Phil+-+The+Jermal+Dweller



Above is a Word Document link which will show the images included in this text set. Below is a copied and pasted format, which does not support copying and pasting images from Word.

Phillip T. Prof. Coiro EDC 448 10/31/07

=Survival=
 * Diverse Text Set**


 * Context for using the text set:** This text set on survival is intended for a Language Arts class ranging from grade 7-10. The ability level of the students will need to be with in accordance with their GLE. Students who are severely below their GLE have the potential to struggle with this text set, and will need special attention. This text set will highlight survival both mentally and physically. Certain specific text sets, (like //Night// and The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Exhibit, or //Hatchet/A Cry in the Wild// for example) have been chosen in different forms (text and visual media), allowing students to see different interpretations/perspectives of the same piece.


 * A. Print Sources**

Text 1- Fiction Novel - //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//
 * Citation: King, Stephen. (1999). //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//. New York: Scribner.
 * Text Summary: Trisha, a nine-year-old girl is hiking with her recently divorced mother and brother. Trisha steps off the path and loses her mother and brother, becoming alone in the Maine wilderness. Trisha starts to lose her sanity from being alone in the woods, and the only bright spot on her days is listening to the Boston Red Sox on her walk-man, specifically her favorite pitcher, Tom Gordon.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because while there may be some “inappropriate” classroom behavior/etiquette/language used in this text, it mostly occurs after Trisha becomes separated from her family. On top of this, the character is nine years-old, helping my age demographic identify with Trisha, the protagonist. Finally, it involves the Boston Red Sox, (recent World Series champions), and seeing I would like to teach in a New England based school, students can further identify with this sports theme.
 * Use of Text: This text shows not only the physical strain that survival in the wilderness can cause, but also the mental strain. As stated, while Trisha endures many physical hardships, the mental strain begins to take its toll on her as well, as she begins hallucinating and such.
 * Attachment: Not attached, book is 272-pages.

Text 2 – Fiction Trade Book - //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book//
 * Citation: King, Stephen. (1999). //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book//. New York: Little Simon
 * Text Summary: A pop-up version of the previous text, which is much more condensed.
 * Rationale: I would use this trade book because of the vivid images it offers, giving my students a visual of the book they are about/have just read. This is the biggest question I have, whether I should read this text to my class prior, or after reading the novel, //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//. I would have to say, I would read this text both before and after. This way, I can activate the students’ prior knowledge, and give them a visual of what they’re about to read, and after so they can once again be enlightened and refreshed about this editor’s/illustrator’s interpretation of this text.
 * Use of Text: By using this trade book in conjunction with its novel counterpart, it allows my students to see the story both visually, and in a different perspective. Coupled with this, I can have my students analyze which key parts of the story were left out/embellished.
 * Attachment: Not attached, book is too big.

Text 3 – Fiction Novel - //Hatchet//
 * Citation: Paulson, Gary. (1987). //Hatchet//. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
 * Text Summary: Brian, a 13-year-old boy is flying up to Canada to visit his father when one of the planes engines fail, and sends the plane plummeting to Earth, killing the pilot in the process. The only tool Brian has for survival against the Canadian wilderness, is a hatchet, which was given to him as a gift.
 * Rationale: I selected //Hatchet// because it, in my opinion, is a classic. While some may feel this text is geared more towards a male audience, I disagree. The story is told well enough that both female, and male audiences can find this text interesting, and informative as well. On top of this, as mentioned, Brian is 13-years-old, once again, right around the age demographic of my students, increasing the chances that my students will identify with Brian.
 * Use of Text: Due to the many symbols and motifs revolving around survival, and considering //Hatchet// is a staple of the survival genre, this text would be read first by my students, introducing them to the theme of survival. This could allow students to easily recognize the theme of survival as it is seen not only in texts in this set, but most literature in general where applicable.
 * Attachment: Not attached, book is 192-pages.

