Tag Archives : Activity


Language Arts: Thesis Writing Acitity

We all know that the thesis statement is the most important part of the essay. This is also the part of the essay with which students have the most difficulty.

When you are able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a work, you are able to write better yourself.

preview1 preview2 thesis-thumbnai_16719270_0536df11b98eef50a5725994c991ce52a1ab219a
Topic: Is knowledge good or destructive? The subject is interesting, and can be used along with many different types of literature, or on its own.

In this bundle, I’ve included an interactive PowerPoint presentation that includes the following:

-The definition of a thesis statement
-How to write a thesis statement (and the steps to take leading up to the thesis)
-5 examples of thesis statements, where students must identify both the weaknesses and the strengths
-10 slides explaining the strengths in the examples and the weaknesses in the examples
-1 example of a well-written thesis statement, and an explanation about why it’s good.

To accompany the PowerPoint presentation, I’ve included a student activity sheet with a list of all of the examples written in the PPT. (PDF format)

Also included is a lesson plan with details regarding the PowerPoint and activity sheet.

As a bonus, I’ve also included a poster listing the 7 essential steps to writing a great thesis. I’ve included an image format and a PDF format for easy printing.

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thesis-Writing-Activity-2810083


Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sentences-Grammar-Circles-for-easy-and-effective-grammar-2110090sentences grammar circle

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Sentences – Grammar Circles for easy and effective grammar

Simplify your life and make grammar fun and effective.

One of the biggest challenges I had in my English classes was how to fit in grammar with everything else I had to teach. I would give students grammar pages and then we would correct them together. It was tedious and it took forever! What’s more is that students were not learning the way I wanted them to. They wouldn’t apply what they had learned from the grammar pages and activities.

I found a solution!

Grammar Circles. Grammar Circles are very similar to literature circles in the sense that students are teaching one another grammar. It is a fun and functional way to teach and learn grammar. Although, this may be done individually, it can also be completed as a group where students, through a specific process outlined in the package, teach one another grammar. They also correct the work together, so the teacher has very little to do.

The package includes:

1) A Student Packet – which contains the Literature Circle directions, the notes, directions, and activities, and a “Mark Calculation” page to keep track of their marks. (16 pages)
Activities included focus on:
-the logistics of the sentence (the basic parts)
-the prepositional phrase
-the adjective phrase
-the adverb phrase
-the verbal phrase
-the appositive phrase
-the independent and subordinate clauses
-subjects and predicates
-fragments
-run-on sentences
-types of sentences

2) A teacher Guide with easy to follow instructions on how to organize the Grammar Circles.

3) The Answer Key – devised to allow students to correct their own work and learn from one another.

For those who are from Ontario, Canada – this unit adheres to the Grade 9 English Curriculum (academic). The unit can be taught in any grade to about sentences.

(27 pages total for this unit)

Stay tuned for more Superhero themed grammar circle units: Spelling tips, Capitalization and Punctuation….
It’s teaching made easy!

IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE ZIP FILE, PLEASE
E-MAIL ME at [email protected] . Be sure to include your e-mail address and buyer’s name. I will send you an attachment directly to your e-mail address.


St. Patrick’s Day: LUCKY you! It’s Almost Spring Break!

I don’t know what it is about holidays and school, but students always tend to go a little coo-coo around any holiday. St. Patrick’s Day just so happens to be one of those holidays that also falls before Spring Break, so they are especially coo-coo.

So what do we do? We give them fun activities and count down the days! Everyone knows that trying to teach a new concept or review before Spring Break is nearly impossible. So, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun a day or two before Spring Break (or on St. Patrick’s Day if your Spring Break comes a little later)!

A fun activity to try on the holiday is teaching them the art of the LIMERICK. We have all heard the naughty one about Nantucket, so let’s not share that one with them, shall we? Start off first with the structure:

A LIMERICK is a short and fun rhyming verse that is often humorous. It has a distinctive rhyming pattern, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier and easier to come up with your own!

Here is an example of a limerick:

“There was an Old Man of Peru

Who watched his wife making a stew.

But once, by mistake,

In a stove she did bake

That unfortunate Man of Peru.”*

(from A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear)

If you notice in the limerick, there is a very clear rhythm and rhyme. It is five lines and has a rhyming scheme of: AABBA. The rhythm pattern is as follows:

da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (A)

da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (A)

da DUM da da DUM (B)

da da DUM da da DUM (B)

da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (A)

Next, give them a couple more examples:

St. Pattys Blog

Once they get the hang of it, have them try to create their own! If you would like the Create-a-Limerick packet, check it out at my TPT store!

Blog Limerick2

 

I also have an activity called “Wacky Words” in which students fill in parts of speech to create a silly story about hunting a leprechaun. This can be purchased separately or with the St. Patrick’s Day Activity Packet that includes these two activities AND a crossword puzzle and word search!

Happy St. Patty-ing! :)

Blog Packet