To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an opportunity for students to explore themes of prejudice, injustice, coming of age and compassion. 

It is a story that resonates today with students even though it was published in 1960. The deep themes transcend time and place. 

Here is the handout for To Kill a Mockingbird. It includes critical thinking and literary analysis questions, theme analysis questions, essay prompts with rubric, Christian application and possible extension activities.

Students also enjoyed this as a Movies for Learning. Here are the questions for To Kill a Mockingbird.

I hope your students will dive deep into To Kill a Mockingbird.

Blessings,

Natalie

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

 

There is so much for students to explore in the short story by Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game.

In this student worksheet I have included literary analysis, critical thinking questions, essay prompts, Christian application questions and possible extension activities. 

This story will challenge students through the characters of Rainsford and General Zaroff. They will explore questions of civility and savagery. They will look at what happens when our moral compass is lost. 

The classics are such because of their timeless themes. I hope that your students will enjoy their study of The Most Dangerous Game!

Blessings,

Natalie

 

Belle - Movies for Learning

Belle is a movie based on the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle in the 1700's. It is about a mixed race woman who was born illegitimate but became an heiress in her time. 

Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray 1778 by David Martin

The theme of racial identity was a driving force in the movie. It also reflected the belief about status and birth. The theme of slavery runs through this movie which helps students to see how life was during this time.

Here are the questions for Belle. These questions are geared to Grades 7-9.

I hope that your students enjoy this movie,

Blessings,

Natalie

A Piece of Chalk - an essay by G.K. Chesterton

 

The essay "A Piece of Chalk" by G.K. Chesterton, is a study in symbolism and theology. 

I hope that your students will enjoy this essay and be able to draw out the deeper meanings within.

This handout includes literary analysis, critical thinking, Christian application and extension activities.

My Grade 9 students have found this essay challenging but worth the effort to explore. It can certainly be adapted for High School students.

Blessings,

Natalie

Invictus - Poem by William Ernest Henley

 

The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley is about resilience and inner strength despite the circumstances one find oneself in. 

It is an opportunity to explore literary analysis and critical thinking.  I have also included writing prompts and Christian application. 

This handout would be applicable to Grade 9 and up.

Though a heavier poem, there is much to explore here for students.

Blessings,

Natalie

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - Novel Study

 

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a great book for students to learn more about WW#2 and all of the struggles people have to survive. It is even more challenging for one who is blind. 

This novel helps us to learn about resilience, free will and the importance of human connection. 

                                 

Here is the novel study handout for All the Light We Cannot See. I have included literary analysis, character analysis, critical thinking questions and theme exploration. There are also essay topics (with an essay rubric) and extension activities. 

This is a heavier novel for High School students. Be cautious and read it first if you are concerned. 

Blessings,

Natalie

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery - Novel Study

 

Rilla of Ingleside is a wonderful novel by L.M. Montgomery and a great opportunity to study life in Canada during WW#1.

Rilla is an excellent character we see transform over the course of the novel. She matures and learns from her experiences during the war. She faces responsibility, copes with loss and learns to believe in herself. 

This handout is for a Grade 9 student but could easily be adapted to older students. I have included Chapter studies with literary analysis, critical thinking questions, character analysis and theme related questions. At the end of the study are extension opportunities, essay prompts and Christian applications. 

This is an in-depth opportunity to study a Canadian classic! Enjoy!

Blessings,

Natalie

The Lily Maid excerpt from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Unfortunate Lily Maid excerpt from Anne of Green Gables gives us a wonderful look at Anne and how she sees the world and uses her imagination. 

You can find the passage in Chapter 28, The Unfortunate Lily Maid. 

Here are the questions for The Unfortunate Lily Maid from Anne of Green Gables. I have included Literary Analysis, Exploration of Theme, Critical Thinking Questions and Writing Prompts. I have also included Biblical Application and Extension Activities. You can choose which sections you would like to explore with your students. I have created this for Grade 9, but it would be adaptable to younger or older students. 

Anne of Green Gables is a wonderful way to explore character through the life of Anne and those around her. It is a timeless story with humour, serious themes and opportunities put yourself in the many character's shoes.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Natalie

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is available as a picture book as well as a movie on Netflix. 

It is a story about determination and innovation. It also highlights the importance of education. 

In the handout for the story I have included vocabulary, comprehension questions, literary analysis, discussion questions and possible extension activities. I have made this at a Grade 6 level, but it is adaptable for Middle School.