Text 4 – Fiction Novel - //Lord of the Flies//
 * Citation: Golding, William. (1964). //Lord of the Flies//. New York: Putnam.
 * Text Summary: A group of school children, all boys, become plane wrecked on a deserted island. Initially, the boys begin to create a somewhat civilized society, but considering the age of these children, (in their early adolescence), this civility does not last long. Eventually the boys brake into two factions, displaying the breakdown of this civilization and its inhabitant’s psyches.
 * Rationale: I selected this piece because, once again, we find another classic, and staple of the survival genre. Like //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//, //The Lord of the Flies// displays not only the physical hardships that the need for survival causes, but mental as well. The reader is able to see the characters start out with human behavior, and eventually resort to what many would describe as basic, animal instincts.
 * Use of Text: I would use this text to show my students the emotional/mental toll the need for survival can tax onto a human being. What’s different about this text in comparison with the previous three, is this text shows survival as a group, versus survival as an individual, which could spark intellectual class debate or comparison and contrast papers between these two concepts.
 * Attachment: Not attached, book is 192-pages.

Text 5 – Fiction Novel - //Night//
 * Citation: Wiesel, Elie. (1960). //Night//. New York: Hill and Wang.
 * Text Summary: An incredibly eye-opening account of a ten-year-old youth’s time spent at various Nazi death camps, including Auschwitz. //Night// is a true story by Elie Wiesel, highlighting the departure of his family and youth, and displaying the disintegration of Elie’s faith, fmaily and the Jewish community.
 * Rationale: I selected this text because not only does it highlight one person’s survival through unexplainably inhuman conditions, but also this is a part of our history as human beings. On top of this, Elie, the main character, is only ten-years-old while this memoir occurs, making students realize not only how lucky they are to live in the time period they do, but also what life was like, for what could have been one of their peers. Like //The Lord of the Flies//, //Night// differs from the previous texts in that, now other humans are creating this need for survival onto other humans. Undoubtedly, students would need to be walked through this text as there are many graphic recollections and images. Despite this, the text can be used in conjunction with a history lesson, and with another interactive, online text, which will be mentioned shortly.
 * Use of Text: I would use this text in conjunction with a fellow colleagues history lesson. Along with this, this text can be used with The United States’ Online Holocaust Memorial Museum Exhibit. Once again, this text, and the online museum may be graphic, and a lot for children of this age demographic to handle, but I believe with proper assistance from myself, (or teachers in general), can be a piece that opens students eyes to the actualities of what occurred during the Holocaust.
 * Attachment: Not attached, book is 109-pages.


 * B. Media Resources**

Text 6 – Song – Alive by Pearl Jam code ·       Attachment:  See attachment 1 for a copy of this text. code
 * Citation: Vedder, Eddie. (1991). Pearl Jam. On //Ten// [CD]. New York: Sony Records
 * Text Summary: This is a Pearl Jam song from their debut album //Ten//. This is a song written by Eddie Vedder recollecting the time when he was 13 years-old and his mother told him that who he though was his biological father, was not. Vedder was a young adolescent when he found this out, and to top this off, at this time he was informed that his biological father died before he could ever meet him. During this time Vedder went through much inner turmoil, and used this wrote this song as an anthem for his survival, crying out in the song’s chorus, “Oh I, oh, I'm still alive.”
 * Rationale: I selected this piece because, aside from being a huge Pearl Jam fan, as soon as I knew I would be covering the theme of survival, and saw we could include music, this song immediately came to me. Students are so used to having to read text and look for themes, this would get auditory learners involved by listening to the music, visual learners involved by reading the lyrics, and tactical-kinesthetic learners involved by going through the lyrics and finding examples of the narrator’s use of survival.
 * Use of Text: I would use this text after reading any one of the previous print resources. I would make copies of the lyrics for the students to read along while listening to the song, and have them highlight examples of survival as scene in this song. From there I could have the students do a quick write, pointing out, and explaining their examples.

