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<p class="p1">Unleash your students’ detective skills with “Financial Forensics: Follow the Money to Find the Truth,” an engaging inference lesson designed for grades 8 to 12. In this activity, students will dive into the world of digital sleuthing by analyzing the financial records of Jordan Harper, a fictional young professional living in Philadelphia. Through this unique approach to visual storytelling, they’ll sharpen their critical thinking skills as they uncover the truth about our protagonist – using only bank receipts.</p> <p class="p1">What’s included in this download:</p> <p class="p1">• Suggested lesson procedure & Google Drive access: A detailed lesson overview with step-by-step instructions, plus Google Drive versions of all handouts for seamless integration into digital classrooms. (Download includes both PDF and Google Drive versions.)</p> <p class="p1">• Mobile payment history sheet: A transaction log that students will use to explore Jordan’s spending habits over two months, fostering a real-world connection to financial literacy discussions.</p> <p class="p1">• Critical thinking worksheets: Open-ended questions guide students through the inference process, encouraging deep analysis and thoughtful discussion of each financial move.</p> <p class="p1">• Answer key with discussion prompts: Suggested scenarios in the answer key will help facilitate robust classroom discussions, enhancing students’ understanding of inference in action.</p> <p class="p1">• Creative writing extension: An optional writing assignment lets students take on Jordan’s voice, crafting a first-person narrative based on the transaction history to blend analytical thinking with creative storytelling.</p> <p class="p1">Optional extension lesson: For an added layer of learning, consider introducing W. Crue’s visual short story, “Ordeal By Cheque,” which uses historical checks to tell a dramatic tale. This can serve as an engaging follow-up lesson for advanced students, offering a unique comparison to the modern digital transactions. Link to story hosted on a third-party site included in download.</p> <p class="p1">This lesson is ideal for upper-middle and high school students.</p> <p class="p1">Looking for more high-interest teaching materials built around real-world topics?</p> <p class="p1">Check out my collection of <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/listening-skills-podcasts-5-pack-listen-learn-bundle-1-pdf-google-drive-ccss/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen & Learn podcast-based lessons</a> and <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/21-chump-street-podcast-video-lesson-compare-contrast-pdf-google-drive-ccss/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street</a>, a multimedia tale of love and deception.</p> <p class="p1">Thanks for stopping by!</p>

<p class="p1">Help students hone their critical thinking and analysis skills with this fine art bell-ringer (Masterpiece Monday? Fine Art Friday?) and/or literature supplemental lesson. The worksheet features six leading questions to help students analyze V.V. Pukirev’s 1862 oil painting, <em>The Unequal Marriage</em>. The download includes both a printable PDF and interactive Google Drive version of the student worksheet along with a high-resolution PDF, JPG image, and Google Slide version of Pukirev’s public domain artwork.</p> <p class="p3">A few suggested uses:</p> <p class="p3">1. Use this activity with others in this collection as a weekly bell-ringer to begin class. Project the artwork slide as students enter your classroom to catch their attention. Once class begins, assign students to work alone or in teams of two to complete the handout questions while you take attendance and get ready for the class period. After students have had enough time to write their answers (usually five to seven minutes or so), pull the class together for a full-class discussion.</p> <p class="p3">2. Assign the worksheet as a traditional homework assignment. Launch the discussion mentioned in #1 at the beginning of the next class period.</p> <p class="p3">3. Use the materials to supplement a study of any piece of literature from this era. If possible, ask students to use their 1:1 devices to research world events from the same year and/or information about Pukirev’s life. How might have global events influenced the artist and this work?</p> <p class="p3">4. Use as part of a jigsaw activity. Move students into groups of three and give each group a different piece of art to analyze. Once the small groups have discussed the worksheet questions, have them present the artwork slide and their discoveries to the full class as a mini-presentation. A variety of art analysis lesson materials are available in my shop. Need one you can’t find? Message me and I’ll move as quickly as I can to add any public domain artwork to the collection.</p> <p class="p3">5. Use as part of an emergency sub plan.</p> <p class="p3">I hope your students enjoy stretching their critical thinking skills with this fine art analysis activity.</p> <p class="p3">Please note: An answer key is not included, as students’ responses will vary and any reasonable response would earn credit in my classes. These materials were designed to be used as a class warm-up/conversation starter more than an assessed assignment.</p> <p class="p3">Thanks for stopping by!</p> <p class="p3">Please note: This item is NOT included in the Fine Art Analysis Bundle located here: <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/fine-art-analysis-bundle-art-supplements-critical-thinking-bell-ringers-ccss/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://laurarandazzo.com/product/fine-art-analysis-bundle-art-supplements-critical-thinking-bell-ringers-ccss/</a></p&gt; <p class="p3">Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pukirev_ner_brak.jpg&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">V.V. Pukirev, Tretyakov Gallery, WikiMedia Commons</a>, public domain</p>

