Tag Archives : Writing


Poetry Unit : The Art of Interpretation No Prep

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Unit-The-Art-of-Interpretation-No-Prep-1238103

 

Poetry Unit : The Art of Interpretation No Prep

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Poetry: The Art of Interpretation – is designed to teach students how to interpret, appreciate, and analyse poetry.

There are 9 complete lessons (estimated to last approximately 60 minutes), therefore 2 weeks of lessons.

This complete, no prep unit is a great way to start! This unit includes a student guide, 9 detailed lesson plans, 2 multimedia presentations (no internet connection required), a detailed answer key with annotated poems and answers, and an end of the unit evaluation with rubric, and answer key.

Just print it and teach it.

Poetry is a very subjective form of art. Some poems you love and others, you hate. What we need to realize is that this is the beauty of poetry. Poetry is not a mystery to be solved. Rather, it is the masterful manipulation of language that has the power to transform the ordinary and to immerse its reader into the world created by the author.

This unit incorporates art to help students understand and appreciate the beauty within words. In addition, students will learn how to analyse themes in poetry though paintings and art work.

This HUGE bundle includes:

Each lesson focuses on a different skill set including:
– Knowledge and manipulation of figurative and poetic language
– How to read and understand (appreciate) poetry
– How to analyse poetry
– How to annotate poetry
– How to paraphrase effectively
– How to use symbols
– How to effectively develop themes from poetry
– Creative writing
– Creative activities to learn how to analyse

The unit includes a student packet (20 pages), a teacher packet (with 9 complete lessons), and a comprehensive answer key with annotations to poem (with 17 pages). See preview for more details.

Poets studied include: (8 poems total)
– Billy Collins – “Introduction to Poetry”
– Anne Marriott – “As You Come in”
– Phyllis Gotlieb – “First Person Demonstrative”
– Edgar Allan Poe – The Raven
– Robert Frost – “Nothing Gold can Stay”
– John Crowe Ransom -“Janet Waking”
– Woodruff – “I am a Poem that Tells a Lie”
– Tennyson – “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
The unit also includes:

1 – The teacher guide (Contains 9 comprehensive lesson plans to teach the poems included in the unit. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS UNIT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU. )

2 – The student package (Contains students’ notes , poems, and questions) (20 pages)

3 – The answer key includes annotated poems and answers to all student activities (saving you time – 18 pages).

4 – Included is a test with multiple choice questions as well as a development question. All answers are included. (Word format for easy changes)

5 – 2 PowerPoint presentations – one multimedia presentation to introduce the unit (17 slides) and the second to reinforce the use of imagery and symbolism (19 slides) – NO INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED

6 – Images to project or print

7- An end of the unit creative evaluation, which includes clear and concise directions and rubric. (In a Word document for easy modifications)
– An interactive multimedia Jeopardy game to review figurative language and poetic devices (PowerPoint – no internet required)

– A multimedia PowerPoint on how to read and interpret poetry

– A PowerPoint presentation on how to interpret symbols and imagery in literature (19 slides)

– A final culminating evaluation with evaluation rubric (left in Word format for easily made modifications)

The unit has been created in such a way as to simplify the teacher’s life. Photocopy the 3 packages included and don’t worry about it for the rest of the unit. You literally can begin teaching it without any other preparation.

A total of 43 pages + 64 slides are included in this package.

This unit is complete, and does all of the thinking for you. All you need to do is to print out and photocopy the student package and you’re set.
Total Pages 43 pages and 64 slides

Answer Key Included with Rubric Teaching Duration 2 Weeks


Rubrics: Self Evaluation and teacher assessment rubrics

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rubrics-Self-Evaluation-and-teacher-assessment-rubrics-624745

 

Rubrics: Self Evaluation and teacher assessment rubrics

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Self-evaluation grids are a great way to guide students in their evaluations. Students will know exactly what is expected of them and will be made responsible for their own success. This package can also easily be changed to be used as peer evaluations.

Included within this document are over 20 different self-evaluation grids.

These self-evaluation grids are also very helpful to teachers:
 Helps the teacher justify the final mark;
Helps the teacher create meaningful evaluation grids;
 Helps to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths;
 Helps parents and students better understand the task required;
 Helps teachers create rubrics for the final evaluation.

This package was created in a Word document in order to be easily modified and changed according to the individual teacher’s needs.

This self-evaluation package contains self-evaluation grids for:
 Newspaper article
 Short story writing (intermediate and senior)
 Essay writing (various different types)
 Essay evaluation rubrics (for teacher –with and without sources)
 Independent study unit
 Research paper
 Skits
 Board game
 Group work
 Opinion piece
 Editorial
 Friendly letter
 Debate
 Movie review
 Journals
 Scrapbook
 Seminar
 Speech
 Riddle writing

Total Pages
27
Answer Key
N/A
Teaching Duration
N/A

ENGLISH GRAMMAR SPORTS STORIES: THE STARS OF RIO

New! Effective! Motivating! Easy to Use!

Use the hype of the Summer Games as an enjoyable and exciting inspiration to practice grammar and spelling skills! These stories are so much better than boring, ordinary, grammar practice sentences. They focus on the most common grammatical and spelling errors, and each story includes an Answer Key PLUS an explanation for each correction. Paper medals to award are also added. See it @ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ENGLISH-GRAMMAR-SPORTS-STORIES-The-Stars-of-Rio-2753537
Screen Shot 2016-08-24 at 3.09.18 PM copy 2


English Grammar Cheat Sheet

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/English-Grammar-Cheat-Sheet-1060635

 

English Grammar Cheat Sheet

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This “Cheat Sheet” was designed to help students while writing in English. This at a glance 2 page sheet is colorful and has an easy to find layout to help students remember certain important things while they write.

I allow my students to use this in class when writing a test. This is not a grammar lesson, but it will remind students about the grammar they’ve learned in the past.

Some of the reminders included:

– parts of speech
– transitional words
– quotation marks (how and when to use them)
– basic sentence structure
– spelling tips (plurals of nouns and IE rule)
– puncutaion rules (apostrophe, colon, semicolon

The other side of the page has comma rules:
– with coordinate conjunctions
-with introductory elements
– with other elements (dates, parenthetical expression, nouns in a direct address)
– with adjectives
-with apositives

It also contains tips on things to avoid, such as writing a paragraph shorter than 4 sentences. And, it contains a list of things to do, such as make sure that your paragraphs contain at least 2 pieces of evidence.

It’s teaching made easy!


July Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern



It’s July Teacher Talk time…..The 4th of July is over…..Now all of you are into your laid back summer mode enjoying your well deserved rest. Sit down, sip some iced tea, or wine cooler and check out the blog tips and ideas from these educators.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, be sure to mention one of our names. 


