Looking for an engaging World War II novel for middle school students? Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz is a fast-paced historical fiction novel that combines action, suspense, history, and important lessons about courage, loyalty, propaganda, and standing up for what is right.
And if you’re looking for Projekt 1065 lesson plans or a ready-to-use novel study, I’ve created a complete Projekt 1065 novel study and book unit that can save you hours of planning and preparation.
Why Teach Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz?
Projekt 1065 is an especially engaging choice for students who enjoy action, adventure, espionage, and historical fiction.
The story takes place in Nazi Germany during World War II and follows Michael, a young Irish-German boy who is a member of the Hitler Youth. Although he appears to support the Nazi regime, Michael is secretly loyal to the Allies and becomes involved in a dangerous mission as a British spy.
The combination of suspense and historical events makes this novel difficult for many students to put down.
More importantly, Projekt 1065 gives teachers plenty of opportunities to move beyond basic reading comprehension and have students think deeply about the history and ideas presented in the novel.
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5 Reasons to Use Projekt 1065 in Your Classroom
1. It Engages Reluctant Readers
One of the biggest challenges teachers face is finding a novel that will hold the attention of every student.
Projekt 1065 is packed with action, suspense, danger, and unexpected twists. The fast-moving plot can help motivate students who may not normally be excited about reading historical fiction.
Michael’s experiences also give students a character they can connect with while exploring difficult questions about identity, loyalty, courage, and morality.
2. It Brings World War II History to Life
Rather than simply reading facts about World War II from a textbook, students experience the historical period through the eyes of a fictional character.
The novel provides opportunities to discuss:
Nazi Germany
The Hitler Youth
Propaganda
The Gestapo
Kristallnacht
The Holocaust
World War II
Resistance to Nazi Germany
The role of science and technology during the war
This makes Projekt 1065 an excellent companion to a World War II or Holocaust history unit.
Students can read the novel while researching the real historical events and organizations referenced throughout the story.
3. It Encourages Critical Thinking
Projekt 1065 gives students plenty to think about.
Michael is forced to make difficult decisions throughout the novel. Students can analyze his choices and consider questions such as:
What does it mean to be loyal?
When is it right to disobey authority?
How does propaganda influence people?
What would you do if standing up for what is right put you in danger?
How can fear be used to control people?
What makes someone courageous?
These questions can lead to meaningful classroom discussions, writing assignments, and text-based analysis.
4. It Opens the Door to Cross-Curricular Learning
One of the best things about using historical fiction in the classroom is the opportunity to connect reading with other subjects.
Projekt 1065 can be used alongside:
Social Studies: Explore World War II, Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and resistance movements.
Science: Investigate the scientific and technological developments connected to the story.
Technology: Research the development and use of technology during World War II.
ELA: Analyze characterization, setting, theme, conflict, symbolism, point of view, and historical fiction.
Writing: Have students support their ideas with evidence from the novel and respond to ethical and historical questions.
5. It Teaches Lessons That Still Matter Today
Although Projekt 1065 takes place during World War II, many of its themes remain relevant.
Students can explore the dangers of propaganda, misinformation, prejudice, fear, and abuse of power while discussing the importance of courage, empathy, critical thinking, and standing up against injustice.
These conversations can help students connect the historical events in the novel to the world around them.
Make Teaching Projekt 1065 Easy With a Complete Novel Study
If you want to teach Projekt 1065 but don’t want to spend hours creating chapter questions, vocabulary activities, assessments, writing prompts, and supplemental activities, I’ve done the work for you.
It includes both printable resources and digital Google Drive™ resources, making it easy to use in a traditional classroom, paperless classroom, Google Classroom, homeschool setting, or distance-learning environment.
The Projekt 1065 Novel Study Includes:
Daily lesson plans
Pacing and standards guide
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Vocabulary and grammar activities
Activities for 92 vocabulary words
Vocabulary word wall cards
Multiple assessments
Critical-thinking writing questions
Answer keys
Common Core standards alignment
End-of-book activities
Story elements activities
Printable PDF resources
Google Drive™ resources
Self-grading Google Forms quizzes
Go Beyond the Novel With WWII WebQuests
The unit also includes informational WebQuests that allow students to research important historical topics connected to the novel.
