Engaging Activities and Projects for Literature

Engaging Activities and Projects for Literature

By Jill Jenkins

            In the old days, teachers used to assign a short story or a number of chapters in a novel and expect everyone to prepare for a discussion, a quiz or a multiple choice test.  It was not a very effective method of teaching literature and as time went on it became less effective. Fewer students completed their reading so discussions became impossible, quiz scores dropped and test scores became abominable. As a result, teachers began developing more creating methods of reaching the reluctant readers and the struggling students.  Some that I have found effective during my forty years of teaching include: The Literary Spreadsheet, the Dice Discussions, The Cartoon Strip Test, the Learning Journals and a creative project. 

The Literary Spreadsheet

            If you are lucky enough to teach in a high-tech schools that has Smart Boards, this is an activity that you can project on the board and through discussion complete it as a class.  If you are lucky enough to have lap top lab or IPad lab, this could be a drag and drop activity, but if you are in low budget school, buy a lot of glue sticks and scissors at your local dollar store and let the students really cut and paste this activity.  Give each student a spreadsheet that looks like this or project it with you are in a high tech school. Better yet, put the chart on the board and put the lists on laminated sentence strips and distribute them to the students. Have the students place them correctly on the chart.

Characters	Role	Name Implies	Quote	Picture
Bill Sikes
Bull's eye
Charlotte
Doctor
Mr. Bumble
Mr. Gamfield
Mr. Sowerberry
Mrs. Mann
Mrs. Sowerberry
Mrs. Thingummy
Nancy
Noah Claypole
Oliver Twist
Oliver’s mother
The Artful Dodger
The Gentleman in the white waistcoat

Have that students select information from each of the following lists and place it in the appropriate place on the chart.

Roles

·         The nurse at Oliver’s birth

·         The doctor at Oliver’s birth

·         The foster mother

·         The Beadle

·         The chimney sweep

·         An official at the workhouse

·         The undertaker

·         The undertaker’s wife

·         The undertaker’s maid

·         The undertaker’s assistant

·         Oliver’s mother

·         Bill Sikes' Girlfriend

·         The house burglar

·         Bill's dog

·         Fagin's pickpocket

Name Implies

·         A thin woman with no teeth

·         All Over Twist

·         Acts like a man

·         He’s a fat bumble bee with a bad sting

·         He plays a bad game

·         He appears to be a sour berry, but he is really a sweet berry.

·         She is a sow

·         She is a Char Woman with ah Harlot hidden inside

·         He brings the flood.  He is the clay of the earth

·         She is a fancy lady with a nanny hidden inside

·         He is psychotic

·         He is the target of Bill's aggression

·         He escapes after picking pockets Quotes ·         “Lor bless her heart, no! when she has lived as long as I have, sir, and had thirteen children of her own, and all of ‘em dead except two, an d them in the wurkus with me, she’ll know better than to take on in that way, bless her dear heart…” ·         “The old story. . . no wedding ring, I see.” ·         “Please, sir, I want some more.” ·         “Why I’m olbliged to keep a little of in the house, to put in the blessed infant’ Daffy when they ain’t well . . .” ·         “Oliver . . .Do you know this here voice, Oliver?... Ain’t you afraid of it, sir?  Ain’t you trembling while I speak? ·         .  He would make a delightful mute, my dear.” ·         “I am nobody: don’t consult me, pray. I don’t want to intrude upon your secrets.” ·         “Oh, you little wretch! Oh, you little un-grate-ful mur-de-rous hor-rid villain!” ·         “Work’us, how’s your mother?” ·         'Let me see the child, and die.' ·         "When such as me, who have no certain roof but the coffin-lid, and no friend in sickness or death but the hospital nurse, set our rotten hearts on any man, and let him fill the place that parents, home, and friends filled once, or that has been a blank through all our wretched lives, who can hope to cure us?" ·         'if you speak a word when you're out o'doors with me, except when I speak to you, that loading will be in your head without notice. So, if you do make up your mind to speak without leave, say your prayers first.' ·         'I suppose you don't even know what a prig is?'