This movie was also one that I led with Grade 8/9 students in a Movies for Learning Class. The discussion was rich as the movie had many aspects to explore. Here are the questions for the movie version of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

I hope that you find a way to study this inspiring story with your students!

Blessings,

Natalie

 

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber was published in the New Yorker Magazine in March of 1939. 

This handout has many opportunities for diving deeper into the story. There is literary analysis, critical thinking, vocabulary, extension opportunities and essay prompts. 

I have also explored the movie version of this story with students. Though not 100% true to the story, there are still many opportunities to expand on. 

I hope that you enjoy this story! There is lots here to challenge our students.

Blessings,

Natalie

The Lady or the Tiger?

 

The short story The Lady or the Tiger? was written by Frank R. Stockton in 1882. It reflects on themes of love, bravery and choice. 

This handout includes a more in-depth study of the story including literary analysis, character analysis, critical thinking, essay prompts and extension activity choices. 

I have also included an outline and a rubric for the essay.

I hope that your students enjoy The Lady or the Tiger?

Natalie

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant - Short Story

The Necklace was written by Guy de Maupassant and first published on February 17th, 1884. It is a timeless story about status in society. 

This is an excellent example of using a short story from the past to explore critical thinking, literary analysis and then dive deeper through writing prompts that a student can choose from. 

The handout includes a variety of explorations in the text at a Grade 9 level. It could definitely be adapted to High School students.

Enjoy The Necklace!

Natalie

The Song My Paddle Sings by Tekahionwake (E. Pauline Johnson) - Canadian Poetry

The poem The Song My Paddle Sings was written by Tekahionwake (E. Pauline Johnson) in the early 20th Century and is from the book of poems Flint and Feather published for the first time in 1917.

You can find the poem on All Poetry.

Here is a handout for students based on the poem including critical thinking, literary analysis, creative responses and potential journal prompt.

I have included a rubric to assist in assessment.

I have made this handout through the help of ChatGPT for a Grade 9 student but it could be adapted to a younger student or older student to fit your needs. 

I hope that you enjoy The Song My Paddle Sings!

Natalie

World Debt Clock Hyperdoc

I have done some form of this activity with several of my students and they have learned a lot about the debt in other countries as well as in Canada! We have explored the student's own solutions for the debt problem and extended this to a compare and contrast project of two or more countries culminating with an infographic. 

This gives Grade 9+ students the opportunity to work with real world statistics and do some critical thinking and research to extend those statistics into real world solutions. This activity encourages critical and creative thinking as well as statistical analysis. 

Here is the World Debt Clock Hyperdoc. It is in a Google Slides format but you can easily download as a PDF if you prefer. 

Blessings,
Natalie

First Peoples Interconnectedness - Grade 9 Science

I am so thankful for FNESC and their amazing publication to help with First Peoples science lessons. All the ideas that I got for this activity with my Grade 9 students were from the FNESC materials here. The ideas came from Unit 8.

To begin, we reviewed the four elements of the Earth and used the Blackline Master 8-1. 

I read several First Peoples stories from The Spirit of Canada book. We looked at each of the stories through the lens of the four elements.

We then watched the video Respect and discussed it. 

We then watched a video about the Northern Abalone of the Haida Gwaii to begin our activity about the Abalone. 

After we did this lesson plan which really helped us to understand threatened resources that are important to First Peoples. 

Finally, we watched this video Keepers of the Coast. 

This lesson really challenged us to see how important interconnectedness and sustainability is for all. We learned the importance of stewardship of resources and the perspectives of First Peoples about resources. 

I hope that you enjoy this lesson as much as my students did! Blessings! Natalie

Compare and Contrast Canadian Ecozones to Natural Resources

Physiographic features of Canada is part of the outcomes for BC Grade 9. One of the sample activities suggests comparing and contrasting physical features and natural resources in different regions of Canada. This is the project my student and I did to explore natural resources in Canada.

First, I created a block poster of a map of Canada (thanks Donna at Northwoods Press!) in order to have lots of room to explore the regions and the resources. I also went to www.clker.com and got clip art to represent our resources. You can find them in this PDF. 

We used the map above to explore our Ecozones. We then began to add natural resources, crops and Canadian mining to our map. 

As we added resources to the map, I was asking my student why they thought that the resource was located in that area. We researched what we couldn't answer from the obvious geographic features. 

They then did an essay on what they thought was the most promising resource in Canada.

This was a great way to explore ecozones and Canadian natural resources! 

Blessings,
Natalie