The document provides a variety of educational resources for teachers, including extra time exercises, small group projects, field trip sites, electronic and print media, fine arts activities, and multicultural concepts that can be used to supplement classroom lessons. It offers summaries and instructions for activities like a synectic box exercise, creative writing prompts, reading obituaries, creating comic strips, literature circles, and storytelling with prop bags. The resources aim to make lessons more engaging for students through games, group work, media sources, art projects, and visits outside the classroom.

1. resource binder
keith chrisman
fall 2012
dr. lauren rentfro
image: “mandala of enlightenment”
http://meathive.deviantart.com/art/Mandala-of-Enlightenment-199614681
1

2. tableofcontents
‣ extra time exercises ‣ small group projects
3-7 28-32
‣ content related games ‣ bulletin board themes
or fun activities + decorations
8-12 33-37
‣ field trip sites ‣ educational paraphernalia
13-17 38-42
‣ electronic + print media ‣ real life examples
18-22 43-47
‣ fine arts ‣ multicultural concepts
23-27 48-52
2

3. extratime:synecticbox
• a box is drawn with four
quadrants
• students are asked to name
four items within a specific
category (animals, things found
in the ocean, nouns, etc.)
• students are asked to relate a
topic from the day’s lesson to
each of the items
• students are invited to share
their sentences after 3-5
minutes Thank you, Dr. Rentfro!
3

4. extratime:whatstuckwithyou?
• students use scratch paper to
write a piece of information that
stood out during the lesson
• responses are collected
• instructor uses responses to
gauge how effective the lesson
was
• responses may be used to form
a display
4

5. extratime:finalcountdown
• students draw the shape to the
right
• bottom row: three important
things they learned
• second row: two questions they
have; questions they should
expect to have answered
• top box: connect this lesson to
material previously covered
5

6. extratime:studentteaching
• students volunteer to teach a
mini-lesson summarizing one
thing they learned during class
• the student is referred to as
“mr.” or “ms.” and acts as a
teacher as he or she recaps the
day’s work
• if additional time remains,
another student is invited to
share any additional
information that he or she
found important
6

7. extratime:readingobituaries
• one minute summations of life
serve as short stories and (good
ones) feature skillful phrasing,
timing, and myriad other
techniques.
• pre-selected obituaries from
several books (the economist
book of obituaries, obit: inspiring
stories of ordinary people who led
extraordinary lives, the dead beat:
lost souls, lucky stiffs and the
perverse pleasures of obituaries)
offer historical perspective
resources: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/obituaries/index.html
7

8. game/funactivity:swatchmelearn
• students are given a paint
swatch showing three or more
colors
• the lightest color has a simple
word written on it
• the student is asked to use a
thesaurus or write a more
“colorful” word in the remaining
colors
• this activity doubles as a
bulletin board showcase
adapted from: http://pinterest.com/pin/545217098608211143/
8

9. game/funactivity:creativewritingprompts
• as opposed to traditional
journal prompts (a sure
mainstay in my classroom),
creative writing prompts require
skills beyond grammar
• creative writing prompts may
blossom into class discussions
and may be shared as peer
review exercises
resource: http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
9

10. game/funactivity:shakespeareinsultkit
• students are given a three
column list of words from
shakespeare’s palette
• students select a word
from each category to
form an insult
• students are asked to
describe or define their
insult and share
adapted from: http://pinterest.com/pin/545217098608074021/
10

11. game/funactivity:blackoutpoems
• students are given newspapers
and are told to create a “found
poem” by choosing words on
the page
• students circle the words they
will use and blackout the words
they would like to omit
• students are invited to share
their poems and this
assignment doubles as a
bulletin board decoration
11

12. game/funactivity:freerice.com
• correct answers earn 10 grains of rice
• freerice.com is a vocabulary quiz website dedicated
donated to the united nations world food
to feeding the hungry worldwide.
program
12

