What's Your District?

From www.TheCapitol.pn - Each District and its Industry

Observant fans of The Hunger Games noticed a strange hashtag on the Lionsgate® credits page after the teaser for "The Hunger Games" movie was aired. It said #whatsmydistrict. After further examination, they realized it was connected to the new website TheCapitol.pn.

When I checked out the site, I got a strange message to identify myself. It connected to my Twitter account and tweeted the message: “The Capitol knows who I am. Identify yourself immediately: http://thecapitol.pn #whatsmydistrict”. The background image, which was garbled and pixelated, moved, as though it was trying to come into focus. As it moved, the sound coming from my computer was a succession of short eerie screeches.

Each day the site has become more clear, now showing off the Capitol seal, and today it went completely live. I registered and was placed in District 7. I am waiting to claim my District 7 Citizen Identification Card (the process can be expedited by connecting with your Twitter and Facebook accounts).

What I am MOST excited about is the new information the site reveals. It shows each of the districts' industries (finally! See picture, above) and how much tesserae is claimed by each district (below). District 12 has the most, and since we know it is also the smallest, it confirms that it is the poorest district, as well.

I can't wait to look at my map of Panem and update it with the new information. (If only it was still summer and there was more time in the day to dig deeper this website and their Twitter and Facebook accounts!) There's also a scrolling message board that announces the weather as chilly (wear a coat), condolences to District 12 families for mine explosion (and urging citizens to donate to the cause) and a teaser about Caesar Flickerman's hair color.

I'm excited they are giving the fans something to not only discuss, but occupy our time as we eagerly await the movie premiere! Will you have your students register? I will have mine (it seems you still can register even if you do not have  Facebook or Twitter).

So what district have YOU been placed in? Comment below after you are "identified."  http://thecapitol.pn

The amount of tesserae claimed by each District. Since District 12 is the smallest in population (about 8,000 people) it obviously has the most citizens living in poverty. What else do you think these numbers reveal? Theories?

The images are screenshots from TheCapitol.pn and as stated on their site: "Pursuant to Panem Law, Materials Appearing on This Site Are Government Owned and Protected." 

FRAUD Alert: Beware of Suspicious Email from Global Teacher Exchange

If you received an email from a company called "Global Teacher Exchange" claiming to have a new site to sell materials for teachers and advertising a Hunger Games Unit that sounds like mine, I want you to know it is NOT mine--it is actually stolen from another teacher.

This person has been trying to sell other teacher's materials under the names "EnglishUnitPlans.com", "TheHungerGamesUnitPlan.com" and "TeachingCompanion.com" while using the pseudonyms "Susan Anderson," "Dan Anderson"and most recently "Jennifer Matthews."

This person/company is a known fraud and continues to pop up all over the internet selling their ripped-off lesson plans. Please know that I am in NO WAY affiliated with this person and this is NOT my Hunger Games unit.

I ONLY sell on TeachersPayTeachers and I always use my real name (Tracee Orman). You can actually look me up & look up my credentials. Ask "Jennifer" or "Susan" or "Dan" if they can do the same. (I already know you can't because I've tried. I've only found that one identity is from a deceased teacher, which tells me that this person selling these units under that name is both sick and ruthless.)

Spread the word to your teacher friends so they do not support this scam artist!

Finally...an Official Hunger Games Movie Trailer!

So, it was more of a teaser than a trailer, but...

MTV aired the first glimpse of The Hunger Games tonight at the Video Music Awards. Though I was hoping for a peek at Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and wanted to see Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), we do get to see Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) in action with Gale's (Liam Hemsworth) voice giving her advice. And the flaming mockingjay pin is just ever so cool every time I see it. Take a peek yourself by clicking  HERE.

So, what do you think? Does it make you even more anxious and excited for the movie? Will you be able to wait until March 23rd?

And did you catch Rue's four-note call at the very end? You can download it FREE here. I only wish they repeated the four notes. Like the video, it's just not enough! ;)

Lionsgate HD Version
One fan's reaction to Trailer LIVE at VMAs

Congrats to the Winner in The OC Blog Giveaway!

Congratulations, Karen!

Congratulations to Karen K., who won my Hunger Games Trilogy Teaching Unit 3-pack with bookmarks & pencils!

And thank you ALL who entered The Organized Classroom Blog Giveaway! This just shows that Suzanne Collins has created a very powerful novel series with numerous teaching opportunities.And a big thanks to Charity Preston for putting this all together!

If you missed the opportunity to enter the giveaway, or was one of the 294 who did not win, to show my appreciation I'm going to have my Hunger Games Trilogy Writing Prompt activity listed as FREE for 24 hours.

No matter which novel in the series you are teaching, this expository writing compare and contrast prompt will challenge your students to make connections to events and people in real life to Katniss's world. It's an excellent way to connect history with the novels. To focus on the theme of killing people to show one's power, I have my students connect The Hunger Games trilogy with events such as the Holocaust and lynching in America. Because we read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, as well, these two connections in history show students that it was not that long ago in our own history that we allowed this to happen. No, we didn't make the victims compete on reality TV, but many deaths were photographed and used for propaganda purposes.