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Tackling Tough Issues

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Some tips for teaching and discussion of the upcoming election.

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Summer Writing Ideas for your Children

Calling all parents, summer is the time for fun and relaxation for everyone, esp the kids. However, you don’t want them to lose some of the writing skills that they learned during the school year. Here are some fun things to do to keep their creative juices flowing.

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The Art-Math Connection

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Tessellations are the perfect vehicle to teach transformational geometry. Simple, step-by-step directions to teach geometry with art.

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5 Keys to STEM Challenge Success

By Kerry Tracy of Plans for a Better Tomorrow

What are the 5 most important things to know to conduct successful STEM challenges? Check this blog and video post to find out!

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Using Calendars: Number Fluency, Handwriting Skills, and Time Concepts

By Thia Triggs of Print Path

I have been using several calendar related tools and love the power they hold. Use of calendars and teaching about time is a functional and engaging activity to support number fluency, understanding of quantities, time related vocabulary, and building a perceptual map of time. Beyond that, it helps to promote character development around issues of waiting, and delay of gratification. 

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How Do You Plan to Model AAC?

By Susan Berkowitz of Kidz Learn Language

Getting started with modeling AAC use and using Aided Input with your nonverbal child who is beginning to use augmentative communication is easier if you plan your vocabulary in advance.

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Battling Summer Boredom

By Alison Monk of The Literacy Garden

Summer vacations are tons of fun and adventure. But, how about all those days at home? No need to get bored! Here are some great ideas to keep your kids engaged, interested, and active!

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The Beginner’s Guide to Planning the First Weeks of School

By Jessica Zannini of Notes from the Portable

Are you planning your first two weeks to set students up for success? I had a few bumpy years that helped me learn my mistakes and help make these weeks the ones to get my classroom up and running.

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No More Keywords: Using the Operation Situations to Help Students Analyze Word Problems

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

“No More Keywords: Using the Operation Situations to Help Students Analyze Word Problems” is the first article in my Summer PD with The Routty Math Teacher blog series. In this article, I discuss the dangers of using keywords to solve math word problems, present arguments against the use of keywords, and offer a new strategy to refocus students’ learning on critical thinking and sense-making. This is a must-read article for all teachers of mathematics as we begin preparing for the new school year. 

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So, What the Heck is Metacognition?

By Tracy Wills of Wild Child Designs

A reflection of a year-long investigation into metacognition with third and fourth graders, this post explores the use of a continuum to describe student thinking. A free downloadable version of the continuum is available for readers!

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Poetry Unit : The Art of Interpretation No Prep

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Unit-The-Art-of-Interpretation-No-Prep-1238103

 

Poetry Unit : The Art of Interpretation No Prep

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Poetry: The Art of Interpretation – is designed to teach students how to interpret, appreciate, and analyse poetry.

There are 9 complete lessons (estimated to last approximately 60 minutes), therefore 2 weeks of lessons.

This complete, no prep unit is a great way to start! This unit includes a student guide, 9 detailed lesson plans, 2 multimedia presentations (no internet connection required), a detailed answer key with annotated poems and answers, and an end of the unit evaluation with rubric, and answer key.

Just print it and teach it.

Poetry is a very subjective form of art. Some poems you love and others, you hate. What we need to realize is that this is the beauty of poetry. Poetry is not a mystery to be solved. Rather, it is the masterful manipulation of language that has the power to transform the ordinary and to immerse its reader into the world created by the author.

This unit incorporates art to help students understand and appreciate the beauty within words. In addition, students will learn how to analyse themes in poetry though paintings and art work.

This HUGE bundle includes:

Each lesson focuses on a different skill set including:
– Knowledge and manipulation of figurative and poetic language
– How to read and understand (appreciate) poetry
– How to analyse poetry
– How to annotate poetry
– How to paraphrase effectively
– How to use symbols
– How to effectively develop themes from poetry
– Creative writing
– Creative activities to learn how to analyse

The unit includes a student packet (20 pages), a teacher packet (with 9 complete lessons), and a comprehensive answer key with annotations to poem (with 17 pages). See preview for more details.

Poets studied include: (8 poems total)
– Billy Collins – “Introduction to Poetry”
– Anne Marriott – “As You Come in”
– Phyllis Gotlieb – “First Person Demonstrative”
– Edgar Allan Poe – The Raven
– Robert Frost – “Nothing Gold can Stay”
– John Crowe Ransom -“Janet Waking”
– Woodruff – “I am a Poem that Tells a Lie”
– Tennyson – “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

The unit also includes:

1 – The teacher guide (Contains 9 comprehensive lesson plans to teach the poems included in the unit. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS UNIT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU. )

2 – The student package (Contains students’ notes , poems, and questions) (20 pages)

3 – The answer key includes annotated poems and answers to all student activities (saving you time – 18 pages).

4 – Included is a test with multiple choice questions as well as a development question. All answers are included. (Word format for easy changes)

5 – 2 PowerPoint presentations – one multimedia presentation to introduce the unit (17 slides) and the second to reinforce the use of imagery and symbolism (19 slides) – NO INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED

6 – Images to project or print

7- An end of the unit creative evaluation, which includes clear and concise directions and rubric. (In a Word document for easy modifications)

– An interactive multimedia Jeopardy game to review figurative language and poetic devices (PowerPoint – no internet required)

– A multimedia PowerPoint on how to read and interpret poetry

– A PowerPoint presentation on how to interpret symbols and imagery in literature (19 slides)

– A final culminating evaluation with evaluation rubric (left in Word format for easily made modifications)

The unit has been created in such a way as to simplify the teacher’s life. Photocopy the 3 packages included and don’t worry about it for the rest of the unit. You literally can begin teaching it without any other preparation.

A total of 43 pages + 64 slides are included in this package.

This unit is complete, and does all of the thinking for you. All you need to do is to print out and photocopy the student package and you’re set.


Hamlet Complete Unit – No Prep

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hamlet-Unit-No-prep-Complete-Unit-2398488

 

Hamlet Unit (No prep - Complete Unit)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

One entire month of planning done for you – I dare you to enjoy Shakespeare.

I love teaching Shakespeare’s plays and I want you to love it too. I’ve been teaching and improving this unit for over 10 years. I have literally done all the thinking for you.

This unit has everything a teacher needs to teach Hamlet. I’m aware that not everyone is comfortable with Shakespeare. Because of this, I have created this unit from my years of experience teaching the play so all of the thinking has been done for you. Just photocopy and teach. Seriously it’s that easy.
There’s no longer a need for hours of research and piecing together bits of information and activities found to teach the play.
This is a whole, complete unit, from scene summaries, important notes and annotations notes to help students understand what they are reading. I have also included an introduction to the play, a student guide, a teacher guide, quizzes, a creative assignment, and tests (all with answers and evaluation grids), and a comprehensive answer key. Everything has its place and teaches a specific skill.