13. fieldtripsite:rialtosquaretheatre
• the rialto theatre offers a variety
of educational programs at $6
per ticket
• a 50% deposit is required in
order to reserve seating
• programming lasts one hour
• a collection of short stories may
be read in class before viewing
at the rialto with a follow-up
assignment noting differences
and preferences
13

14. fieldtripsite:forestpreserve
• project learning tree offers
96 interdisciplinary activities
for forest preserve field trips
• will county forest preserve
offers several free
educational programs
• assignment: write a chapter
similar to thoreau’s “sounds”
in walden; what do you
hear? how does it sound?
have you heard it before?
does anything sound out of
place? try to mention as 501 East Romeo Road
many sounds as possible Romeoville, IL
815.886.1467
http://www.reconnectwithnature.org/education/educator-resources
14

15. fieldtripsite:deyoungfineartsmuseum(virtual)
• the san francisco based
museum offers multimedia
resources to compliment
curriculum suggestions on
their website
• assignment: pick your favorite
piece from the gallery. write an
essay or poem relating to the
artist’s perspective (consider
concept, place, time) and
influences (background,
experiences, place of origin,
type of art) and compare the
artist’s approach to the last
book you read and the photo: http://www.jderuosiphotography.com/bio.html
author’s approach.
resources: http://deyoung.famsf.org/education/resources-educators-0
http://deyoung.famsf.org/deyoung/collections/multimedia
15

16. fieldtripsite:publiclibrary
• book talks, meeting authors,
recommendations from a
librarian, encouraging students to
learn outside of the classroom
• most public libraries offer free
educational programs for schools
• students may not be familiar with
all the resources their library
offers
• assignment: scavenger hunt
requiring students to familiarize
themselves with available image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mishpo/4327612063/
periodicals, audiobooks, cds,
software, video games, and
reference sources
16

17. fieldtripsite:visitapublisher
• publishers have insightful views
on literature
• students engage in writing
exercises and practice critical
reading skills
• many publishers offer
inexpensive tours + activities
($10 per person in attached
resource)
• students passionate for
language arts see the realities of
authorship
• assignment: critically review two
pieces of literature and choose
which piece to publish. consider
which piece interests more
people and is written in a more
engaging fashion
resource: http://www.826seattle.org/_assets/uploads/Field-Trip-Guide-Mr.-Geoduck.pdf
17

18. electronic+printmedia:songify
• songify is an app
• songify records a monologue
and converts a monotone input
into a “song” by adjusting tone,
tempo, and pitch
• great device to aid in
memorization as the “songs”
can be emailed or posted
online
• adds a twist to vocabulary,
spelling, or summarizing
activities
18

19. electronic+printmedia:thisamericanlife
• “this american life” is a radio
show/podcast featuring a
variety of topics and three-four
short stories per episode
• #464: “invisible made visible”
features unspoken feelings,
secret lives, and radio
personalities.
• well-written stories and twists
to a common theme exemplify
a variety of literary techniques
and storytelling prowess.
19

20. electronic+printmedia:weaponsofmassinstruction
• john taylor gatto’s book is a
teaching resource because, as
my mother says, “everyone
needs a good bad example”
• even if all historical aspects of
the book are false, an
examination of educational
practices and questioning a lack
of innovation is fruitful for an
instructor
• the book motivates instructors to
shape pedagogy around
“producing” rather than
“consuming”
20

21. electronic+printmedia:teded
• ed.ted.com is a website
offering collaborations between
educators and animators
• filters allow browsing by
subject and tags allow
browsing by specific topic
• videos range from 2-10 minutes
• resource may be used for
research or student learning
21

22. electronic+printmedia:creatingcomicstrips
• may be an alternative form of assessment for
creative students
• may be used as alternatives to summaries or
introductory activities resource: http://teachbytes.com/2012/02/29/5-online-comic-creators/
examples: pixton, stripgenerator, toondoo, wittycomics
22

23. finearts:fleetwoodmac’s“ohwell”
• relevant to a unit on naturalism
in literature, the song uses
objective phrasing and mirrors
the view that nature is
indifferent to human struggle
• naturalists like ralph waldo
emerson and henry david
thoreau viewed nature as a
direct representation of god
• the closing stanza of the song
sums up both naturalism and
naturalist ideology
23

