Big Challenges
In just the past week, so much has changed about our lives as teachers. Many of you all, like us, have been trying to adjust to what has become our new reality and find a way to engage your students in the learning process with our biggest challenge yet-- not physically being there.
How are we supposed to deliver quality instruction via something that isn’t always reliable or accessible to all students? What can we do that will not require in depth teaching but will still challenge our students? Unfortunately, there is no one answer and no one-fits-all solution.
What can we do?
Well, if we’re being honest, our district hasn’t told us the actual plan yet. We don’t know if there is going to be a one packet for all or if we will be able to choose what instruction we provide. If it is up to us, for the sake of everyone’s sanity, we’ll be doing a novel unit. In order for this to work, the novel would have to be high interest and relevant to their lives. Below are two units on some great high interest novels that our students have loved!
Five teens go into detention. One doesn’t come out. Why? He’s dead. Who killed him? Was he killed because of his app where he writes about everyone’s darkest secrets? Possibly.
This book is really easy for students to get through yet a thought provoking read. In this unit, we have included post-reading stations with QR codes for the material, quizzes for each section (both A and B), activities, STAAR reading questions, revise and editing questions, comma practice, essay prompts, projects, and an ESCAPE ROOM. Will your students survive Simon’s wrath? Best part? The entire book can be found on a pdf online. Next best part? This book is being made into a show! You know the kids will love that!
Check out the cast.
This novel is also a fun read. The novel centers around a teenage Mexican-American boy working on a cruise ship to make money to help his family. He has a major crush on Carmen, a storm comes in causing a tsunami, and there is a disease that has spread back home in the US. Well, a little too relevant there! Nonetheless, students are in for a ride. Not only is this book relevant and timely, it also has diverse characters, which is always a plus. This unit includes pre-reading stations, quizzes (A and B), activities, and essay prompts.
We have taught both of these novels in class, and both have turned a lot of the “I hate reading kids” into some real hypocrites… in a good way. During this scary and uncertain time, if there is anything our company can do to help you, let us know. We are in this together!
As always, you got this, teachers!
