A summer reading lesson is a nice chance to start off the year with a creative tone, while creating some of the norms you want to establish. For today's "Plan my Lesson" series episode, I'm answering requests from two different teachers in search of a back-to-school lesson on summer reading. One teacher's class will have read Scythe, another's The Hunger Games. Both are interested in reviewing the basics of literature as a springboard into the year.

So how can we capture students' interest, review some key basics, like symbol, theme, and the hero's journey, give students a chance to show their understanding of the text, and establish a positive, creative tone for the year in a class period?

Let's give it a shot together. One of my teacher requesters today is teaching on a block schedule, so we're going to go ahead and plan a longer period. If you're NOT teaching on a block schedule, feel free to split this plan over two class periods.

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