24. finearts:graphicnovels
• graphic novels accompany
narrative with sequential
artwork
• the medium encapsulates
“language arts” and may
excite recalcitrant students
24

25. finearts:rock+rollhalloffame
• relevant to a unit on naturalism
in literature, the song uses
objective phrasing and mirrors
the view that nature is
indifferent to human struggle
• naturalists like ralph waldo
emerson and henry david
thoreau viewed nature as a
direct representation of god
• the closing stanza of the song
sums up both naturalism and
naturalist ideology
resource: http://rockhall.com/education/resources/lesson-plans/
25

26. finearts:haiku
• haiku may be used as a tool to
distinguish objective/subjective
voice, teach brevity, and
I eat green apples
integrate multiculturalism facing to peonies.
• zazen, sumo wrestling, and
I will die
japanese language easily tie in -masaoka shiki
to a haiku lesson
collection of haiku resources: http://jguide.stanford.edu/site/haiku_3130.html
26

27. finearts:alternativesto“catcherintherye”
• despite my affinity for j.d. salinger,
“catcher in the rye” is beloved by
children’s parents and, therefore,
“uncool” and unable to strongly
impact young readers to the
degree instructors would like
• “drown” is a collection of short
stories focused on a poor
dominican-american’s teenage
experiences
• “black swan green” is narrated by
a stuttering 13-year-old finding his
way
27

28. smallgroupproject:gallerywalk
• questions are posted • How is Holden’s red
around the classroom hunting cap a
• the number of groups symbol? What does it
corresponds with the represent? How does
number of questions it inform or reinforce
his character?
• each group of
students answers • What is symbolic
one question at a about The Museum
time of Natural History?
What does Holden
• when each question like about it?
has been answered,
responses are • Why is Holden’s
discussed as a class curiosity about where
the ducks go in the
winter unexpected?
What does it say
about him?
resource: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/jigsaws/index.html
adapted from: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/jigsaws/index.html
28

29. smallgroupproject:jigsaws
• class is divided into • different passages
several groups from the same poem
• each group works on • passages on the
separate, related same topic from
assignments different poems
• at the completion of • pieces of text with
the assignment, different voices
groups are divvied
up so each member • examples of essays
of the new group has (good and bad
at least one member examples)
of the former groups
• vocabulary exercises
• the new group is (students teaching
given an assignment each other
that pulls from each definitions)
student’s previous
work in order to
grasp the entirety of
the topic
adapted from: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/jigsaws/index.html
resource: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/jigsaws/index.html
29

30. smallgroupproject:literaturecircles
• students within the class are
reading three different books
• each book has two groups of
students with roles like:
discussion leader
passage master
referencer/researcher
• instructor will have selected texts
with similar talking points or
themes
• excellent activity for a classroom
with a wide range in student ability
• roles rotate within groups and after
small group discussion, whole
group discussion begins to identify
common themes and twists
adapted from experiences in dr. huvaere’s class
30

31. smallgroupproject:peerediting
• groups of three students are formed by
instructor
• students should be divided so no two
students within a group are struggling with
the same aspect of their writing (hoping this
will allow students to help each other with
his/her weaknesses and not compound a
problem)
• first, the student reads his/her paper aloud to
the other two members of the group (this
step may be a bit brutal for some students
but is easily the most beneficial)
• the instructor has provided a list of items to
examine within their peer’s papers and must
write a response to certain elements of the
paper; this response is submitted with the
final draft of the essay
image: http://drkblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/peer-review-of-rough-drafts/
resource: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-
plans/peer-edit-with-perfection-786.html
31

