Teaching Resources

Giveaway for educators using This is Not a Werewolf Story

September 16, 2016

First 10 to respond!  Are you using TINAWS in your classroom, library, or reading it with your child at home? I have an 11×17 flyer I’d love to send to you. One side has a poster with a quote from the book so that everyone can enjoy Maike Plenzke’s cover, the other has two activities you can use to help them meet writing and math standards.  

back flyer

Each activity will fit on a regular 8.5×11 sheet of paper, or you can make a larger copy of both for them to spread out on their desk....

First 10 to respond!  Are you using TINAWS in your classroom, library, or reading it with your child at home? I have an 11×17 flyer I’d love to send to you. One side has a poster with a quote from the book so that everyone can enjoy Maike Plenzke’s cover, the other has two activities you can use to help them meet writing and math standards.  

back flyer

Each activity will fit on a regular 8.5×11 sheet of paper, or you can make a larger copy of both for them to spread out on their desk....

Save Lolita. A Lesson in Activism for TINAWS Readers

September 2, 2016

A letter writing campaign for readers and students.

Do you remember the story that Ms. Tern tells Raul about the Penn Cove Massacre? I’m sorry to say that that really did happen.  Did you know that one of those captured baby orcas is still alive in captivity today? Her name is Tokitae, although she is known all over the world as Lolita. There are many groups working to help improve Lolita’s living conditions and allow her to retire from performing at the Seaquarium in Miami.

There are numerous sites on the internet where you can learn about Lolita.  Here are a few places to start.

This wikipedia entry gives a brief account of her life 

A recent interview about her...

A letter writing campaign for readers and students.

Do you remember the story that Ms. Tern tells Raul about the Penn Cove Massacre? I’m sorry to say that that really did happen.  Did you know that one of those captured baby orcas is still alive in captivity today? Her name is Tokitae, although she is known all over the world as Lolita. There are many groups working to help improve Lolita’s living conditions and allow her to retire from performing at the Seaquarium in Miami.

There are numerous sites on the internet where you can learn about Lolita.  Here are a few places to start.

This wikipedia entry gives a brief account of her life 

A recent interview about her...

Save Lolita. A Lesson in Activism for TINAWS Readers

September 2, 2016

A letter writing campaign for readers and students.

Do you remember the story that Ms. Tern tells Raul about the Penn Cove Massacre? I’m sorry to say that that really did happen.  Did you know that one of those captured baby orcas is still alive in captivity today? Her name is Tokitae, although she is known all over the world as Lolita. There are many groups working to help improve Lolita’s living conditions and allow her to retire from performing at the Seaquarium in Miami.

There are numerous sites on the internet where you can learn about Lolita.  Here are a few places to start.

This wikipedia entry gives a brief account of her life 

A recent interview about her...

A letter writing campaign for readers and students.

Do you remember the story that Ms. Tern tells Raul about the Penn Cove Massacre? I’m sorry to say that that really did happen.  Did you know that one of those captured baby orcas is still alive in captivity today? Her name is Tokitae, although she is known all over the world as Lolita. There are many groups working to help improve Lolita’s living conditions and allow her to retire from performing at the Seaquarium in Miami.

There are numerous sites on the internet where you can learn about Lolita.  Here are a few places to start.

This wikipedia entry gives a brief account of her life 

A recent interview about her...

Reading Questions and Project Ideas for This is Not a Werewolf Story

August 22, 2016

Questions are windows. Here are a few (well, a lot) to open with your students.

Comprehension Questions and Projects

I will update these prompts periodically—making corrections and adding ideas that come to me or that other educators share with me.

Chapters 1-3 What 3 adjectives describe Raul? Write everyone’s opinion on white poster board. Defend or change your choices. Try to reach a consensus as a class. When you’ve finished the book, find new adjectives to describe Raul. How has he changed? What experiences changed him? Do the same for yourself! Write out a short paragraph describing yourself. Give it to your teacher. At the end of the year, write a new paragraph about yourself.  Compare it to the earlier...

Questions are windows. Here are a few (well, a lot) to open with your students.

Comprehension Questions and Projects

I will update these prompts periodically—making corrections and adding ideas that come to me or that other educators share with me.

Chapters 1-3 What 3 adjectives describe Raul? Write everyone’s opinion on white poster board. Defend or change your choices. Try to reach a consensus as a class. When you’ve finished the book, find new adjectives to describe Raul. How has he changed? What experiences changed him? Do the same for yourself! Write out a short paragraph describing yourself. Give it to your teacher. At the end of the year, write a new paragraph about yourself.  Compare it to the earlier...

Go To The Wall! TINAWS Language Arts Activity

August 18, 2016

GO TO THE WALL!

okay, I just made that name up so I can say that to them and not get fired… You’ve probably played it before.  It’s a 10-15 minute entry task that gets kids moving and talking.  I can’t figure out how to make the model format correctly in wordpress so you will have to click for the pdf TINAWS Go To the wall  If you have more than one group of kids, you can have one class make the riddles/questions for the next. I have a feeling you have a couple of students who would love to tape the index cards to the wall, too.  

