Lesson Plan: Winter with a Twist

Grade: 8 Subject: English Language Arts

Introduction: - Begin the lesson by reading the text aloud to the students, emphasizing the suspense and excitement of the story. - Engage the students by asking them to share their thoughts and reactions to the story. - Explain that the lesson will focus on exploring the theme of winter with a twist and developing reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Lesson Outline: 1. Warm-up Activity: Snowball Brainstorming (10 minutes) - Divide the students into small groups. - Provide each group with a large sheet of paper and markers. - Instruct the students to brainstorm as many words and phrases related to winter as they can in a given time limit. - After the time is up, have each group share their ideas with the class and create a master list on the board.

1. Reading Comprehension: Winter Zombies (15 minutes) - Distribute a worksheet with comprehension questions based on the text. - Instruct the students to read the text again individually and answer the questions. - After they have completed the worksheet, review the answers as a class, encouraging discussion and critical thinking.

2. Group Discussion: Uncovering the Mystery (15 minutes) - Divide the students into small groups. - Provide each group with a set of discussion questions related to the text. - Instruct the students to discuss their answers and share their thoughts within their groups. - After the discussion, have each group present their findings and insights to the class.

Questioning: - What was the twist in the story? How did it affect the characters and the town? - How did Tom and Emma respond to the situation? What qualities did they demonstrate? - What challenges did the Snow Busters face? How did they overcome them? - What do you think will happen next in the story? Why?

Assessment: - Assess the students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills through their participation in the group discussion and their ability to answer the comprehension questions accurately.

Differentiation: - Provide additional support for struggling students by offering simplified versions of the comprehension questions or providing extra time for completion. - Challenge advanced students by encouraging them to analyze the characters’ motivations and predict possible outcomes for the story.

Plenary: - Show a video clip related to the theme of winter with a twist, such as a scene from a movie or a short animated film. - After watching the video, ask the students to compare and contrast it with the text they read. - Facilitate a class discussion on the similarities and differences between the video and the text, encouraging the students to express their opinions and insights.

Video Resources: - “Frozen” Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbQm5doF_Uc - “The Snowman” Animated Short Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHCZhUZXpUk

Worksheet Resource: - Winter with a Twist Comprehension Questions Worksheet: [insert link to worksheet]

Note: The worksheet can be created by the teacher, including questions that focus on key events, character analysis, and predictions for the story.