32. smallgroupproject:storybags
• groups receive a bag • tasking within the group may include:
full of miscellaneous recorder: person responsible for writing
items the group’s thoughts
creative specialist: person responsible for
• students are to create making their group’s story is original,
a short story interesting and imaginative
incorporating all of the realism specialist: group member is
items responsible for making sure the story is
realistic (story may take place on another
planet but this group member makes sure
• the groups share their there is, at least, consistency)
story as one person peacekeeper: group member is
reads and another responsible for facilitating compromise
displays the item(s) between all members of the group and
inspiring the scene. keeping the group on track
• this is a collaborative
approach to creative
writing
adapted from: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/rainy-day-boredom-buster-diy-s-160311
32

33. bulletinboard:curiosityboard
• student curiosities and questions
asked in class requiring a
departure from the lesson are
submitted to the “seed box” or
envelope under the tree
• instructor should allow time at
least once a week to address
topics from the curiosity board
• students may submit inquiries
anonymously
• instructor may use this board to
select guest speakers based on
student entries
33

34. bulletinboard:colorfulwordwall
• (see slide 8)
• student responses are
collected to form a bulletin
board display
• adding a frame from a resale/
thrift store may make the
display/bulletin board a
mainstay of the classroom
adapted from: http://pinterest.com/pin/545217098608211143/
34

35. bulletinboard:shortstoryrental
• printed copies of several short stories
will be tacked to cork board
• a sign-out sheet will be placed
nearby and students will have the
opportunity to “check out” a short
story without asking permission
• bulletin board doubles as an extra
time resource or replacement activity
for students without books
• making materials available allows the
instructor to engage in a dialogue
with students regarding reading
outside of the curriculum
35

36. bulletinboard:famousfiction
will smith
denzel
washington
• displaying famous people and
their favorite literature may
barack
inspire students to read outside obama
of class
• copies of the books/novels or
information on how to retrieve
the literature should be
included on the display
resource: http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com/blog/2010/famous-fiction-50-celebrities-and-their-favorite-books/
36

37. bulletinboard:wisewords
• a bulletin board illustrating the
power of words to inspire and
provoke thought
“the best way to
• the quotes, if rotated weekly, find out if you can
may represent an endpoint for
logical progression of the unit trust somebody is
to trust them.”
• students may be asked to pick
a couple of the “wise words”
-ernest hemingway
selections of their choice and
submit a short, narrative essay
resource: http://tinybuddha.com/wisdom-quotes/
37

38. educationalparaphernalia:messageinabottle
• instructor brings a message in
a bottle to start the day’s
lesson
• the message should touch on
the day’s topic and will be a
question written by someone in
need of help
• students will journal a response
to the message in the bottle
• this should not be overused in
an effort to keep students
excited about the activity
38

39. educationalparaphernalia:redhuntingcap
• holden’s cap in “catcher in the
rye” is a symbol representing
holden’s desire for comfort or
acceptance and his desire to
stand out from a crowd
• a red hunting cap may be a
prop for an instructor looking to
provoke student examination of
symbolism
image: http://eleloy.tumblr.com/post/33195139170/phony-doodle
39

40. educationalparaphernalia:paddywaxdiffusers
• the company paddywax offers
a “library collection” of scents
revolving around classic
authors
• diffusers may offer a light
perfume to the room as
students study edgar allen poe
or emily dickinson or several
others
• issues with sensitivity to scent
and allergies may make this
idea impractical
40

41. educationalparaphernalia:madrasshirt
• students may want to know
what a madras shirt is if reading
“the outsiders”
• the term is mentioned several
times and the difference in
clothing between greasers and
socs is an important aspect of
the story
image: http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ltgyonk1/morleywq1_files/image003.jpg
41

42. educationalparaphernalia:popcorn
• instructor uses a row of popcorn “I look at it like popcorn. In the first draft,
kernels to represent the first draft you lay out the kernels. Theyʼre small
of a sentence written on the board and hard. Thatʼs the general direction
you want to take. And then you put heat
• a hot plate warms up as students to it. Can this sentence be better? Can
think of better ways to phrase the this word be better? Can we take an
sentence eighty-year-word that has a certain
weight and use it in a slightly new way?
This part of the sentence is not doing
• as the sentence improves, the
enough. Instead of one word, weʼll have
instructor adjusts the level of the
three, or twenty. It becomes an
hot plate
improvisational thing.
Thatʼs when you put the style to it, the
• when the sentence has been intellectual heat to it. Thatʼs when it
improved to the instructor’s becomes popcorn. Each part of the
standards, a serving of popcorn sentence explodes.”
may be distributed to students -Touré
42

