8th Grade Reading Activities

If your students loved reading Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, they need to see the new Disney+ series! As teachers, we want our students to be engaged, even when they are watching a film. With this resource, students will be challenged to think critically about the text and film in a variety of ways including comparing and contrasting, evaluating director decisions, and tracking character development across the series.

This resource includes:

• A double-sided handout for episode 1
• This handout contains:
• One do now question, three discourse questions, compare and contrast section, and two rigorous writing tasks in DOK 3 or 4 and Bloom's Taxonomy Evaluate/Analyze categories.
• This handout contains a teacher-facing answer key with answers students may write about.

Check out every episode bundled 1-8: Disney's The Crossover Series Text Companion Handouts Episodes 1-8 BUNDLE (TeachShare.com)

Looking for a thought-provoking, creative activity to pair with your Wonder novel study? This acrostic poem and "Design Your Own Choose Kindness Shirt" art activity are just what you need to inspire your students while reinforcing themes of kindness, empathy, and self-expression!

Recommended for grades 5-8.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

✨ Acrostic Poem Template: Students use their names to craft thoughtful poems inspired by the story and its powerful message. It’s perfect for encouraging critical thinking and creativity.

✨ Kindness T-Shirt Design Activity: Have your students imagine they’re creating their own “kindness campaign” by designing a T-shirt with a positive message or a powerful quote from the book. This hands-on activity promotes individuality, self-expression, and classroom collaboration.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT FOR YOUR CLASSROOM OR HOMESCHOOL:

✔️ No Prep, Easy to Use – Just print and go!

✔️ Aligned with SEL Themes – Focus on empathy, respect, and inclusivity.

✔️ Fun and Flexible – Use as a quick activity, a station in your classroom, or as part of a larger unit on Wonder.

✨ BONUS: These activities also make a great bulletin board display to celebrate your students’ creativity and showcase the lessons learned from Wonder.

Love this freebie? Take your Wonder novel study to the next level!

Check out my comprehensive Wonder Novel Study with over 100 pages of engaging activities that dive deeper into character analysis, themes, literary devices, and much more. It’s packed with tools to inspire rich discussions and critical thinking—all aligned to standards and designed for grades 5-8.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

This is a digital download. You will not receive anything in the mail.

Please use a computer to download and not your phone.

A choice board for final projects. Perfect for ending a novel unit. Works well with any novel.

Discover a world of reading through our engaging book review platform! Students can dive into captivating stories, share their thoughts on what they've read, discuss their favorite parts, and rate the books they love. Unlock the magic of literature and connect with fellow bookworms, exchanging ideas and recommendations. Whether you're seeking thrilling adventures, heartwarming tales, or mind-bending mysteries, our platform is the perfect space to express your opinions and uncover hidden literary gems.

 Join the community of young readers and embark on a journey of knowledge and imagination!

Character traits and analysis fun!

Have some outdoor fun (or use butcher paper for indoors) with sidewalk novel characters! Students choose a character from their novels then do body outlines with sidewalk chalk. Fill these with physical and character traits from quotes within the novel...full directions for implementing and making a competitive game. Can be used with all ages and novels. Excellent for comprehension and assessment.

Students will be identifying if the adjectives in the sentence are coordinate or cumulative. Then if they have identified the adjectives as coordinate, they will then add the commas to where they are needed.

This would be a great product for practice or even a quick assessment.

I hope you enjoy it. Please rate and review.

Vous souhaitez faire une dégustation de livres avec vos élèves ?

Ce document contient une feuille de travail de style napperon 11 x 17 que vos élèves pourront utiliser lors d'une dégustation de livres! Il les invite à collecter des informations et à évaluer une série de livres.

Je fournis un description de la tâche et le mode d'emploi. J'inclus les instructions d'impression!

Ce document a un napperon en anglais et en français.

***

Wanting to do a book tasting with your students?

This document contains a 11 x 17 placemat-style worksheet for your students to use during a book tasting! It prompts them to collect information and to rate a series of books.

I provide the run-down and the how-to, to take the guesswork out of it. I include printing instructions!

This document has both an English and a French placemat.

Get a glimpse and try out my Evidencia Textual items!

Here is the link to my product: https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Textual-Evidence-Spanish-Emergency-Sub-Plans-9558190

https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Evidencia-Textual-Creativa-Creative-Textual-Evidence-8019703

The Vocabulary Games of dominoes and matching-up cards in this set are a great way to teach Emotions vocabulary and personal pronouns (he, she) in a fun and interactive way. With colorful and engaging dominoes and match-up cards featuring common emotions and feelings words and matching pictures, students will be energizing their language skills in no time. Not only these vocabulary games a great way to build students` vocabulary at any stage of the lesson, but they are also social activities that can be enjoyed playing together with classmates. Just print out cards, laminate them, cut them out and keep nearby.