The unit is appropriate for students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

The unit includes :

– An attractive, interactive, multimedia PowerPoint presentation introducing the play (17 slides)

-A Student Study Guide (with activities, act and scene questions…) and various activities (14 pages)

-A Teacher Guide (with detailed, comprehensive lessons, unit plan, and additional notes to guide students.) -9 pages and 16 complete lessons. The teacher Guide also includes links to the audiobook (the exact time to cue the audio) AND it includes a list of speaking roles if reading out loud in class)to help with time management and organisation.

-18 pages of comprehensive scene summaries and important notes for each scene (annotations for each scene) ***THIS IS A TEACHER FAVORITE!

-A creative “Guess Who?” game to help students understand the characters. (What’s fun about this game is that it can be played from the beginning of the play right to the end, and students’ answers will change depending on the act they are reading.) LOTS OF FUN!

-A comprehensive answer key for all questions and activities. (24 pages)

-Comprehension quiz on Acts 1 and 2 in Word format for easy modifications (with evaluation grid) and answer key.

-Mid-play evaluation – The Parody – creative writing and analysis (in Word format for easy modifications – with evaluation grid)

-Summary guide (highlighting the significant events from each scene with important analytical information) – Throughout my years of teaching this play, I have amounted excellent notes and annotations, listing the most significant actions throughout each scene. I have retyped these annotations to help you teach the play so your students will understand it (and so will you). (18 pages)

-The culminating evaluation includes three different versions of the final unit test with evaluation grid and answer key (in Word for easy modifications)

Includes a total of 109 pages.

It’s teaching made easy!

Wishing you the best at Teachers Pay Teachers,  Louise Cassidy

Total Pages
109
Answer Key
N/A
Teaching Duration
N/A

Rubrics: Self Evaluation and teacher assessment rubrics

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rubrics-Self-Evaluation-and-teacher-assessment-rubrics-624745

 

Rubrics: Self Evaluation and teacher assessment rubrics

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Self-evaluation grids are a great way to guide students in their evaluations. Students will know exactly what is expected of them and will be made responsible for their own success. This package can also easily be changed to be used as peer evaluations.

Included within this document are over 20 different self-evaluation grids.

These self-evaluation grids are also very helpful to teachers:
 Helps the teacher justify the final mark;
Helps the teacher create meaningful evaluation grids;
 Helps to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths;
 Helps parents and students better understand the task required;
 Helps teachers create rubrics for the final evaluation.

This package was created in a Word document in order to be easily modified and changed according to the individual teacher’s needs.

This self-evaluation package contains self-evaluation grids for:
 Newspaper article
 Short story writing (intermediate and senior)
 Essay writing (various different types)
 Essay evaluation rubrics (for teacher –with and without sources)
 Independent study unit
 Research paper
 Skits
 Board game
 Group work
 Opinion piece
 Editorial
 Friendly letter
 Debate
 Movie review
 Journals
 Scrapbook
 Seminar
 Speech
 Riddle writing

It’s teaching made easy!


TpT Language Arts Lesson – Writing For Real Purposes: Fun Summer Lists!

Have you noticed that in the last few weeks of the school year, it gets more challenging to motivate kids to write? Many seem to only have the energy and patience for tasks that have real purpose. And let’s face it, kids are far more motivated to do what we do or what they see others excited about.

 

 

 

The Writing For Real Purposes: Fun Summer Lists storybook provides a model of students discussing how various types of lists are useful to them, and the lists they have made. (If you purchased this pack last year, simply download the update that now includes the storybook!)

Summer is an ideal time for making plans and getting kids involved in making lists. Being mindful of meeting them where they are, it is important to communicate flexibility in terms of the expectations for how the lists are filled in. Because some children may be writing while others are copying or drawing, each printable has a lined and unlined version (except for the Friends contact lists which have ‘mostly girls’ / ‘mostly boys versions’).

Think of the possibilities of summer vacation….

Packing Lists…


10 page storybook lessonSlide1

(Excerpts shown from here)

Slide4

One of the storybook pages


5 Stuff to pack blank - Copy 7 Food list blank

Slide7 11 Things to pack for Water Fun

Lists for Summer Socials…


Slide6 Slide5

Slide10 Slide35

Lists of wishes, favorites and nostalgia…


Slide13 1 Summer Bucket list blank.png - Copy

Slide30 Slide16

Whether they draw or paste pictures, dictate to us while we scribe, print in hieroglyphics or phonetically spelled words, when students make real world connections to their own writing, it becomes its own reward!

Write for Real Purposes: Products and Freebies!


Th1 Th1

Th 1 Father's Day cover 300
Thank you for being my Reading Buddy!

Best wishes to all of you as we enter the last month of the school year!

That Fun Reading Teacher

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle 200


English Grammar Cheat Sheet

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/English-Grammar-Cheat-Sheet-1060635

 

English Grammar Cheat Sheet

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This “Cheat Sheet” was designed to help students while writing in English. This at a glance 2 page sheet is colorful and has an easy to find layout to help students remember certain important things while they write.

I allow my students to use this in class when writing a test. This is not a grammar lesson, but it will remind students about the grammar they’ve learned in the past.

Some of the reminders included:

– parts of speech
– transitional words
– quotation marks (how and when to use them)
– basic sentence structure
– spelling tips (plurals of nouns and IE rule)
– puncutaion rules (apostrophe, colon, semicolon

The other side of the page has comma rules:
– with coordinate conjunctions
-with introductory elements
– with other elements (dates, parenthetical expression, nouns in a direct address)
– with adjectives
-with apositives

It also contains tips on things to avoid, such as writing a paragraph shorter than 4 sentences. And, it contains a list of things to do, such as make sure that your paragraphs contain at least 2 pieces of evidence.

It’s teaching made easy!


Hamlet Unit (No prep – Complete Unit)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hamlet-Unit-No-prep-Complete-Unit-2398488

 

Hamlet Unit (No prep - Complete Unit)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

One entire month of planning done for you – I dare you to enjoy Shakespeare.

I love teaching Shakespeare’s plays and I want you to love it too. I’ve been teaching and improving this unit for over 10 years. I have literally done all the thinking for you.

This unit has everything a teacher needs to teach Hamlet. I’m aware that not everyone is comfortable with Shakespeare. Because of this, I have created this unit from my years of experience teaching the play so all of the thinking has been done for you. Just photocopy and teach. Seriously it’s that easy.
There’s no longer a need for hours of research and piecing together bits of information and activities found to teach the play.
This is a whole, complete unit, from scene summaries, important notes and annotations notes to help students understand what they are reading. I have also included an introduction to the play, a student guide, a teacher guide, quizzes, a creative assignment, and tests (all with answers and evaluation grids), and a comprehensive answer key. Everything has its place and teaches a specific skill.

