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Having students create their own anagrams is a great way to have students work on their critical and creative thinking skills. Throughout the novel, Will comes up with anagrams that represent his feelings. Another way to engage students in the graphic novel is to compare parts from the verse novel and the graphic novel since the words in each book are not precisely the same. While the audio narrated by Reynolds is captivating, some students are visual learners and will be able to see the story better with the aid of the images from the graphic novel. Sharing the Long Way Down graphic novel with your class is a great way to further engage students in the story. I use the Audible version of the audiobook.
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The two work together to create a dynamic pairing. Also, by listening to the book, students can see how Reynolds emphasizes certain words, and how that corresponds with the structure of some of the poems. When I teach the novel, we read along as we listen to Jason Reynolds narrate the book aloud. Long Way Down is a verse novel, and the story is meant to be read, even performed, aloud. If you are teaching Long Way Down without incorporating the audio, you and your students are missing out. At the end of the novel, have students form groups to discuss character development.
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As students trace the character development, they should keep track of things like how the character knew Will, what impact the character had on Will, how their past connection with Will might affect his decision, and what message Jason Reynolds is trying to convey through that character. Long Way Down Sticky Note Literary AnalysisĪ great way to complete a Long Way Down character study is to assign different characters to different students and have them trace their connections with Will. As students work with these organizers, they will look for and analyze the chosen literary elements and illustrate and explain the literary concept. This versatile teaching resource includes analysis organizers for literary concepts including conflict, symbolism, figurative language, characterization, tone, setting, and more. After reading this poem, have them work on their own name poem that follows the same structure as “MY NAME IS.”Ī great way to engage with the novel as you read it is to complete this Long Way Down Sticky Note Literary Analysis. Before diving all the way into the novel, read this poem with your students first. The second poem of the novel is “MY NAME IS.” It is a poem where Will introduces himself to the audience. I had them read the article in partners in class and then discuss the key differences between revenge and justice. justice is a great starting point for students. Revenge is a strong motif in Long Way Down, and a great way to have students explore this concept is to have them read about and discuss the concept of revenge vs. Students should be listening for keys, and details that they missed during the initial listen during the second listen. Each time, students should actively listen and take notes. An ideal way to complete this is to have students listen to the interview twice. A great way to introduce the novel is to listen to Jason Reynold’s NPR interview. Speaking and listening is one common core strand in ELA classes.
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Long Way Down Novel Introduction Stations This station activity includes three stations: author information, poetic terms, a nonfiction passage about gun violence in the US. This is a great introductory interview because students get to know Jason Reynolds, who he is, what he writes, and why he writes.īefore I start the novel study with my students, I like to have them complete these Long Way Down Novel Introduction Stations as a way to engage with critical information in the novel. One of my favorite videos to show my class before reading Long Way Down is the Daily Show interview with Trevor Noah. Watch Author InterviewsĪ great way to introduce students to a novel and author is to have them watch author interviews and videos before reading the book. Here are 25 ideas for teaching Long Way Down.
#A long way home discussion questions how to
If you are looking at how to teach Long Way Down or activities to incorporate in your classroom when teaching Long Way Down, here is the ultimate list for you.
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I use the materials in this Long Way Down Novel Study with my students as we read the text in my classroom. It is a great book that really engages students! Teaching Long Way Down can be an engaging and thought-provoking unit for your students, and there is so much you can do with this novel study. So, you want to teach Long Way Down? Long Way Down is a verse novel about a fifteen-year-old boy named Will Holloman.
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