This download contains:

• 18 cards with personal pronouns (she`s, he`s) with words of emotions to match-up with a corresponding picture.
• 24 dominoes with personal pronouns and words of emotions on one end and corresponding pictures on the other.
• 2 dice with pictures of emotions.

⭐The words used in the games are: thirsty, scared, happy, calm, sad, tired, cold, excited, confused, upset, surprised, hungry, hot, silly, nervous, shy, mad, proud, embarrassed, amused, angry, disappointed, sick.

I found my visit to the "Mayflower Barn" on a trip to England(about 40 minutes by train from London) so very interesting. William Penn is buried in the church yard.

Please consider following me. Click on the green star by my picture. Thanks!

Highlights for December:

1. Holiday Traditions around the World(Webquest)Holiday Traditions from Around the World

2. Learn about Charles Dickens(author of A Christmas Carol)(Webquest): Charles Dickens! A Webquest

3. All about New Year Traditions around the World(Webquest):New Years Around the World(Webquest)

4. Holiday Traditions at the White House(Interactive Notebook Activity)Holiday Traditions at the White House

5. History of Candy(Webquest) Show kids that everything has a history...even Candy!History of Candy!A Webquest

Inauguration Day(Webquest). Learn all about the day!All about Inauguration Day! A Webquest

Ever wonder what became of the Mayflower? The ship sailed with 102 Pilgrims over the Atlantic to North America, in 1620. If you are expecting to find it docked to some pier, or in a museum, you’d be wrong. That’s because the Mayflower most likely ended up as scrap wood and may have ended up in an old Quaker Barn in Great Britain! This Reading Passage is a possible Interactive Notebook Activity with Did You Know? facts and several Your Turn questions.

Other possible resources of interest:

1.Want a fun and informative activity to teach your students about the history of Thanksgiving?This webquest has ten informative text questions on the history of Thanksgiving(including the Macy's Day Parade). TURKEY facts,too! Thanksgiving and Turkeys: A Webquest

2. Learn about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims with this informative web quest!There are ten informative text web quests,extension activities,fun facts. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Mayflower and Pilgrims: A Webquest

3. A Ms.Bie Ograffee Reader's Theater Script, an interview with Love Brewster, a Pilgrim of Plymouth Colony.Love was an actual member of the 102 Pilgrims that came to America. He was about nine years old. Interestingly, several in his family also had unusual names. He had a sister named Patience, another named Fear and a brother named...Wrestling! Learn lots of interesting information about the Pilgrims and the Thanksgiving feast, of 1623, with this fun format.

Using the format where Love Brewster is a guest on Ms. Bi Ograffee's Talk Show, the studio audience asks Love questions about the voyage on the Mayflower, the first winter and the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth. The play includes comprehension questions, a Did You Know? Section, a Teacher Page with extension activities, links and the key:Reader's Theater Script on Love Brewster, A Pilgrim at Plymouth Colony

Great for around Thanksgiving time or for a unit of study on the Pilgrims.

Reading Passages:

George Washington and the Camel

Calvin Coolidge and the “Pennsylvania Avenue Zoo”

John Quincy Adams Takes a Swim

Thomas Jefferson and the Mammoth Cheese

Sojourner Truth

Santa Fe Trail: Wind WagonThomas

Revolutionary War Heroine: Catherine “Kate” Moore

Barry(Battle of Cowpens)

Enheduanna, First Known Poet in History

Artemisia(Female Naval Commander during the Battle of Salamis)

Hanno: Phoenician Explorer

Ramses the Great

Hatshpsut

Hammurabi

Alexander the Great

Aesop

Socrates

Hannibal

Hypatia: First Woman Mathematician

Aglaonike(Greek astronomer)

Agnodice(First Female Doctor of Ancient Greece)

Julius Caesar

Archimedes

Sparticus

Diocles

Joan of Arc

Phillis Wheatley

Mary Anning

Caroline Herschel

Sophie Brahe: Astronomer and Horticulturist

Hildegard of Bingen(Middle Ages)

Aida de Acosta(First Woman to Fly a Powered Aircraft)

Women’s Suffrage: The Silent Sentinels

History of Pretzels

History of Marshmallows

History of Tulips

Snowmen in History

History of April Fools’ Day

Great Wall of China

Eiffel Tower

Ayres Rock(Uluru)

Taj Mahal

Travel to Iceland

Travel to Greece

Travel to Japan

This resource should accompany The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. These editable Google Slides ask students to fill out a timeline of important events from Act 1 of the play and make a prediction for Act 2 based on what they have read.

