AboutTracy Chatters Expertise I can answer questions related to classroom discipline for middle and high school, student motivation, rewards plans, creating an exciting classroom environment and planning field trips to enhance curriculum.
Experience I am a CA credentialed secondary teacher with 5 years classroom experience. I have designed my own social studies curriculum to include exciting hands-on activities, role-playing and other events that make kids want to learn. I have taken more than 100 students on exciting educational field trips including Washington DC, Ashland OR, and all over California. I currently train new teachers how to create a positive classroom environment.
Organizations CANEC
Education/Credentials CA Secondary Authorization for Social Studies, Spanish and Russian
I teach Juniors and Seniors and I'm about to start reading a new novel and I want to really engage them in the book. I'm wondering how I can introduce a novel in an exciting and new way. Have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
~Gail
Answer How lucky they are to have a teacher who is excited! Some ideas:
Photocopy the cover but take off the writing (you can scan it first if easier or just copy it, black it out and copy again). Give it to the students in groups and ask them to predict the story just based on the cover.
Take the first page only from the story and ask the students to predict the rest of the story from the first page.
Come to school dressed as one of the main characters. Answer no questions about your weird costume except in class. Offer extra credit for other students who come in costume on the last day of the book.
Do a presentation of art (or music if possible) created at the same time as your novel setting. What are the consistent themes of the time period? What themes will run through the book that are the same as in the art or music?
Choose a theme from the novel without telling students it is from the novel. Ask them to write something- a journal entry, free write etc, about how this theme is represented in his/her own life.
Create a scavenger hunt around campus with a prize (I love homework passes or 5 point bonus on the next test). Students will have to find the names of main characters, setting locations etc. First team back wins. Sabotage will be punished harshly. (5 points OFF the next test!)
