As a middle school English Language Arts teacher I look for creative ways to assess student learning.   I believe that if a student can teach a concept to his/her fellow students then I know that they have mastered that new knowledge.  In this blended learning unit students will become the teacher and teach a literary device using a presentation tool (Screencast-O-matic).

Students will view a short video in which questions have been embedded to activate their interest.  They will then read the story of the Last True Hermit, Christopher Knight.  Knight lived for 27 years in the woods of northern Maine before being caught.  He survived by building a camp deep in the woods and stealing from cabins in the surrounding area.

Plickers (clikers, simplified) is a quick was to assess students learning.  Download the Plickers Ap, pass out a card to each student, ask a question and scan cards for immediate response!

After students have read Out of the Dust, they will create a Glogster. They will write about the theme, use their vocabulary words in writing, write using similes, metaphors, and personification in poetry, compare and contrast Billie Jo’s experience to someone else in history, and be able to pick an option from a list.