Elevate your Scythe novel study with thi Exit Tickets and answer key freebie for chapter 1! Designed for no prep assessment, the exit ticket features 6 thought-provoking questions aligned with key curriculum standards.

Empower your students' comprehension and critical thinking skills with this comprehensive resource, complete with a time-saving answer key for quick and efficient grading!

Scythe Exit Tickets for Chapters 1-5

Directions:

• Students will respond to the exit ticket following the reading of Chapter 1.

• Use the answer key to grade their responses.

What's Included:

• An exit ticket for Chapter 1 with six questions
• Answer key

Use these book awards to celebrate books you have read this year. Pick out your favorites to highlight from the year. An easy recording system for your favorite books at the end of the year.

Fostering avid readers means consistently presenting books to your class. I have witnessed, first-hand, the power of consistent Book Talks with my students. Book Talks have the power to foster continued love in avid readers and reach even the most struggling readers.
Check out my no-prep Book Talk Guides for teachers. And because I am so passionate about the power of Book Talks, my Book Talk Guides will ALWAYS BE FREE!

What's Included?

• Teacher Tips for successful book talks

• Book Talk Guide, including genre, what kind of students might enjoy each book, and a plot summary

• Two student book talk response activities

Follow my store and check back as new titles and themed Book Talk bundles will be added!

This possible Interactive Notebook activity is a fun activity to use around Halloween!

There are 12 Fun Facts about the holiday with several activities to do with the students.

Please consider following me if you find this resource of value. Thanks,

Gail

Related Resources:

1. With 15 informational web questions, this resource is just the thing to use as a learning tool about the holiday of Halloween. Bats, Owls, pumpkins, the human skeleton, the origin of Halloween, superstitions, and famous stories in literature, are covered. There are comprehension questions, lots of fun facts, extension activities(including writing in the content area), and additional links for teachers.All Things Halloween, A Webquest!

2. Mummies aren't just found in ancient Egyptian culture. Mummies have been found all over the world! In fact, the oldest man-made mummies are found in the country of Chile! Mummies can be naturally created or man-made. This web quest includes the different types of mummies and has 12 web questions including information on Bog Mummies such as Tollund Man, the Inca Mummies,the Taklamakan Desert Mummies of China, Otzi, the frozen mummy, the Chinchorro Mummies of Chile, the Egyptian mummies... and more. There are comprehension questions, a Did You Know? section, a teacher section with extension activities, additional links and the key. Great for a Friday activity, at Halloween time, or if you are studying ancient Egypt. Mummies! A Webquest

3. Candy is on Kids' minds with Halloween.Over 35 million pounds of candy corn is made each year! Show your students that even candy has a history!Learn facts including marshmallows date back to 2000 BC and King Tut's Tomb contained licorice. Several additional resources and extension activities,too. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Everything Has A History, Even Candy! A Webquest

4.Pretend you are a pumpkin sitting on a front porch on Halloween night. What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel? Write a story about your evening. Just one sample of extension activities included. This informative webquest on PUMPKIN would be great for LA classes,a fall activity, or for a substitute lesson!

There are 10 web questions, comprehension questions and 11 extension activities/links. Pumpkins! A Webquest

My website for teachers/kids

Gail's Website for Teachers/Kids has lots of free geography activities, short reads, factoids on different topics, news, career surveys, bell ringers and more. Please sign my guestbook. I love to see where my visitors call home!

Fostering avid readers means consistently presenting books to your class. I have witnessed, first-hand, the power of consistent Book Talks with my students. Book Talks have the power to foster continued love in avid readers and reach even the most struggling readers.
Check out my brand new series of no-prep Book Talk Guides for teachers--starting with this Freebie for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

What's Included?

• Teacher Tips and Tricks for successful book talks, including suggested links for book trailers*

• Book Talk Guide, including genre, what kind of students might enjoy each book, and a plot summary

• At least one student book talk response activity

Follow my store and check back as new titles and themed Book Talk bundles will be added in the days and weeks to come!

Sample of two Bookmark Bios! Eleanor Roosevelt and Dorothea Dix

Recently, while watching the morning news, two of the hosts couldn’t name the famous woman, from Rochester, NY, who helped women get the right to vote! One said, I think her name was Susan “something”. That got me thinking that Bookmark Bios might be a great way to introduce young people to many(not all) the famous women and men in history, STEM and Literature!