<p class="p1">Help students hone their critical thinking and analysis skills with this fine art bell-ringer (Masterpiece Monday? Fine Art Friday?) and/or literature supplemental lesson. The worksheet features six leading questions to help students analyze Carl Bloch’s 1866 oil painting, <em>In a Roman Osteria.</em> The download includes both a printable PDF and interactive Google Drive version of the student worksheet along with a high-resolution PDF, JPG image, and Google Slide version of Bloch’s public domain artwork.</p> <p class="p3">A few suggested uses:</p> <p class="p3">1. Use this activity with others in this collection as a weekly bell-ringer to begin class. Project the artwork slide as students enter your classroom to catch their attention. Once class begins, assign students to work alone or in teams of two to complete the handout questions while you take attendance and get ready for the class period. After students have had enough time to write their answers (usually five to seven minutes or so), pull the class together for a full-class discussion.</p> <p class="p3">2. Assign the worksheet as a traditional homework assignment. Launch the discussion mentioned in #1 at the beginning of the next class period.</p> <p class="p3">3. Use the materials to supplement a study of any piece of literature from this era. If possible, ask students to use their 1:1 devices to research world events from the same year and/or information about Carl Bloch’s life. How might have global events influenced the artist and this work?</p> <p class="p3">4. Use as part of a jigsaw activity. Move students into groups of three and give each group a different piece of art to analyze. Once the small groups have discussed the worksheet questions, have them present the artwork slide and their discoveries to the full class as a mini-presentation. A variety of art analysis lesson materials are available in my shop. Need one you can’t find? Message me and I’ll move as quickly as I can to add any public domain artwork to the collection.</p> <p class="p3">5. Use as part of an emergency sub plan.</p> <p class="p3">I hope your students enjoy stretching their critical thinking skills with this fine art analysis activity.</p> <p class="p3">Please note: An answer key is not included, as students’ responses will vary and any reasonable response would earn credit in my classes. These materials were designed to be used as a class warm-up/conversation starter more than an assessed assignment.</p> <p class="p3">Thanks for stopping by!</p> <p class="p3">Please note: This item is NOT included in the Fine Art Analysis Bundle located here: <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/fine-art-analysis-bundle-art-supplements-critical-thinking-bell-ringers-ccss/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://laurarandazzo.com/product/fine-art-analysis-bundle-art-supplements-critical-thinking-bell-ringers-ccss/</a></p&gt; <p class="p3">Image credit: <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/in-a-roman-osteria-carl-bloch/QAFizpSvU6qx6g&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carl Bloch, Statens Museum for Kunst, Google Art Project</a>, public domain</p>

Use the Met Gala’s annual fashion parade of popular celebrities to hook students’ attention and pull them into an analysis of “The Garden of Time,” an excellent speculative fiction short story by J.G. Ballard. This free download includes: • Links to J.G. Ballard’s short story, “The Garden of Time,” where it is posted online by third-party web hosts • Student worksheet of literary analysis questions and a detailed answer key to facilitate discussion • Fashion design worksheets featuring female and male model options (creative thinking assignment) • Slides of a public domain painting (fine art supplement) • Suggested lesson procedure with helpful multimedia links • Student handouts included in both PDF and Google Drive versions (uneditable) Note: This collection of teaching materials is an independent product and is in no way affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I do not claim to have any association with The Met, and this product should not be misconstrued as officially endorsed or supported by that organization in any way. Flower dress image credit: DALL-E, OpenAI’s image generator

