In the weeks preceding Penn-Trafford High School’s fall play production of The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein, Mrs. Sekera's 7th-grade Advanced English/Language Arts students at Trafford Middle School read and analyzed the novel.
Students first worked in groups to research classic texts included in the novel, created a slideshow, and presented their information to the class. Next, they read and analyzed the novel, sharing assigned chapter question responses with their classmates and sharing their thoughts on novel content. In a final activity, students played a game called ‘Book It!’ which was created by the novel's author. In this game, students worked in their groups, racing the clock to complete obstacles by solving clues about well-known novels.
During these activities, students learned about classic literary texts and were engaged in creative class discussions and activities. “After finishing these activities, I encouraged my students to attend the PTHS fall play and see the novel in action,” said Mrs. Sekera.
Zoe Bell, Laney Rosenberry, Zoey Wade, and Asher Stowell race the clock and match character names and texts with given clues in the Book It! game
Madelyn Galya, Serena McGough, Jimmy Zucco, and Max Lenart present their group's novel chapter question responses