Students investigate:
The Sturmabteilung (SA)
The Gestapo
Kristallnacht
Operation Paperclip
The Manhattan Project
These activities provide an excellent way to connect ELA and social studies while helping students understand the historical context behind the story.
Perfect for 5th-8th Grade ELA
This Projekt 1065 novel study works especially well for:
5th grade ELA
6th grade ELA
7th grade ELA
8th grade ELA
Middle school reading
Historical fiction units
World War II units
Holocaust studies
Literature circles
Independent reading
Small-group instruction
Homeschool
Google Classroom
Paperless classrooms
Whether you’re looking for a complete Projekt 1065 book unit, supplemental activities for a WWII unit, or ready-to-use reading comprehension resources, this novel study gives you a flexible way to teach the book without starting from scratch.
Save Time With a Ready-to-Teach Projekt 1065 Unit
Teaching a novel shouldn’t require you to spend your evenings creating worksheets and assessments.
This Projekt 1065 novel study gives you a complete collection of resources so you can focus on what matters most—helping your students become stronger readers, thinkers, and writers.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Projekt 1065
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
Have you ever had a student ask why Projekt is spelled with a K?
It’s actually intentional!
In the novel, “Projekt” is the German spelling of “project.” Alan Gratz has explained that Projekt 1065 was the real code name for the Messerschmitt Me 262, the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft.
That little detail can even become a fun opportunity to discuss how authors incorporate real historical details into historical fiction.
Final Thoughts
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz is more than an exciting WWII adventure. It is a novel that gives students opportunities to explore history, courage, loyalty, propaganda, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, and the power of standing up for what is right.
For teachers, it provides an engaging way to combine ELA and social studies while keeping students invested in the story.
And with a complete Projekt 1065 novel study and lesson plan unit, you don’t have to spend hours creating everything yourself.
Grab the novel, download the unit, and you’re ready to teach!
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Projekt 1065 this school year?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Are you looking for an engaging Stargirl novel study that will help your students develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and critical-thinking skills while exploring meaningful themes?
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is an excellent novel for middle school and upper elementary readers. Its memorable characters and thought-provoking themes give students plenty to discuss, analyze, and write about. From individuality and conformity to friendship, kindness, and popularity, Stargirl provides countless opportunities for meaningful ELA instruction.
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If you’re planning a Stargirl novel unit, this high-interest book can become so much more than an assigned reading. With the right activities and discussion questions, students can connect the story to their own experiences while strengthening essential reading and writing skills.
Why Teach Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli?
Stargirl follows Susan “Stargirl” Caraway, an unconventional new student whose individuality challenges the social norms of her high school. Through Leo Borlock’s narration, students see how Stargirl’s unusual personality and genuine kindness affect the people around her.
The novel naturally lends itself to classroom conversations about:
Individuality and self-expression
Conformity and peer pressure
Popularity and social expectations
Friendship and relationships
Kindness and empathy
Acceptance and inclusion
Identity and belonging
These themes make Stargirl especially useful for encouraging students to move beyond simply understanding what happened in the story and begin thinking about why characters make certain choices and what those choices reveal about people and society.
Stargirl Novel Study Activities
A well-designed Stargirl novel study can help you turn each chapter into an opportunity for meaningful reading instruction.
Students can work on skills such as:
Reading Comprehension
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions help students monitor their understanding of the novel while encouraging them to think more deeply about characters, events, and important details.
Rather than simply asking students to recall facts, thoughtful Stargirl reading comprehension questions can encourage them to make inferences, explain their thinking, and support their responses with evidence from the text.
Character Analysis
Stargirl and Leo provide excellent opportunities for studying characterization and character development.
Students can examine how characters change throughout the novel, how their relationships influence their decisions, and how their actions reveal their personalities and values.
Theme
What does it really mean to be yourself?
What happens when we care too much about what other people think?
How does the desire to fit in affect our choices?
These are the kinds of questions that make Stargirl such a valuable novel for classroom discussion. Students can identify themes and then support their ideas with evidence from the text.
Vocabulary
Stargirl also provides opportunities for vocabulary development within the context of authentic reading.
Instead of teaching vocabulary as isolated words, students can examine how words are used in the novel and apply them through activities that reinforce both vocabulary and language skills.
Writing
The themes in Stargirl naturally lead to meaningful writing.
