Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I got this idea while subbing at a middle school. The 6th graders were reading Roll of Thunder and their teacher played the role of narrator while assigning speaking roles to students. This works really well for this book! Later, I had the opportunity to use this in a classroom during a long-term subbing position.

Roll of Thunder "actor cards"

Students can either be randomly assigned a speaking role (using what I call their "actor cards") or volunteer for a speaking role. There are 12 chapters so plenty of opportunity for every student to have a chance to "act"! Simply place the "actor card" on the students desk during classroom reading. It helps to keep everything organized as well as keep the student on task!

Unfortunately I do not have these cards available for download, I lost the file :(
I do, however, have the list of chapters each character has a speaking role.

Stacey Logan: all
Papa Logan: 2, 7-12
Little Willie: 4,8
Little Man: all except ch. 5
Melvin Simms: 4, 10, 11
Mrs. Berry: Ch. 4
Sheriff: 11
Mae Turner: 4
Big Ma: all except 1 & 11
Mr. Granger: ch 7 & 8
Mama Logan: all except 5 and 11
Claude Avery: ch. 8
Mr. Barnett: ch. 5
R.W. Simms: ch. 10
Mr. Turner: Ch. 4
Kaleb Wallace: ch 4, 10, 11
Cassie Logan: all
Christopher-John: all except 5
Mr. Jamison: ch. 7,9,11,12
Mr. Grimes: ch. 3
Miss Crocker: ch 1 & 8
Mr. Morrison: 2, 4, 7-10, 12
Uncle Hammer: 6, 7, 10
Thurston Wallace: 11
Mr. Simms: 5, 8
Mr. Lanier: 2 & 9
May Lou: 1
Mrs. Silas Lanier: 2
T.J. Avery: all except 2 and 12
Jeremy Simms: 1,3,5,7-10,12
Mr. Avery: 2,3,9
Lillian Jean: 5,8
Mrs. Avery: 2, 11

I hope that covers everything :)

Reading Incentive Scratch Cards!

Anytime I was given the opportunity to scratch and win, I took it. I do not play the lottery, but I did not hesitate to buy a scratch ticket on my 18th birthday! Scratch and Win is ALWAYS fun and I wanted to bring this into the classroom. I got this idea from pinterest and made it my own.

These are my "Reading Incentive" scratch cards!

Just place contact paper OVER cardstock paper, mix acrylic paint with dishwasher liquid. It will take a few layers of paint to cover the words completely!

I plan to pass out the incentive cards when students are performing beyond expectations such as doing extra enrichment activities, exceeding the reading goals, and always being prepared for reading class.

My prizes range from: Stickers, a Supply Baggie (fun school supplies), Bag of Book Worms (we looove candy!), V.I.P. seating in classroom, extra credit points, a homework pass, and the gift of a free book! Naturally some options have a higher chance of being picked, but the student is a winner every time!

Pizza Pie Plots

I took this idea from a teacher at my old middle school. She is soo creative! I wanted to create an example of this plot pizza to keep in my files. I think this project is fun and will let students' creative juices flow!

There are 8 slices. Slices 1-5 are important plot points. #6 is dedicated to the setting. #7 is the recommendation slice. #8 can be the student's choice! I made a slice showing each family member's special savvy.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Mystery is my favorite genre! I reread this book last year and tried to think of fun ways to present the information in the book. This book has quite a few characters and I remember finding it difficult to keep everyone straight. Making character cards, doing a detective notebook or "sleuth" log, and displaying the clues as we learn them may help bring the story alive!

Character Cards for The Westing Game. The front (shown) is a cartoon-like representation of the character based on the author's description. Realistic Art, unlike my brother, does not come naturally to me. I intend to put additional information on the back of the card for quick reference checks.

I know of a few teachers who use character cards for this novel as a matching game. One card (shown above) is used with the character drawing and name. The other card has character information.Click here for the Character Card 3x5 index card template Be sure to check printer options to print in the correct format.

This is my detective notebook. Small columns used to collect information on the 16 "heirs".

Each column includes: detailed description, occupation, connection to Westing, Partner (in Game), Important Facts, and do you believe he/she is a suspect?
Click here for the Detective Notebook

The "clues" as seen in the novel. I printed each clue on an index card. I plan to post the clues on a bulletin board in the classroom as we collect them!

Duck Tape Boxes for School Supplies

Designer Duck Tape used to cover ugly shoe boxes. I  use these to hold index cards (3x5) for vocabulary words, mysecret stash of highlighters, pens, colored pencils, post-its, and sharpies.

I wear a size 7 so my shoe boxes are fairly small! Last year I placed these boxes on my bookshelves behind my teacher's desk, if the students needed to borrow something they could just grab the box. I felt this way easier to keep track of my supplies than a big rolly container.