Hunger Games Trilogy Teaching Unit CDs

Digital Download vs. Shipped CD
Many teachers ask me the difference between purchasing the digital download teaching unit vs. the shipped CD. The number one difference is the amount of files included. The digital downloads have a limit of 25MB, the CDs have a limit of 700MB; therefore, I am able to include a lot more on the CDs.

• For starters, the CDs include most of the files in three formats: PDF, Microsoft Word, and Pages (Mac's word processing).
• I can also include the slideshow review games in both Powerpoint, PDF, and Keynote.
• Plus, the CDs include visual aide slideshows in Powerpoint, PDF, Keynote, and Quicktime movie (.mov) formats.
• I can include many extra files (such as images relating to the novel), as well.

You will still get all the essential files (such as tests, check questions, vocabulary) in both the digital download and CD. Below is a chart that gives an example of  The Hunger Games digital download vs. The Hunger Games Shipped CD  for content. Click on each image to blow up. 

Hunger Games Trilogy Classroom Printable

Download (or copy) this printable mini-poster for your classroom/bulletin board while reading The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay. For the full size, click on it to expand in a new window.

HungerGamesTrilogy.com was one of the very first sites I turned to in 2009 after I read The Hunger Games; at the time, there was very little information and the fan groups were small. It has since grown and continues to be a valuable resource for information about the upcoming movie and a place for students to interact with other fans.  And I'm proud to say I'm also an affiliate of the site. :)

Gary Ross Discusses New Hunger Games Movie & Rating

In an exclusive Entertainment Weekly interview, director Gary Ross revealed that the new Hunger Games movie will be rated PG-13, rather than R because an R rating would exclude too many of its loyal fans.

I have never thought that the violence (in the first novel, at least) was ever R-rated material. Most of it is alluded to or shared through Katniss's narrative, rather than shown first-hand. And unlike so many other teen movies, THG won't have the language or sex. I agree that too many kids would be crushed if they couldn't see it.

What do you think?
Read the entire article here:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/01/07/hunger-games-gary-ross-rating-twilight/

Using the Facebook Concept for a Modern Character Sketch and Chapter Summaries

Using Facebook to Make Connections with Characters

If you want your secondary students to relate to a character from the novel you're teaching, try using a format you know they're familiar with: Facebook.

Facebook has never been more popular; it surpassed Google as the most visited website for 2010 (source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/30/AR2010123004625.html). Even if your students don't have a Facebook, almost all of them know what the site looks like and are familiar with it. My 12-year old insists he's the only kid in his class without one...of course, I know that's not true, but it is getting harder to deny the appeal the site has on teens. (Heck, I love the site!)

So it only makes sense to harness this appeal into a fun, educational lesson with your students. If they have to create a mock Facebook profile, wall, and news feed for a character in the novel, imagine how much learning will take place: not only do they have to know the physical description of the character, but they'll have to figure out what the character likes, what he/she hates, what they have said and done in the novel so far, and why they said and/or did it.  What motivated them? Those are higher-level critical thinking skills. Then they have to look at other characters, because even if someone isn't liked, they still have Facebook friends. So who would this character be friends with on Facebook? What kinds of things would those "friends" write on his/her wall?

Examples of Life Lessons - Great Way to Start 2011

Happy 2011!    
See below for a May 24th Update for the Blog Hop "Linky Party" started by Karla from Life in Special Ed...


It's a new year, and at my school, it's a new semester, which means a fresh start. This is always a good time to get to know your new  students and find out even more interesting things about the students you've had for the past semester.  Kids--no matter what their age--are very revealing when I use my life lessons activity with them. So today I learned that some students had some mishaps with motorized vehicles over break, some were very angry that their family members (mostly dad, by the way) ate their Christmas candy, and it seems there was an incident with some of the boys streaking...  Some things I just don't even ask because I don't want to know!

New Mockingjay Materials Uploaded

I've uploaded several new Mockingjay files this past week, including my complete teaching unit today: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Novel-Teaching-Unit-Tests-Questions-Projects-Vocab

I will also be offering a 3-pack of CDs: buy the entire Hunger Games Trilogy teaching unit for a discounted price. The Mockingjay CDs will probably be ready to send out later this week. I am adding a presentation to the files, which has taken me a little longer to create.

