Out of the Box Teaching: Innovative Strategies for the Language Arts Classroom Lindsay Bowley, M. Ed.

Lindsay Bowley, M. Ed. 8 th Grade Language Arts Teacher at Creekland Middle School in Canton, Georgia Involved with the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project Cherokee County Teacher of the Year One of seven winners of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement's Innovation in Teaching Competition

Transform Your Learning Environment Language. Is. Music.

Transform Your Learning Environment CSI Lesson

Transform Your Learning Environment Masquerade Lesson

Transform Your Learning Environment Emergency Room Lesson Dear Parents, I am hatching a plan for a fun activity in language arts class, and I would LOVE to have your help! Next Friday, I want to transform my classroom into a hospital operating room! My plan is to bring in "broken" sentences that need commas or have comma mistakes and ask students to "operate" on them in order to bring them back to grammatical health! My vision for the room is in the attached picture. In order to do this, I was wondering if any of you who work in the medical field have the following that you wouldn't mind sending in: 1. Non-latex gloves 2. Masks (the kind that cover the nose and mouth) 3. Scrubs (cloth or paper) 4. Lab coats 5. Disposable aluminum tin foil pans 6. White sheets*** 7. Blue paper material to cover the operating tables 8. Bath caps to cover hair If you can think of any more items that might make my lesson realistic, please let me know! Thank you in advance for your help and support. I would love to have items in by Tuesday of next week.

Transform Your Learning Environment Emergency Room Lesson

Transform Your Task’s Purpose Do Something Now! Project Authentic Situation: You have been selected as the representative from your non- profit organization to give a five minute presentation to a charity guild. This guild will hear from several organizations, with each one being given only five minutes to speak. The members of the guild will then donate a pool of money to the most persuasive non-profit representative. Bonus Opportunities: Include tangible props. Include a video clip. Give out hand-outs. Actually volunteer or mobilize the class to raise money.

Transform Your Task’s Purpose Business Plan Project Authentic Situation: Students work in teams or individually to design a small business. The team creates: ▫ an advertisement using persuasive strategies ▫a detailed business plan containing financial projections and a budget ▫a two-minute pitch. A panel of business men and women will award $50.00 “seed money” to the group with the most impressive pitch.

Transform Your Task’s Purpose Business Plan Project

The Great Shake: Eye contact Body posture Ability to communicate in a way that makes sense (no pauses, “ummms”, etc..) Confidence Firm Handshake

Transform Your Task’s Purpose Business Plan Project

Transform Your Go-To Resources Movie Trailers: Scary Mary

Transform Your Go-To Resources Movie Trailers: Sleepless in Seattle and Shining

Transform Your Go-To Resources Comparing Song Covers “Heartless” by Kanye West vs. “Heartless” by Kris Allen “Hey Ya” by Obadiah Parker vs. “Hey Ya” by Outkast Questions to Consider: What is the story behind Kanye’s breakup? How does he communicate that story through music? How does Kanye currently feel? What is the story behind Kris’ breakup? How does Kris feel now? How does he communicate his feelings through music?

Transform Your Go-To Resources Song Lyrics “Love Story” by Taylor Swift We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes, and the flashback starts, I'm standing there, On the balcony in summer air. I see the lights, see the party, the ball gowns. See you make your way through the crowd, And say, "Hello", Little did I know, That you were Romeo, You were throwing pebbles, And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet." And I was crying on the staircase, Begging you, "Please don't go". And I said, "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run. You be the prince, and I'll be the princess, It's a love story, baby, just say, 'yes'." “Baby” by Justin Bieber Ohh wooaah (3x) You know you love me. I know you care Just shout whenever, and I'll be there. You want my love, You want my heart And we will never ever ever be apart Are we an item? Girl quit playing. We’re just friends. What are you saying? Said there’s another. Look right in my eyes. My first love broke my heart for the first time, And I was like Baby, baby, baby ohhh

Transform Your Go-To Resources Monster Poem “Monster” by Skillet The secret side of me, I never let you see I keep it caged but I can't control it So stay away from me, the beast is ugly I feel the rage and I just can't hold it It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls It comes awake and I can't control it Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end? I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun I must confess that I feel like a monster Student Example 1 The monster inside me was slowly destroying me. He was never my friend, always out to hurt me. He would look at me with those glossy eyes and act as if I was his own, He was like the devil, always hurting me. He is as cold as ice. He looked at me as if I was a punching bag, his own personal hitting toy. His words sank into my heart and it was in pieces like broken glass. His words were death to me. The abuse was over but the pain was still there. The monster left when I was 6 but the pain he has caused will never be forgotten. My monster was my mother’s old boyfriend Jordan.

Transform Your Go-To Resources “WING$” Music Video “WING$” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis We want what we can't have, commodity makes us want it A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes I would never hoop in Look at me, look at me, I'm a cool kid I'm an individual, yeah, but I'm part of a movement My movement told me be a consumer and I consumed it They told me to just do it, I listened to what that swoosh said Look at what that swoosh did See it consumed my thoughts Are you stupid, don't crease 'em, just leave 'em in that box Strangled by these laces, laces I can barely talk That's my air bubble and I'm lost if it pops We are what we wear, we wear what we are But see I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all Will I stand for change or stay in my box These Nikes help me define me, but I'm trying to take mine, off Support one of the following using personal experience, “WING$”, or the video on Antoine Walker. STATEMENTS: Image isn’t everything. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Brands don’t define a person. 3uMlNyHA

Transform Your Go-To Resources Karaoke “Royals” Character Study I've never seen ______________ in the flesh I (PERSONAL EXPERIENCE) (PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE with LOCATION) And I'm not proud of ___________________________ In a (AJD, LOCATION), no (NOUN ) envy But every (noun) is like (ADJ, NOUN),(NOUN), (VERB) in the (LOCATION) (ADJ, NOUN),(NOUN), (VERB) in the (LOCATION) We don't care, we're (VERB, DIRECT OBJECT) in our dreams. But everybody's like (NOUN),(NOUN), (NOUN, ADV PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE) We don't care, we aren't caught up in your _______________________. And we'll never be ________________. It don't run in our blood, That kind of ____________ just ain't for us. We ______________________(phrase that rhymes with “us”). Let me be your ________________ You can call me _________________ And (person) I'll __________. Let me live that fantasy.

Transform Your Go-To Resources Rapping “The Raven” Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore - While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door - Only this and nothing more." Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; -vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow -sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore - Nameless here for evermore.

Transform Your Go-To Resources “Strange Fruit” Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here is fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop

Transform Your Classroom Culture Add Volume Applause Drumming Musical Instruments after the game ended we went home exhausted I wanted to purchase tickets for you but you already bought them. The theme park is in olando florida.

Transform Your Classroom Culture Build Community Foster classroom unity and team spirit. Model and participate in activities alongside your students. Create classroom writing and sharing rituals. Teach students how to positively respond to one another.