     Obviously you could use this activity with any book and you could select different categories. (Charles Dickens is famous for choosing character names that reveal something about the character.)  Although this activity benefits all students reading any piece of literature, it is especially useful for pieces of literature with a great many characters.  I have used this activity with E.S.L. students, special education students, regular students and honors students and it seems to benefit the understanding of all groups, but especially the struggling students. I have used it as an assessment and as a group activity to help those who are having a difficult time.  It does increase students’ understanding of who the characters are and what role do they play in the story. 

The Dice Discussion

     I originally saw this idea on http://readthinkwrite.org, but now I see it is available through Scholastic Education. If you don’t want to purchase the dice, create dice out of card board and put your students into groups of four.  Each group has two dice.  On each dice you write the following:  I predict, this reminds me of, the reason he did this, this character’s flaw is, and this character’s strength is.  On the second dice list the names of six characters from the story.  Each student rolls the dice and answers the combination of character and verb to the group. 

     Another version of this activity is to give each student a set of dice with 12 questions written on them.  For example, if my students were discussing Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and rolled the dice, the students choose between the two questions he rolled to answer to the group.  If the student rolled: Noah Claypole is both a bully and coward.  What behaviors can you identify prove his is both a bully and coward.  Think about how he treated Oliver and Charlotte.  Think about how he behaved when he claimed to be Morris Bolter.  The second dice asks: If honorable behavior means you behave in a manner that helps another even if it harms you, whose behavior is more honorable: Rose, Nancy or Mr. Brownlow?  The student selects one the two questions and presents his answer to the group.

Cartoon Strip Tests

     Cartoon Strip Tests works well as both an interactive activity and an assessment.  I have used it as both.  It’s effective with plot heavy novels like The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Odyssey, Percy Jackson and Lightening Thief or even The Hunger Games.   You can either have your students fold their paper into squares or you can give them a paper with the squares already created.  If you have the benefit of a high-tech school there are cartoon creation application and programs available.   The form I give my student looks like this:

“The Story of Cicones”			“The Story of the Lotus Eaters”			“The Story of the Cyclops”
“The Story of the Cyclops”						“The Story of the Bag of Winds”
The Monster Cannibals”			“The Story of Scylla and Charbyllis”			“The Story of the Cattle of Helios”

The student simply creates a cartoon strip retelling the story.  Some very artistic students can create amazing artistic creations; others simply tell the story. Regardless, the students get a clear picture of what happened in the story.  You can just give them a blank piece of paper and let them decipher what is important, but I found that most students have poor “crap-detectors” so they have difficulty selecting the important parts. Both methods have benefits.  Students who are more visually oriented get a summary that helps them member the details of a complicated plot.

The Learning Journal

     The Learning Journal works really well when combine with the Discussion Dice Activity.  Students who get an opportunity to read, talk and then write have better retention than those who do just one or two of the activities.  I know many teachers use learning logs so students can jot down what they learn at the end of each period and they are excellent tools, but I find that if I give them a question that requires the student to review through the reading material and find details from the story to support their answer, they recall the book in greater detail when I give them an assessment on the reading.  As a result questions like those I asked on the dice are more effective tools to increase the students’ comprehension:   Noah Claypole is both a bully and coward.  What behaviors can you identify prove his is both a bully and coward.  Think about how he treated Oliver and Charlotte.  Think about how he behaved when he claimed to be Morris Bolter.  If honorable behavior means you behave in a manner that helps another even if it harms you, whose behavior is more honorable: Rose, Nancy or Mr. Brownlow?  Students are asked to write the question and answer in at least one page.  This will reinforce what they learned in the reading and the discussion.  The physical act of writing makes the learning more permanent.

