Tag: Songs

A Christmas Carol Distance Learning Activities

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December is always an exciting month with so much holiday fun taking place. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, is one of those classic pieces of holiday literature that is a great piece to use during this time with students in grades 6-12.

Many students often read the play version of this text, and take field trips to see a live performance. There are also countless movie versions available as well.

I have always been a believer in using film versions to support student’s learning and reading comprehension. I created five easy-to-use activities that can be paired with text and film versions of A Christmas Carol for those teaching remotely, hybrid or in person.

A Christmas Carol Scrooge Character Chart– Students can record how Scrooge changes as a character throughout the course of the text or film using this chart. It includes definitions of indirect and direct characterization and requires students to cite evidence and provide an analysis. This product can be used for any version of the text or film adaptations.

A Christmas Carol Character Chart– This character chart lists the main characters and requires students to record descriptions and provide evidence from the text or film. Characters included are: Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ghost of Christmas Future, Fred, Fezziwig, Belle and Mrs. Cratchit. This product can be used for any version of the text or film adaptations.

A Christmas Carol Lyrics Analysis Activity-Using lyrics from The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, students will highlight the text for examples of indirect, direct and background information on Scrooge. Based on the highlights, students will write three short responses that require textual evidence and explanations.

A Christmas Carol Compare & Contrast Text to Film Activity– Students fill out a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting a text to film version of A Christmas Carol. Based on the graphic organizer, students will respond to two short responses that include textual evidence and specific examples. This product can be used with any text and film version of the work.

A Christmas Carol Theme Extended Response– Students will write four paragraphs focusing on a theme seen in both a film and text version of A Christmas Carol. This product also includes a rubric.

A Christmas Carol Activity Bundle– This bundle includes the following activities:

*Scrooge Character Chart Activity

*A Christmas Character Chart Activity

*Lyrics Analysis Activity

*Compare & Contrast Text to Film Activity

*Theme Extended Response (with rubric)

**Bonus item** a fill-in plot diagram with definitions

This is the perfect product to help supplement learning while students read or view film versions of this classic holiday story. 

Little Reading Coach is a certified Teacher of English (K-12) and Reading Specialist (P-12) offering online reading,  writing and home-based learning support tutoring services for students in grades 6-12. For more information click here.

Songs & Books for Tweens/Teens About Moving

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Moving has got to be one of the most stressful life situations. While it can be very difficult for adults to handle all of these changes at once, it is even more challenging for tweens and teens.

Many of us read or  listen to music to relate to circumstances that are happening in our lives. Below is a list of resources for middle and high school students to help with the transition of moving.

Songs

“Goodbye to You” by Michelle Branch. This one definitely takes me back to high school and break ups, but in looking at the lyrics it’s truly a great song to address saying goodbye to someone who has made an impact.

“The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert. During my first year teaching, one of my students told me about this song when we read House on Mango Street. It’s a great reflection song for tweens/teens to remember the different memories of their childhood in the house they grew up in.

“Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot. Sometimes tweens/teens need a little pick me up and motivation to make it through big life changes. This song encourages listeners to keep it going.

“Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel. This classic, fun song is great for packing and lightening the mood.

“Where Are You Going?” by Dave Matthews. Ever get in a mood where you just want a slower song? Dave Matthews has got tweens/teens in that mood covered with this song.

Books

Lost and Found by Andrew Clements. For readers who love Frindle, this book is perfect to help with the transition of moving. Sixth grade twins are about to start a new school and things don’t go as planned. I would recommend this book for fifth and sixth grade readers.

Anastasia Again! by Lois Lowry. If your kids love Number the Stars and The Giver, this is a perfect book to help cope with the struggles of moving. The twelve year old main character moves from an apartment to the suburbs. I would recommend this this book for grades 5-7.

The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Park. For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this humorous middle school text is perfect. Howard believes that his parents have ruined his life by moving across the country. This story is all about making friends. I recommend it for readers in grades 5-7.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Behind all of the vampireness of this text, a component of the plot in the beginning is Bella moving from Florida to Washington. Not only does she deal with moving to a new state, she is also adjusting to living with a father she has only visited in the past. I recommend this book for readers in grades 6-12.

Swimming Sideways by CL Walters. This is the perfect YA novel for high school students who move. It tells the story of Abby adjusting to life after a move from Hawaii as she maneuvers friendships and relationships, while learning that the past does not always stay in the past. This book has been featured on My 10 Favorite YA Novels, 6 Favorite Indie YA Novels, and reviewed here.