The unit is appropriate for students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

The unit includes :

– An attractive, interactive, multimedia PowerPoint presentation introducing the play (17 slides)

-A Student Study Guide (with activities, act and scene questions…) and various activities (14 pages)

-A Teacher Guide (with detailed, comprehensive lessons, unit plan, and additional notes to guide students.) -9 pages and 16 complete lessons. The teacher Guide also includes links to the audiobook (the exact time to cue the audio) AND it includes a list of speaking roles if reading out loud in class)to help with time management and organisation.

-18 pages of comprehensive scene summaries and important notes for each scene (annotations for each scene) ***THIS IS A TEACHER FAVORITE!

-A creative “Guess Who?” game to help students understand the characters. (What’s fun about this game is that it can be played from the beginning of the play right to the end, and students’ answers will change depending on the act they are reading.) LOTS OF FUN!

-A comprehensive answer key for all questions and activities. (24 pages)

-Comprehension quiz on Acts 1 and 2 in Word format for easy modifications (with evaluation grid) and answer key.

-Mid-play evaluation – The Parody – creative writing and analysis (in Word format for easy modifications – with evaluation grid)

-Summary guide (highlighting the significant events from each scene with important analytical information) – Throughout my years of teaching this play, I have amounted excellent notes and annotations, listing the most significant actions throughout each scene. I have retyped these annotations to help you teach the play so your students will understand it (and so will you). (18 pages)

-The culminating evaluation includes three different versions of the final unit test with evaluation grid and answer key (in Word for easy modifications)

Includes a total of 109 pages.

It’s teaching made easy!


Free Outline Package

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Outline-696881

The Outline

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Outline package has been devised as a resource to help guide students develop their essay writing skills. Seeing as the outline is the skeleton of a student’s essay, this document has been devised to help students organize their ideas within the essay format.

This document has been created as a tool to accompany the Teaching the Essay Package, which is available for digital download at my store.

It’s teaching made easy!

For contests, promotions and other freebies, visit my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teaching-Made-Easy/734339640007672

or visit my Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/teachwithpassio/

Total Pages
11
Answer Key
N/A
Teaching Duration
N/A

Opinion Piece Bundle

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Piece-Bundle-1146884

 

Opinion Piece Bundle

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

How to write an effective Opinion Piece Bundle includes:

-notes for students (What is an opinion piece? How do we write an opinion piece?…)
-work process sheets to help students organize their ideas
-an example of an effective opinion piece (an effective tool for teaching)
-a student self-evaluation and teacher evaluation


FREE LESSON – Differentiated Mother’s Day Card for beginning writers (and BIG TpT site-wide sale on today and tomorrow!)

Free Lesson: Differentiate Mother's Day Card!

Hello my friends!
Is it just me, or did Mother’s Day sneak up on us as quickly as Easter this year?

In times like these, I’m grateful for the stash. (We all have a collection of never-fail, warm-fuzzy lessons and go to printables, don’t we?)

The time-saving factors in this Mother’s Day Card is twofold: 1) Print or photocopy and your students instantly have something to color, and 2) the inserts that allow each child to print (or paste if unable to print) at the level they are comfortable with. By pre-printing the various options, your students have different choices for how they can complete their Mother’s Day message, and most will be able to do something independently.

Disclaimer: Student names do need to be added to individual cards! 

Inside MD card 1

Some students might be capable of printing a message on their own. Others may copy from a strip or trace. Those who are not printing yet can simply glue their message in.


Copying Th4

Perhaps you’re working on 1:1 correspondence and would like to take this opportunity to practice. Cut the words apart and have your students reassemble the sentence in order, with or without a model.

Lesson from a recovering over-achiever:

Over the years I realized that I had to adjust my expectations to my circumstances. Some years we may have a smaller number of students in our class, students that work more independently or more support for our students with special needs. Particularly at this time of the year, and even more with Father’s Day, schedules go awry and every week feels more frantic than the week before.

This activity worked best, especially in more challenging years, when I let the students choose how they wanted to do the inside of the card. It came down to a decision:

Was the goal of the activity to teach and assess a particular goal or skill for any or all of my students, or for my students to simply enjoy creating something special for mom?

If you like to #DifferentiateByPrinting as is done with this card, check out these growing collections: Sight-Word-Stages Leveled Reader Sets and Read and Write and More!

On another note…

Did you see what I added to the title?  I am a mom and a teacher and a MAJOR appreciator of teachers myself. Thank you to all of you for getting in there with your students everyday. TpT has announced that it’s time to appreciate teachers with a big, site-wide sale! Please see the button below for details!

Enjoy the sale, and Happy Spring!


Teacher Appreciation Sale! Free Mother's Day card


SWS sq 350 Father's Day card

 


Complete Hamlet Unit – No Prep

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hamlet-Unit-No-prep-Complete-Unit-2398488

 

Hamlet Unit (No prep - Complete Unit)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

One entire month of planning done for you – I dare you to enjoy Shakespeare.

I love teaching Shakespeare’s plays and I want you to love it too. I’ve been teaching and improving this unit for over 10 years. I have literally done all the thinking for you.

This unit has everything a teacher needs to teach Hamlet. I’m aware that not everyone is comfortable with Shakespeare. Because of this, I have created this unit from my years of experience teaching the play so all of the thinking has been done for you. Just photocopy and teach. Seriously it’s that easy.
There’s no longer a need for hours of research and piecing together bits of information and activities found to teach the play.
This is a whole, complete unit, from scene summaries, important notes and annotations notes to help students understand what they are reading. I have also included an introduction to the play, a student guide, a teacher guide, quizzes, a creative assignment, and tests (all with answers and evaluation grids), and a comprehensive answer key. Everything has its place and teaches a specific skill.

The unit is appropriate for students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

The unit includes :

– An attractive, interactive, multimedia PowerPoint presentation introducing the play (17 slides)

-A Student Study Guide (with activities, act and scene questions…) and various activities (14 pages)

-A Teacher Guide (with detailed, comprehensive lessons, unit plan, and additional notes to guide students.) -9 pages and 16 complete lessons. The teacher Guide also includes links to the audiobook (the exact time to cue the audio) AND it includes a list of speaking roles if reading out loud in class)to help with time management and organisation.

-18 pages of comprehensive scene summaries and important notes for each scene (annotations for each scene) ***THIS IS A TEACHER FAVORITE!

-A creative “Guess Who?” game to help students understand the characters. (What’s fun about this game is that it can be played from the beginning of the play right to the end, and students’ answers will change depending on the act they are reading.) LOTS OF FUN!

-A comprehensive answer key for all questions and activities. (24 pages)

-Comprehension quiz on Acts 1 and 2 in Word format for easy modifications (with evaluation grid) and answer key.

