Daily Archives: October 18, 2021


October 2021 Teacher Talk

 Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

It’s October Teacher Talk Time…..Well, the first month of school is over and it’s BOO-tober, time for Halloween fun, Columbus Day, Stop Bullying Month and beautiful fall weather.  We have so many great tips and ideas for you from awesome educators. Be sure to take a look at what everyone has to say.
If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs, blogging buddies and/or our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, “Feel free to email me at deann.marin@gmail.com for any questions you might have and mention me when you sign up.”
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It’s October…Time to Call on Your Halloween Spirit

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

October is the perfect time to get your students’ creative juices flowing.

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Seven Fun Candy Activities for Your Class

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Fun ways to use Halloween candy while keeping the rigor in your lessons. A three page freebie is included!

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Simple Steps to Create a Story Plan

By Charlene Tess of Charlene Tess

Forming a story plan is the first step in writing fiction.

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Rachel’s Monster

By Gini Musmanno of Reading Spotlight

The first time I saw Rachel she was standing in the hall near her first-grade classroom door. Her eyes met mine, but she then turned her face to the wall. I did not know at that time she would become one of my first primary grade remedial reading students, nor did I know that she was repeating first grade–this is a story about Rachel’s monster.


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“BOO” to Fractions? Recognizing Equivalent Fractions

By Vicky Rauch of Scipi

Math requires constant practice – something most of my students dread doing. I can find many “drill and kill” activities, but they tend to do just that, drill those who don’t need it and kill those who already know how to do it. So to drill and “thrill”, I created fractional word puzzles. The one for October is Halloween Fraction Riddles.


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Cursive vs. Keyboard – an interesting debate

By Renee Heiss of All-American Teacher Tools

There have been many debates over the centuries regarding the education of our children. From integrated schools to No Child Left Behind and Common Core curricula, teachers have had to deal with a plethora of revisions to their daily lessons. However, hidden beneath the mandated revisions is a new discussion that centers around cursive writing vs. keyboard entry for student assignments. How can you teach your little learners to master a keyboard?


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Fall in ELA: 20 Ideas for Reading & Writing in Autumn

By Katie Auer of Loving Language Arts

20 ideas for reading and writing in ELA during Autumn.

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October Teaching Ideas

By Marcie Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Learn great ideas to help build relationships with your students and thrive as a teacher during the month of October.


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Studying Plot Structure

By Lisa Robles of Lisa TeachRs Classroom

Every story has some sort of a structure. Today we will talk about teaching two types: circular and cumulative story structures and how to use teach them to your students.


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Teaching in the New Normal 5 Tips and Tricks

By Michelle Webb of Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

This school year we want things to be back to normal. We are not there yet. Here are 5 tips to keep you sane while teaching in the new normal.


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Thematic Poetry Unit – EDITABLE (Digital copy included)

Description

***EDITABLE RESOURCE****

**** A non-editable version of this resource is available at a lower cost. Click here to preview the unit. Thematic Poetry Unit

***A digital copy of the student activities in Google Slides is included as well for distance learning.***

The comprehensive poetry unit that teachers, as well as students, can enjoy. I want to demystify poetry, and I make it my goal for students to enjoy the reading and studying of poetry.

At the beginning of every poetry unit, I ask my students this question, “How do you feel about poetry?” My heart always sinks when most admit to disliking it. I make students this promise, and now I am making you this promise, with this unit, I might not convert you into a poetry lover, but I promise that you won’t hate it. (We need realistic expectations.) This unit includes a variety of poetry genres and activities to help students understand that poetry is not about finding the correct answer but appreciating someone else’s point of view on a subject (even if students don’t quite understand or like it). In short, this unit teaches students how to approach, think, and write about poetry. Each lesson focuses on an element of poetry that will further students’ ability to analyze, to read between the lines, and to become independent learners.

The unit includes:

❒Student worksheets and poems

❒15 complete lessons (with an introduction, transitions and activities, and conclusion). The lessons also include the learning goals for students.

❒A comprehensive answer key for all worksheets, annotations to all poems, examples of paragraphs for students.

❒A final unit test (PPT – editable) with the answer key. Includes student success criteria and an evaluation grid. The poem on the test is Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Masks.” For copyright purposes, the poem cannot be published on the test. However, I have left room on the editable test for the teacher to insert a copy of the poem.

