New Unit for "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

I realize I've been talking a lot about Patrick Ness' novel The Knife of Never Letting Go lately. (You can read my gushing for it on my other blog HERE.) But, it's a book worthy of the praise and multiple mentions!

Last year I started teaching the novel with a small group of seniors. We already read the entire Hunger Games trilogy when they were sophomores, so I was in need of another good book for those reluctant readers. This year I teach almost all the seniors and decided to use it again. I was a little nervous, wondering if the girls in my classes would like it as well as the boys (I only had one girl in class last year). But I found out that the girls liked it just as much as the boys. I have a waiting list of students wanting to check out my classroom copies of The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men, the other two books in the Chaos Walking trilogy.

If having a lack of materials keeps you from using this novel in your classroom, I've recently uploaded several and there are others out there, as well. Candlewick Press has a page with links and resources. (Let me say that the audio version is phenomenal!)


This year I opened up with this anticipatory activity, in which students record their thoughts in a thought bubble. Then, I had students read their thoughts aloud. In small groups they recorded their thoughts using Quicktime, though some students used online tools like Voki. The class came together and everyone played their thought recordings at once. They agreed that it sounded like a noisy cafeteria, barely being able to pick out individual thoughts. I asked them what they thought it would be like to always hear this noise? This led into our discussion about the "Noise" in The Knife of Never Letting Go and the challenges we would have with others if people could constantly hear what we were thinking.
You can listen to their final recording here:


You can download the anticipatory activity free from my teacher store, here:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Knife-of-Never-Letting-Go-Anticipatory-Activity

You can also check out my other lessons, which are aligned with the 11-12 Common Core State Standards.

Three-Finger Salute to Our Veterans

Today I'd like to take a moment to thank all those who serve their country. Though it is Veterans Day in America, I think the men and women around the world who risk their lives for complete strangers should be saluted, as well.

And fictional characters are no exception. Why should they be saluted? Because they inspire generations of readers to respect and admire those who serve others. Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, Boggs...just a few who were willing to take a bullet for the citizens of Panem.

As you celebrate Veterans Day in your classroom, take a moment to ask your students which literary characters they admire for their service to others and why?

Hunger Games Director Gary Ross on his first children's book

This is an exclusive story by Entertainment Weekly about Gary Ross and his new children's book Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind. Interestingly, Ross was inspired by another favorite children's book, the Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. You can read the story on EW.com HERE or continue on...

Director Gary Ross on his first children's book, and why he hasn't had a moment's regret after walking away from the 'Hunger Games' franchise- EXCLUSIVE

Back when Gary Ross’ twin son and daughter were just a year old The Hunger Games writer/director got a frantic call from a friend. David Koepp was shooting his first movie, 1996′s The Trigger Effect, and needed a bedtime story for Elisabeth Shue to read to her son in a scene. Could Ross come up with something on the fly? So Ross dashed out some verses about a boy named Bartholomew Biddle who flies out of his window using his bedsheet as a kite, surfing currents of air in search of wild adventure. Then Ross set Bartholomew aside for years, though the boy never really left his heart. It was while on the set of 2008′s Tale of Despereaux, the adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s charming tale of a misfit mouse which Ross wrote the screenplay for, that he showed those early pages to DiCamillo’s publisher Karen Lotz. She too fell hard for Bartholomew’s curiosity and verve and offered Ross a book deal.

The tale of Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind has since bloomed into a 30,000-word epic told in verse, full of heart and fun and surprising poignancy, which Candlewick Press will publish next week. Ross wrote the bulk of the book in the year before he dove deep into The Hunger Games. 

“There were days it was the easiest thing in the world, like eating dessert,” he says. “And then days when it was brutally difficult. I was a real purist in the beginning. ‘I will never look at a rhyming dictionary. If a word doesn’t come to you organically it’s not appropriate.’ And then by the end the rhyming dictionary was on my bookmarks bar.”