Giving the Bookmark Bios, could be a weekly thing, perhaps as a handout for an interactive notebook, after a testing period, or as a “bell ringer” before your class instruction begins. You could print the Bookmark Bios on cardstock or colored paper, cut them out and you might consider laminating them for a more durable handout. The first resource of 20 Women in Modern Times(1700s on) also comes with a Bookmark Bio card of 5 questions to encourage critical thinking. Bookmark Bios! Click here for complete resource:

Share with students the contribution of the 6888, the all women of color battalion who during WW2 did an important task of distribution 17 MILLION pieces of mail to soldiers. Use during Black History Month, Women's History Month or on a Friday when you want to share a piece of history!

RESOURCES YOU MAY FIND OF INTEREST:

WW 2 Female Pilots during WW2, A Reader’s Theater Script: https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/World-War-2-Female-PilotsMembers-of-the-WASP-A-Readers-Theater-ScriptPlay-4378242

Tuskegee Airmen of WW2, A Reader’s Theater Script: https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Tuskegee-Airmen-A-Readers-Theater-ScriptPlaybiography-World-War-2-1926283

Life on the Home Front during WW2(DBQ/Webquest):https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/DBQLife-on-the-Home-Front-During-WW2-1127932

Japanese Interment during WW2:(DBQ/Webquest) https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/DBQ-Life-of-a-Japanese-American-Child-Living-in-an-Internment-Camp-during-WW2-3061985

Black History Month:(Webquest) https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Black-History-Month-A-Webquest-6198003

Women History Month:(Webquest) https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Womens-History-Month-A-Webquest-501023

FREEBIES to Keep the Learning Moving Forward (Part 2)

Possible activities to use with your children or students during the Coronavirus school break to help keep the learning moving forward. Stay healthy!

This resource give links to free webquests, geographic activities, career surveys, short reads and possible Interactive Notebook Activities:

Where in the World is Mrs. Waffenschmidt ?(geography)

Iceland(Introduction to the country of Iceland)

China(Introduction to the country of China)

Mystery Landmarks(geography)

Mystery Landmarks(more geography)

Geographic Alphabet Safaris(Map activities)

U.S Landmark Webquest

World Landmarkk Webquest

Presidential Webquest

Mesopotamian Webquest

Egypt Webquest

Brain Fryers

Purpleannies(My purple bear's trip to China)

Career Surveys (I interviewed over 30 people and their career choices)

Fun Facts on lots of different topics

Ideas to Foster Geography

Short Reads:

A. Dog-Gone True Story about George Washington

B. Chinese Dragon Drool(Floating Gold)

C. The Banyon Tree of Lahaini

D. The Wooden Cookie Box

E. A Vegetable Garden of Sound

HERE IS ANOTHER LISTING of my FREE RESOURCES at TeachShare.

https://www.TeachShare.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Freebies-of-Interactive-Notebook-Activities-for-Students-5340277#show-price-update

Gail Hennessey

So glad to see so many of you have downloaded this resource. I hope you find it of interest. I found my visit to the "Mayflower Barn" on a trip to England(about 40 minutes by train from London) so very interesting. William Penn is buried in the church yard outside of the Quaker Meeting Building.

Please consider following me. Click on the green star by my picture. Thanks!

Ever wonder what became of the Mayflower? The ship sailed with 102 Pilgrims over the Atlantic to North America, in 1620. If you are expecting to find it docked to some pier, or in a museum, you’d be wrong. That’s because the Mayflower most likely ended up as scrap wood and may have ended up in an old Quaker Barn in Great Britain! This Reading Passage is a possible Interactive Notebook Activity with Did You Know? facts and several Your Turn questions.

Other possible resources of interest:

1.Want a fun and informative activity to teach your students about the history of Thanksgiving?This webquest has ten informative text questions on the history of Thanksgiving(including the Macy's Day Parade). TURKEY facts,too! Thanksgiving and Turkeys: A Webquest

2. Learn about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims with this informative web quest!There are ten informative text web quests,extension activities,fun facts. Skills include:reading for information and using research/computer skills. Mayflower and Pilgrims: A Webquest

3. A Ms.Bie Ograffee Reader's Theater Script, an interview with Love Brewster, a Pilgrim of Plymouth Colony.Love was an actual member of the 102 Pilgrims that came to America. He was about nine years old. Interestingly, several in his family also had unusual names. He had a sister named Patience, another named Fear and a brother named...Wrestling! Learn lots of interesting information about the Pilgrims and the Thanksgiving feast, of 1623, with this fun format.

Using the format where Love Brewster is a guest on Ms. Bi Ograffee's Talk Show, the studio audience asks Love questions about the voyage on the Mayflower, the first winter and the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth. The play includes comprehension questions, a Did You Know? Section, a Teacher Page with extension activities, links and the key:Reader's Theater Script on Love Brewster, A Pilgrim at Plymouth Colony