger.

Watch an episode here. At about 10:36 you'll get to see (and hear) our little trolley friend take his journey. Now, tell me, does that sound a little like the silver parachute?

I remember how much joy watching the trolley brought into my life, and realize that the tributes in the Games obviously feel the same way when a silver parachute comes their way. [SPOILER ALERT] Which is why the use of the parachutes in the end of Mockingjay is all the more horrifying and twisted. And exactly why I could never be a "Team Gale" or a "Team Beetee" person. People who think of these awful ways to kill others are not the type of people I could be around. I know that may offend people in the military, but I would much rather see that creativity be put to use in a positive, constructive way--like thinking of ways to cure ailments or reduce our carbon footprints. If all our military efforts were redirected toward environmental concerns or medical treatments, imagine the possibilities.

But, maybe that is why the silver parachutes remind me of the Neighborhood Trolley: the "joy" is just a farce, not truly real. It's a make-believe reassurance. The tributes may feel especially grateful when they receive one, but it is only prolonging their ultimate deaths. And being able to eliminate the need for a military is just a fantasy. We will always have to defend ourselves from the evils of the world.

At some point, though, we need to realize--as Katniss finally does--that our own efforts could be the evil we are so desperately trying to combat.

Ultimate Middle Years Giveaway and Blog Hop

Welcome to the "Ultimate Middle Years Giveaway and Blog Hop"! 

Thanks for hopping over to Hunger Games Lessons! This event is being sponsored by two amazing middle school teaching blogs, Lessons from the Middle and Innovative Connections. Please go to one of their blogs to enter the giveaway and begin your blog hop.

Here are the specific details you might be interested in:
• The event is scheduled for August 25th - 27th.
• The giveaway has over $300 in prizes which will be broken up into three separate prize packages for three lucky winners.
• Everyone is winner! All entrants who complete the blog hop challenge will be emailed an amazing assortment of free teaching materials to be used in their classrooms.
• You can enter the contest and begin the blog hop by starting at either of the two blogs listed above: Innovative Connections and Lessons from the Middle
• One of the prizes is a $20 shopping spree from my store!

About my blog: Perhaps you've heard of the popular The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins? ;) I offer engaging lessons to harness that enthusiasm for the popular series in the classroom.

 I'd also like to introduce you to the next blog and blogger on the hop:

Meet Michelle Lundy from "Making It As A Middle School Teacher"!

"At Making It As A Middle School Teacher {and smiling about it at the end of the day}, you will find lessons and tasks for teaching math, science, and social studies, as well as ideas for all the other 'stuff' we have to handle on a daily basis.  Along the way, I'll also share ways to stay organized and motivated so you can not only Make It, but have a smile on your face at the end of the day!"

You can find loads of great teaching resources in Michelle's TpT store:

Making It Teacher Store

Thank you so much for stopping by on the Ultimate Middle Years Giveaway and Blog Hop! Send some love to all the blogs participating and to our great hosts, Ann from Innovative Connections and Krystal from Lessons from the Middle!

The Latest Pinteresting Pins

Here are my favorite Pinterest Pins this week. And, YES, we do have a Finnick Odair cast for Catching Fire! Am I happy about it? Well, I'm not sure. I've never seen Sam Claflin act in anything, so I don't feel I can judge him solely by his looks. If I were, I would say he doesn't look at all how I pictured Finnick. But I must trust Lionsgate, so I am going to stay neutral and hope for the best!

You can find all of these pins on my Hunger Games board. 

The links to the original pins are there, as well:

www.CatchingFireCasting.com

Some Hunger Games humor that made me laugh out loud this week. These are also found on my Hunger Games board:

And these I love...just because. They can be found on my Humor board:

As you can probably tell from my short posts lately, I am back in school! I promise once things get settled down I'll be writing more regularly. And make sure you check back this weekend for something EXTRA SPECIAL. ;)

Also, I have a fun post about elementary teachers vs. secondary teachers when it comes to getting ready for the first day of school on my Mrs. Orman's Classroom blog that I will complete later tonight. Enjoy!
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Celebrate The Hunger Games Movie DVD/BluRay Release With Freebies and a Giveaway

HAPPY HUNGER GAMES!

*THANK YOU ALL WHO ENTERED MY GIVEAWAY* 
It is now closed and the VICTOR is... Pamela M.!
Congratulations! And thank you all for following & promoting!
Since Rafflecopter made it so easy to enter, I might have to do this more often. :)

Tonight at midnight "The Hunger Games" movie will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD. What I am most excited about is the extra features. Well, I am excited for the movie, of course. But the special features are sure to give teachers additional insight and a glimpse into the world of Panem. My friends in the fandom were able to take a sneak peek before everyone else, so you can read reviews on The Hunger Games Fireside Chat, Welcome to District 12, Victor’s Village, The Hob, HG Movie Site, Mockingjay.net, and Down with the Capitol.

The Hunger Games Novel Vs. Movie

I firmly believe in waiting to show the movie until after students have read the book and taken a final exam (if you plan to give them one). There are always differences between the movie and novel, so it will alleviate any confusion when they take the test. Also, it prevents students from using the movie in place of reading the novel.

To celebrate the release of the movie, I will be giving away a copy of The Hunger Games Book vs. Movie pack and a copy of The Hunger Games on DVD. Using my Hunger Games Book vs. Movie pack will give you plenty of engaging lessons to use with the movie. In addition, I will update it to include handouts for the extra features after I view them. To enter the giveaway, scroll down and fill out the online form from RaffleCopter.

I thought I would enlist the help of my fellow teacher-friends to offer you links to loads of Hunger Games freebies! We know how much teachers love freebies (because we love them ourselves!).

So check out all these great lessons that will make teaching The Hunger Games an even better experience:

From my store:

The Hunger Games Setting: District 12 Movie Comparison
The Hunger Games Poetry & Art Connections

w/Margaret Whisnant:

Images from District 12: Using The Hunger Games to Teach Tone & Mood

From Secondary Solutions:
The Hunger Games Pre-Reading Ideas and Activities

From Wise Guys:
The Hunger Games iPod Touch Reading Activity

From Arik Dufee:
The Ideal Hunger Games Movie - Group Activity

From Ruth S.:
100 Points Book Report

From Madame Aiello:
Hunger Games Tribute Comparison 
From Poetgrl78:
The Hunger Games Prediction Chart

From Rachel Lynette:
The Hunger Games Would You Rather Questions

Enter for the giveaway here:

You must be at least 18 to enter. Educators and education majors only, please.
a Rafflecopter giveaway