Shop

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>

<p class="p1">Want to use a TED Talk in your classroom? Help students focus while viewing a TED Talk with this free worksheet designed to work with any TED Talk speech presentation.</p> <p class="p1">This worksheet, available in both PDF and Google Drive versions, will give structure to students’ viewing of the speech, cultivate critical thinking skills, and enrich classroom discussions.</p> <p class="p1">Worksheet includes 12 structured questions focused on the speaker’s thesis, rhetorical tools, presentation style, and audience. No prior knowledge about the tools of argument or rhetoric are needed for students to successfully use the worksheet.</p> <p class="p1">Whether you teach English, science, history, or electives, this TED Talk-inspired 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">Note: This worksheet is an independent product and is in no way affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the TEDTalk organization. I do not claim to have any association with the TED Foundation, and this product should not be misconstrued as officially endorsed or supported by the TED Foundation or its representatives in any way. The reference to TEDTalks in this product is used for descriptive/informative purposes only.</p> <p class="p1">Want more multimedia lesson materials on modern topics? Check out my Listen & Learn series, a collection that uses high-interest podcast episodes 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>

Skip the typical Amy Tan introduction lecture as you launch a study of <em>The Joy Luck Club</em> (or any of Tan’s other novels or short stories) and, instead, empower students to find their own interesting facts about this author’s life with this “Author Bio” print/post-and-teach activity. This single-page worksheet (includes both a printable PDF and Google Drive version) is a powerful research organizer that’ll get students digging deep into Tan’s background. 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 this author’s life. Here are a few suggested uses for this flexible research tool: 1. Book your school’s computer lab or have students access Amy Tan’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. 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 longer work. 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 author’s work/s the class just studied. 2. Assign the worksheet as a traditional homework assignment. Launch the discussion mentioned in #1 at the beginning of the next class period. 3. Use the grid as the beginning assignment to a larger project where students must read two or three pieces by Amy Tan. 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 writers are available in my shop if you want to vary speech topics within one class.) 4. Use as an emergency sub plan. Thanks for stopping by! 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. Want more Amy Tan materials? Introduce students to her famous short story, “The Rules of the Game,” a slice taken from her novel, <em>The Joy Luck Club</em>. Literary analysis lesson materials for this story are here: <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/rules-of-the-game-amy-tan-short-story-from-joy-luck-club-pdf-google-drive/&quot; target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://laurarandazzo.com/product/rules-of-the-game-amy-tan-short-story-from-joy-luck-club-pdf-google-drive/</a&gt; Image credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amy_Tan.jpg&quot; target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Robert Foothorap, WikiMedia Commons, public domain</a>

On the first day back after winter break or when you're starting a new term with the same class, ease your students back into their work and strengthen your classroom community with this “Welcome back” stations activity. Similar in format to my <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/first-day-of-school-stations-activity-icebreaker-middle-high-school-free/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">popular First Day of School Stations Activity</a>, these “Welcome back” station rotation materials are designed to get students on their feet and discussing class-related topics with their peers. As the teacher leader, you’ll keep time and lead students through the step-by-step slide instructions. This free 37-page PDF includes: • 21 slides to lead a class through the first day back station rotation activity (designed for the day you return from winter break or when you begin a new semester or trimester) • 16 pages to print and post around your room to form 8 stations Materials you’ll need include: • Sticky notes or scratch paper squares (8 per student) • Index cards (8 per class) • Printer paper (white or, even better, colored) Need more print/post-and-teach lessons? Use these 10 worksheet activities with ANY work of literature: <a href="https://laurarandazzo.com/product/literature-supplement-bundle-pdf-google-drive-10-pack-of-fun-activities-to-use-with-any-literary-work/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">popular First Day of School Stations Activity</a> Special thanks to my talented teacher friend Madeline Alyce for the inspiration! <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Madeline-Alyce&quot; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a> to check out her free annotation tools. Thanks for stopping by!