Here are the links to some of my newest materials:

Digital Download:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Novel-Teaching-Unit-Tests-Questions-Projects-Vocab 

Mockingjay Unit on CD:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Teaching-Unit-On-CD-with-Bonus-Lessons-Presentations


All Three Units on CD: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Teaching-Units-3-CDs-plus-Bonus-Lessons

Chapter Questions:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Chapters-1-27-Questions-Handouts-Teachers-Guide

Parts I, II, and Final Tests:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Part-I-Test-Study-Guide-with-Key
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Part-II-Test-with-Bonus-Activities
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Final-Exam-and-Study-Guide

Character Identification Review Activity:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mockingjay-Character-Identification-Review-Hunger-Games-Trilogy

After Christmas Sale on Teachers Pay Teachers

Use Promo code C2N5Y to get 15% off on everything through Jan. 2nd, 2011 on teacherspayteachers.com

In addition to the site's sale, I'm having a special on my shipped goods!

To thank all of you for being excellent customers throughout the year, from December 26th through January 2nd buy any CD or bookmark (any shipped product) and receive a FREE bookmark and Bonus Lessons CD! You can find my shipped goods here: hard goods or go directly to my TeachersPayTeachers store.  

The bonus lessons CD contains numerous graphic organizers, writing prompts, reading assessments, and more. 

Thanks, again, and have a Happy New Year!

Live & Learn and Pass It On... Life Lessons of the Characters from The Hunger Games

The rainbow after the storm. Erie, IL Photo by T. Orman

Throughout the school year I like to share "life lessons" from former students and excerpts from H. Jackson Brown Jr.'s book Live & Learn and Pass It On.  If you've never read the book, chances are you may have received an email with a few of the "lessons" people (ages 5 to 95) have shared.  Some examples are:

"I've learned that being a teenager is as hard on your parents as it is on you." -Age 13
"I've learned that you should be careful when sitting down in a chair that has rollers." -Age 72
"I've learned as a sixth grade teacher that when I send more than two boys to the restroom at a time, the principal usually ends up bringing them back." -Age 34
"I've learned that I shouldn't inhale through my nose when I'm eating a powdered doughnut." -Age 51
"I've learned that you don't really know a person until you've made them mad." -Age 22
"I've learned that the more you're in a hurry, the longer it takes to get your locker open." -Age 13
"I've learned that when my older sister says she'll be out of the bathroom in five minutes, I should just sit down and

Teachers Pay Teachers New Link

Somehow my teacherspayteachers link was changed, so I'm posting a new link here:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tracee-Orman

Make sure to bookmark it so you can quickly find all my FREE lessons & activities, as well as all my Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay resources!

Use my Hunger Games Powerpoint to introduce the novel and provide visual aides as you read!  It can be purchased separately on a CD or on the bundle of lessons on my Hunger Games Teaching Unit CD.

Mockingjay Makes the List: "Otherworldly: The Year's Most Transporting Books"

"If we burn, you burn with us" By Feral-Neko, deviantart.com

 

NPR (National Public Radio) lists Mockingjay as one of the year's most "transporting" books.  The authors of the six books on the list were able to create other worlds or "alternative realities" in which the readers never wanted to leave.  They praise the authors for using simple, clear language to lure the reader into the story without "tedious exposition."

Congratualtions, once again, Suzanne Collins, for more props for your Hunger Games trilogy!

Read the entire article here:
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/13/131905654/otherworldly----the-year-s-most-transporting-books

Artwork shown can be found on deviantart.com here: http://fav.me/d2yzzx2

Let the Awards Keep Rolling in for Mockingjay...

What a year it has been for author Suzanne Collins! Here are some of her recent accomplishments and awards for Mockingjay, the third and final book of the Hunger Games series:

Notable Children's Books of 2010
for Mockingjay

Best books of 2010: children's books - "Mockingjay," by Suzanne Collins - CSMonitor.com

LA Times Holiday Gift-Giving Guide

Suzanne Collins Makes EW's Top 15 Entertainers of the Year 2010

Image credit: Todd Plitt/Contour by Getty Images

Kudos to Entertainment Weekly (EW) for recognizing Suzanne Collins as one of the Top 15 Entertainers of the Year for 2010. (Number 13, to be exact.)  It's great to see that they recognize the power of her Hunger Games trilogy; of course Stephen King was the one who introduced us all to Katniss's world in his EW book review back in 2008.

It's a well-deserved honor, so congratulations, Suzanne Collins!