Lesson 19:

Block party: Launch The Big Nothing.

The block party is intended to build engagement and enthusiasm about the novel students are about to read, and to provide practice in making predictions. In the in-person version of this activity, each student receives a phrase strip with a line from the novel on it. Students mingle to share and discuss their phrases, and then make predictions about the novel. You could do a live, virtual version of this activity, where students take turns sharing a phrase and their thoughts about it. Or you could conduct this activity asynchronously: each student chooses a line and posts a response on a discussion board, or using an app like FlipGrid.