43. reallifeexample:film+songlyrics
• a large portion of movies are
inspired by literature
• selecting elements from a
passage (like pacing) and
allowing students to view a film
adaptation may help
coursework remain relevant
• song lyrics are great resources
for illustrating metaphors,
similes, and many other literary
devices
• if possible, use songs popular
at the moment
43

44. reallifeexample:importanceofpunctuation
• improper punctuation has
consequences
• “eats, shoots + leaves” has
dramatic selections to share
with students
• examples:
“a woman, without her man, is
nothing”
“a woman: without her, man is
nothing”
44

45. reallifeexample:storytelling
• storytelling is the oral tradition
predating literature
• using resources such as “snap
judgement” (npr podcast) to
diagram storytelling and the
connection between oral and
written language shows
literature as a form of
entertainment
• storytelling works well with
narratives and poetry and may
provide opportunites for
publication in addition to public
speaking
45

46. reallifeexample:fivesenses+sensorylanguage
• exposing students to several
types of stimulus and asking
them to use their vocabulary to
describe it to the best of their
abilities
• a second group of students are
asked to draw or define the
items described by the first
group of students
• examples of ideal descriptors
are shared
46

47. reallifeexample:psychology+sociologyconnections
• a psych/lit course was my
favorite high school course
because it connected
understanding literature to
understanding people
• adolescents are very interested
in learning about themselves
and learning about others is an
extension of that interest
• psychology and sociology are
easily connected to literature
and help an instructor connect
a novel to an observable reality
for students
image: www.theispot.com
47

48. multiculturalconcept:shermanalexie
• author of “the absolutely true
diary of a part-time indian”
illuminates readers to the
realities of students growing up
on a reservation
• this is a population group often
ignored by the majority
• the book touches on
alcoholism, racism, loyalty,
education as a choice for self-
betterment, and is written from
a witty fourteen-year-old’s
perspective
link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part-Time_Indian
48

49. multiculturalconcept:zoranealehurston
• zora neale hurston was a black writer
and proponent of segregation
• hurston grew up in an incorporated
black township (eatonville, florida)
and attributes easy access to
successful black people all around
her to her success and confidence
• besides the owner of a controversial
view, zora neale hurston’s “their eyes
were watching god” is a masterpiece
• her short story work is charming,
engaging and transitions well into
dialogue and storytelling lessons
49

50. multiculturalconcept:haiku
• haiku as a multicultural concept
will include a focus on zazen,
sumo wrestling, pictorial
in the moonlight a worm
(katakana and hiragana) silently
language
drills through a chestnut
• in literary terms, the unit will -matsu basho
distinguish objective/subjective
voice, teach brevity, poetic form
and nuance
matsu basho database: http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/hp/basho/00bashohaiku.htm
50

51. multiculturalconcept:aclassdivided
• we are all prejudice
• prejudice is nothing more than
making assessments and
assumptions based on
appearance
• “a class divided” is best
learned by viewing the pbs
video; recreating the activity
has potential for disaster
• in a primarily white classroom,
the video is a catalyst for
reexamination of prejudice and
discrimination
resource: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
51

52. multiculturalconcept:themandalaproject
• a mandala is a circular image representing
wholeness (see slide one)
• the mandala is linked to hinduism, christianity,
tibetan buddhism, and native american art
• the creation of a mandala may be applied to a
variety of topics within the language arts
classroom
http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Index.html
• the idea of the mandala project, as described on
the web site above, is to make individualized
representations of wholeness and combine the
individual efforts to create a collective piece of art
“whole parts becoming part of a larger whole”
52