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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

English Language Arts Lessons – "FEBRUARY FLAIR Acrostic: Letter B"

February 4th is B day.

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By: Connie Casserly
Grades 6-12

Today, February 4th is B day on the English Language Arts Lessons – FEBRUARY FLAIR Acrostic list. The B in this post stands for 

B
Banish Those Dialogue Demons
I first published this in NCTE's Ideas Plus, Book Ten under the title, "Banish Those Dialogue Demons." Since then, I have refined it for details and clarity as the students’ skills and needs warranted.  I have also added Common Core Anchor Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy goals.

The concept for these lessons and activities was born out of frustration after I read yet another student-written piece that showed very little understanding of proper dialogue format. I used this lesson every year since then with English 11 and 12 students and creative writing classes with much success.  This has grown to a 13-page offering.

The peer duos really enjoy creating conversations and conflicts after each person chooses a character and one setting per group (example: a logger, and an astronaut meet in a cafe in Marrakesh). They don't even complain during the proofreading and revision stages. Character (30) and Setting (15) cards are included.
Bulletin Boards With Brain Brawn
Creating bulletin boards for secondary classes that are visually eye-catching, mentally stimulating and that build on the concepts promoted in the grade level’s Program of Studies can be difficult. The key is to create eye candy with mental muscle while showcasing existing lesson concepts through completed student work. This packet offers seven graphics and infinite possibilities.

Teachers may take each idea in this product and transform it to fit a whole bulletin board, or they may choose to divide the board into parts, such as Information Section, Reading Section, Writing Section, and Thinking Section.

Banned Books Research Project
Here is an engaging product for Banned Book Week, or for teachers to use any time during the school year. In order to illustrate the points for book censorship in the schools, students will read a frequently banned or challenged novel, either from the included list, or a choice of their own. Next, they will research when, where and why it was challenged or banned. In the last part of the paper, each student will develop his/her opinion on whether the book should be banned or restricted, using points from the paper to support his/her conclusion. They will follow the style sheet of the teacher’s choosing. Teachers can customize this project to fit the necessary grade level, their students’ abilities and needs, and their learning styles.

Enjoy this trio of activities and lessons that begin with the letter B.
Stay warm, stay stress-free and stay lesson planned.

Happy Teaching,

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