The Crossover – Pre-reading Activity

Pre-Reading:  “The Crossover” – the coolest, new middle school book available!  Follow my TpT story for ALL my activities for The Crossover!

Creating a Storyboard

This in an interactive lesson to be completed as a pre-reading activity for “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander.  The lesson focuses on:

• Cooperative learning
• Inductive reasoning
• Sequencing
• Predicting
• Making connections
• Creating a storyboard

 

There are eight documents included in this product along with instructions for the activity.  These documents were created based on the characters and events in the novel. For example, a diploma, a doctor’s report, a note, a report card, etc.  Students are given the eight documents in a small group. They are instructed to analyze the documents, make connections, predict the purpose of the documents and infer how they connect with the novel.  Students can be given white boards or posterboard to create a storyboard on their findings and predict what “The Crossover” will be about.  

 

When each group has finished their predictions, each group will create a storyboard.  The storyboard should attempt to predict how characters and events may be related in the story.  The students should study the documents for dates, common names, places and specific details which may link to one another.

 

My seventh grade students had a blast participating in this lesson.  Then, as we began the book, they would refer to the documents in this activity and make connections with this activity and the text.  These “a-ha” moments kept coming up in class and the kids really enjoyed this activity!

“The Crossover” Pre-reading Activities

The Crossover                           

Here are some ideas for pre-reading activities for “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander.  I read this epic novel with my seventh grade students and they LOVE IT!  I have all of these activities in my TpT store.

Preparation:

First, I laminate both the “photographs and poetry” handouts and make enough copies for each group.  I place the images inside a manila folder and staple the directions on the outside of the folder.

Then, I do the same for the documents in the “storyboard” folder.  This way, I have all my materials ready for the first two lessons.

I also laminate all the basketball instructions so they are more durable in the gymnasium.

I find using white boards in each group for poetry and storyboarding to be a more fun way to create the final projects.  As there really are not right or wrong answers for these activities, it makes it a little more engaging for the students. 

For these activities, I divide my class into seven small groups of 3-4 students. 

 

Predictions and Poetry – Lesson 1; One class period

In each group, students will receive an envelope with all the photographs, a white board and an eraser. 

First, the teacher should read the instructions to the students (I also staple these to the manila folder).

When the objectives are understood, students will begin by viewing and grouping all the photographs.  They are looking for connections.  They can write their predictions on the white boards.  When all groups have finished and shared their predictions, students will write a Haiku poem on the whiteboard. 

Storyboards – Lesson 2:  One class period

Very similar to the photograph and poetry lesson in terms of objectives and procedure.  However, in this lesson students are given random documents to create a storyboard.  This does not necessarily have to be a prediction, but a way to creatively tell a story.  It is helpful to have documents in an envelope with the instructions stapled on the outside.  Whiteboards work well for this lesson too.

Play Basketball – Lesson 3; One class period

To play basketball, I laminated the directions and took the students into the gymnasium.  They were able to keep the document at their feet while trying the different drills.

Vocabulary & Tupac – Lesson 4; One- two class periods (or one class with homework)

First, I hand out copies of both vocabulary lists and the skills to know list for students to use as reference throughout the unit.  I briefly review the words but they appear in greater detail as the unit unfolds.

In this lesson, I use “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” and “Before Tupac” to introduce how rap music is actually poetry.  This helps to make the connection of how “Crossover” is actually written.

The Crossover – Pre-reading

• Pre-Reading:  “The Crossover” – the coolest, new middle school book available!Lesson: Photographs and Poetry
  

  

  

   

  This is an interactive lesson to be completed as a pre-reading activity for “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander.  The lesson focuses on:

  • Cooperative learning
  • Inductive reasoning
  • Sequencing
  • Predicting
  • Making connections
  • Writing poetry
  • Narrative writing
  • Social interaction

  Follow my store as I will be continuing to update my Crossover unit this fall!

  There are eight photographs included in this product along with instructions for the activity.  Students are given the eight photographs in a small group. They are instructed to analyze the photographs, make connections with the photographs, predict the purpose of the photographs and infer how they connect with the novel.  Students can be given white boards or paper and pen to use to take notes on their findings and predict what “The Crossover” will be about.  

  When each group has finished their predictions, each individual student should chose one photograph to use as inspiration for a haiku poem.  Then, students should take their ideas and write a narrative piece describing their story prediction. The product includes a template for a visual for the haiku and introduction of their narrative piece.