-Mid-play evaluation – The Parody – creative writing and analysis (in Word format for easy modifications – with evaluation grid)

-Summary guide (highlighting the significant events from each scene with important analytical information) – Throughout my years of teaching this play, I have amounted excellent notes and annotations, listing the most significant actions throughout each scene. I have retyped these annotations to help you teach the play so your students will understand it (and so will you). (18 pages)

-The culminating evaluation includes three different versions of the final unit test with evaluation grid and answer key (in Word for easy modifications)

Includes a total of 109 pages.

It’s teaching made easy!


Comment Bank

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comment-Bank-1218405

 

Comment Bank

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Comment Bank has been constructed to save the Language Arts teacher time when offering constructive and helpful comments on students’ evaluations. Marking papers in any Language Arts class is always a lengthy process. Increasingly, teachers are being asked to write more detailed comments to highlight students’ strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes we run out of ideas. Being the vigilant teachers we are, and wanting to help our students achieve their potential is and will always be one of our priorities. To this end, when marking students’ papers, writing down everything we want to say to them about their papers would be a very lengthy process. I have decided to share my personal comment bank with you.

The bank comments on the following areas:

-Structure
-Communication
-The next step
-Mechanics
-Style
-Persuasion
-Analysis

The package contains 7 pages of comments, which are divided by levels of accomplishment A, B, C and D.

Included in this package are over 120 comments for students. You can get inspiration from these pages to handwrite your comments, or you can do what I do and copy/paste your comments into a word document, print, and staple the comment to the students’ evaluations. This is a real time saver. Parents, students, and school administration LOVE this method of feedback. And, this way, it takes much less time to be much more efficient. I hope you enjoy it!

For contests, promotions and other freebies, visit my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teaching-Made-Easy/734339640007672

Total Pages
7
Answer Key
N/A
Teaching Duration
N/A

Free Assessment Tool to Create a Board Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creating-a-board-Game-assessment-tool-648898

 

Creating a board Game assessment tool

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This rubric was created to help students understand exactly what is expected of them for this evaluation. It is also an excellent tool to assess students’ progress and final product.

This self assessment rubric is part of bundle as well.

Self-evaluation grids are a great way to guide students in their evaluations. Students will know exactly what is expected of them and will be made responsible for their own success. This package can also easily be changed to be used as peer-evaluations.

It’s teaching made easy!


Poetic Language

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetic-Language-1133307

 

Poetic Language

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This handout contains comprehensive student notes on the following:

-Poetic language (stanza, verse, meter…)
-Figurative language (simile, metaphor, cacophony, caesura…)
-Types of poems (their definition and characteristics)
-Rhythm in poetry (the different types of rhythm)

This handout contains 9 pages. I really hope you enjoy it!

This is also part of a poetry bundle unit. Check it out at my store.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Unit-for-senior-students-1107375

It’s teaching made easy!

For contests, promotions and other freebies, visit my Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Teaching-Made-Easy/734339640007672

Total Pages
8
Answer Key
N/A
Teaching Duration
N/A

Adaptable Short Story Chart (Adaptable to all Works of Fiction)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adaptable-Short-Story-Chart-adaptable-to-all-works-of-fiction-1803945

Adaptable Short Story Chart (adaptable to all works of fiction)

 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Adaptable Short Story Chart

This short story chart is perfectly adapted to all fiction (short stories, novels, plays….)

The document includes an explanation page as well as pages for students to complete.

It is excellent way to have students identify the different parts of plot.

It includes the following elements:
-narration
-Plot (initial situation, climax…)
-Setting
-Characterization
-Memorable quotes
-Themes

It’s teaching made easy!

 


Poetry Unit: The Art of Interpretation

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Unit-The-Art-of-Interpretation-No-Prep-1238103

 

poetry unit two weeks

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Poetry: The Art of Interpretation – is designed to teach students how to interpret, appreciate, and analyse poetry.

There are 9 complete lessons (estimated to last approximately 60 minutes), therefore 2 weeks of lessons.

This complete, no prep unit is a great way to start! This unit includes a student guide, 9 detailed lesson plans, 2 multimedia presentations (no internet connection required), a detailed answer key with annotated poems and answers, and an end of the unit evaluation with rubric, and answer key.

Just print it and teach it.

Poetry is a very subjective form of art. Some poems you love and others, you hate. What we need to realize is that this is the beauty of poetry. Poetry is not a mystery to be solved. Rather, it is the masterful manipulation of language that has the power to transform the ordinary and to immerse its reader into the world created by the author.

This unit incorporates art to help students understand and appreciate the beauty within words. In addition, students will learn how to analyse themes in poetry though paintings and art work.

This HUGE bundle includes:

Each lesson focuses on a different skill set including:
– Knowledge and manipulation of figurative and poetic language
– How to read and understand (appreciate) poetry
– How to analyse poetry
– How to annotate poetry
– How to paraphrase effectively
– How to use symbols
– How to effectively develop themes from poetry
– Creative writing
– Creative activities to learn how to analyse

The unit includes a student packet (20 pages), a teacher packet (with 9 complete lessons), and a comprehensive answer key with annotations to poem (with 17 pages). See preview for more details.

Poets studied include: (8 poems total)
– Billy Collins – “Introduction to Poetry”
– Anne Marriott – “As You Come in”
– Phyllis Gotlieb – “First Person Demonstrative”
– Edgar Allan Poe – The Raven
– Robert Frost – “Nothing Gold can Stay”
– John Crowe Ransom -“Janet Waking”
– Woodruff – “I am a Poem that Tells a Lie”
– Tennyson – “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

The unit also includes:

1 – The teacher guide (Contains 9 comprehensive lesson plans to teach the poems included in the unit. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TEACH THIS UNIT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU. )

2 – The student package (Contains students’ notes , poems, and questions) (20 pages)

3 – The answer key includes annotated poems and answers to all student activities (saving you time – 18 pages).

4 – Included is a test with multiple choice questions as well as a development question. All answers are included. (Word format for easy changes)

5 – 2 PowerPoint presentations – one multimedia presentation to introduce the unit (17 slides) and the second to reinforce the use of imagery and symbolism (19 slides) – NO INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED

6 – Images to project or print

7- An end of the unit creative evaluation, which includes clear and concise directions and rubric. (In a Word document for easy modifications)

– An interactive multimedia Jeopardy game to review figurative language and poetic devices (PowerPoint – no internet required)

– A multimedia PowerPoint on how to read and interpret poetry

– A PowerPoint presentation on how to interpret symbols and imagery in literature (19 slides)

– A final culminating evaluation with evaluation rubric (left in Word format for easily made modifications)

The unit has been created in such a way as to simplify the teacher’s life. Photocopy the 3 packages included and don’t worry about it for the rest of the unit. You literally can begin teaching it without any other preparation.

