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Mr. Coward’s Site for Teachers
May 25th, 2009 by mrC

This is SeventhGradeEnglish.com. It’s the teacher version of my seventh grade class page. It’s the result of 16+ years of junior high middle school teaching and 11+ years on the web. Feel free to take and mutate, but give credit where credit is due.

Have fun always.

(Mr. Coward has been teaching on the beautiful central coast of California since 1989. He enjoys fruitbooting, rocking, and teaching seventh grade.)

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MadLib for The Giver!
Nov 30th, 2009 by mrC

Here’s a new MadLib taken from the pages of  The Giver. It’s from chapter 3 when they bring Gabriel home.
The Giver – MadLib #1

1. past tense verb:
2. plural noun:
3. different plural noun:
4. adjective:
5. adjective:
6. present tense verb:
7. adverb:
8. past tense verb:
9. noun:
10. past tense verb:
11. noun:
12. adjective:
13. plural noun:
14. noun:

He had been 1)____________ by the newchild’s 2)_________. 3)________ were 4)___________ in the community; they weren’t 5)__________, but there was no real need of them, and Jonas had simply never bothered to 6)__________ himself very 7)__________ even when he 8)__________ himself in a location where a 9)_________ 10)___________. Now, seeing the newchild and its 11)_________, he was reminded that the 12)_________ 13)___________ were not only a rarity but gave the one who had them a certain look–what was it? 14)_________.

We had a lot of fun with this one.
More MadLibs can be found on the grammar page.

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Academic Words
Nov 29th, 2009 by mrC

Here’s a link to the lists of academic words I use, along with pretests and exercises. I have have condensed the first eight of the famous 10 lists from 60  words each down to 20. A guy that works with the guy originated these lists of the most commonly used words in academic writing also has exercises. He does his cloze stylie, like mine, and they’re pretty cool, web-based style, but mine are printer friendly and aimed at seventh graders. If you want versions that are even more printer-friendly (with the answers), head on over to clickers.mrcoward.com.

I’ll update the list to include two more lists and corresponding exercises soon.

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CLICKERS!
May 30th, 2009 by mrC

CPS clickers have transformed my classroom over the last three years. These days, I rarely grade anything but writing, I have more data about what the kids know and don’t know, and I’m able to move much more quickly in class.

Head on over to Clickers.mrcoward.com to find out how.

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New Look!
May 25th, 2009 by mrC

Seventh Grade English is growing up. (Fat chance.) How do you like our new look? All the old links and bookmarks should still work, but I’m trying to make it easier to add new material. Enjoy.

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75 Ways to Share a Book
May 25th, 2009 by mrC

I first discovered this all-time fave during my first real year of teaching. I was one of those who had to move from room to room, period by period. This handout was left behind by a student. I have used it many times ever since. I have also mutated it down to 55 ways suitable for my KBAR reading program.

75 WAYS TO SHARE A BOOK by Suzanne Barchers

Using the story:
1.  Organize a panel to debate it.
2.  Dramatize an incident from it.
3.  Tell about it over the school PA system.
4.  Condense it to 15, 50, or 100 words.
5.  Write about it to a friend.
6.  Make a map of where it takes place.
7.  Make a story map of its main events.
8.  Create a crossword puzzle, using its setting and plot.
9.  Create a scroll or hand-rolled movie to illustrateit.
10.  Tell Why it would (or wouldn’t) make a great movie.
11.  Tell its funniest (or most exciting) incident.
12.  Make a poster about it.
13.  Pick five to 10 adjectives that describe it.  Tell whyyou
chose them.
14.  Describe an incident from it as though you were an on-the-sceneTV reporter.
15.  Make a model of something in it.
16.  Draw objects from it and make them into a mobile.
17.  Draw a significant scene on construction paper cut to thesize of a coat hanger; attach it to the hanger; then suspend from the hangera report about the scene.
18.  Choose an idea or scene from it as the subject of a collage.Use old magazine pictures.
19.  Make up a limerick or haiku about it.
20.  Put an important item from it into a shoebox.  Giveclues
so your class can guess what theitem is.
21.  Illustrate it with objects found at home or handmade, orwith photographs you’ve take of people, places and events.
22.  Create a mural about it, using charcoal, crayons, cut paper,water colors, or another art form.
23.  Compare it to the movie or TV version.
24.  Make a time-line of its events.
25.  Create a new ending for it.
26. Make a mosaic to illustrate one of its settings or events.
27.  Make up a lost or found ad for something in it.
28.  Make a peep-box of an important scene or event.
29.  Rewrite one of its incidents for a younger reader.
30.  Use sketches or photographs to recreate one of its actionsequences.
Using the characters:
31.  The U.S. President has learned that you’ve read this bookand wants to know one thing a main character discovered about life thatyou think all Americans should know.  What would you tell him? Why?
32.  Describe the main character in 64 words.
33.  Choose a character you’d like (or not like) to have as a
friend.  Tell why.
34.  Make believe you were one of the minor characters.How wouldyou describe a main character?
35.  Role play one of the characters.
36.  Plan an appropriate meal for a main character.
37.  Do a cartoon strip based on a character.
38.  Write a few pages in a diary as if you were a character.
39.  Write a poem about a character.		 40.  Design costumes for some of the characters.
41.  Dress as one of the characters.
42.  For stories that took place in another time, tell how oneof the characters would act today, or would respond to a present day situation.
43. Tell why one of the characters should have a different role.
44.  Tell what your home would be like if it belonged to one ofthe main characters.
45.  Write a biography of one of the characters.
46.  Write an interview between a character and the author, orbetween two characters.
47.  Create paper dolls of the main characters.
48.  Pick a book you think each of the main characters would enjoyreading.  Tell why.
49.  Prepare flannel board characters.
50.  Develop a game of charades based on the characters.
51.  Make puppets of the characters.  Set up dialogue.
52.  Pantomime a character and ask the class to guess the
book.
53.  Guess what would have happened if a character had made an important decision differently.
Using the book itself:
54.  Make a list of facts you learned from it.
55.  Persuade an audience to read (or not read) it.
56.  Tell why you would (or wouldn’t) recommend it to your
principal, a parent, or anotherstudent.
57.  Tell what the book would say about itself if it could talk.
58.  List its five most interesting or critical sentences.
59.  Use its theme or setting to create a postcard or greetingcard.
60.  Compare it to another book the author has written.
Describe common elements, style,theme, and so forth.
61.  Write a song about it.
62.  Demonstrate something you learned from it.
63.  Prepare a list of its most unusual, difficult, or excitingwords.
64.  Use its title and theme to write your own story.
65.  Do a scientific experiment associated with it.
66.  Present a review of it to a younger class.
67.  Pretend to be the book and tell what you hold within your pages.
68.  Make a bulletin board about it, showing the main
characters, the setting, and soforth.
69.  Compare it with a book of similar theme.
70.  Prepare a book jacket for it.
71.  Have someone who has read it try to stump you with
questions.
Using the author:
72.  Become the author and tell why you wrote this book.
73.  Plan the questions you’d use in a conference call interviewwith the author.
74.  The author has written to you and wants to know how thisbook would have been improved.  How would you answer?
75.  Write a letter of appreciation to the author, asking questionsand sharing thoughts.
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