Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Experience the importance of land and effects of racism on an African-American family living in the South in the 1930s. The questions are challenging enough to push students to think deeply about the text. Imagine what Little Man is beginning to learn after the incident with the school books. Explain what Cassie is suggesting when the kids talk about Mr. Morrison’s arrival. Answer comprehension questions about Uncle Hammer’s visit for Christmas. Put yourself in Cassie’s shoes and explain what the Logan land means to her family. Research how racism and slavery look today, then rewrite the 13th Amendment to reflect these modern times. Create a social media profile for one of the characters in the book. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry tells the story of an African-American family and their struggles while living in southern Mississippi during the Great Depression. The story follows Cassie, a young girl part of the Logan family. This family is lucky, they own their own farm land. However, they are in danger of losing it. As Cassie struggles to accept “how things are” in their town for African-Americans, she witnesses firsthand the prejudice and racism that her family and others experience on a daily basis. Living in the South is dangerous during this time. Many families just like Cassie’s struggle to make ends meet. They remain in debt and forced to shop at the Wallace Store, who’s owners commit unspeakable violence against them. In an attempt to change how things are, the Logan family puts themselves and their livelihood in danger. As Cassie grows, she begins to experience the injustice that plagues the people in her community.




Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Puffin Modern Classics)


Book Description

Winner of the Newbery Medal, this remarkably moving novel has impressed the hearts and minds of millions of readers. Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect. * "[A] vivid story.... Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence."—Booklist, starred review




The House on Mango Street - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Experience the discrimination of race, gender and class felt by one girl in this coming-of-age story. The layout and variety of activities in this resource will keep students engaged and involved in the reading. Use metaphors and figurative language to describe things that bring comfort, much like Esperanza’s thoughts on her mother’s hair. Describe Nenny’s personality based on what’s been revealed in previous chapters. Put events surrounding Esperanza’s poetry writing in the order as they occur in the chapter. Explain why the author might choose specific spelling as a plot device. Choose words that mean the same as the vocabulary word found in the reading. Write your own persuasive argument, similar to Esperanza’s argument for eating at school. Record the symbolism of shoes used throughout the novel by detailing their use on a flowchart. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: The House on Mango Street follows Esperanza Cordero as she tells stories from her childhood living on Mango Street in a series of vignettes. Esperanza is a young Latina girl living in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. She is not happy with her home on Mango Street. Her neighborhood is poor, and the people that live within it are treated like second class citizens. Esperanza experiences a lot of hardships growing up, from discrimination against her race, to men abusing their wives. Esperanza witnesses all this in her neighborhood, and vows to make a better future for herself. The House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age story that explores tough topics that force a young girl to grow up quickly.




Cheaper by the Dozen - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Become part of the Gilbreths and experience what it's like to be part of a large family. The pre-reading and vocabulary sections prepare students for the upcoming chapters. Get an idea of what an efficiency expert is like by brainstorming what their goal might be. Identify statements about the Gilbreth's car as true or false. Describe how the children convinced their parents to buy a family dog. Explore the Gilbreth's life view by finding more efficient ways to do things in the classroom. Investigate the life of F.W. Taylor, whose achievements influenced the Gilbreth's work in efficiency. Using a chart, compare the traits of Mr. Gilbreth with another character in the novel. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A classic story of a family of twelve children and their adventures while growing up together. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were renowned efficiency experts, who often practiced their many different theories and experiments on their large family. Written with wit and humor, the book documents a multitude of humorous and touching vignettes–some hilarious and others nostalgic and heart-warming. Family adventures include the family car, a vintage Pierce-Arrow, which is used by the parents for Sunday drives and causes the children no end of embarrassment. As well as a trip out west to visit Mother’s straight-laced family. It is a story in which most families will readily identify, and keep the reader turning the pages to the very end.




The Miracle Worker - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Experience the miracle of understanding that we all take for granted. An ideal play for students with a low reading level. Gain insight into the difficulties of being blind and/or deaf. Put events from the novel in order as they happened when Annie and Helen were eating dinner. Students attempt to understand the motivations of the characters in the play. Find the synonym of the vocabulary word from the text. Explain the event in Helen's past that made it possible for her to realize what 'water' was. Research the real-life location of Ivy Green and plan a field trip to this important location. Identify all the problems and their solutions in a chart. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: This story is an emotional and vivid portrayal of the relationship between a child and her teacher. Helen Keller is rendered deaf and blind at an early age, and by the time she is six years old, her behavior becomes completely unmanageable. In desperation, her parents send for teacher Annie Sullivan to bring some discipline into the spoiled child’s life. Helen and Annie become locked in a ferocious battle of wills, but Annie is determined to bring a sense of discipline into Helen’s life. Annie teaches Helen words by constantly spelling them into Helen’s palm. Although Helen can spell them back, she doesn’t understand that these words actually represent things. At the water pump Annie spells “water” into Helen’s hand and suddenly the miracle happens—Helen understands.