Text 7 – Videotape - //A Cry in the Wild//
 * Citation: Griffiths, Mark (Director), Corman, Julie (Producer), Cyran, Catherine (Writer), & Paulsen, Gary (Novel and Screenplay Writer). (1990). //A Cry in the Wild// [Motion Picture]. United States: Concorde Pictures.
 * Text Summary: //A Cry in the Wild// is the film version of //Hatchet//, just under a different title. The characters are the same, the plot line, for the most part, is the same, and the setting is the same as well.
 * Rationale: I selected //A Cry in the Wild//, because, as stated, it is the film version of //Hatchet//, and it can be used in conjunction with the text //Hatchet//. This allows students, once they have read //Hatchet//, to watch a film adaptation of a book they have just read, and make commentary on similarities and differences.
 * Use of Text: Once the class has finished reading //Hatchet//, they would watch //A Cry in the Wild//, and could comment on the similarities and differences between the two versions. Aside from reinforcing the idea of survival as it is seen in literature and film, through an expository piece, some students could get their first exposure to critiquing a film adaptation of a novel.
 * Attachment: See attachment ­­­­­2 for movie poster.


 * C. Online Interactive Resources**

Text 8 – Game/Simulation - The Oregon Trail
 * Citation: Oregon Trail [Computer Software]. (2002). San Francisco, CA: The Learning Company. (Macintosh/Windows Version).
 * Text Summary: Oregon Trail is a survival-based simulation computer game, taking players on a journey across the country on the Oregon Trail to head out West. Players must stock up supplies wisely as they make their treacherous trek across the wild frontier, this coupled with 8-bit hunting creates the perfect survival simulation game. On top of this, Oregon Trail provides informative and insightful fun for students of all ages. Watch out for dysentery!
 * Rationale: I selected Oregon Trail because it provides students with a safe, hands on way to test their newly acquired knowledge about survival in video game form! Aside from being a survival-based simulation game, Oregon Trail is educational about the hazards and problems that pioneers on the western frontier endured, and the choices for survival which they needed to make.
 * Use of Text: I would use Oregon Trail in conjunction with my colleagues teaching about American history during the gold rush period, and as a writing assignment for the students. How you ask? I would have students write a pioneer journal about the experiences they have endured during their quest for survival across the Oregon Trail. This is allow an informative way for students to not only learn about survival on the Oregon Trail, but hone in on their journal writing skills.
 * Attachment: See attachment 3 for a still shot of the game.

Text 9 – Online Museum - The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Exhibit
 * Citation: (//n.d.//) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Exhibitions. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/index.php?content=online/
 * Text Summary: This is an online edition of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It allows students to view different sections of the Holocaust like Rescue and Resistance, Children, U.S., Anti-Semitism, et al. This not only provides students with visuals of the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust, but also the living conditions that humans had to survive through.
 * Rationale: I selected this piece because it can work in conjunction with //Night//. With parents’ permission, students would be able to read up further on the cruelties that occurred during the Holocaust, and be provided with a visual as well. Furthermore, students would be able to navigate through sections, which they desire, appealing to tactical-kinesthetic and visual learners.
 * Use of Text: Prior to reading //Night//, students could visit The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Online Exhibit to activate prior knowledge about what they would be reading, acting as almost a cautionary note. Then, once //Night// was completed, students could revisit this online exhibit and further their knowledge about //Night//, and how people survived during the Holocaust.
 * Attachment: See attachment 4 for image of homepage.


 * D. Instructional Resources**

Text 10 – Lesson Plan - Survival! A Lesson Plan for Language Arts and Novel ESL Students
 * Citation: (//n.d.//) Survival! A Lesson Plan for Language Arts and Novel ESL Students. Retrieved October 30, 2007, From LEARN NC, From The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education Web site: http://www.learnnc.org/lessons/moretzca11182004621
 * Text Summary: This lesson plan was designed by Cynthia Moretz, and is hosted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and LEARN NC. This lesson plan requires students, in groups of 3-4, to brainstorm necessary items/qualities for survival, and turns their brainstorm ideas into a board game! The best part is that the classroom can design how intricate they would like the game to be. Students move along the game board which they design, and pick up cards, stemming from their brainstorming ideas. The example given in this lesson plan shows a student selecting a card reading "Courage," from there, the student must display an act of courage, by going to speak in front of the class, for example.
 * Rationale: I selected this lesson plan because it is perfect not only for the age demographic which I was aiming for, but because it would be a great introduction to the idea of survival. Along with this, it appeals to students of all different learning types: Tactical-kinesthetic learners would benefit from this activity's hands-on approach, visually learning would benefit by seeing the game board, and their brainstorm ideas come to life, and finally, auditory learners would benefit from hearing the class go over all of their brainstorm ideas.
 * Use of Text: I would use this lesson plan to activate prior knowledge/create new schemas about survival. After this activity, students would be ready to tackle the texts which this text set has incorporated.
 * Attachment: See attachment 5.


