“The Crossover” Printables, Chapter Activities & Assessments

 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander – Chapter Activities

This product is for printables with a complete key for the novel The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.  The printables include, but are not limited to analyzing the physical text, identifying character traits, exploring figurative language, citing text based details, identifying and explaining poetic elements, compare/contrast, finding the main idea, expanding vocabulary, making text connections and seeking author’s purpose.  There is also a complete key included with answers and/or suggested answers.  It is the greatest young adult book to teach in a middle school classroom.

To assess the quality of my work, please click here for a free sample of “Warm-up”  Warm-up:  A FREE PRODUCT   This product is for a three page printable for the first section of The Crossover:  Warm-up.  The handout specifically focuses on studying the physical textual layout of a piece and how that contributes to the chapter as a whole, citing textual evidence, identifying and explaining the author’s use of poetic elements and figurative language and making personal text connections.  If you like this free sample, please follow my store as I roll out ALL the materials you need to teach this fabulous novel.

This also includes the “Skills to Know”, “Question Types” and “Figurative Language Terms” which are covered in the ENTIRE unit.  All of these skills are not covered in the Warm-up, just as a heads-up.  But, this will show you the quality of my work and what you can expect throughout the entire unit.

Follow my store for the complete unit for The Crossover.  It’s AWESOME!  In includes an entire week of interactive pre-reading activities, printables for the entire book, nonfiction and poetry connections and assessments.  There is also a literature circle unit which can be used in addition to the novel available.  Click here for a FREE sample of the text based vocabulary development.

First Quarter:

This is a 5 page .pdf file with a complete key.  These activities directly correspond with the first quarter of The Crossover and include, but are not limited to, activities in:

• Analysis of physical text
• Reading comprehension
• Discovering author’s purpose
• Identifying and exploring figurative language
• Establishing how parts of a text contribute to the text as a whole
• Writing and answering questions
• Labeling parts of speech: adjectives and verbs
• Literature based vocabulary development

Second Quarter:

This is a 5 page .pdf file with a complete key.  These activities directly correspond with the second quarter of The Crossover and include, but are not limited to, activities in:

• Citing text based details
• Reading comprehension
• Parts of speech
• Identifying and exploring figurative language
• Foreshadowing and irony
• Writing and answering questions
• Point of view
• Literature based vocabulary development

Third Quarter:

This is a 5 page .pdf file with a complete key.  These activities directly correspond with the third quarter of The Crossover and include, but are not limited to, activities in:

• Analysis of physical text
• Reading comprehension
• Tone and cliffhanger
• Identifying and exploring figurative language
• Reviewing poetic elements
• Writing and answering questions
• Theme – maturity
• Literature based vocabulary development

Fourth Quarter:

This is a 4 page .pdf file with a complete key.  These activities directly correspond with the fourth quarter of The Crossover and include, but are not limited to, activities in:

• Analysis of physical text
• Reading comprehension, recall, and analysis
• How an author’s word choice effects text as a whole
• Identifying, reviewing, analyzing and exploring figurative language
• repetition
• Writing and answering questions
• Mood vs. tone
• Literature based and independent vocabulary development
• Close reading

Overtime:

This is a 2 page .pdf file with a complete key.  These activities directly correspond with Overtime in The Crossover and include, but are not limited to, activities in:

• Text analysis
• How an author’s word choice effects text as a whole: “crossover”
• Identifying, reviewing, analyzing and exploring figurative language
• Parts of speech
• Literature based vocabulary development

Assessments:

This is a .zip file containing 2 assessments for the novel The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.  The first assessment is 25 questions and corresponds with the first and second quarters.  The second assessment is 30 questions and this is a formative assessment of the novel. Each assessment has a complete answer key with the correct answers highlighted.  It also includes a blank answer sheet with a key.

There are a number of basic recall questions in each assessment.  In addition, there are specific questions related to the following:

• protagonist
• setting
• figurative language
• pace
• point-of-view
• characterization
• chronological order
• vocabulary
• author’s style
• how lines/words contribute to the text as a whole
• foreshadowing
• theme

These assessments can work independently, but work best when paired with The Crossover Printables and Chapter Activities.

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“The Crossover” Writing Prompts

Writing Journal prompts – The Crossover

The writing prompts are ideally used as a companion to “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander.  They are inspired from his book, “The Playlist”.  I used these in my seventh grade class as a writing reflection to the book, “The Crossover”, which we read together as a read aloud in class.  There are 27 slides total in this product in the form of a PDF files which can be used in a PowerPoint or Google Slideshow presentation.