Students can respond to the novel through personal connections, character analysis, theme-based writing, and other extended responses. These activities give students opportunities to practice organizing their thoughts, explaining ideas, and supporting their responses.
Make Teaching Stargirl Easier
While Stargirl is an engaging novel, creating an entire unit from scratch can take hours.
You need comprehension questions.
Vocabulary activities.
Writing prompts.
Lesson plans.
Assessments.
Answer keys.
And activities that actually help students think about the book rather than simply fill in worksheets.
That’s where a ready-to-use Stargirl novel unit can save you time.
Complete Stargirl Novel Study
I created a complete Stargirl Novel Study designed for grades 5–8 to give teachers a ready-to-use instructional framework for teaching the novel.
The unit includes both printable and Google Drive™ formats, making it flexible enough for traditional, blended, or digital classrooms. It can be used with a whole class, small group, literature circle, homeschool student, or independent reader.
What’s Included?
The complete Stargirl novel study includes:
Detailed daily lesson plans
Pacing and standards guide
Chapter/section guide
Vocabulary and grammar activities
Vocabulary Word Wall cards
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Extension activities
Writing activities
Vocabulary assessment
Reading comprehension assessment
Writing assessment
Answer keys
End-of-book activities
Story Elements Interactive Notebook activities
Common Core standards alignment
Printable resources
Google Drive™ resources
Self-grading digital multiple-choice quizzes
The unit is designed to require little to no preparation, so you can spend your time teaching instead of creating materials.
A Stargirl Novel Unit for the Whole Class, Small Groups, or Independent Reading
One of the advantages of Stargirl is its flexibility.
Use this Stargirl novel study as a whole-class novel unit, assign activities during independent reading, use it with a small reading group, or incorporate selected activities into a literature circle.
The materials can also be used for homeschooling or one-on-one instruction.
Because the activities are available in both printable and digital formats, you can choose the format that works best for your students and classroom.
Try a FREE Stargirl Novel Study Sample
Not sure if this Stargirl novel study is right for your classroom?
You can download a FREE sample that includes the Chapter 1 activities from the complete unit. It’s an easy way to see the format, types of activities, and level of instruction before purchasing.
Teach Stargirl with Less Prep and More Purpose
Stargirl gives students much more than an entertaining story. It opens the door to conversations about individuality, conformity, friendship, kindness, acceptance, identity, and the pressure to fit in.
With a complete Stargirl novel study, you can use those themes to build stronger reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, literary analysis, and critical-thinking skills—all while saving yourself the time and effort of creating an entire novel unit from scratch.
If you’re getting ready to teach Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, a ready-to-use novel study can give you the structure and resources you need to make the most of this engaging book.
[SHOP THE STARGIRL NOVEL STUDY]
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Stargirl this school year?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
Teaching the Holocaust to middle school students is difficult—but powerful literature can help students understand history in a deeply personal way.
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz is an especially compelling choice for a 5th–8th grade historical fiction novel study. Based on the true experiences of Holocaust survivor Jack Gruener, the novel follows Yanek, a young Jewish boy in Poland whose life is transformed by the Nazi occupation.
Through Yanek’s story, students encounter history not simply as dates and facts, but through the experiences of a child who faces unimaginable hardship, loss, fear, and uncertainty.
For teachers looking for a Holocaust novel study, World War II literature unit, or meaningful historical fiction book for middle school ELA, Prisoner B-3087 offers rich opportunities for reading comprehension, critical thinking, historical understanding, and discussions about empathy, resilience, and human rights.
Watch a video of Alan Gratz speaking with the real Jack (Yanek) Gruener HERE!
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Why Teach Prisoner B-3087 in the Classroom?
Prisoner B-3087 provides much more than an engaging story. It creates opportunities for students to connect literature, history, social studies, and real-world issues while developing important reading and thinking skills.
1. Build Historical Understanding
Students can sometimes struggle to understand the enormity of historical events such as the Holocaust. Textbooks and timelines provide important information, but a novel can help students understand history from an individual perspective.
Following Yanek’s experiences allows students to see how the Holocaust affected an actual child and his family.
Throughout the novel, Yanek is forced to navigate increasingly dangerous circumstances and multiple concentration camps. His experiences help students understand the human impact of the Holocaust and World War II in a way that statistics alone cannot.
This makes Prisoner B-3087 an excellent addition to a World War II or Holocaust unit.