 * Using these texts together in the classroom:** To introduce our lesson plan on survival, I would first use text 10 with my students, and have them design a survival based board game. This way, students would start to become familiar with the different themes and aspects that connect with survival. From here, I would read the pop-up version of //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//, with my students, so I personally could introduce a text to them, and from there have my students read this text's novel counterpart. After, this time, as a class, we would reread the pop-up version of //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon// and discuss some of the differences in the novel version, and what we, as a class, noticed the second time around. At this point, I think I would, depending on the class, vary what text was read when. The only text I can see leaving out is //The Lord of the Flies//, because it is really the only actual text, which does not have something in this text set that directly corresponds/work in conjunction with. Overall, I feel that through the various songs, games, and online museums, my students would be able to understand survival from many different aspects, and would enjoy the learning process which I presented.


 * Learning Objectives:**
 * In regards to National Reading Standard, NL-ENG.K-12.1, (Reading for Perspective), through this activity, my students will read a variety of print and nonprint texts to help them further their comprehension of not just survival skills, but how to pick up various aspects of survival in text and film. NL-ENG.K-12.1 also encourages students responding to the needs and demands of their society and workplace. Through my survival text set, students will learn just this. My personal goal, is that students will come out of this unit not only knowing about basic survival skills, but also, as stated, be able to recognize the various forms of survival as it is seen in text and other forms of media (Education World ® U.S. Education Standards).
 * My lesson plan appeals to reading strategy objective R-8-6 and R-8-6.1 which focus on analyzing and interpreting the author’s craft and demonstrating knowledge of the author’s style or use of literary elements and styles. As my lesson plan focuses on survival, students will be exposed to survival in text and different forms of media. Along with this, my students will get hands on experience on the theme of survival through various games, songs, movies, and online exhibits. Through these various texts, students will be able to recognize, analyze, and interpret the survival genre, and the many literary aspects involved with the survival genre/theme (Grades 5-12 Reading GLEs).

=Works Cited=

(1996-2007). Education World ® U.S. Education Standards: Language Arts. Retrieved October 29, 2007 from, http://www.education-world.com/standards/national/lang_arts/index.shtml

(2007). RIDE Office of Instruction. Retrieved October 29, 2007 from, http://www.ride.ri.gov/Instruction/gle.aspx

Attachment 1 – code code
 * Appendix**
 * Alive by Pearl Jam**

code Son, she said, have I got a little story for you code

code What you thought was your daddy was nothin' but a... code

code While you were sittin' home alone at age thirteen code

code Your real daddy was dyin', sorry you didn't see him, but I'm glad we code

code talked... code

code code code Oh I, oh, I'm still alive code code Hey, I, I, oh, I'm still alive code

code Hey I, oh, I'm still alive code

code Hey...oh... code

code code code Oh, she walks slowly, across a young man's room code code She said I'm ready...for you code

code I can't remember anything to this very day code

code 'Cept the look, the look... code

code Oh, you know where, now I can't see, I just stare... code

code code code I, I'm still alive code code Hey I, but, I'm still alive code

code Hey I, boy, I'm still alive code

code Hey I, I, I, I'm still alive, yeah code

code Ooh yeah...yeah yeah yeah...oh...oh... code

code code code Is something wrong, she said code code Well of course there is code

code You're still alive, she said code

code Oh, and do I deserve to be code

code Is that the question code

code And if so...if so...who answers...who answers... code

code I, oh, I'm still alive code

code Hey I, oh, I'm still alive code

code Hey I, but, I'm still alive code

code Yeah I, ooh, I'm still alive code Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Attachment 2 - Did not Support

Attachment 3 - Did not Support

Attachment 4 - Did not Support

Attachment 5 -

=Survival! A Lesson for Language Arts and Novice ESL Students= Students brainstorm to orally identify and agree upon ten elements necessary for survival. Students will create a categorized chart of the items necessary for survival. Using the chart and working within groups, students will use the chart to create a Survival board game.