The Term Project

     The term project allows the teacher to expand learning beyond the material in the novel.  For example, the term project below on Oliver Twist requires student to apply the social problems introduced in the novel to a third world country where poverty couples with these other social problems.  The student then learns the interrelated aspect of poverty and other social issues. Furthermore, since the student is required to collect data and interpret it in graphs on their visual aide, the students develop skills in numeracy and can understand the interconnection of various school subjects. The term projects on Romeo and Juliet allows the student to develop a greater understanding of the historic time period.  Furthermore presenting these term project to the class means that student researching develops the greatest understanding, but the student observing all increasing his/her understanding.  The term project is a creative outlet so it makes learning more enjoyable; as a result, it creates students who are more likely to read independently after they leave school. The term project on The Odyssey helps reinforce the structure of the epic poem. Since the term project can be either a group project, it helps students learn to work cooperatively. Other projects include an individual project to meet the needs of the less social students.   Students should be give choices and should incorporate a creative use of technology.  Some term projects that I have found successful include the following:

Term Project from The Odyssey

•    A project for Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist: Research a social problem presented in the novel.  Write a three to five minute speech on your research and present it with a chart that graphs the data that you discovered. Research a foreign country that is currently experiencing a high level of poverty among its citizens.

• Read a book about the poverty in the country and complete either a “Tops Report” or a book report on it. (100 points)

•    Write a five-paragraph essay on the country answering the following questions: (100 points)

•    What are the causes of poverty in the country?

•      Natural disaster

•     Distribution of wealth

•      Political problems

•    Lack of natural resources

•    Geographical features

•     What are the effects of poverty in the country?

•    Hunger

• Homelessness

•       High mortality rate for children 
•      Teenage pregnancy

•     Low education levels

• High crime rates

• §       Poor health care

•     Child labor 
•    Drug and/or alcohol abuse

• How can we help solve the problem?

•   Present your findings to the class in a 3-5 minute speech.

               Include the following on your poster    

                        Create a poster as a visual aid that includes:

                Three pictures or photographs

                         Three graphs comparing the country’s statistics to the same issues within the United States of America

¨         Homelessness

¨         High mortality rate for children

¨         Teenage pregnancy

¨         Low education levels

¨         High crime rates

¨         Poor health care

¨        Child labor

¨        Drug and/or alcohol abuse

¨       Hunger

 Term Projects for Romeo and Juliet

• Ø  Create a three-dimensional model of the Globe Theater, Please do not make it from anything editable.  I do not like visitors, e.g. mice ants etc.  Label the areas.

• Ø  Memorize and perform either Romeo’s famous soliloquy from ACT II  “What light through yonder window breaks….” Or Juliet’s from the same act: “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo…” or if you prefer ACT IV and Act V, choose Juliet’s soliloquy before she takes the portion or Romeo’s before he takes the credit.

• Ø  Write and present a three to five minute speech using a visual aide. Consider one for the following topics:  weapons used during the period, clothing worn during the period, Shakespeare’s life, or games and amusements during that time.

• Ø  Find a partner and memorize and perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Your choices include the balcony scene, Juliet trying to persuade the nurse to her what Romeo said, Friar Lawrence’s scene when he tells Romeo that he will marry him to Juliet or when he tells him to stop weeping and be a man, or the fight scene in ACT III.  Remember to wear a costume, memorize it block it and use props.  Create a television news poison. Remember you must memorize it, block it and wear a costume for full program that discusses at least five events from the play.

Term Projects for The Odyssey

:

•   In a group of three to five students, create a story of an epic hero of your own.  The hero must be helped by one of the gods, have some magical power and defeat a horrible monster or an enemy with magical powers while on a long journey home.  Present it to the class as an I-Movie, a Power Point Presentation, a Google Presentation, or as a book.

 

Conclusion

     These are just four activities that can increase student comprehension.  Any of them can be adapted to any piece of literature or age group. These interactive activities make literature more accessible to E.S.L. students, reluctant readers and struggling students in general.  They also enhance the experience for honors students.