<p class="p3">Skip the typical Taylor Swift introduction lecture as you launch a study of her lyrics and, instead, empower students to find their own interesting facts about this writer’s life with this “Author Bio” print/post-and-teach activity.</p> <p class="p3">This single-page worksheet (both printable PDF & Google Drive versions included) is a powerful research organizer that’ll get students digging deep into Taylor Swift’s career and craft.</p> <p class="p3">Please note: This download does NOT include a specific article or links to defined articles. It is an organizer tool for students to use as they conduct their own research. In my experience, students take more ownership of the material when they are the ones to research and discover the elements that make a literary figure’s life fascinating. They’ve seen enough of our introductory slideshows; this time, let your kids do the work and discuss/determine what they think is meaningful about Taylor Swift’s life.</p> <p class="p3">Here are a few suggested uses for this flexible research tool:</p> <p class="p3">1. Book your school’s computer lab or have students access Taylor Swift’s biography information on their own devices. Assign students to either work solo or in teams of two. Once the grids are complete, have students share and compare answers in small groups, focusing on the four interesting facts they discovered, the meaningful quote, and the personal/professional obstacle. Then, pull the students into a full-class discussion, having each group present an interesting fact, quote, or obstacle until every team has contributed. No repeats allowed.</p> <p class="p3">This assignment works great as an “into” activity, but it could also be a “through” activity to add variety to your in-class routine as you work through a poetry unit. If you’re using this as an “after” activity, during the discussion I would also ask how any of the biography elements are reflected in the Swift songs/lyrics your class just studied.</p> <p class="p3">2. Assign the worksheet as a traditional homework assignment. Launch the discussion mentioned in #1 at the beginning of the next class period.</p> <p class="p3">3. Use the grid as the beginning assignment to a larger project where students study the construction of two or three Taylor Swift songs. Later, this author study could be turned into a compare/contrast essay or a speech presentation, if you wish to expand the assignment. (Author Bio sheets on a variety of different poets are available in my shop if you want to vary speech topics within one class.)</p> <p class="p3">4. Use as an emergency sub plan.</p> <p class="p3">I hope you and your students enjoy this activity! If you need an Author Bio worksheet for any writer not currently offered in my shop, please send a message to me through the “Ask a Question” tab and I’ll do my best to quickly make that happen.</p> <p class="p3">Thanks for stopping by!</p> <p class="p3">Please note: This item is not included in any of my other materials. Also, the image on the student PDF worksheet is slightly ghosted to save printer/copier ink. I encourage students to doodle/shade in that space as they work.</p> <p class="p3">Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taylor_Swift_at_the_2024_Golden_Globes_%282%29.png&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">iHeartRadioCA, WikiMedia Commons</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY 3.0 DEED</a></p>

<p class="p1">Want to use podcasts in your classroom, but need a concrete task to guide students’ listening? This versatile worksheet, designed to work with any podcast episode, is for you!</p> <p class="p1">This worksheet, downloads in both PDF and Google Drive versions, will give structure to students’ listening of any podcast episode, cultivate critical thinking skills, and enrich classroom discussions.</p> <p class="p1">Worksheet includes 12 structured questions focused on the podcast producer’s content, production elements, and audience. No prior knowledge about podcasting is needed for students to successfully complete the worksheet.</p> <p class="p1">Whether you teach English, science, history, or electives, this podcast worksheet was designed to smoothly fit into your lesson plans as a supplemental activity. Also works as an easy-to-deliver substitute teacher activity.</p> <p class="p1">Want more lesson materials that dig deep into curated podcast episodes? Check out my Listen & Learn series, a collection that uses high-interest podcast episodes on modern topics to help develop students’ critical thinking skills. A discounted bundle of five lessons is here: <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/listening-skills-podcasts-5-pack-listen-learn-bundle-1-pdf-google-drive-ccss/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://laurarandazzo.com/product/listening-skills-podcasts-5-pack-listen-learn-bundle-1-pdf-google-drive-ccss/</a></p&gt; <p class="p1">Thanks for stopping by!</p>