What if we were like fish and could only breathe and live underwater? Describe what a typical day might be like using as many water-related words as possible like: swim, dive, glide, submerge, float, splash, soaked, soggy, etc.
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Untold years in the future, the nation of Panem hosts an annual event called the Hunger Games, in which one boy and one girl from 12 Districts between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen as Tributes and forced to compete in a live broadcast death match until only one Victor remains.
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Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from the outlying District 12, volunteers for the Hunger Games to save her younger sister from competing. Katniss, along with fellow Tribute Peeta, is taken from her home and family and carted off to the extravagant Capitol where she will have to fight to the death against other children if she hopes to survive and return home.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (featuring the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, which are among our Boomerang titles) was adapted into four films released from 2012 to 2015 to much critical acclaim, becoming one of the biggest film franchises. Touching on issues of family, violence, reality TV culture, consumerism, and political injustice, the Hunger Games films tell a story of human struggle and are a great jumping off point for Big Juicy Conversations.
A note to parents: All four installments in the Hunger Games films are rated PG-13. We recommend looking up the films on sites such as Commonsense Media for detailed lists of content so that you can make an informed decision about whether the films are right for your family.
Hunger Games Book Club ideas from notbefore7
Learn language arts with the Hunger Games and Catching Fire Boomerangs!
The Boomerang is a monthly digital downloadable product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific read aloud novel. It is geared toward 8th to 10th graders (ages 12—advanced, 13-15) and is the indispensable tool for Brave Writer parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.
We’ve decided to send our homeschooled teen to public high school. Help!
Enjoy the transition if you can. Buy football tickets and go to games this fall. Meet the teachers. Make sure you attend back to school night. Test the lockers and make sure your teen knows how to open and close them, lock and unlock them before school starts. Get new clothes or shoes. Focus on the adventure of school, not on what wasn’t learned at home.
Don’t feel you have to cram. Freshman English will teach the essay again to everyone. Let your child look forward to school and be confident that he or she has been well educated at home. If there are struggles, get help then.
My daughter struggled mightily with algebra at the local high school. I met with the instructor and he gave me a plan to help her and she implemented the plan and wound up catching up in a semester and sailed through math the rest of the year.
Jacob was behind in band (saxophone) and same thing: once he was in that environment, he caught up because he was in that environment and wanted to.
School exerts a kind of pressure that can be healthy when your kids aren’t burned out and have not been in the system.
On the flip side, I thought Jacob was not a strong writer like his sister and brother had been. I put him in regular English and was called into the school to move him into Honor’s English. I was floored. They told me he was advanced. I didn’t know.
So try not to pre-judge the experience.
Good luck and enjoy!
Missed out on the Poetry Teatime website this month? Catch up on the latest tips, tricks, and treats PLUS enter our photo contest! Learn more below.
All About Teacups: DIY Activities and Crafts
One overlooked aspect of a Poetry Teatime is the humble teacup. Whether golden-rimmed and antique or ceramic and chipped, teacups make teatime personal. Check out this blog post for ideas on personalizing your own teacups or learn about types of cups from around the world. Let your teacups become a central part of your teatime tradition!
Didn’t get to join in on Brave Writer’s visit to Trader Joe’s last month? Check out this post for a video of the event, some cute pictures, and even a poetic response by a Brave Writer!
Check out the poems and crafts in this blog post for ideas of ways to bring poetry and the science of astronomy into your home! From Shakespeare to Byron and Keats, read poems about the stars. Then try out space-themed food, galactic decorations, and astronomical activities. Finish up with a list of books and online resources related to astronomy and poetry.
Rhymes are one of the most exciting elements of poetry. Learn more about how to read and create them in your own writing. Check out this post for all sorts of useful activities, books, poems, and resources that relate to rhymes!
We are excited to announce the 2017 Poetry Teatime Photo Contest! This month, we invite all Poetry Teatime enthusiasts to record your family’s teatime and enter our contest for the chance to win a whole host of exciting tea and poetry-themed prizes!
Be sure to check the Poetry Teatime website for more fun teatime ideas, and look out next month for another round up here on the Brave Writer blog! Now go drink some tea and read some poetry!
What’s your favorite book? Now imagine that it’s sitting on a library shelf and is hoping to be read but no one is choosing it! Write from the book’s point of view, and have it give visitors at least three reasons why they should check it out.
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