Teaching Symbolism with "I Spy" Pages

My class wraps up our reading curriculum by discussing theme and symbolism in novels. To add some STEAM to our reading curriculum, students were given some options for how to show their understanding of symbols in their novels. One option is the "I Spy" page. Students must find at least 7 important symbols from their novel to hide in an image full of objects. Each included symbol must also include a 2-3 sentence explanation for the item's importance and connection to the plot and theme of the novel. Students are choosing a variety of ways to construct their "I Spy" page using the Chromebook technology, their art skills, and Google apps. Check out the example below!

An "I Spy" for Abduction by Peg Kehret. 

Where the Wild Things Are Literary Analysis

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak may be a childhood classic, but it is also a great teaching tool for inferences and literary analysis. A few years ago, the book was adapted into a terrific film. I used both the film and the book to create a compare and contrast unit that asked students to study the images, write a movie review, and compare and contrast the original text with the film version. My middle schoolers loved the movie which kept them engaged throughout the lesson. Below you will find a google folder with the materials that I used including print outs of the slides that were shown on the SmartBoard during the lesson.

Where the Wild Things Are Unit

** This unit is from when I worked at an alternative school with a transient student population. Each day, new students joined the class and old students left the class. This resulted in modifications to assignments for students based on when they entered the class. Sadly, we never got to complete the Create Your Own "Wild Thing" Project which was to be an Art/English activity that created a 3D wild thing using varying supplies with a biography of the Wild Thing and a revised Where the Wild Things Are to include the new Wild Thing. By the time we got to that lesson, the majority of the students in the class had not participated in the earlier lessons, so we moved on. But someday....

A Raisin in the Sun Student Activities

My bulletin board is currently filled with 7th grade poems, but I was able to hang the A Raisin in the Sun assignments on cork strips in the hallway. The students were very proud to see their work displayed. Check out their work below!

Character Charts and "Dream Deferred" Analyses

Quote/Theme Analyses and A Raisin in the Sun Act IV Activity

Exemplary Theme/Quote Analysis

Exemplary Theme/Quote Analysis

Exemplary Character Chart

Exemplary Character Chart