Context Clue FREEBIE and Hunger Games Music in the Classroom-A MUST SHOW video

This is the second year I have read the Hunger Games with my students...it is a favorite.  Today was the day we got to the part of the feast.  Clove scared the pants off of everyone, and Thresh is a new favorite character...

I LOVE that my students just want to read "one more page, one more paragraph, one more sentence?!"  Even better, they BEG to take the book to their next class.   Sorry teaching teammates! 

Our learning target this week is using context clues.  We have been focusing on that concept/skill since day one, but this book offers a ton of opportunities for students to use context clues to determine meanings of unknown words.  Today we came to words like scant, incoherence, tethered, plummeting, poised, etc.  My students were using context clue strategies like crazy.  It was exciting to observe.

Here is the interactive flap we used and I included the notes we recorded below...



With a day full of "context cluing" I thought it might be fun to share some songs from the movie that they could continue to practice their strategies with.  While this song doesn't possess many words that require using context clues, I thought it was a really cool video that my students will enjoy. 

With only five chapters to go-three after tomorrow, my students will have the perfect tool to introduce them to a theme of the novel...

Last year we had the opportunity to take the students to see the movie after completing the novel in the theater the day after opening day.  We were a bit bent on giving this year's crew the same learning opportunity as one aspect of common core is comparing and contrasting a print and nonprint text.

This year a local theater is giving us the opportunity to rent out one of their theater rooms so that the students have the chance to see the movie in the theater setting at a fairly low cost-PRETTY COOL!  Don't ever be afraid to ask...people love to help out teachers!

I will post pictures of our end of novel projects as well as our journey to the theater.  Stay tuned!  Lots to come before winter break!