2. Develop Empathy and Compassion
Historical fiction allows students to step into the experiences of someone whose life may be very different from their own.
As students follow Yanek’s journey, they can consider questions such as:
What does it mean to survive when you have almost no control over your circumstances?
How do people maintain hope during unimaginable hardship?
What choices do people make when faced with fear and uncertainty?
How can ordinary people respond when others are being mistreated?
What can we learn from the experiences of Holocaust survivors?
These discussions can lead naturally into lessons about empathy, tolerance, prejudice, discrimination, human rights, and compassion.
3. Encourage Critical Thinking
A strong novel study should do more than ask students to recall what happened in each chapter.
Prisoner B-3087 gives students opportunities to analyze characters, examine themes, interpret events, make inferences, and support their ideas with evidence from the text.
Students can explore themes such as:
Resilience
Perseverance
Hope
Survival
Family
Friendship
Courage
Prejudice
Human dignity
The consequences of hatred
These themes provide excellent opportunities for higher-order thinking, literary analysis, and evidence-based writing.
4. Explore Resilience and Perseverance
One of the most powerful aspects of Yanek’s story is his determination to survive.
Despite losing so much, Yanek continues to persevere.
This creates an authentic opportunity to discuss resilience and perseverance with students—not as abstract character traits, but as qualities demonstrated by a real person in extraordinary circumstances.
Students can analyze the choices Yanek makes and consider what allows him to continue moving forward despite the obstacles he faces.
Connect Literature to Informational Text
One of the most valuable ways to teach historical fiction is to pair the novel with nonfiction reading.
When students learn about the historical events, people, and places referenced in a novel, they develop a deeper understanding of both the story and its historical context.
A Prisoner B-3087 novel study can be paired with informational texts about:
Kraków, Poland, from 1939–1942
Plaszów Concentration Camp
Amon Goeth
The Wieliczka Salt Mine
Trzebinia Concentration Camp
Birkenau
Auschwitz
The Death Marches of 1945
Sachsenhausen
Bergen-Belsen
Buchenwald
Gross-Rosen
Dachau
Post-war Munich
The Orphaned Jewish Visa Program
Oskar Schindler and Schindler’s List
These connections allow students to practice reading informational text while building historical background knowledge.
They also provide an excellent opportunity to compare what students learn from fictionalized storytelling with information presented in nonfiction sources.
Turn Prisoner B-3087 Into a Complete Novel Study
If you’re planning to teach Prisoner B-3087 as a whole-class novel, small-group book study, literature circle, or independent reading assignment, you don’t have to create every activity yourself.
The resource is designed for grades 5–8 and includes both printable PDF materials and digital Google Drive™ resources, making it flexible enough for traditional, paperless, and blended classrooms.
What’s Included in the Prisoner B-3087 Novel Unit?
The complete novel study includes:
Daily lesson plans
Pacing and standards guide
Chapter/section guide
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Vocabulary activities
Grammar activities
Spelling
Writing activities
Critical-thinking questions
Nonfiction reading passages
Historical background information
Assessments
Digital self-grading quizzes
Answer keys
Vocabulary word wall cards
Parent letter
Common Core ELA alignment
Printable student materials
Digital Google Drive™ materials
Instead of spending hours searching for Prisoner B-3087 comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, writing prompts, nonfiction passages, and assessments, you can have your complete novel unit ready to teach.
Make Your Prisoner B-3087 Unit More Than a Reading Assignment
A powerful novel study should help students do more than finish a book.
It should encourage them to read closely, ask questions, make connections, think critically, understand historical context, and reflect on what they have learned.
Prisoner B-3087 provides an excellent foundation for that kind of learning.
Students can connect ELA skills to social studies while exploring a significant period in history. They can analyze characters and themes while developing empathy. They can practice citing textual evidence while considering complex moral and ethical questions.
Most importantly, Yanek’s story can help students understand that history is made up of real people—with families, hopes, fears, dreams, and lives that were forever changed by the events around them.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Prisoner B-3087
Ready to Teach Prisoner B-3087?
If you’re looking for a no-prep Prisoner B-3087 novel study for grades 5–8, this complete unit is designed to save you planning time while providing meaningful ELA and historical learning opportunities.
Use it for a whole-class novel, small-group instruction, literature circles, reading intervention, homeschool, or independent study.
