Animal Series: Guardians of the Wilderness

 

Write It • See It • Master It

March is a great time to bring "animals" into the classroom! Students have a natural curiosity for the wild, and I have developed a series of animal lessons specifically designed to turn that engagement into serious test-prep success.

Whether your students are working through Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (C.E.R.) or responding to creative prompts, these lessons are built to assist with rigorous writing in a way students actually enjoy.

The Anatomy of a "Ms. Koven" Lesson

I believe in setting students up for success before they ever hit the main text. Here is the workflow I’ve designed to help them master the content:

• Immersive Vocabulary First: We start by "diving in" to key terms like Keystone Species, Resilience, and Alpha Pair. By placing the vocabulary study before the scientific text, students gain the confidence they need to understand complex reading.

• Scientific Reading & Comprehension: Once the foundation is laid, students read the text and complete Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). These serve as a great pulse-check for the student and a quick grading tool for you.

• "Sneaky" Test Prep (C.E.R.): After the MCQs, we move into short-answer questions broken down by Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning. This guides them through the exact structure required for standardized testing.

• Teacher Support: To make your life easier, I’ve included a rubric for student self-checks and exemplary responses for your own grading.

From Writing to Presenting: The "Ocean Odyssey"

Once the writing is mastered, it’s time to let their creativity shine! I provide multiple presentation options so every student can find their voice:

• Podcast Exploration: Using my "Ocean Odyssey" instructions, students can act as podcast hosts, sharing survival skills and "Interesting Facts" through engaging narration.

• Creative Choice: Students can also choose to create a poster, write a song, or draft a formal essay. Detailed directions for each are included in the lesson.

The "Brain Break"

Every lesson in the series ends with a Coloring Page. It’s the perfect way for students to decompress after the deep intellectual work of scientific argumentation.

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Ready to bring the Gray Wolf into your classroom? The full Wolf lesson—complete with the vocabulary study, scientific text, C.E.R. prompts, and presentation rubrics—is available now! And there are many more to choose from!

Why Seeing Your Process Matters

 

Write It, See It, Master It  

A look into visuals, notebook inserts & digital lessons that build confident writers.

Hey there! I’m thrilled you’re here. Today we’re talking about why making the writing process visible—through anchor charts on the wall and notebook inserts at students’ fingertips—can be a total game-changer in the classroom…

Teaching persuasive writing isn’t just about handing students a prompt and hoping for the best. It’s about making the invisible work of planning, drafting, and revising visible, so every learner can follow—and own—the process. That’s why I believe:

• Wall-mounted anchor charts bring key concepts to life at a glance.

• Notebook inserts give students a portable “cheat sheet” they can reference anytime.

• Online lessons (in Google Classroom or your LMS of choice) let learners reinforce skills on their own schedule.

The Power of Dual-Coding
Research in cognitive psychology shows that dual-coding (combining text with images) strengthens memory and understanding. When students see a step-by-step flowchart for crafting an argument, they’re more likely to internalize each phase—hook, claim, evidence, reasoning, rebuttal—than if they simply read a list.

Notebook Inserts as Game-Changers
Having a half-page organizer tucked inside a writer’s notebook transforms writing from “guessing” to “executing.” Those quick-reference sheets reduce cognitive load and let students focus on what to write, not how to remember the steps.

Taking it Digital
Finally, digital lessons extend the classroom walls into the home. A short screencast on thesis development or a Google Form quiz on transitions keeps learning fluid—and gives me real-time data on who needs extra support.

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Next, I’ll dive into my favorite thesis-statement visuals and share a free insert you can download and try immediately. Stay tuned!

Portable Cheat Sheets

*Grab the full C.E.R. toolkit on TPT ➔ (link)*

🏠 Return to mskovenwithclass.com

Creative Writing Summer Adventure

Creative Writing, Language Arts, Middle School

Write about the most exciting experience you had this summer.  I'm looking for the most exciting story in the bunch.  Earn extra credit for juicy details.  If you can't think of anything exciting from this summer, make it up, the more exciting the better.  Even if you really had an exciting experience this summer you can make up some stuff to make it sound even better.

• Create 1 paragraph
• Make sure it makes sense
• Use good grammar