A comment sheet for easy and meaningful retroaction on students’ test is also included. This will facilitate the marking process. (editable)

❒A Jeopardy game to review figurative language (PPT)

***All pages are editable in a PowerPoint document. The background has been secured to ensure proper formatting.

Summary of lessons included:

❒ Lesson 1: Introduction to poetry – Includes a journal prompt, notes on how to approach poetry, an activity to familiarize students with poetry further, and a review on figurative language (with notes.)

❒ Lesson 2: Figurative Language Review – The lesson includes a journal prompt (a creative poetry activity), students will play Figurative Language Jeopardy (PPT) to review figurative language.

❒ Lesson 3: Introduction to analysis – The lesson includes a journal prompt, students will learn to analyze poetry using Walt Whitman’s “When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer” and “The Quiet Patient Spider.”

❒ Lesson 4: Fun with metaphors – This lesson includes a journal prompt, a “Fun with Metaphors” worksheet to help students further understand metaphors, students will analyze William Blake’s “A Poison Tree,” and will complete the worksheet on the poem.

❒ Lesson 5: Fun with allusions – This lesson begins with a journal prompt, a “Fun with Allusions” worksheet, students analyze Simon and Garfunkel’s song “The Sound of Silence.” (poem not included) However, a blank (editable) page is included in the document to paste the lyrics from the internet. This will help you create a more cohesive looking unit.

❒ Lesson 6: Tone and Attitude – Students will do a video (or song version) comparison analysis by completing the “Video Comparison” worksheet.

❒ Lesson 7: Symbolism – Students will complete the “Fun with Idioms” worksheet, will analyze Robert Frost’s poems “The Road not Taken” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” they will complete the worksheets for both poems, and learn how to write a PEEL paragraph using the notes provided.

❒ Lesson 8: Writing about poetry – This is a writing clinic of sorts where students will learn to identify strong topic sentences and well-developed paragraphs. An example of a well-developed paragraph is included.

❒ Lesson 9: Historical allusions: This lesson begins with a journal prompt, students will analyze Cara Dillon’s song “There were Roses” and complete the accompanying worksheet. (Please note that this poem is not included.)

❒ Lesson 10: Thematic connections – Students will work in collaborative groups on the “Thematic Connections” worksheet, which compares two of the poems studied in the unit. *An optional activity is included: Students will write a comparative paragraph comparing one similar theme in both poems. An example of a paragraph is included.

❒ Lesson 11: Allusions and analysis – this lesson begins with a journal prompt, The study of Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” by watching a Ted Talk, analyzing Mumford and Son’s song “The Cave,” and completing the worksheet. (Please note that the song lyrics are not included.)

❒ Lesson 12: Connections – students will learn to make important connections in poetry by completing the worksheets of the “Battle of the Pronouns” and “Cave vs. Cave” to further develop the themes in Mumford and Son’s song “The Cave.”

❒ Lesson 13: Theme review – Students will refine and review how to develop a theme in a poem (which applies to any work of literature) by completing the worksheet “The Cave – Themes and Meanings,” students will then write a theme in paragraph form.

❒ Lesson 14: Evaluation (test) – editable with answer key and comment sheet to facilitate marking

Check out the free sample lesson: Free Poetry Lesson on Metaphors

You may also be interested in the following products:

Free Thesis Writing Activity

Poetry Lesson: Analyzing Poetry

Poetry Unit for Senior Students

Teaching the Essay Package

The Yellow Wallpaper No Prep Mini-Unit

Much Ado About Nothing No Prep Unit

❒Brave New World Student Notebook

Essay Writing Flip Book

Frankenstein Bundle

Hamlet Bundle

It’s teaching made easy!

Total Pages
78 pages and 28 slides
Answer Key
Included with rubric
Teaching Duration
2 Weeks


FREE MISC. LESSON – “Thanksgiving Activities Free Color by Code (Number & Sight Words)”

by Mrs Thompson’s Treasures
Kindergarten – 1st Grade

Get ready for Thanksgiving with these cute color by number and color by sight words pages! These no-prep pages are the perfect activity for Thanksgiving week!

Get more fun printable and digital (for Google Slides™) Thanksgiving activities here:

THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES

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You may also like:

I Know About Turkeys – Nonfiction Unit & Graphic Organizers

Hundreds Chart Mystery Pictures – Thanksgiving Pack

120 Chart Mystery Pictures – Thanksgiving Pack

Dot Marker Sight Words Mystery Pictures

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Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Activities-Free-Color-by-Code-Number-Sight-Words-1529110

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