Thank You!

48 WRAP Prompts/Cards, Outsiders Activities, and More

Good morning everyone,

Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine’s Day. I know we’re all bombarded with messages all the time, so I’ll keep this one quick.

First: thank you. For so many things. I am incredibly grateful for each and every one of you, and I know that your students are, too (even if most never say it out loud).

Second: I am so excited to share a free resource with all of you! Here are 48 WRAP prompts/cards that you can print, laminate, and cut before you head home for the weekend. The cards work in so many ways, whether it’s in response to a self-selected text (following our independent reading time), whole-class read (such as The Outsiders), or a book-club pick (we just used them during our lunchtime discussion of A Rover’s Story earlier this week). Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you end up using them! And, as always, let me know if you have any questions.

Third: I wanted to share a few ways that we have celebrated The Outsiders over the past couple of weeks. (And the great news is that all of the tasks and activities can be adapted for any novel.)

• Grammar Scavenger Hunt: I was pleasantly surprised by how much students enjoyed this activity! In short, students worked in pairs to find examples of specific grammar/punctuation skills and concepts in S.E. Hinton’s novel. (“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…”)

• One-Pager: Always a great activity, especially if students are looking to draw/color while watching the movie.

• Narrative Continuation: My goodness, it felt so good to write alongside my students this week. The big question I posed beforehand — where do you see Ponyboy (and the rest of the crew) in the future? We brainstormed for a bit, and then students had roughly an hour to write a continuation (by hand). In my version, Ponyboy returns to Tulsa for the 20-year anniversary of his friends’ deaths. Ponyboy’s first book is a massive hit, allowing him to honor Johnny and travel the world. However, something’s still missing. After grabbing a drink with an old friend, Cherry Valance, Ponyboy walks through town and comes to this realization: he’s going to stop running. He’s coming home — for good this time — to become an English teacher, so that he can remind all of the underdogs on the East Side that their stories and their lives matter.

• Choice: Students are also completing one more task (due next Friday since we will be out of school Monday and Tuesday and in New York City on Thursday to see the play) — either a board game, soundtrack/playlist, or psychologist report/session. More details on page 4 here.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Be sure to check out the Feb. 1 update for the usual links and reminders. And thanks again for all you do to champion reading and, more importantly, our readers.

With love and gratitude,

Jarred

P.S. Please let me know if your school, district, or organization is planning a JUST READ IT (use the code RAVEN25 for 25% off + free shipping) book study, or if you would like for me to deliver a keynote address and/or lead a workshop or PD session. Feel free to share this letter with your school and/or district leaders. You can also contact Authors Unbound (requests@authorsunbound.com) to arrange a speaking engagement and view my speaking profile here. I love connecting with fellow educators and supporting/strengthening your team’s literacy efforts, and it’d be an honor to collaborate.