  This lesson could be one or two class periods.  It would be up to the individual teacher. The photographs could be used on their own.  The teacher could also decide if they wanted to culminate the activity with the poem, narrative writing, both or neither.  It could simply be the opening for communication about “The Crossover” themes and plot structure.

  As a group activity, I laminated seven sets of all the photographs.  I placed them in a manila envelope for each group to use. Then, I let the students use dry erase boards to make study predictions.  As a class, we came together at the end of the lesson to share each other’s findings and predictions. This also allows students to see other classmate’s points-of-view.  It is a really fun way to introduce a novel.  

  For more activities paired with “The Crossover”, please follow my store as I am currently uploading this entire unit.  

 

“The Crossover” paired with Tupac Shakur and Jacqueline Woodson: 2 activities

“The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander is the newest, hippest book for middle school students! I’m creating a new unit from scratch this year.  So, Follow my TpT store for all the latest lesson plans!

These are two activities I use as a pre-reading activity for “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander, but could be used independently.

Activity 1:  “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”

This is an activity based from Tupac Shakur’s poem, “The Rose that Grew from Concrete”.  This in a three page printable handout with a complete key, a PowerPoint presentation, a ticket out the door and a writing prompt.

My seventh graders love when I include Tupac in lessons, so this is extremely popular.  It deals with the character trait of resiliency.  Which lead to the next activity.

Activity 2:  “Before Tupac and D Foster” by Jacqueline Woodson.

This is a four page printable, with complete key, which takes excerpts from the novel and poems of Tupac to make connections with “The Crossover”.  This lesson could be done as a prereading activity for “The Crossover” or independently as well.

 

Want to teach one of the hottest books for middle schoolers?   “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander is it!  I have been teaching this book to my seventh graders this year and they LOVE IT!  Follow my TpT store for all the latest lessons!

I’m just starting to get all my lessons up on TpT.  There will be numerous sections included in this unit:

•      Vocabuary – Tier II and Tier III lists
•      Prereading Storyboards activity
•      Prereading poetry and photographs
•      Tupac Shakur and Jacqueline Woodson connection
•      Novel pairing – The Playlist
•      Writing journals focusing on character traits
•      Nonfiction connections
•      Inductive learning
•      Chapter printables and activities

Try a free sample of vocabulary words for the popular novel,  by Kwame Alexander!  5 words, assessment example & ten slides!

Check back often or follow my TpT store to get all the latest lessons for this awesome novel.

The Crossover – Vocabulary

Want to teach one of the hottest books for middle schoolers?   “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander is it!  I have been teaching this book to my seventh graders this year and they LOVE IT!  Follow my TpT store for all the latest lessons!

I’m just starting to get all my lessons up on TpT.  There will be numerous sections included in this unit:

•      Vocabuary – Tier II and Tier III lists
•      Prereading Storyboards activity
•      Prereading poetry and photographs
•      Tupac Shakur and Jacqueline Woodson connection
•      Novel pairing – The Playlist
•      Writing journals focusing on character traits
•      Nonfiction connections
•      Inductive learning
•      Chapter printables and activities

Try a free sample of vocabulary words for the popular novel,  by Kwame Alexander!  5 words, assessment example & ten slides!

To see the entire unit, CLICK HERE.

This product is for two literature based vocabulary lists to accompany the novel “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander. Tier two words are separated into “Four Quarters” with five words for each quarter of the book. It includes a second list of 20 Tier III words – specific terminology for basketball. It is all in a .zip file.

The tier II words are divided into each quarter with 5 words from each quarter for a total of 20 words. There is a practice activity for each quarter with an answer key. There are also two assessments: 1 – Quarters One & 2; 2- Quarters 3 & 4 with keys.

The tier III words are on a master list describing the various basketball terminology used in the book. There is also an 8 step “Playing Basketball” printable which can be used to physically teach the kids basketball. I took my own students to our gym for a class day to play basketball using all the terminology from the book.

In addition, there is a 41 slide PowerPoint presentation that can be used in a few ways. The images can be printed out for a bulletin board. It can be used to explain the terms as a visual in class. Or there is a review game attached with it that requires students to review the words in a “Heads-Up” game format. For this game, I laminated the images and placed them in various envelopes for student use.

In total, this resource is 16 printables .pdf files and a 41 slideshow presentation (also saved as 41 .jpeg). This is perfect to use for this novel.