Adding a Little Spice to Classrooms

Adding a Little Spice to Classrooms

By Jill Jenkins

            If you’re mentoring new teachers and observe that their classes lack interacting or engaging activities, here are some suggestions that I have found easy to implement and wildly successful. Many new teachers erroneously believe that elementary, middle school and even high school students learn in the same manner as adults.  They don’t. These ideas might help them develop other ways of reaching young learners.  None of the ideas in this blog are my creations.  They’re ideas I learned from workshops, books, and other colleagues, but they are ideas that I have tried in my classroom and found effective.

Seating Arrangements

            First, classroom desks need to be arranged to facilitate discussion. The traditional seating arrangement of rows of desk facing front is not conducive for discussion. My favorite configuration is the horseshoe or desks on each side of the room facing the center.  The desks are placed in pairs to facilitate pair-share activities and the front two desks can be turned around to face the row behind them to create groups of four.  The reason I like this is not only does it easily transform from pair-share activities to small group discussion, but the teacher has easy access to each individual student.  This means that the teacher can easily move close to a student who needs more individualized instruction, and can quiet a disruptive student without distracting the rest of the class.  Proximity can increase a student’s attention and decrease disruptive behavior. When a student becomes disruptive, the teacher can stand next to the student or behind him.  If a student is struggling, the teacher can move next to the child, and kneel down to be face to face to quietly provide added instruction without that student losing face. 

            Never allow students to select their own seat.  If there is a set of disruptive students, separate them.  If there is a struggling student, seat him next to a bright, but kind student who might help him.  If there are two socially insecure students who depend on each other, put them together.  The seating chart is a social chess board. Use it carefully.

Sentence Structure Jigsaw Games

            One of the goals in a language arts class is to help students develop more sentence variety in their writing.  The first step is to make them aware of the different sentence structures.  First put signs on the board: Simple Sentence, Compound Sentence, Complex Sentence, Compound-complex Sentence.  Second, define each sentence structure and give them an example.  It is best to give them a silly example.  For example:

·         Simple Sentence: one independent clause: Bob kissed Alice.

·         Compound Sentence: two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction: Bob kissed Alice and Alice slapped Bob.

·         Complex Sentence: one dependent clause and one independent clause with a subordinating conjunction: When Bob kissed Alice, Alice slapped Bob.

·         Compound-complex Sentence: two dependent clauses and two independent clauses (two complex sentences): When Bob kissed Alice, Alice slapped Bob; however, when Bob kissed Mary, Mary hugged him.

As the teacher reviews each sentence types, she asks each pair of students to create an example and share it with the rest of the class.

            Next give each pair of sentence a sentence strip containing a sentence and let them decide which kind of sentence it is and tape it under the appropriate sign.  If the pair is confused, allow them to call on “the circle of help.” This means any other student in the room who they call on can help them decide which category it belongs to.  Each pair must explain why they placed the sentence where they did.  If a student disagrees with their selection or if the teacher disagrees, there can be a discussion to clarify which kind of sentence they have selected.

            Next the teacher instructs the students to move into groups of four.  She gives each group a set of laminated sentence pieces that they are to unscramble and create a compound-complex sentence.  They are to present their jigsaw puzzle to the class after they solve it.  Below are some examples of sentence strips.

Applying What They Have Learned

            The ultimate goal is to apply this to their writing.  To do them ask them to use each of the four sentence types in their next essay.  After they complete their rough draft, have them trade papers with their learning partner.  The partner is given highlighters and asked to highlight:

·         Simple Sentences yellow

·         Compound Sentences blue

·         Complex Sentences orange

·         Compound-complex Sentences Green

            To increase their variation of sentence length have them count the number of words in each sentence.  When their papers are returned asked the students to revise their papers so they use all of the different sentence types and have some sentences from 5-7 words, some from 7-15 words and some with more than 15 words.