The download includes the writing prompt, a graphic organizer, and a teacher's guide. It is also aligned with the Common Core Standards, with each standard listed in the teacher's notes.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Writing Prompt activity will be listed free from noon 8/27/11 to noon 8/28/11. It is normally listed for $1.75 on www.teacherspayteachers.com.  Please rate the activity if you are happy with the product. Thanks for your support!

Fabulous Free Downloads in this Free-For-All!

Today is the official launch of The Lesson Cloud, so head on over there to find oodles of free downloads for teachers! Whatever you teach, it'll be represented. Plus, the lessons will be archived so you can always go back and find them. Support your fellow teachers today & don't forget to comment or leave feedback for them! :)

And don't forget to sign up to try to win my three CDs of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay teaching units on The Organized Classroom Blog! The entry form ends at midnight Friday. There are plenty of other prizes there, as well. Check them out after you get your freebies from The Lesson Cloud!

EXCLUSIVE: 'The Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins to be featured in new comic

http://www.examiner.com/the-hunger-games-in-national/exclusive-the-hunger-games-author-suzanne-collins-to-be-featured-new-comic-1

EXCLUSIVE: 'The Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins to be featured in new comic

As announced on tonight's Hunger Games Fireside Chat...Your favorite author will be the feature in a comic book style biography.

The 900 section of the library will be getting a great facelift with a comic-style biography of Suzanne Collins written by Sara Gundell from The Hunger Games Examiner. I think this is a perfect way to add a little spark to the biography section, which always seemed to bore me just a little. I cannot wait to get this (pre-ordered on Amazon already!) and learn more about The Hunger Games author. How about you?

Here's a lesson idea: Have your students create a mini comic biography of an author or poet you have studied. Don't teach English? How about a comic-bio of a famous figure in history, scientist, politician, or athlete? Your students can use Comic Life or other comic-book creators online, or do it the old fashioned way with paper. Click here for FREE templates you can save and print.

Win Hunger Games Trilogy Teaching Units!

  Would you like a chance to win all three of my Hunger Games Trilogy teaching units on CD?

  If so, head on over to Charity Preston's Organized Classroom Blog! She is giving away loads of prizes, including my 3-pack of Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay CDs. It's part of her Back to School 2011 promotion, and you do not want to miss it. She is giving away over $2,300 in prizes from various teachers, educational websites/companies, and more.

 My 3-pack includes all three CDs (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay complete teaching units) in a nice 3-pack DVD case, pencils for all three books, bookmarks for all three books, AND a bonus CD with loads of free lessons from various TpT teachers. It's already a deal at $59.99, but if you check out The Organized Classroom Blog, it could be yours free!

Check Out Katniss!

You must check out Ariel's post "Katniss Goes Camping" on her Nerdy, Wordy, and Almost Thirty blog. She dressed up as Katniss in the first moments of the arena. Down to the braid and orange back-pack, she has hit all the details Suzanne Collins includes in the book. Great pics, Ariel!

The Best of TeachersPayTeachers

Check out Victoria Leon's "The Best of TeachersPayTeachers" to access hundreds of great lessons each day! She separates the FREE resources by content area, and keeps her posts active so you can always go back to previous lessons to find the download link. Thanks for providing such a great resource for teachers, Victoria!

Cloudy With a Chance of...Greatness

When has cloudy been good? When it's The Lesson Cloud, of course!
The Lessons Cloud is a new place for teachers to go for resources, support, excellent tips, and so much more! It's made up of 100 educators, representing all levels of instruction and all content areas, who bring you the latest ideas, links, freebies, giveaways, and resources. Check it out & make sure to follow them!

Mockingjay Paperbacks Available at Scholastic

I went into school this week and was excited to see my Teen RC (Reader's Club) and TAB Scholastic book order forms waiting for me in my mailbox. As I browsed through them, of course the Mockingjay book cover caught my eye. Scholastic has released the third novel in the Hunger Games series in paperback and is also offering a 6-pack for teachers.

Thanks, Scholastic! It makes it so much more affordable to teach this novel. They also have a 3-pack trilogy set in paperback that comes with a free Mockingjay pin. I think I am going to have lots of orders this fall when my students see this! :)

You can request class order forms from Scholastic (I teach high school & get the TAB and Teen RC forms). Mention that I referred you (if you are new to book clubs) & we both get 250 extra bonus points! I used up my bonus points last year to get over 20 (maybe even 30) new books for my classroom.

If you need teaching materials, I offer a Mockingjay unit in my store.

Friday Freebies

Check out Vintage Teacher's Friday Freebies - this week she is posting ten back-to-school free downloads for teachers! Thanks for posting, these!