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Prisoner B-3087 this school year?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
*The Teaching Bank participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
The Chronicles of Narnia series, written by C.S. Lewis, is a classic in the world of literature. The series has been widely acclaimed for its vivid imagery, unique characters, and compelling storyline. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is the fifth book in the series, is no exception.
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Benefits of Using The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in Your Classroom:
Enhances creativity and imagination:The Voyage of the Dawn Treader takes readers on an unforgettable journey to the magical land of Narnia. The vivid descriptions of the world and the characters allow students to use their imagination and creativity to visualize the world in their own unique way. This can help foster a love of reading and creativity in students, which can be valuable skills for future success.
Develops critical thinking and analysis skills:The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is full of complex themes and ideas that require critical thinking and analysis to fully understand. By discussing these themes in the classroom, students can develop their analytical skills and learn how to think critically about the world around them. This can be especially useful for developing problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.
Provides a unique perspective on moral and ethical issues: One of the core themes of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the idea of moral and ethical behavior. The characters in the novel are faced with difficult choices and moral dilemmas, which can provide a unique perspective on these issues for students. By discussing these themes in the classroom, students can learn how to make ethical decisions and understand the consequences of their actions.
Encourages empathy and understanding: The characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader come from diverse backgrounds and have different experiences. By reading about these characters, students can develop empathy and understanding for people who are different from themselves. This can help foster a sense of community and inclusivity in the classroom, which can be beneficial for all students.
Provides a gateway to other literary works:The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is just one book in a larger series of novels. By introducing students to this novel, teachers can encourage students to read other books in the series or other literary works by C.S. Lewis. This can help develop a love of reading and literature in students, which can have a positive impact on their academic and personal lives.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an excellent novel to use in the classroom. It provides a unique perspective on moral and ethical issues, encourages creativity and imagination, and helps develop critical thinking and analysis skills. By using this novel in the classroom, teachers can help foster a love of reading and literature in their students and provide valuable skills for future success.
I offer a complete novel study to accompany The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for use in the classroom or homeschool. The unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Some of my most vivid childhood memories of school were the novel studies I read for various subjects. It was my favorite way to learn skills, history, and any topic! I love books, and being allowed to read an entire book from cover to cover as a school assignment put me in heaven! I am sure this is a major reason why, as a teacher, my passion is to create and teach novel studies! I love introducing new books to my class, and as a community, being immersed in the book together. I love it when a student pulls us off the schedule with a question or comment from something they read and leads the class into a lively discussion. That’s where the real memorable learning takes place, after all!
I create novel studies more than any other product line simply because I like to focus on what I love. I want to work with my passion! I often get questions from readers asking how I would set up novel studies in my classroom. I decided to write a small series explaining my methods. For the most part, my novel studies include comprehension questions, vocabulary/grammar skill work, extension activities, and assessments.
Today’s post, part 2, deals with the vocabulary/grammar skill aspect of the novel studies. You can read part 1 here.
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
One of the beautiful things about reading books is that it expands your vocabulary. It introduces you to new words that you can build into your commentary. Being exposed to these new words within the context of a story helps the reader infer the meaning of the word, and it helps to see the word used in action to help the student understand its relevance.
When I create a novel study, I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled from the story. Balance is imperative.
I would always write the vocabulary words for the day/chapter on the board before starting the reading so the student would keep a lookout for those words as they read.
I create a vocabulary bookmark for the student to have in hand as they read. They can record the page number of the word and note the inference they made about the meaning of the word as they encountered it in context. You can see how this is designed for my Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Novel Study.
I also create another page that the student can attend to after they’ve completed their chapter reading. They will use their bookmark to locate the page number of the word. Next, they will look up the dictionary definition of the word and check it against the inference made on the bookmark as they read. You can see an example from my Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Novel Study.
Each unit will contain some activities to work with the words and definitions, such as a crossword puzzle or word search.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word. There is also a sentence using the word written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. The student will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study.
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study.
Pacing and approaching vocabulary in this manner has worked very well for me. It allows the students to think about the words and their meaning in context while not disrupting the story to learn the correct definitions.
Join me for part 3 of my series to learn the pacing methods I use for my novel studies.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Connect with Fellow Educators!
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
When I create a novel study, I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled from the story. Balance is imperative.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word. There is also a sentence using the word written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. The student will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my 
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my 