A total of 43 pages + 64 slides are included in this package.

This unit is complete, and does all of the thinking for you. All you need to do is to print out and photocopy the student package and you’re set.

 


Opinion Piece Bundle

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Piece-Bundle-1146884

opinion piece

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

How to write an effective Opinion Piece Bundle includes:

-notes for students (What is an opinion piece? How do we write an opinion piece?…)
-work process sheets to help students organize their ideas
-an example of an effective opinion piece (an effective tool for teaching)
-a student self-evaluation and teacher evaluation

Want to catch those 50% off deals? When I first list my products, I put most of them on sale for 50% off for the first day or two! If you follow my store, TPT will send you an email when I post something new. Also, it will show up in the status on the main page as soon as I post. To follow, look under where my logo is located and click on “follow me.” Thank you!


Comment Bank

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comment-Bank-1218405

comment bank

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Comment Bank has been constructed to save the Language Arts teacher time when offering constructive and helpful comments on students’ evaluations. Marking papers in any Language Arts class is always a lengthy process. Increasingly, teachers are being asked to write more detailed comments to highlight students’ strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes we run out of ideas. Being the vigilant teachers we are, and wanting to help our students achieve their potential is and will always be one of our priorities. To this end, when marking students’ papers, writing down everything we want to say to them about their papers would be a very lengthy process. I have decided to share my personal comment bank with you.

The bank comments on the following areas:

-Structure
-Communication
-The next step
-Mechanics
-Style
-Persuasion
-Analysis

The package contains 7 pages of comments, which are divided by levels of accomplishment A, B, C and D.

Included in this package are over 120 comments for students. You can get inspiration from these pages to handwrite your comments, or you can do what I do and copy/paste your comments into a word document, print, and staple the comment to the students’ evaluations. This is a real time saver. Parents, students, and school administration LOVE this method of feedback. And, this way, it takes much less time to be much more efficient. I hope you enjoy it!


Teach Your Students This Gerund “Trick”!

Gerunds, infinitives, and participles, OH MY! Yeah. . .they are not the most titillating thing in the world to teach. In fact, when I had to teach the unit, I had to relearn all the terminology all over again (honestly, I don’t even recall any of my teachers specifically teaching the “gerund.” Hmmmm). Thus, why I think the most confusing aspect of the Verbals is the gerund: firstly, it’s hard to pronounce, and, secondly, what the HECK is its function?! (Even though I pronounced it correctly several times a day, half the students still insisted on calling it a “Grrrr-uh-nd.” Um. Nope, but as long as you know what it does, you could call it “Sally” for all I care! 🙂 )

Anywho, I came up with a “trick” that works almost every time when trying to detect a gerund in a sentence. I call it the “IT” rule. “IT” definitely helped my students become much more clear on if the -ing word was a gerund or just a participle. So here is my simple  “IT” trick:

Because a gerund functions as a noun, I taught my students to replace the -ing word with a noun in the sentence: “IT.” If the sentence still makes sense, it’s probably (stress the probably) a gerund. For example:

Example 1: She loves dancing.

Change to: She loves IT.

YEP! We have a gerund!

Example 2: She is dancing in the rain.

Change to: She is IT in the rain.

Hmmm, NOPE. Not a gerund.

You may not like this trick or it may work really well for you. Either way, I am just glad I can share!

Happy gerund-ing!

 

Two products to help you teach this unit:

VerbalsJPGCloze Test

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Your Best Draft Banner


Read and Write and DIFFERENTIATE by printing – for Valentine’s Day!

Read and Write and DIFFERENTIATE by printing - for Valentine's Day!

A significant part of my support role to kindergarten and primary teachers in recent years has been to provide instruction and / or resources to differentiate instruction for little people in literacy.

Within one class, the range of abilities can span four grades. A little one’s tolerance to frustration towards a task that is too difficult, or another’s need for something to challenge his or her learning for just the right amount of time, can be a tough order to fill – especially at the same time – after gym and snack time and before recess, library and reading buddies.

I have designed my Read and Write and More packages to allow teachers to #DifferentiateByPrinting. There are always activities in each of these products to address a variety of needs.

Valentine Scrambled Sentences:

(Note: The colored sentence strips shown in the first example are provided in the Valentine’s Day Read and Write and More set. There are two different sentence options to choose from to photocopy onto each color paper, with six identical scrambled sentences on each strip).


Val sent sheet  Slide6 Slide7

Having the option to place and paste sentence strips, place and copy sentence strips, work without the strips on easier or more challenging sentences, means that many pre-writers, early writers and / or are independent writers have an accessible starting point.


Valentine Rhyme and Ending Sounds:

See it, hear it, read it? Assessment or  fun practice activities?
I use the following pages for fun small group review, then send them home for the fridge, where my wish is for the back-of-the-cereal box effect.

When I am doing the following rhyme activity with students, I am mindful of my data. Those who need more practice listening for rhyme and ending sounds and who automatically compare letter patterns at the ends of words will get the sheet without print. Proficient rhymers who need more practice with looking closely at print will get the copy with the words. And, of course, other days there will be other activities for those who do not fit neatly into those categories. 


Slide5 Slide4 Slide3

Check out these fantastic ideas and resources on our Rhyme Time board below:
Follow That Fun Reading Teacher’s board Rhyme Time! on Pinterest.


Valentine’s Day Read and Write and More contains a number of other fun literacy activities, including:


Slide2->

Graphic Organizers, Writing Paper,

B & W Cards to color with insert ->

Valentine Graphic Organizers and Cards

And for another day…

…activities for the 100th day of school!

 


The Read and Write and More sets always contain three-part graphic organizers, thematic writing paper, and fun, literacy activities with an explanation page, ideas and options to help make activities accessible to a wide range of kindergarten to grade 2 students.

We all remember our little students on Valentine’s Day. Check out the freebies below to be sure no one is missed!

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle Happy Valentine’s Week, my friends!  


Th1 Valentine Th Staffroom Valentine Cards cover 400 Th1 Reading Buddies V

Save with Bundles!


Th1 Th1 Val Bundle Cover Th1 Winter Valentine Bundle.png

 

 



January Teacher Talk

Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

 

                      

Happy New Year 

All of us from the Teacher Talk collaborative would like wish you a

healthy, happy and wealthy 2016. May all of your wishes and dreams become a reality.


If you’re interested in joining this unique group of teacher entrepreneurs and blogging buddies and our blog linky, sign up here….The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. If you decide to join, be sure to mention one of our names. 

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By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

As a child of the 60’s I remember so vividly that fateful April day in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was brutally gunned down by James Earl Ray. I remember sitting by the television set, just horrified by what I had just witnessed.

