We know Valentine’s Day can be pretty crazy in the classroom when you factor in the pre-teen/teenager hormones. So, we like to make sure we have an engaging mini-unit planned that not only holds our students’ attention, but also ensure some quality learning is taking place! It also helps to make the day run more smoothly when your lesson(s) can be tied into the holiday!
We know our students are going to be super excited about the mini-unit we created for them around the short story, “The Chaser.” It’s about a man named Alan who is completely IN LOVE with a woman named Diana. Unfortunately, she does not feel the same way (sad face), so Alan purchases a love potion that promises to make Diana fall head over heels. However, the potion may have some unintended consequences … What’s not to enjoy in a story like this?!
What we love about this unit is how packed it is with quality content. Our kiddos will be:
- Doing close reading of the text (using these annotation strategies)
- Examining vocabulary words
- Analyzing potential themes
- Creating a ten word story centered around a particular theme
- Participating in a Socratic Seminar
- Writing an argumentative piece and a creative writing piece
One Comment
Great ideas! I love your mini-unit…full of learning and fun!