Apr. 23, 2012 at 7:43pm
Shakespeare’s Deathday

William Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616. Teach your students or children about this incredibly influential author by reading one of his many plays. To help you out, we have lesson plans and games for 17 of his best plays.

The complete teaching units cover the whole book, making the teaching process much easier on your part. If you are looking for something smaller or less expensive, scavenger hunts are very inexpensive but will shake up your lesson plan and make learning more fun for your students.

Hamlet

Julius Caesar

King Lear

Macbeth

Romeo and Juliet

The Taming of the Shrew

Scavenger Hunts (each $1.99):

Shakespeare Scavenger Hunt-$3.99

What’s your favorite play by Shakespeare?

Mar. 2, 2012 at 7:04pm with 1 note
Lemony SnicketSeries of Unfortunate EventsHomeschoolLesson Plans
It’s Lemony Snicket’s Birthday!

February 28th was Lemony Snicket’s birthday!

Born Daniel Handler, this quirky guy is the author of the well-known Series of Unfortunate Events. Ever since the first book of the series came out in 1999, elementary students have devoured his intricate, suspenseful writing.

In The Bad Beginning, the first installment of The Series of Unfortunate Events, we are introduced to the series’ three protagonists: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who have just lost their parents in a mysterious fire. We are also introduced to the series’ main antagonist, the evil and conniving Count Olaf, the siblings’ uncle whose only focus is the Baudelaire’s hefty inheritance. Even though they attempt to alert officials, no one will listen. Read The Bad Beginning to find out what happens to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny!

Publishers Weekly praised The Bad Beginning, stating that “the author uses formal, Latinate language and intrusive commentary to hilarious effect, even for readers unfamiliar with the literary conventions he parodies.” Amidst a range of elementary-level books that are simple and dumbed-down, this novel truly shines.

Your students won’t be able to put down this suspenseful novel - add to the fun and learning with one of Go Teach It’s Lesson Plans (perfect for the educator and the homeschooler):

the complete teaching unit

scavenger hunts based on the book

and other fun games

Which is your favorite installment of The Series of Unfortunate Events?

Feb. 28, 2012 at 2:41pm with 2 notes
FrindleLesson PlansTrue FalseQuizzesScavenger Hunts
Frindle - the book every child will love

Andrew Clements’ first novel, Frindle, advocates creativity and being yourself. It’s upbeat, it’s fun and it’s happy. Good things do happen. Good lesson will be learned.

So what’s it all about? And why would your middle school students like to read about a Frindle?

Nick dislikes his fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Granger. After questioning why words mean what they do, he decides to come up with a new name for the pen: frindle. Mrs. Granger does not approve, but the word has already become a national phenomenon. Will Nick and Mrs. Granger ever get along? Will the word “frindle” become part of the English language? Read to find out.

Middle schoolers are sure to love this award-winning read, so why not take a look at our Go Teach It lesson plans for Frindle?

Can you tell Go Teach It is a huge Frindle fan? We admit it, we are. Are you?

Feb. 24, 2012 at 5:59pm
Get LitLois LowryThe GiverNumber the StarsElementary EducationLesson Plans
Lois Lowry (Get Lit) is coming to Spokane!

Get Lit is an annual literature festival held in Spokane, Washington that started in 1998 and is still going strong. This year, the award-winning Lois Lowry is the youth-literature headliner and we could not be more excited! Ms. Lowry has written such classics as The Giver and Number the Stars, both Newbery Medal winners.

If you are in the area, make sure to head to the Bing Crosby Theater on Saturday, April 14th at 7 pm to hear the Lois Lowry read from her latest installment of The Giver series which is followed by a stage presentation of The Giver by The American Place Theatre. It’s free to all youth and it’s sure to be a night to remember.

We also encourage you to check out our Lois Lowry Lesson plans on the Go Teach It website. Incorporating one or more of these books in to your lesson planning is a rewarding experience especially if you and your students have the opportunity to see Lois Lowry in person at Get Lit. 

Feb. 6, 2012 at 12:54pm with 3 notes
Charles DickensLesson PlanA Tale of Two CitiesFrench Revolution
Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens.

Tomorrow, February 7th, Charles Dickens would have been 200 years of age. If you take a look at the website Dickens 2012 you can see how the rest of the world plans on celebrating the work of Charles Dickens and you can learn more about his works. Charles Dickens remains one of the most important literary figures as he was a campaigner for social change, a fantastic writer who gives all of us a peek in to the life of the poor and the middle class of Victorian society. (trivia: he serialized most of his writings publishing them monthly and giving readers something to look forward to in the next month’s segment.) He is and remains a very necessary part of well rounded education. “We need to read Dickens’ novels…because they tell us, in the grandest way possible, why we are what we are.” From a high school student essay and brilliantly put.