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By Mary Moore of  Moore Resoources

ALL IN ONE: Statistics, Probability, Classroom Management, Scatter Plots, Student Engagement, & Graphing!

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By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Help your kids get the most out of waiting in line!

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By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

A simple strategy for activating prior knowledge and gets students to make connections. 

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By Shametria Routt of the Routty Math Teacher

Math stations are one of the current hot button topics for educators and the sessions with the longest lines at any math conference because they are not only fun for students but can be adapted to address a whole host of learning styles– more than we can typically address in a whole class setting. However, using math stations effectively in the classroom can seem like an overwhelming endeavor for beginners. To support those teachers who have been wanting to get started with math stations and to share some of my favorite tips and techniques with beginners and novices alike, this 6-part series features the 5 Ws of math stations: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. 

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By Tammy Roose of Tarheelstate Teacher

Are you ready to harness your greatness in 2016? I’m recommending 3 of my favorite resources for developing new positive habits and being the best you can be! Happy New Year! 

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By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Phonological awareness refers to awareness of and access to the sound structure of language. Spoken words are comprised of strings or sequences of phonemes that signal different meanings. Awareness that changes in these sequences result in changes in meaning is crucial in literacy skills development. If a student cannot conceptualize the order of sounds and syllables in words, he cannot associate the sound units with written symbols.

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By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

Books and resources to teach kindness.

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By Kerry Tracy of  Kerry Tracy

If your 4th – 8th grade students are struggling to produce grade-level writing, start here!

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By Tammy DeShaw of The Owl Teacher

Are you looking for some great ideas for teaching about Martin Luther King Jr? This blog post is a great opportunity to still teach your reading common core while teaching about this legend. The great part? A freebie to help you get started is included!

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By Thia Triggs of Print Path

Can you read these letters? Do you know why they are so hard to read? What can we do as teachers to prevent this?

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By Marypat Mahoney of Just Add Students

Keep writing projects from lingering on and on by using a writing scheduler.

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Gifts of the New Year

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning


Now that “the holidays” are over, the decorations are packed away, and the ribbons, bows, tinsel, and paper have been disposed of, many of us think that the huge whoosh of gifting is over. I disagree! January is the perfect time to gift yourself! Here are some gifts that I hope you will lavish upon yourselves during the often cloudy, gray, and chilling days of January!



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Helping Reluctant Readers Find the Magic

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

How can you help your reluctant upper elementary and middle school readers? Check out this veteran teacher’s post on how she helps struggling readers.


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Finding Balance & Doing the Fandango

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

Quick! Can you stand on one foot and cross your eyes? Me neither! Find out how this teacher is reclaiming her sense of balance.

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From teaching math to writing to reading to learning how to form letters properly, to celebrating Martin Luther King, you don’t want to miss reading these fabulous blog posts from some awesome educators.


FREE MISC LESSON: Martin Luther King Jr Reading Freebie!

By:  The Owl Teacher

Grades 2-5

MLK

Martin Luther King Jr was a hero to me.  He stood up for civil rights and did so in a peaceful and loving way.  He demonstrated bravery and courage as he fought for equality and justice.

As we approach Martin Luther King Jr Day, I have some great teaching ideas for you!  Over at my blog (www.theowlteacher.com) I have provided several ideas for you – all related to vocabulary, reading, and writing.  I have provided some great mentor texts to use along with a freebie for you to download!

You can read all about these great ideas by clicking here.

Martin Luther King Package 8x8

My Martin Luther King Jr Freebie can also be located at my Teachers Pay Teachers store ready for you to download.  Check it out here.

I hope you enjoy it!

Have a great day!

Signature

For UPDATES and FREEBIES in future, look for the GREEN STAR

near my store name and CLICK it to become a FOLLOWER.

Be sure to follow me so you are up-to-date on all my products, freebies, tips, and much more!

Copyright of The Owl Teacher.  All rights reserved by author. This product is to be used by the original downloader only. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Intended for classroom and personal use ONLY.  I love it when you share my products with your colleagues but please do so legally!  Thank you!

owlteacherbutton


No-prep printables – Reading and Writing for Christmas!

2x Xmas Preview - Copy

Happy (almost) holidays, my friends. Have you noticed an excitement in the air? My students definitely have the Christmas Spirit, and are always thrilled to have some fun seasonal activities do to recognize it!

I run Early Literacy Intervention groups with students from grades 1-3. While we do guided reading and writing, and play skill-building games, once in a while I do like to have them do some worksheets that I can keep a copy of in their files. We are currently working through both of the packages shown in the picture above and they are enthusiastic with the variety of activities at their ‘just-right’ level, too.

Here is a close up of the North Pole Reading and Writing Fun preview:

North Pole Preview

…and one of the Nativity Reading and Writing Fun preview:

demoNativityReadingandWritingActivities

The kids are having a lot of fun with these, thanks to the wonderful clip art by Edu-clips.com. They can’t wait to color the pictures!

Each of these packages come with the following tip sheet:

Instructions

Best wishes to all of you and yours as we wrap up for the holidays. Take care of you, too!

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

http://thatfunreadingteacher.com/

ThatFunReadingTeacher@gmail.com

Click the symbol above to access my TpT Store! 😉

 

Th1 Xmas bundle Th1 BigXmas

Th1 Nat R&W cover - Copy Th1 North Pole R & W JPG file

Follow That Fun Reading Teacher’s board Christmas Literacy Fun! on Pinterest.


Counting by 2s, phrasing, fluency and quotation marks with REINDEER!

Counting by 2s post

Have you ever noticed how perfectly the Santa’s reindeer and Rudolph stories lend themselves to teaching kids about counting by twos? The reindeer are paired up in the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer song and in Santa’s famous line at the end of the classic story Twas the Night Before Christmas. The teachable moment is just sitting in front us begging to be used!

Perhaps that is why I, That Fun Math Reading Teacher, have started passing on this Phrasing and Fluency Reader to teachers as a math resource as well. (For anyone who may have purchased it more than a year ago, please go back to your purchases page and download an updated version.)

Last year I was using 10 at the Sled primarily for the phrasing, fluency and fun factor. That is, after all, the purpose for which it was written in the first place. It can be sung to the tune of Ten in the Bed, and even if students are not familiar with the song, they do catch on to the simple melody quickly and enjoy the repetition. They also hear how certain words fall together naturally to create phrases.

TenattheSledacountingbysphrasingfluencyreaderandsong

After several requests for a black and white student booklet last year, I created one over the summer, using speech bubbles where there are quotation marks used in the color edition:


Th2 10 at Sled 1 Th3 10 at Sled

I wanted to show students what quotation marks really mean, in a visual way, rather than only telling them. I am finding that with this year’s students, this concrete approach has made a huge difference. We compare my color copy with their black and white copy and discuss how quotation marks and speech bubbles really serve the same purpose. *Lightbulb moment*!