 

GO TO THE WALL!

okay, I just made that name up so I can say that to them and not get fired… You’ve probably played it before.  It’s a 10-15 minute entry task that gets kids moving and talking.  I can’t figure out how to make the model format correctly in wordpress so you will have to click for the pdf TINAWS Go To the wall  If you have more than one group of kids, you can have one class make the riddles/questions for the next. I have a feeling you have a couple of students who would love to tape the index cards to the wall, too.  

 

Go To The Wall! TINAWS Language Arts Activity

August 18, 2016

GO TO THE WALL!

okay, I just made that name up so I can say that to them and not get fired… You’ve probably played it before.  It’s a 10-15 minute entry task that gets kids moving and talking.  I can’t figure out how to make the model format correctly in wordpress so you will have to click for the pdf TINAWS Go To the wall  If you have more than one group of kids, you can have one class make the riddles/questions for the next. I have a feeling you have a couple of students who would love to tape the index cards to the wall, too.  

 

GO TO THE WALL!

okay, I just made that name up so I can say that to them and not get fired… You’ve probably played it before.  It’s a 10-15 minute entry task that gets kids moving and talking.  I can’t figure out how to make the model format correctly in wordpress so you will have to click for the pdf TINAWS Go To the wall  If you have more than one group of kids, you can have one class make the riddles/questions for the next. I have a feeling you have a couple of students who would love to tape the index cards to the wall, too.  

 

TINAWS Language Arts Project

August 18, 2016

From the cluttered desk of Dean Swift

Here’s the template for a Newsletter written by the students and teachers of One of Our Kind Boarding School :  TINAWS Newsletter You can use this for inspiration–and have students explore templates of their own–or they can handwrite or type/cut/paste into the available spaces. 

This is such a fun project, and one that might help everyone (especially you) make it through those last grim days before the winter break or that wacky week of half days during conference time.  It’s the ideal group project because every student will be responsible for writing one of the stories independently, but the grading rubric could also take into consideration how the individual parts create...

From the cluttered desk of Dean Swift

Here’s the template for a Newsletter written by the students and teachers of One of Our Kind Boarding School :  TINAWS Newsletter You can use this for inspiration–and have students explore templates of their own–or they can handwrite or type/cut/paste into the available spaces. 

This is such a fun project, and one that might help everyone (especially you) make it through those last grim days before the winter break or that wacky week of half days during conference time.  It’s the ideal group project because every student will be responsible for writing one of the stories independently, but the grading rubric could also take into consideration how the individual parts create...

Teaching from home? Here are some Pre-Reading Questions

August 17, 2016

This is a photo of a sunset at my favorite outdoor place. I would love to see a photo of yours! Here are two ways I’ve used to get students thinking before we read a new book.

Read on or click for the pdf TINAWS Pre-Reading Activities

Spend a few minutes talking about these prompts. a) Choose one or two of the questions from the prompt. If you’ve got a couple of leaders, or kids who will get disruptive if they don’t get the chance to speak, call on them and let them share their opinions first. Use their energy to wake everyone up! b) Then have elbow partners discuss the questions with each other for a few minutes....

This is a photo of a sunset at my favorite outdoor place. I would love to see a photo of yours! Here are two ways I’ve used to get students thinking before we read a new book.

Read on or click for the pdf TINAWS Pre-Reading Activities

Spend a few minutes talking about these prompts. a) Choose one or two of the questions from the prompt. If you’ve got a couple of leaders, or kids who will get disruptive if they don’t get the chance to speak, call on them and let them share their opinions first. Use their energy to wake everyone up! b) Then have elbow partners discuss the questions with each other for a few minutes....

Teaching from home? Here are some Pre-Reading Questions

August 17, 2016

This is a photo of a sunset at my favorite outdoor place. I would love to see a photo of yours! Here are two ways I’ve used to get students thinking before we read a new book.

Read on or click for the pdf TINAWS Pre-Reading Activities

Spend a few minutes talking about these prompts. a) Choose one or two of the questions from the prompt. If you’ve got a couple of leaders, or kids who will get disruptive if they don’t get the chance to speak, call on them and let them share their opinions first. Use their energy to wake everyone up! b) Then have elbow partners discuss the questions with each other for a few minutes....

This is a photo of a sunset at my favorite outdoor place. I would love to see a photo of yours! Here are two ways I’ve used to get students thinking before we read a new book.

Read on or click for the pdf TINAWS Pre-Reading Activities

Spend a few minutes talking about these prompts. a) Choose one or two of the questions from the prompt. If you’ve got a couple of leaders, or kids who will get disruptive if they don’t get the chance to speak, call on them and let them share their opinions first. Use their energy to wake everyone up! b) Then have elbow partners discuss the questions with each other for a few minutes....