To celebrate Charles Dickens birthday, Go Teach It celebrates A Tale of Two Cities. A novel about the French underclass and the French aristocracy who oppresses them. A novel that has influenced and shaped our understanding of the French Revolution as no other book has. As if that was not enough reason to teach this wonderful book, consider this, the book is more straightforward than many other Charles Dickens novels. And it tears apart any notions of human nature showing us how we can be, at our very worst. And it teaches us, that we very well may be better than we are. So, please, celebrate with us. Teach this book to your children, your students, and celebrate the life of Charles Dickens and all of the wonder he brings to us.

The Go Teach It lesson plan for A Tale of Two Cities includes:

Chapter-by-chapter lesson plan
Discussion questions
Vocabulary
Chapter summaries
Trivia questions
True/false reading check questions
Easy to use forms for tracking vocabulary, quotes, and writing logs
A Tale of Two Cities money - a reward incentive
Jamble Scramble word games
Scavenger Hunt activity sheets

Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens.

What will you read to celebrate?

Feb. 2, 2012 at 1:03pm
On Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestKen KeseyLesson Plans
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an American Classic

On February 1, 1962, Ken Kesey gave birth to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Perhaps gave birth is not quite right and published would be a better choice. Regardless, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest is an American classic which explores societal repression and, well, the apparent destructive power that women might have over men. We had to say it. Not that we liked saying it. But, we cannot ignore Nurse Ratched, can we? 

The overarching theme of freedom versus control threads it’s way through Ken Kesey’s sad, but beautiful and funny words. And the reader comes away believing that laughter is the greatest weapon any of us can wield. 

The Go Teach It lesson plan covering One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest provides extra resources engaging the minds of your students to tear in to to this book. The added benefit of Jamble Scrambles, Puzzles and Scavenger Hunts makes the almost harsh reality of this book “fun” (if one can use that word).

More One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Lesson Plans

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest reminds us all to look at how we perceive mental illness and re-evaluate what price we pay when we capitulate to conformity. And the book is entirely better than the movie, don’t you think?

Jan. 31, 2012 at 7:55pm
Novels on locationlesson plans
Novels on Location

Novels on Location is a new google labs tool that maps out the locations where various books take place. This interactive map will help students visualize where the stories they read take place. While it doesn’t have a ton of titles at the moment, we have plenty of lesson plans for books that take place in interesting locations. And, we’re willing to bet you have some ideas as well.

For example:

Do you ever study where a book takes place? How do you do it? How do you incorporate this in to your lesson plans?

Sep. 28, 2011 at 3:31pm with 6 notes
Bound for OregonHoffer
New Lesson Plans - Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen

New Go Teach It Lesson Plan Added: Bound for Oregon


Fanny.Hofer is one of Go Teach It’s most popular writers. She has written over 30 lesson plans, examinations, complete teaching units, educational games, etc. All of which can be found on the newly redesigned Go Teach It website. With a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.Ed in Curriculum Instruction, Ms. Hoffer consistently uses all of her experience to create popular lesson plans such as Rifles for Waite, My Side of the Mountain, and A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning. Her newest contribution to the Go Teach It library is Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen. Ms. Hofer has created a detailed teaching lesson for the fifth grade reading level (however it should be noted, children in grades two and up have enjoyed Bound for Oregon whether it be read to them, or by them). Go Teach It’s newest lesson plan includes printable worksheets, teaching guides, end of chapter quizzes, a final exam, and much more.

“Based on a true account, ‘Bound for Oregon’ brings to life a spirited heroine who, within six months, had enough adventures to last a lifetime.” (Goodreads). This is a fun book, well worth the read and full of adventure.

Take a look at our newest curriculum on the Go Teach It website – it’s sure to impress. We are pleased to have another work by Fanny Hofer to share with you.

We will be adding more new curriculum as the school year draws continues. If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to email us, contact us via Twitter or post to our Facebook page.

Sep. 14, 2011 at 5:55pm
The Littles
New Go Teach It Lesson Plan: The Littles

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION Go Teach It
c/o Design Spike® Inc.
522 W. First Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
509.252.5060
write@goteachit.com
goteachit.com

New Go Teach It Lesson Plan Added:                           

The Littles


Eleanor Summers, a retired elementary teacher who has extensive experience in literature resources, has created a new complete literature curriculum for Go Teach It. The Littles by John Peterson is an in-depth teaching unit  created for third graders and includes printable worksheets, teaching guides, a final exam, and much more.

Children have enjoyed The Littles, a book about a “tiny family that always ends up in king-sized trouble” (Goodreads), since it was first published in 1967. This adventure-filled book allows children to use their imagination to enter into a new and wonderful world.

Take a look at our newest curriculum on the Go Teach It website – it’s sure to impress.We are very please to have Eleanor Summers writing for us. Look for more of her work to come in the next few months.

We will be adding more new curriculim as the school year draws continues. If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to email us, contact us via Twitter or post to our Facebook page.