The first two prompts coincide with pre-reading activities.  The first is a narrative piece where the students would create a story prediction.  The second writing prompt is a reflection on “The Rose that Grew from Concrete”.  This is a poem by Tupac Shakur which can be used as a pre-reading activity for “The Crossover”.  If you’d like to see this unit in its entirety, please click here.

Then, to end each section of the book, Warm-up, First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter and Overtime, there is an opportunity for a writing response based on some character trait in the novel.  These prompts were inspired from Kwame Alexander’s book, “The Playbook”.  Each prompt asks students to reflect on a character trait (focus, determination, grit, “the rules”, motivation, passion, teamwork and tenacity).  Then, there is a slide with famous quotations to correspond with the character trait.  Students are instructed to choose one quotation to cut out and paste in their writing journal.  It makes it more of an interactive notebook.

If you are interested in more lessons from “The Crossover”, please follow my TpT store.  I read this book as a read aloud with my seventh grade students and they absolutely loved it.

“The Crossover” nonfiction connection

Mini-Biographies:  Péle and LeBron James

Character Traits:  Focus and Determination

This product is for 19 PowerPoint slides, 2 mini-biographies, 6 corresponding questions, 2 writing prompts, and 4 pages for interactive journals.  The biographies are about Péle and LeBron James.  They are inspired from “The Playbook” by Kwame Alexander.  They can be used alone or to correspond with “The Crossover” as a nonfiction connection.

Each lesson contains a mini-biography (less than two pages) with room and instructions to annotate.  Each biography focuses on a specific character trait.   There are six higher level thinking questions with a key to check for comprehension.  In addition, there are two .pnj files with writing journal reflection writing prompts.  There are also additional .pnj files to use as a part of an interactive notebook.  Also, there are two inductive learning warm up activities.  Here, students receive six or eight quotations where they are given a set amount of time to make connections and categorize photographs to prepare for the story.  If you are not familiar with inductive learning, it’s a great way to introduce an idea where the students make the connections with their peers.  There are many informative videos on YouTube to model this teaching strategy.

If you want to see my entire unit on “The Crossover”, please click here to follow my store.  I have absolutely loved teaching this book and my seventh graders LOVED IT!

Official Lesson Plan:

Essential Question(s)

• What or who motivates you?
• How does one overcome obstacles to persevere through life’s challenges?

Guiding Question (s)

• What is each team’s primary objective?
• How do authors support a claim?
• How are central ideas developed?
• How does an individual phrase add to the author’s purpose?

Objectives:

SWBAT understand central idea

SWBAT remember a question type

SWBAT determine how to answer and write a question

Materials:

• Slideshow
• Handouts
• Inductive learning envelopes
• writing journal

 

Assessment:

• Diagnostic: Inductive learning:  Making connections
• Formative: Answer questions from non-fiction text
• Summative: Write a personal response in writing journals:

Discussion Tasks:

• Students will discuss eight slides with various motivational phrases looking for connections.
• Using this inductive learning strategy, students will converse with various classmates to discuss and categorize photographs.

Language/Vocabulary Task:

• Students will know key word: Focus and Motivation

Reading Task:

• Students will read the novel, The Crossover. (Ongoing)
• Students will annotate text and answer higher level questions based on a nonfiction passage.
• Students will answer leveled questions based from this writing piece.
• Students will make a connection between the inductive learning activity, article and novel and respond wot a writing prompt on Focus.
• Students will glue a quotation and a photo of Pele and respond to the writing prompt in one complete paragraph.

Writing Task:

Students will write a reflective journal entry relating the character trait to their own life.

They will incorporate a famous quotation in their writing entry.

The goal of the unit is to read The Crossover, as a class.  Different leveled question types will be introduced throughout the lesson and practiced.  At each level, students will read, write, discuss and master the question type.  It is also a unit to focus on character traits such as motivation, resiliency, focus, determination and the rules.

Gist:   The theme of The Crossover is basketball as a metaphor for life.  All the poems in the book contribute to the theme of becoming the best person you are able to be and exhibiting character traits that will help to make you this person.  Nonfiction text will be used to enhance the unit and connect these themes.  Students will use reflective writing to connect the novel to their own lives.  In addition, students will participate in literature circles where they chose a novel of their interest and choice to complete in a student center learning environment.

