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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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