The tone, expression (and curiously deep voices) they use when reading the ‘spoken’ lines are hilarious! But clearly, meaningful to them!

Thank you to all of the teacher bloggers who provided feedback during the Christmas in July sale that led to these revisions.

Enjoy these last two weeks!

2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

http://thatfunreadingteacher.com/

ThatFunReadingTeacher@gmail.com

Click the symbol above to access my TpT Store! 😉


Th1 10 at Sled 1 Th1 BigXmas Th1 Xmas bundle

What are your favorite ways to bring various subject areas together? Here are some of mine:


CH 2pk cover 5 H Fr Th1 Halloween Count main cover - Copy

Follow That Fun Reading Teacher’s board Math and Literacy Fun on Pinterest.


December Teacher Talk

 Posted by Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern
 
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Happy Holidays Everyone, Welcome to our December Teacher Talk Blog Hop.
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By Mary Moore of Moore Resources

 The Scientific Method is Fantastic for All Subjects and for Life! The Scientific Method is a great method to use for teaching students how to solve problems and investigate questions in all educational subjects along with solving life situations.

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By Lisa Robles of LisaTeachR’s Classroom

If You Give a Reindeer a Root Beer… Studying Circular Plot Structure Have your students learned about circular tales? Here is how I used it in my classroom.

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The Perfect Snowman Craft!

By Tammy DeShaw of The Owl Teacher

Do you want to create the most adorable Winter Craft as a gift or just for fun? Check out this inexpensive and fun craft idea of making snowmen – out of socks!

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Can You Make a Snowman?

By Susan Berkowitz of Susan Berkowitz

Making a snowman is a favorite activity for kids in the winter. Almost everyone knows how to make a snowman. But can they tell someone else how to make one? Can they articulate the steps? Join Max and Mo in their story and learn sequencing and comparing language skills.

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Teacher Talk: Student Self Assessment

By Marypat Mahoney of Just Add Students

Give students the opportunity to self-assess their growth and learning thus far in the school year.

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Teaching Young Children to Write Their Names


ByThia Triggs of Print Path

An unfortunate myth is that young children, 3 & 4 years old, should learn to write their name with an initial capital letter followed by lowercase, rather than all capitals. Research shows that to be incorrect and even detrimental, for several reasons.

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Christmas-Winter STEM Olympics

By Kerry Tracy of Kerry Tracy

Keep kids engaged this holiday season with five festive, fun, & fabulous Christmas/Winter themed STEM challenges that can be modified for use with grades 2-8! 


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Five Ways to Increase Students’ NWEA Math Scores

By  Crystal Brown of  Dr Crystal Brown

Do you want to make sure your students reach their growth targets in math? Learn five ways you can easily implement into your math instruction. 


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How to Help Beat the Holiday Blues

By Deann Marin of Socrates Lantern

We all know that kids love to send notes to each other. This activity allows them to do that.


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What’s My Error? Extraordinary Math Hack

By Tammy Roose of The Tarheelstate Teacher

Do your students continue to make common errors when computing and learning different math concepts? Mine were too, until I instituted some fun error analysis with “What’s My Error?” problems! 

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Our Homes Have Stars

By Retta London of Rainbow City Learning

Sharing the holiday spirit in a classroom of diverse faiths.


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Critical Thinking with Pattern Blocks

By Shametria Routt of The Routty Math Teacher

Did you know that pattern blocks can be used for more than just teaching shapes in your geometry unit– pattern blocks can be used all year long! The proportionality of the pieces extends the number of ways in which they can be used, including analyzing the characteristics and common attributes of two-dimensional shapes, identifying fractional relationships, and building an understanding of operations with whole numbers. Check out this 5-part series to explore ways to get your students thinking critically with pattern blocks!


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Tantalizing Tessellations: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

By Tracy Willis of Wild Child Designs

Project-orientated learning engages students and leads to critical thinking. It’s differentiation at its finest!

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Tips To Enjoy Holiday Teaching

By Michele Webb of Teaching Ideas for Those Who Love Teaching

Tips to keep holiday teaching fun and stress free.

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December in the Classroom

By Marcy Howe of It’s a Teacher Thing

Enjoy December in your classroom. Learn how to keep the curriculum challenging, your days calm, and find links to several “go to” items to help you enjoy December in your classroom.

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Magic Books Motivate Writing!

By Kathie Yonemura of Tried and True Teaching Tools

Students buy-in to writing if it is in a book. This magic book motivates students to compare and contrast!

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Please Read these great ideas that these educators are using for the month of December and beyond. 


Back to School and Fall Graphic Organizers: Kindergarten and Primary – and a SURPRISE ONE DAY SALE!

 


Fall Graphic Org Long Pin G.O. square.png

Hello my friends. Are you fans of graphic organizers? Since I have started teaching Special Education, I have become one, particularly of repeating the three-frame format regularly to encourage sequential thinking and organization in our youngest students. It helps them understand, make predictions and retell the stories they hear and read, and plan out those they create.

I say create, and not write, because some of our students do not write, in a conventional way. When focusing on beginning, middle and end; first, next, finally; list creation or anything else that a three-frame organizer can accommodate (and really, the possibilities are wide open, which you will see in the post I wrote here demonstrating some options for the free Earth Day 3-frame graphic organizer).

Regardless of age, motor skills, or writing ability, this format allows space for drawing, stamping, pasting pictures, using stickers, and large invented spelling with the teacher’s translation below!

I have created a bundle of over 20 3-frame graphic organizers for Back-to-School and Fall. The following are the pages contained within it:


Th1 Fall BTS org cover

Available at TpT

Th 3 Summer Memories Th 6 1st day of school

Th2 All About Me Th 5 Best Things About School Th 8 Goals

Th 4 BTS Th 7 blank starting school Th 9 Apples Frame

Th 11 Fall animals Th 12 Fall Th 13 Pumpkins

Th 10 Leaves border Th4 I am thankful for Th 16 Thanksgiving for my family

Th 19 Halloween Th 17 My Halloween Costume Th3 Halloween Night

Th 20 Remembrance Day Th 21 Veteran's Day Lesson & freebie!Earth day freebie.png

I also wanted to let you know that TpT has just announced a one-day surprise Site-wide sale for Wednesday August 19th! I have marked everything in my store down by 20%, and with TpT’s discount (use PROMO code MORE15), that’s 28% savings! I am bundling more items for even more value to you!


Related:


Kind 1st gr Lit Bundle Sq Th1 TFRT BTS & F Special Cover original-1994028-1

Th Dos & don'ts of motivating young children to write Follow That Fun Reading Teacher’s board Graphic Organizers on Pinterest.

Best wishes to you for the rest of your summer, and to those of you returning to school already!


2015 TpT Store Prof pic circle

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