There’s something touching, Ross thinks, about now getting to share such a personal project whose gestation has spanned his now 17-year-old children’s entire lives. “Especially after Hunger Games it’s nice sending this thing out into the world and seeing what comes back,” says Ross. (And so far what’s come back includes a starred Kirkus Reviews rave and an Amazon Book-of-the-Month pick.) As for The Hunger Games, Ross insists he’s never second-guessed his ultimate decision to walk away from the franchise after co-writing and helming the phenomenally well-received first installment. "I didn’t feel that I would have the time for the way that I work to do the movie justice,” he says. “I wear two hats. I don’t wear one hat. When you write and you direct that’s a linear process, it’s not a simultaneous process. I would’ve had to have written a script and prepped the whole movie in four months and on the first movie that’s a process that took me eight months. And I thought [Catching Fire] was a more difficult adaptation, not an easier one. I didn’t really feel I had the time I needed to live up to my own standards. And I haven’t had a moment’s regret. It was absolutely the right decision and I’m thrilled about new challenges.” (Ross’ next movie will be Peter and the Starcatchers, a reimagining of the Peter Pan fable that he’ll direct for Disney.)

In the meantime EW challenged Ross, a former Los Angeles library commissioner whose mandate included expanding children’s and teen services, to narrow down his own favorite children’s books—culled from his memories both as a boy with a flashlight under the covers and as a parent reading to his kids. Ross’ list of most treasured reads will make you want to call in sick tomorrow and spend the day on the sofa covered in books. And then read them all over again with your kids when they get home from school.

Link to story: http://family-room.ew.com/2012/11/08/hunger-games-director-gary-ross-childrens-bartholomew-bartholomew-biddle/

Teachers Help Teachers in Sandy's Aftermath

Our heart goes out to all those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy last week. A group of teachers has joined together to gather teaching materials for those schools who have lost everything.

If you are a teacher, please consider joining by donating a digital resource that will be distributed to administrators to pass along to their teachers. You can fill out the form HERE.

Special thanks to Laurah Jurca of The ESOL Odyssey blog for organizing this special fundraiser. Please pass it on by pinning, tweeting, blogging, posting on Facebook, and so on! Thank you!

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

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

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444728517/

The Chariots via www.thehob.org

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444701023/

Halloween:

Free Download: Truly Evil President Snow-Created Word Search

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444744448/

President Snow Evil Word Search & Pumpkin Carving Template

Hunger Games Pumpkin Carving Stencils

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444599483/

Halloween Costume Ideas:

Katniss & Peeta's Son

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444466826/

Hunger Games Arrows & Quiver

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444742561/

An Array of Links for Katniss Everdeen Costumes 

via http://www.squidoo.com/hunger-games-costumes-katniss

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444742556/

"Priceless"

From www.traceeorman.com

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444743673/

"Meme Guys"

From www.traceeorman.com

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444743661/

"50 Shades of Grey"

From www.traceeorman.com

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444743669/

Miscellaneous:

My 5 seconds of fame in NEA Today's Fall 2012 magazine:

http://www.nea.org/tools/tips/pinning-grammar-and-mechanics.html 

Link to: My Grammar Errors Board
http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444745004/

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

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444599717/

New Product: To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions Handouts

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444644574/

New product: Expository News Writing Presentation & Handouts

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444666029/

Just For Laughs...

Oh, Scout...

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444001522/

My dog has chewed a student's paper before...

This can go on my Grammar Errors board, too: Did you notice the misspelling?
http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444707845/

Reading can save your life.

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444705386/

Animals and "Ermahgerd" = Laughter

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444600109/

Dorothy and Toto Pun

http://pinterest.com/pin/175570085444648918/

Have a great week, my friends!

Introducing the The Hunger Games with The Lottery

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.

To 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)

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 Unit

Hunger Games Inspired Digital Paper and 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:

Make cards or invitations.

Use the backgrounds to create a digital scrapbook.

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.

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

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.

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!