Call It Courage - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Expose your students to face their fears and overcome obstacles. Encourage them to find themselves and grow into the person they're meant to be. Make teaching a breeze with ready-made activities and prompts to stimulate student comprehension. Identify statements about life in Mafatu's village as true or false. Find the synonyms to key vocabulary words found in the novel. Imagine how Mafatu's life would be different had his mother been alive. Predict whether Mafatu will survive on the island and return to his village a new man. Explain what Mafatu believed brought him to safety. Create a board game, using a map of the island as a base. Create a set of rules and cards with questions, then play the game in small groups. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Call It Courage is a Newbery Medal-winning story about a boy who tries to overcome his fear of the sea by facing it. Set in the Pacific Islands, the story follows Mafatu, the son of the chief of Hikueru Island. After watching his mother die, Mafatu develops a fear of the sea, which brings his father shame. In order to no longer be seen as a coward among his tribe, Mafatu takes a canoe out into the ocean. He ends up lost and deserted on an island, forced to fend for himself. During his encounters on the island, Mafatu slowly faces and overcomes his fears, eventually returning home a new man.




Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Close Reading and Text-Dependent Questions


Book Description

Students analyze Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry using key skills from the Common Core. Close reading of the text is required to answer text-dependent questions. Included are student pages with the text-dependent questions as well as suggested answers.




The Wednesday Wars - Literature Kit Gr. 7-8


Book Description

Find the strength within to stand up for yourself and others with this coming-of-age tale. The engaging activities will help educators keep the class paced and structured well. Put events in order as they happen when Holling stays behind one Wednesday. Imagine what Mrs. Baker’s inspiration might be for assigning Holling to read The Tempest. Predict whether Holling, Danny and Doug will feel differently towards Mrs. Baker after her gesture. Describe the difficult situation Mai Thi is in at her school and the significance it has within the backdrop of the story. Explore the motivations of the characters from the novel and describe how they impact the decisions made by them throughout the story. Map out some of the noted architecture described in the book. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Wednesday Wars follows Holling Hoodhood as he enters the seventh grade. Every Wednesday, the students in his class go to separate churches for religious classes. However, as a Presbyterian, Holling doesn’t have anywhere to go. So instead, he stays behind with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. She doesn’t seem pleased about this, and quickly Holling believes that she has it in for him. Each week, Mrs. Baker gives Holling menial tasks, until finally she begins to force him to read the works of William Shakespeare. This backfires, however, as Holling begins to enjoy the plays. So much so, that he even gets a roll in the community’s Holiday Extravaganza. Life at home for Holling isn’t any better. He is constantly lost in his father’s shadow, who forces Holling to continue in the family business. His sister tries to rebel, but is also forced to follow her father’s wishes. With the war in Vietnam as the backdrop, tensions rise as news of lost husbands overseas begin to come in. This coming-of-age story focuses on one boy finding the strength within and standing up for himself and others.




Touching Spirit Bear - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6


Book Description

Find the strength within to face challenges, both inward and out. The activities in this resource provide a framework to facilitate learning through discussion and comprehension. Put events in order as they happen when Cole encounters the Spirit Bear. Get into Cole’s dad’s shoes and imagine his perspective on their relationship. Find the best synonym for words used in the chapters. Imagine how you can set yourself up for success by practicing good habits. Describe what “being invisible” will require Cole to do. Create a camp log for Cole, detailing all the jobs he must accomplish in a day. Design a food chain to show the connections between plants and animals. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, our worksheets incorporate a variety of scaffolding strategies along with additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key. About the Novel: Touching Spirit Bear illustrates the struggle of one boy finding himself in the wilderness and letting go of his anger. Cole Matthews is a troubled kid. He is angry and violent and on a path to jail. After brutally injuring a fellow student, Cole is given the opportunity to face Circle Justice instead of prison. The goal is for Cole to learn from his mistakes and grow into a better man. To do this, Cole must spend a year alone on an island in Alaska. Cole goes along with the plan, biding his time until he can escape. He starts by burning down the cabin and supplies left for him as a form of protest. Then, he attempts to swim his way to freedom. Unfortunately, this proves difficult, and Cole is forced to return to where he started. When he’s mortally wounded by an attack from the Spirit Bear, Cole is once again faced with fighting for his life and jail time. Granted a second chance, Cole is determined to finally let go of his anger and find peace with himself.




Fahrenheit 451 - Literature Kit Gr. 9-12


Book Description

Get drawn into a dystopian world to witness the struggle between one's self and their society. Students imagine what themes might be present in a dystopian future as perceived during the early 1950s. Predict what will happen to the woman whose books were hidden in the attic. Complete a paragraph from the novel with their missing vocabulary words. Answer multiple choice questions about the character Faber. Students reflect on the women's discussion of the two presidential candidates, and whether a person's name and appearance plays any factor in today's politics. Depict an alternate reality where Beatty and Montag join forces concerning their interest with books and the information they contain. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is the story of a man's struggle with his society and himself. The story begins with Guy Montag, a "fireman" charged with the job of burning books that have become outlawed. In this society, books have been deemed to have no value with new media and sports accommodating short attention spans. His struggle begins when he meets his neighbor Clarisse McClellan, a free-thinker that begins to open his mind. From there, he soon finds himself stealing the books he was tasked to destroy. Montag's struggle culminates in an attempt to discover the value of books himself, putting him in the very same danger as those he once persecuted.