No-Prep, Rinse & Repeat Activities for Secondary ELA

 

As teachers, some weeks are harder than others.  School demands (lesson planning, meetings, grading papers…) and home demands (children, cooking, laundry…) often leave little time (or energy) to constantly create engaging activities for our students.  That’s where rinse-and-repeat activities come into play. 

These activities are ones that you can keep in your “back pocket” to pull out at a moment’s notice.  Plus, they are engaging for your students and require zero (yes, 0!) prep on your part! I’ve included activity ideas for reading, writing and language standards, but several of these work across more than one Common Core standard tier.  Fill free to mix and match these to fill as much time as you need.  Plus, you can use them with any piece of literature you are studying.

Let’s Dive in…

1. Reading Literature: Topic Talk

You’ve just finished reading a piece of literature.  Maybe this is a new to you piece of literature and you don’t have time to create questions or activities OR maybe you’re just tired of the standard question-and-answer format.  The answer? Topic Talks! 

Here's how it works:

Have the students come up with the topics THEY consider relevant to discuss. Students can work individually or in groups.  They must provide evidence from the reading that supports why this is an important topic AND create 2 modern-day hashtags.  Then, come together and discuss the ideas.  The likelihood is that they will hit all of the high points.  If not, you can fill in the gaps to any important elements they missed.  You can also specify that you want the topics to relate to the theme, setting, author’s craft, or whatever standard or skill you are working on.  Side note: This activity works well for informational texts & also meets standards in the speaking and listening CC Tier.

 

Get the FREE Topic Talk Activity!

2. Writing: Literary Remix

This activity works for ANYTHING you are reading and not only taps into students' creativity but also encourages them to think critically about the text's nuances and explore different possibilities. It's a dynamic way for students to interact with literature beyond traditional analysis and summaries.

Here’s how it works:

1.    Choose a Scene or Element:  Select a specific scene, character, plot point, or element from the latest reading. It could be a crucial moment, a character's decision, or a significant setting.

2.    Reflect on Key Aspects:  Reflect on the key aspects of the chosen scene or element. Consider the emotions, motivations, and relationships involved.

3.    Remix the Scene:   Imagine an alternative version of the scene or element. How could it unfold differently while maintaining the core elements of the original? Encourage creativity and exploration.  Is there another character involved who originally wasn’t? Is the conversation different? Is the setting in a different place? Did the character make a different decision?

4.    Include Rationale:  Have students include a short rationale for their creative choices. Ask them to explain why they made specific changes and how it adds to their understanding of the text.

3. Language: Grammar Gurus

Use your current literature to have students practice current language topics and/or reinforce past ones.  There are several ways to do this.  Here are some possibilities:

1.     Have students find examples of grammar topics in their current reading.  For 8^th grade, you might have them find commas, ellipses and dashes in the text.  Then, have them identify the rule for each comma, and explain why the ellipses and/or dashes were used.  Or you might have them find gerunds, infinitives or participles and identify their functions.  You get the idea.

2.    A second possibility is to have them write either a summary or a response to the literature you’ve just read and demonstrate the skill within their own original writing. 

3.    A third possibility is for students to either create an original passage (like a summary or response) and intentionally create errors in the language standard, topics or review areas of focus.  For example – put a comma in the wrong place.  Then, they will provide an answer key where they will explain the error and the correction.  These are great to paste in a shared slide deck OR you could even use them for your own bell ringers! 

I hope these activities serve as valuable tools for you to navigate your busy weeks without sacrificing impactful learning experiences.  These are just a few of the strategies I use over and over again!  May they lighten your load and bring joy to your teaching journey! Happy teaching!

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