Flash Card Frisbee

            To help students learn literary terms, begin with a pair and share activity. The teacher defines each term and gives the students examples either from popular products names or advertisements or from popular music. Then ask each pair to identify another example of that term and share it with the class.  This is a quick method to see if students understand the terms and help them if they are confused. 

            One of the activities that useful for reviewing literary terms or vocabulary words is Flash Card Frisbee.  If the teacher has access to an I-Pad and an I-TV, upload any of many flash card application put terms that students need to know.  Put a link on the school’s webpage and students can practice on their smart phones or computers at home, but many of them won’t.  To help those students, project the flash cards on a screen and throw a soft, foam Frisbee to one of the students. (Use the soft foam type because students like to use them as weapons and bounce the Frisbee off some unaware students’ head.  This way the students remain alert without injuring anyone.)  The student defines the term and throws the Frisbee another student to try the next term. If an I-pad is not available, same thing, just read the definition to the student.

Vocabulary Basketball

            A variation on this kind of review is Vocabulary Basketball.  Collect small buckets (ice cream buckets work well.) and label them with the vocabulary words or the literary terms.  Line the students up in two teams.  Read the definition of term, an example of the term or a sentence with the term missing and the two students compete by throwing a small basketball into the corresponding bucket.  The team the gets most answers correct gets to leave the class first or earns a piece of candy.

Vocabulary Bingo

            Create laminated Bingo cards using the literary terms or the vocabulary words.  Give each student a handful of jelly beans to cover the appropriate  word when they hear the definition.  Read examples of the terms, definitions or sentences with the words missing.  The students cover the appropriate words with jelly beans.  The first student to completely cover his card with jelly beans wins.

Fly Swatter Vocabulary Tag

            As a teacher invest in a couple of plastic fly swatters.  Write the literary terms or vocabulary words on the board.  Separate the class into two teams.  Each team sends one contestant to the starting line.  The teacher reads a definition, an example, or a sentence with a word missing.  The two contestants run to the board armed with flyswatters.   The first contestant to correctly swat the appropriate term wins a piece of candy.

The Pass-Around Poem

            To help students apply the literary terms to a poem, the pass-around poem is an excellent activity. The teacher begins by reading Wilfred Owen’s poem Dulce Et Decorum est.  (I happen to like this poem, but really any poem will work.)  After reading the poem, the teacher explains what mustard gas is and how it was used in World War I. Since most of them may be unaware of mustard gas and World War I, this is important. The teacher tells the students about Wilfred Owen’s life as a soldier.  Next the teacher distributes a copy of the poem to each student and asks them to write their name on it.  Armed with highlighters and pens, the students highlight any literary device that they find interesting, label it with the pen and describe how it makes them feel or what it makes them think about.  The teacher rings a bell and each student passes his paper to the student to his right.  This time the students can repeat what they did on the last paper or they can comment on a comment already on the paper.  The bell rings and the papers is passed to the right again.  When the class period is over the paper should have circulated the room and returned to its original owner.  It is important to set up a few guidelines.  Remind them they are having a discussion about the impact of a poem.  Just like an oral discussion inappropriate comments and vulgar language are not acceptable. This particular activity forces everyone to actively engage and is especially useful for the introverted students who do not feel comfortable engaging in oral discourse. 

In Conclusion

            New teachers need to understand that these activities will be more exciting if they keep their energy levels high.  The teacher needs to cheer for students’ efforts and give students many high fives, or thumbs up for student achievement.  Teachers are both the cheerleader and the game show host. Teachers should expect to leave work completely exhausted after one of these activities.  If your teachers are hoping to have a quiet, docile classroom, they are in the wrong business.  They should become a librarian. (Never mind, the latest television program shows the librarians saving the world.)  If teachers want to have an exciting classroom where all of the students are engaged and interactive, try these activities.   Adding a little spice can help new teachers improve student understanding and discipline.