11/10/2021 0 Comments The Westing Game Free Pdf
What message do the characters’ clues reveal? Which characters are the burglar, bookie, bomber, and mistake? Middle School kids love this! As we read the book, we will focus on four main mysteries for students to solve: Some of the resources I use for teaching The Westing Game. WestingFrom even before we start reading, I try to amp up the excitement about reading the novel/increase student buy-in, telling students that since we will be reading a mystery book, we will be forming detective agencies to help solve the numerous mysteries in the plot. So here we go… My Complete The Westing Game Lesson PlansSam Westing, the son of immigrants who was born as Samuel Windy Windkloppel, is the eccentric and reclusive owner and operator of the Westing Paper Products Corporation, a conglomerate based in the eponymous Westingtown just read analysis of Samuel W. The protagonist of The Westing Game is thirteen-year-old Turtle Wexler, infamous for the kicks to the shins she administers to many of the people she meets.So, in today’s post, I’m going to outline all of my The Westing Game Lesson Plans – and I mean, I am going to walk you through EXACTLY what I do with this novel … just in case you’re looking for a way to update your Westing Game unit or want to add it to your curriculum.Anytime, students come across something that is mysterious or seems like it might have something to do with Sam Westing’s death, they write it in their clue tracker. The Case Books include so much great content to help students stay engaged – plus it helps them keep track of everything important as we read! What’s Included in the Case Books: Mystery #1For mystery #1 (who took Westing’s life), I provide students with a clue tracker. Since it’s such a complex novel, I include several graphic organizers in their case book. I provide each of them with a “case book” for them to organize their notes as they work to solve the aforementioned mysteries.I only give them a chapter or two of questions at a time since I don’t want to reveal anything important if students skim ahead to look at future questions (I made this mistake when I first started teaching the novel!).Since there are 30 chapters in the novel, if I made students write out their answers for the comprehension questions for each chapter, they would quickly become bored. So, I also include comprehension questions for each chapter to help students remember significant plot points. At the end of the novel, we go back and identify which clues were actually useful information to solving the mystery and which were just red herrings.Figuring out who took Sam Westing’s life is such a central part of the whole novel that unless students are comprehending the basic plot, they will have trouble deciphering the nuances of each chapter. I have them jot down the page number for any clue they write down.
The Westing Game Skin Included IfI usually spend about 5-10 minutes at the end of each class period letting students write and draw in their character trackers, and it makes such a huge difference in their comprehension of the novel. The Instagram Character Tracker allows them to sketch out a visual of the character, use images to show important qualities the characters exhibit, and come up with clever hashtags to help differentiate among the characters. Since there are sixteen protagonists in the novel, students have a lot to keep track of. Mystery #2For mystery #2 (the secret identities of the characters), I give students an Instagram Character Tracker. I truly believe my students would not grasp how awesome this novel is and all the hidden layers Ellen Raskin included if they did not use these comprehension questions! A sample of the Clue Tracker and Evidence Tracker I provide for my students.For example, one group of kids will represent Angela and Sydelle and receive those characters’ clues and another group will represent Theo and Chris and receive their clues. I take it a step further and form small groups to match the pairs in the story. First, starting in Chapter 8 when the characters in the novel receive their clues, I pass out printed copies of the clues for my students. Voicemod proThe clues on the board helped them add depth to their arguments.The second resource I provide my students for mystery #3 is the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” (I include this in students’ case books.) BUT, I only put these in the case books once my class figures out that all the clues put together, make up the lyrics to the song! (When I feel like they are getting close to this major discovery, I make sure to have the song ready to play. This year, my students were like little lawyers, getting up in front of the room each day and giving “closing arguments” to their case when they thought they had solved something big. This is always hilarious since the clues make absolutely no sense on their own, but students always come up with really clever possibilities and are adamant that they are on track to solving the mystery! After every group shares, I take all the clues and put them up on a bulletin board or whiteboard for the remainder of the novel unit.I like students to be able to refer to them as they develop new theories about the novel. Each year, I have students literally jumping up and down and squealing with excitement when they start putting all the clues together!) The “American the Beautiful” resource that helps students keep track of clues. We discuss how Sam Westing’s will stated, “it’s not what you have, but what you don’t have, that counts.” Students always think they’ve solved the mystery at this point, but hearing this reminder gets them all excited again that really, they’re just scratching the surface, and they still don’t know exactly what the clues point to.This is always one of their favorite days of the unit. They use the lyric handout I provide them for assistance.)Students highlight all the clues on their lyric handout that match the clues on the board. Slightly stoopid songsThis evidence and justification become the crux of their final essay (the body paragraphs!).I also give students a sample Response to Literature (RTL)to model their essay after (I do this with all literary analysis assignments) which has been a game-changer in terms of receiving higher quality work from them. Then, I distribute an evidence tracker to students and have them break into small groups (depending on which character they believe changed the most) to search for evidence from the novel to support their theory. Providing students with their essay question WAY in advance takes a lot of the pressure off since there’s no element of surprise.While we occasionally refer to the essential question during class discussions, it really doesn’t take center stage until we finish the book. I know this isn’t really a mystery, but students are still trying to figure something out and justify it with evidence, so the reference works!Prior to starting the novel, I inform students of our essential question: Which character experiences the most significant change as a result of playing the game? They will be writing a Response to Literature (multi-paragraph, evidence-based essay) at the conclusion of the novel unit that answers this question, so they will be searching for evidence as they read. An example of one of the Vocabulary Quizzes I give my students. Our Vocabulary Graphic Organizer. When I teach this novel, I differentiate the vocabulary practice for students depending on how much support they need.I use vocabulary graphic organizers(which I include in the case books), anchor charts, vocabulary skits, and vocabulary matching and sentence games on spellingcity.com (my school has an account).I also give students a vocabulary quiz (along with comprehension questions) every few chapters to ensure students are grasping the material.For my higher-level students, I often require the use of a vocabulary word or two in their written responses, especially their final Response to Literature. The Other Stuff – Extra The Westing Game Lesson Plans IdeasThe Westing Game contains a lot of higher-level vocabulary, and it’s a great opportunity to encourage students to start using these words. The Teacher Sample Response to Literature I provide for my students.
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