Episode 458: Hidden Gems of EB Series: Skip the Unit Test and Try These Projects Instead

Welcome back. For today's Teaching Middle School ELA Podcast episode, we are continuing our Hidden Gems of EB Series. 

Skip the unit test without skipping the standards. Caitlin and our curriculum writer Pat share three end-of-unit project ideas that feel like a fun weekend for students but function as a rigorous, evidence-based assessment for you.

First, we break down a classroom “drive-in movie” built around The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. Students rotate through stations where each “movie title” is a topic, then they turn that topic into a real theme statement as a movie tagline. The best part is the built-in accountability: students explain and justify their theme with text evidence, so you can finally move them past one-word “themes” and into universal messages.

Next, we pitch a Fish Cheeks inspired film festival where groups create a short film (or a live performance if you want to skip the tech) that shows at least two themes from your unit text. 

Finally, we wrap with a Raymond’s Run style game night where students design board games and question cards that assess literary elements like theme, conflict, character, and plot. You’ll leave with practical ways to adapt every idea to any short story or novel, plus easy options for individual assessment.

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