Terry Bisson’s story, They’re Made Out of Meat, is a perfect way to put inferring into practice.  After reading the story aloud, students are asked to draw what it was about. Having been introduced to Inferencing through the prior slide deck, students will now have an opportunity to put those skills into practice, while providing … Continue reading 1.07 – Made out of Meat – Short Story Visualizing and Inferring (English Lesson)

This slide deck introduces students to the literacy skill, Inferring. It is designed to be moved through slowly, scaffolding an understanding of Inferring for students who are completely unfamiliar with the term or concept, while also strengthening the implementation of the literacy skill for those who already have a solid foundation. 1.06 - Inferring: Slide … Continue reading 1.06 – Inferring: Slide Deck (English Lesson)

The Drawbridge Character Monologue assignment builds upon the now-familiar text that was explored in 1.04 - The Drawbridge: PEE Paragraphs, asking students to consider the world of the text beyond the written page. Created by Katherine Pearce, the lesson invites students to choose a character, consider why they made the choices they did, and then … Continue reading 1.05 – The Drawbridge: Character Monologues (English Lesson)

The Drawbridge PEE Paragraph activity brings together all of the learning that has taken place so far.  The beginning of the lesson should be run in a similar fashion to Alligator River.  However, the main difference now is that students are ranking characters, not from best to worst, but from most to least responsible for … Continue reading 1.04: The Drawbridge: PEE Paragraphs (English Lesson)

Embedding Quotations is a necessary skill that students will use throughout their years in secondary and post-secondary education. This slide deck introduces the idea of Point, Evidence, Evaluation (PEE) paragraphs, building from a common-interest area of which video game system is best. Students are encouraged to answer this question before moving on, and then write … Continue reading 1.03: Embedding Quotations: Slide Deck (English Lesson)

Alligator River is a short story that will have your class yelling at each other, screaming at each other, becoming enraged at each other. And that's fantastic, productive learning. This story is about five characters caught up in a story that brings so many different assumptions to the forefront. It's a perfect way to address … Continue reading 1.02: Alligator River (English Lesson)

The Nametag project begins the school year with students creating a piece that visually represents who they are and presents the challenge for them to speak to the entire class.This assignment creates an opportunity for students to introduce themselves to each other, while also offering opportunities for creative expression and personal connections. It is a … Continue reading 1.01: The Nametag Project (English Lesson)