The active learning which occurs in this unit has been very successful.  We began with pre-reading activities focusing on predictions and connections.  We used photographs and documents to make a story board and predict the novel’s theme.  Also, we used the poem, “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” to introduce the idea of resiliency.  Also, we visited the gymnasium for one class period where a lesson in the Tier III words of basketball terminology were taught in an authentic session.  Throughout the unit, students have kept and interactive writing journal to reflect on their lives in relation to the novel.

A student’s individual needs are met throughout the unit.  Copies of class notes are given.  Students have also chosen an outside reading book relating to the theme of overcoming obstacles; specifically, with an African American demographic.  Student chose a novel of their interest and level to participate in the literature circle portion of the unit

 

“The Crossover” Extension Activities

“The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander is the newest, greatest book to use as a teaching resource in middle school.  This year I taught this book with my seventh grade students and all the kids absolutely loved it!  I’m currently working on uploading all my resources, so follow my TpT store.  There are FREE samples of certain products and more will be uploaded!  This blog describes some of the extension activities I used with the students:  Nonfiction Connections and Writing Response Journal.

 Nonfiction Connections

For these two lessons, I used “The Playbook” by Kwame Alexander as a text connection.

To begin, I give the students 6 and 8 laminated slides with various quotations and images on them.  I use Inductive Learning to allow the students to observe and categorize the images.  I used this helpful YouTube video as inspiration.

I created two nonfiction texts based from excerpts in the book.  They are both mini-biographies:  The first is about Péle and second is about LeBron James.  Both biographies instruct students to annotate and answer higher level thinking questions about the text.  Then, each biography displays a character trait:  Focus and Determination.  The students are given a writing prompt to complete a journal entry about each quality.  They are also given quotations and photographs to make their journals interactive.

 

Writing Response Journals

Here, I created a PowerPoint presentation focusing on a variety of characteristics that it takes to make a person successful.  Again, I used “The Playbook” by Kwame Alexander as the inspiration for this assignment.  The students are given 9 writing prompts dealing with the traits of “Focus, Determination, Grit….”  Then, they are given quotations to cut out and use as an interactive notebook.  I paired this activity with my nonfiction connections as well.  The students enjoyed writing in their journals and making real-life connections between the text and their lives.  In its entirety, the product has a 26 PowerPoint presentation or 26 .png files.

African American Literature Circles

African American Lit Circles – 12 novels – 12 assessments!

This is a complete literature circle for 12 novels, with 12 individual assessments, 4 assignments and 4 classroom activities.

Follow my TpT store to see all the products I have to correspond with “The Crossover”. There are a few free resources to get the general gist of my products.

I’m a seventh grade ELA teacher and this year I taught “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander for the first time. Let me tell you, this book was AMAZING to use in class. I’ve even started a full product line for this novel to use in class.

Well, because we were reading the novel as a read aloud in class, I still wanted my students reading independently, so I began literature circles. I chose books at a variety of reading levels and guided students to choose a book at an appropriate level for them, both in reading and content. My “honors” selections are both more difficult in guided reading level and mature content. I asked only my serious, mature readers to select these books. Then, the grade level books were selected for a majority of the students. In addition, I teach two collaborative classrooms with regular and special education students so I had a few easier reads.

Here’s a list of the novels:
Honors Level:
The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Seventh Grade book selections:
Ghost, Sunny, Patina and Lu by Jason Reynolds – all found in the Track Set #1-4
Brown Girl Dreaming and Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Just a little easier:
Booked by Kwame Alexander – FREE ASSESSMENT
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen

For one month, the students had to read a quarter of their book each week. They had one outside activity to complete a week and then an activity to complete with their literature circle. At the conclusion of the unit, I collected the 4 assignments, the 4 writing prompts and the students took a 20 question assessment. Each assessment is individual to the book, but they are all the same format.

Here’s a list of the question types on the assessment:
1. protagonist
2. setting, place
3. setting, time
4-10 recall
11 & 12. figurative language
13. point of view
14. characterization
15. pace
16. point of view
17. language/conflict
18. foreshadowing
19. genre
20. theme

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My unit on TpT includes 12 individual assessments with answer sheet and key. Also, the assignments for the weekly literature circles. This unit could be used as an addition to “The Crossover” unit or on their own. It would also be an awesome activity for Black History Month. The best part, you can pick and choose which novels you’d like to teach. I really hope you enjoy this unit. It was so great in my class!

If you’re using this as a companion to “The Crossover”, follow my store here to see all my products roll out this month!