One of the things I love about homeschooling is our ability to study literature in any way that we choose – and we choose to make it as hands-on and interactive as possible. Which, of course, has gotten much more complicated with this pandemic and the need for social distancing.
That’s one reason I was super excited to teach The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, though. It’s the perfect book to study outside!
We had a lot of fun with this book, though – not just at our interactive, outdoor book club event, but with the reading and the analysis. Suzanne Collins is a master of symbolism and meaning, and that made it super fun to peel back the layers of this story.
We spent time discussing the story and having some competitive contests in teams. The kids built things, hunted for things, and got creative, all in the spirit of teamwork and fun and competition.
I think that digging into a story really helps color in the meaning for kids. It helps them take the story deeper and relate it to their own lives. When they debate the issues and think about how the characters might act under different circumstances or what they might do themselves in similar situations, it gives them the opportunity to see the issues in a new light.
That’s why I’ve enjoyed creating these discussion guides and creative writing prompts to accompany The Hunger Games. They’re specifically designed to engage your students in the themes and layers of meaning of the story, as well as to think analytically about what’s happening and to write creatively about the their opinion of the story’s events.
There are two versions of this product. One is print-based and formatted just like other discussion guides I’ve created. It’s great for whole classes, book clubs, literature circles, co-ops, or anywhere you need a print-based, in-person resource.
The digital version is all new. Designed specifically for on-screen use, it features widescreen slide sizes with large fonts for easy reading. The slide layout is simple so that it’s not distracting. It contains all of the discussion questions in short-answer slide formats, as well as the (most of the) creative writing prompts. I did create one creative writing project just for the digital version. The discussion questions and answer key are included in the pdf of teacher materials, giving you a total of 167 pages + slides.
I’m still having fun with this story and am busy creating more resources to make teaching The Hunger Games both easy for you and fun for your students. Stay tuned – there’s more to come!
What books are you reading with your students right now?
Are you looking for more creative resources? Click here to find ideas for your interactive book club event and here for more teaching resources!
