Category Archives: Fun Projects

Useful End of the Year Activities

Posted on April 29, 2017 by msdickson

The end of the year can bring special challenges.  Students are wearing down, distracted by summer, or pulled away by testing or other special events.  Seniors may get out early, which can disrupt any class with a senior.  It may … Continue reading →

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Skip the Book Report! Analyze and Create Instead!

Posted on February 26, 2017 by msdickson

After finishing a novel reading, whether whole group or individual, it’s great to have an activity to wrap up.  While book reports and other retelling projects, are a common choice, especially when dealing with multiple or student selected books, they … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Fun Projects, Secondary Education, Secondary Writing, Teaching, Teaching Ideas | 1 Comment

5 Ways to Survive the Days Before Thanksgiving Break (And Still Engage in Learning)

Posted on November 5, 2016 by msdickson

Maybe you’ve managed to keep the momentum of learning and engagement up to this point.  You may have even survived Halloween— perhaps with some timely creepy stories.  But now, it’s November.  And there are breaks around the corner, tempting students … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun Projects, Holidays, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Activities for Teaching “The Monkey’s Paw.”

Posted on October 8, 2016 by msdickson

This short story about wishes-gone-wrong is a fun creepy story for Halloween.  It can also work well as a study of wishes at any time of the year! Here are some activities for engaging and examining the story: Write a … Continue reading →

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Activities for Teaching The Raven

Posted on September 26, 2016 by msdickson

What a fun poem of darkness and madness.  Maybe those should go together, but I do find this tale of a midnight dreary has high engagement, in spite of the length and language.  There are a lot of activities to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun Projects, Holidays, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Activities for Teaching “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (Now part of a Secondary ELA Seasonal Blog Hop!)

Posted on September 22, 2016 by msdickson

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a ghostly story that commonly shows up in classrooms around Halloween.  There are a lot of ways to work with the text in the classroom.  It’s possible to stretch this story over a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun Projects, Holidays, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Stories with Dreams

Posted on September 13, 2016 by msdickson

One way to encourage students to think deeper is to have them make connections across texts.  Building thematic units using unusual pairings based around a shared idea is one way to encourage that thinking.  It also allows opportunities to compare … Continue reading →

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Stories about Science Gone Wrong

Posted on August 22, 2016 by msdickson

As with any theme, it can unify stories that might otherwise not be grouped together.  By pairing less obvious stories, teachers can guide students in examining deeper meaning and comparing texts beyond superficial traits.  This can be a good basis … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun Projects, Short Stories, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

5 Back to School Activities– with an ELA Twist

Posted on July 14, 2016 by msdickson

I enjoy getting to know my students.  But I also feel pressure to make sure all activities are learning something.  My time is limited– and in the alternative classroom, there was little or no homework: assigning it was pointless because … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun Projects, Secondary Education, Teaching, Teaching Ideas, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Winter Reading for the Secondary Classroom

Posted on January 16, 2016 by msdickson

Even secondary students can enjoy themed assignments.  Not the snow-flake or pumpkin adorned worksheets of primary grades, but themed content done age-appropriately.  It’s much easier to read and imagine winter stories when there is snow on the ground, in my … Continue reading →

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