This lesson serves well as an introductory activity for students who will read a novel with a setting in another country or culture, or as the basis of comparing two different time periods or cultures.

It is modified for the Novice High English Language Learner. A lesson plan for Grade 7 English Language Arts and English Language Development by [|Cynthia Moretz]

Lesson //contents//

 * [|Learning outcomes]
 * [|Teacher planning]
 * [|Pre-activities]
 * [|Activities]
 * [|Assessment]
 * [|Supplemental information]
 * [|North Carolina curriculum alignment]

//Tools//

 * [|Printer-friendly format]
 * [|Email this lesson plan]
 * [|Lesson plan publication standards]

Legal
This work is licensed under a [|Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License]. [|Advanced search]

//Learning outcomes//
Students will work as a class orally discussing, reflecting, and then creating a chart of items necessary for survival. From the chart, students will then create a Survival board game.

Time required for lesson
2 days

Materials/resources

 * poster paper for each group to complete game board
 * colored markers for drawing
 * scissors
 * glue
 * old magazines
 * 10 large (3X5) Post-It Notes for each group of students
 * 3 X 5 index cards

Technology resources
None

//Pre-activities//

 * As a class, students brainstorm items necessary for survival while the teacher writes them on the board.
 * Working within groups of 3-4, students choose 10 items from the brainstorming list they think are essential for survival. They are to write these items on the Post-It notes.
 * Meanwhile, the teacher draws on the board a large chart with categories such as "physical," "mental," "emotional," etc. as titles. (New categories may need to be added if an item does not fit into any of these categories.)
 * Students from all groups are asked to place their Post-It notes listing their choice of items necessary for survival under of the categories on the board.

//Activities//
It is recommended that the teacher print off and provide a copy of the two rubrics attached to the bottom of this page for each student. Teacher with groups of students should read and analyze items listed on the rubric that tell how the student and her/his group will be assessed in this lesson. Each group creates a Survivor board game using the 10 essential items for survival. Students create picture cards of items necessary for survival to be used as part of the board game. These may be drawn or cut from old magazines. The game can be made as simple or as challenging as the students choose to make it. Before creating the game, students are told they have to use the "Survivor" cards created from the items from their chart. Students may create a game board using posters, markers and index cards. An "S" shaped path or any shape they choose is marked with a "Begin" square and an ending square--"Success"?? Here's one way to play the game to get you started: Keep in mind the above is to provide ideas to start students. You will be surprised at the ingenuity and creativity students will exhibit in creating their games!
 * 1) A stack of Survivor cards are in the center of the "S" shaped game board squares. On the cards there is either a picture or a label depicting the survival skill or item.
 * 2) (In this instance, students have created a game that depicts situations calling for specific survival skills.) Under the survival skill, "courage," is written a situation; for example: "You must speak in front of the class."
 * 3) The squares on the game board are marked with "Safe," "Survivor" or some consequence for landing on the squares. One square may be labeled "Instant Death" with the consequence of being eliminated from the game.
 * 4) The student rolls a die, and if she/he rolls a 1, 2, or 3--Great! Her/his courage helped. The student moves ahead 2 spaces. If the students rolls the number 4, 5, or 6--Sorry! she/he lacked the courage to speak and stays put without moving.
 * 5) The student who finishes the game with the most "Survivor" cards wins the game.

//Assessment//
Assessments are the activities, and include: Board Game and Completion of Chart in addition to a group and self evaluations. See rubrics at bottom of this page to assess participation and the game that students make.

//Supplemental information//
This lesson will also work for creating a survival chart listing skills for many scenarios such as: "Skills Necessary to Succeed in School"; "Skills Necessary for A Newcomer into the U.S." (or any student coming into a new school).

Related websites
N/A

Modifications

 * Place students in groups. Do not put all English Language Learners in one group.
 * Bilingual dictionary to translate unknown words in Second Language into First Language
 * Total Physical Response including demonstrating and visuals (pictures, realia, etc.) to describe words and situations.

