This complete unit has everything you'll need to deliver profoundly stimulating lessons on Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. The discussion questions, reading quizzes, literary device exercises, and writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!
Here are some highlights from the 200-page editable curriculum:
• Discussion Question Handouts: Thirty pages of higher-order discussion questions guaranteed to inspire profoundly thoughtful class discussions! This unit features double-sided handouts with 8-10 discussion questions for each of the novel's 14 sections. The discussion questions are the beating heart of these lesson plans. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence — leading to keen interpretive insights! Guaranteed to build skills in close reading and critical reasoning! (30 pages)
• Discussion Question Answer Keys: The answer keys to the discussion questions are informed by the best scholarly articles on Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Of course, there is rarely a single "correct" answer for any question; rather, the discussions questions are made up of higher-order questions designed to foster lively exchanges and interpretive debates among students. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence. (65 pages)
• Quick Writes: A "quick write" can be used at any time in a class to get students to pause and reflect on the text in writing. Introduce a quick write before you begin a discussion to allow students to collect their thoughts. Or use one at the end of class to let students capture and refine their best ideas. (14 pages)
• Vocabulary Lists: Lists of 10 vocabulary words for each of the novel's 14 sections, complete with definitions and sample sentences with the words as used in The Kite Runner. A total of 140 SAT-worthy words. (14 pages)
• Reading & Vocabulary Quizzes: Daily quizzes with 10 questions on the nightly reading homework plus another 10 questions on the vocabulary words. If you choose not to have your students study vocabulary, you can still use the portion of the quiz devoted to reading comprehension. Grading these quizzes is simple and quick. They’re an easy way to log 14 to 28 grades into your gradebook. Answer keys included. (56 pages)
• Figurative Language Quizzes (x3): Each quiz challenges students to identify several types of figurative language — metaphor, simile, symbolism, personification, hyperbole, and paradox — used in 25 quotations from The Kite Runner. The quizzes cover the figurative language used in chapters 1-9, chapters 10-19, and chapters 20-25 — so you can roll out each quiz after your class finishes those chapters and see whether they're improving. Also included is a glossary with definitions of the types of figurative language as well as examples of how they're used in the first chapters of Hosseini's novel — so you can begin reviewing the types of figurative language with students before they tackle the quizzes. Answer keys included. (12 pages)
• Quotation Race: Students work in pairs to identify the speakers of 70 important quotations from The Kite Runner. Introduce this fun activity when you need to mix things up — or to review who said what in advance of the AP Exam! Answer key included. (10 pages)
• Q3 Practice Essay: Designed for teachers of AP Literature, this in-class practice essay will allow students to rehearse the "Q3" essay from the AP Literature and Composition Exam. The assignment asks students to write a 40-minute in-class essay in response to one amongst three recent Q3 prompts that listed The Kite Runner as one of the recommended works of literary merit. (5 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Let students choose from one of 5 thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop a similar topic of their own. Rubric included. (4 pages)
This entire resource packet unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word docs *and* PDFs. Because the Word docs are fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit your teaching style and/or your students' skill levels — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still have access to the entire unit in PDF format, which is easy to navigate and quick to print.
In case you'd prefer to purchase this resource via the TPT website, here is a link that will take you to the product page on TPT.
I'm eager to do everything I can to ensure that you have an amazing experience with teaching The Kite Runner. If you have any questions along the way, please don't hesitate to get in touch via the email address below. I'm always delighted to hear from fellow teachers who share a passion for great literature!
Happy teaching,
Adam Jernigan
adamjernigan@gmail.com
