Teacher notes
Two novel studies, one download, and less than buying them separately. Scythe and Thunderhead build on each other, so many classes read them back to back, one in the fall and one in the spring, or offer them as a literature-circle choice for strong readers. The big ideas carry across both: power, justice, mortality and who should decide.
Quick answers
What's in the download? One ZIP with the Scythe novel study and the Thunderhead novel study.
What grades? Grades 7–10. Both books are written for teens.
Priced in Canadian dollars, so it costs less here than the US-dollar price on TPT. Instant download after checkout.
Full details
Teach the first two books of Neal Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe series with one bundle and save. In Scythe, two teens are chosen to apprentice under the people who decide who dies in a world without natural death. In Thunderhead, the all-knowing mind that runs that world can only watch as the scythedom turns cruel. Together, these two novel studies give you 266 print-ready pages: everything you need to teach both books, back to back or a year apart. WHAT'S INCLUDED Scythe Novel Study (Book 1, 205 pages) • Chapter-by-chapter questions and critical thinking activities • Journal prompts for every chapter that connect the reading to students' own lives • Creative writing, including poetry and extended projects • Art projects, choice boards and fill-in-the-blank practice • Discussion prompts, poster, comic strip, newspaper and poetry-art tasks • Clickable table of contents and an answer key Thunderhead Novel Study (Book 2, 61 pages) • 6 part menus with 36 prompts and zero recall questions, built on five thinking lenses • 6 hands-on activities: Mercy or Cruelty?, The Loophole, Masks Off, Et Tu?, Seven Percent and What Rings Out • 5 trackers: Thunderhead Watch, Two Blades, Greyson's File, Backbrain Words and Power Ledger • A "world so far" recap of Scythe, organizers, a Socratic seminar, 6 final projects, 7 profile pages and a 24-word vocabulary page • 14-page teacher guide: implementation map, 9-week plan, teaching-with-care notes, story key, look-fors for every prompt, parent letter and Ontario curriculum links WHY BUY THE BUNDLE • Both books, one purchase, for less than buying them separately. • Students who loved Scythe go straight into Thunderhead, and the Book 2 study opens with a recap for anyone who missed Book 1. • Big ideas carry across both studies: power, justice, mortality, identity, and who should decide. • Print-ready PDFs that work on paper or on screen. PLEASE NOTE Students need their own copies of Scythe (2016) and Thunderhead (2018) by Neal Shusterman (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). Both books are written for teens and centre on death; see each product's listing for content notes. These are independent teaching resources and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or the publisher.