Alternative assessments
ELL students are assigned to work with another student in the group to create picture cards of items necessary for survival to be used as part of the board game. These may be drawn or cut from old magazines.

Critical vocabulary
survive/survival, needs, physical, mental, emotional

Comments
This lesson plan was developed during the English Language Development Standard Course of Study lesson planning institutes hosted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and LEARN NC, June and July, 2004. It includes specific strategies, instructional modifications, and alternative assessments which make this lesson accessible to limited English proficient students. Please note that this lesson has been aligned with the goals and objectives of the N.C. English Language Development standards.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)//Grade 7// English Language Development (2005)//Grade 7//
 * **Goal 2**: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
 * **[|Objective 2.02]**: Use multiple sources of print and non-print information in designing and developing informational materials (such as brochures, newsletters and informercials) through:
 * identifying and using appropriate primary and secondary sources.
 * comparing, contrasting, and evaluating information from different sources about the same topic.
 * evaluating information for extraneous details, inconsistencies, relevant facts, and organization.
 * **Goal 1. Listening**: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
 * **[|Objective NH 1.02]**: Demonstrate basic comprehension of oral presentations and instructions through non-verbal and verbal responses.
 * **Goal 3. Reading**: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
 * **[|Objective NH 3.01]**: Read some words by sight and use a basic word or bilingual dictionary (e.g., common words, own name, environmental print, signs, labels and trademarks).
 * **[|Objective NH 3.03]**: Increase fluency and comprehension of simple narrative and descriptive text that meet survival needs, involving single phrases and vocabulary (e.g., names, addresses, dates, maps, graphs, graphic organizers, charts, tables).
 * **Goal 2. Speaking**: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
 * **[|Objective NH 2.03]**: Produce simple vocabulary, such as single words or short phrases, to communicate basic needs in social and academic settings.
 * **[|Objective NH 2.04]**: Respond to simple questions on familiar topics using short phrases and yes/no answers.
 * **[|Objective NH 2.05]**: Begin to ask questions to seek information using simple phrases or sentences.

Hi Phil, You’re text set is really great. I like how despite your overall theme of “survival” you incorporated texts that you think you’re students would respond to on a personal level. For example, //The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon//, and its Red Sox affiliation is great way to get kids interested in reading. Another aspect of your text set that I think is great is that you included texts about varied types of “survival.” For example, the book //Night// is one of the most moving books I have read about the Holocaust, perhaps aside from the //Diary of Anne Frank//. And the game Oregon Trail- everyone’s favorite elementary school computer lab game! Perhaps this text set could be enriched if you included a “survival” story that would resonate closer to home; few of your students I’m sure (I hope) will be on desert islands or lost in the woods, and none would have experienced WWII. Perhaps including a teen’s account of surviving Hurricane Katrina, or the loss of a family member on 9/11 would make this text set more realistic to today’s and tomorrow’s students. Thanks, Siobhan

Hey Phil, I thought you had great texts to incorporate into the survival lesson. I think however that there would be time restrictions in including all of the chapter books into the unit and that the unit would become a little lengthy. But you have many books to chose from to incorporate into the unit. Although the other sources you mentioned were great! I thought that Oregon Trail is a great game for the students to play during this unit. I remember playing that game in middle school and I could've played it all day! Something else that caught my eye is the interactive museum tour for the students to explor. That would be a great opportunity for students to learn about the history of the holocost as well as learning your lesson of survial. That also gives the students a chance to explore their family history of survival as well. Lastly a video is always a great method for keeping students interested, it also gives the students who have trouble visualizing during reading a chance to catch up on the details they missed out on. Nice job! -Kristen

Hey Phil, I really liked the different texts you used. I especially liked your analysis of the Pearl Jam lyrics. I think that students will really like breaking down some of their favorite songs. You could even do a whole unit on that, you could even relate it to poems. You also did a nice job using different activities, for example, you didn't just have them read a book, you made them play Oregon trail, song lyrics, and poems. The books you chose are really good ones as well. The Holocaust one is really good. Overall I really thing that this text set is really good. -Stephen