This is the perfect set of instructional materials to work with your students in the last few weeks prior to the Christmas break! Whew! It is a busy time of the year that’s for sure! Now, to let you know a bit more about this product. As most of you are probably aware, Zillow has drawn quite a considerable amount of attention to themselves in the last week or so by creating a listing of Santa’s home at the North Pole! So, I have taken that listing and capitalized on it as a teaching and learning experience! This packet of materials contains the following: (1) 30 comprehension questions that travel and span the different levels of complexity; (2) 10 selected vocabulary words from the listing to complete “word work” with to include fifteen different pages of vocabulary graphic organizers to utilize; (3) A performance based task that can be differentiated just simply by student preference; (4) 3 different performance based tasks which involve “designing and creating” based on written descriptions from the listing that include the topics of: (1) Santa’s garage; (2) state-of-the-art toy making facility; and (3) toy prototypes; (5) 2 argumentative/persuasive writing prompts complete with organizers to frame thinking; (6) An extended activity in terms of investigating the history of Fisher Price Toys and sequencing major events within the article; (7) An extended activity in terms of investigating the proper way to roast chestnuts and sequencing major events within the article; (8) An extended activity in terms of utilizing a cake batter sugar cookie recipe complete with comprehension questions; and (9) An extended activity in terms of using analogies complete with graphic organizers to frame the analogies.

The RAFT strategy is a great strategy for being able to differentiate instruction in terms of content, process, and product. It is that time of the year again in terms of reading the famous classic ~ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. During the reading of or after, the students have read this great classic, allow them to utilize the RAFT strategy where they get to make a choice in each column of the activity. They decide from what perspective they will write from, whom they will write to, in what format they will write, and what will be their topic.

The RAFT strategy is a great strategy for being able to differentiate instruction in terms of content, process, and product. It is that time of the year again in terms of viewing the infamous lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York City. But, have your students ever investigated the process of how that huge tree actually gets to its final destination? Have your students traced the history of how this celebration and tradition originated in the first place? Have your students investigated the history of the ornaments on the tree? What about the history of the lights on the tree? Have they determined how November 30th is celebrated in terms of “lighting” the tree? This is an awesome opportunity to explore all of the answers to these questions through using such strategies as jigsaw, discussion, inquiry, and discovery. Then, after this portion of the teaching and learning sequence has taken place, students can take part in the RAFT activity where they get to make a choice in each column of the activity. For example, students might choose to write from the perspective of the Christmas tree itself and write to the farm from which the tree has been growing all of these years prior to it being cut. The writing might be in the form of a narrative piece of writing where the tree tells the story of growing up on the farm all of those years and how he/she might have longed to become the famous tree in Rockefeller Center one day. The tree might narrate his/her journey all the way to the final destination and the lighting on November 30th. This is only one example. Of course, there are many, many other options, and many other opportunities for mini-lessons along the way!

This simple visual aid will make taking the lunch count each day so much more simple; use this as a simple classroom management tool. This visual aid makes taking the lunch count a simple picnic! Affix each of the five mini-posters on the wall in a prominent place for the students to be able to reach and manipulate. Place each student’s name on a clothespin with a black marker and clip to the “Present” mini-poster. As part of opening school routines and procedures, teach your students, as they arrive to the classroom first thing in the morning, to take their clothespin and clip to one of the appropriate mini-posters to indicate their lunch plans for the day which might be: (1) a hot school lunch; (2) a salad from the salad bar at school; (3) a salad that is solely fruit from the school salad bar; and/or (4) the student may have brought his/her lunch from home. The clothespins which are never moved indicate those students who are either tardy and/or absent. At the conclusion of the day, have a designated student to remove all of the clothespins from the prospective choices, and return them all to the “Present” sign.

Your students are absolutely sure to be engaged in this informational text! This is an informative article written about the legend behind carving a pumpkin-- a fall favorite past time! The young and old alike love this activity! The article is 458 words long, complete with illustrations and captions that help to explain the information. Also, at the conclusion of the article, there is a six question quiz. The quiz has three multiple choice questions and two open ended questions, and one sequencing question. This text is sure to engage a room full of readers! A great read for your students!

You will not want to miss this packet of informational text articles to use with your students in the classroom! This is a bundle of four fall articles that range from 450-650 words. Each article has illustrations and captions to further explain the text. At the conclusion of each article, there is a six question formative assessment to get a snapshot of students vocabulary and comprehension skills. The following articles are contained in this packet: (1) Visiting An Apple Orchard: A Fun Fall Activity! (2) The Origins of Carving a Jack-O-Lantern (3) Bobbing for Apples: A Fall Fun Favorite! (4) Fall Fun: Wind Your Way Through the Corn Mazes!

Here is an October word bank that will completely come in handy for a Writer's Notebook. This word bank is comprehensive of the many words that come to mind during the month of October and are sure to get your students' creative juices flowing! There are approximately 20-25 words that spur your students' brains for all kinds of writing-- narrative, expository, argumentative, etc. Use this October word bank for writing, ABC order, poetry, etc. It's uses are only limited by your imagination!

Here is an October word bank that will completely come in handy for a Writer's Notebook. This word bank is comprehensive of the many words that come to mind during the month of October and are sure to get your students' creative juices flowing! There are approximately 20-25 words that spur your students' brains for all kinds of writing-- narrative, expository, argumentative, etc. Use this October word bank for writing, ABC order, poetry, etc. It's uses are only limited by your imagination!

In this packet, you will find six mini-posters perfect for a bulletin board or above your whiteboard. These posters can be used to guide the thinking process as students are involved with a reading selection– fiction as well as nonfiction. Students should always think about what they read before they read, as they read, and after they have finished reading the selection, and these posters help them do just that! Each poster gives a key word to consider. These words include: connect, picture, summarize, predict, question, and evaluate! This is a great reference tool for students that you don’t want to miss!

This packet is awesome to say the least! You will find twelve posters with amazing backgrounds to help illustrate twelve different genres of literature. These genres include: poetry, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, mystery, biography, autobiography, drama, fanciful tales, and humor. These mini-posters are perfect for a bulletin board or to be placed above your whiteboard as a reference tool all year long as students embark on each genre throughout their studies. The absolutely amazing, beautiful illustrations are sure to capture your students attention!

Use this fall pennant to accomplish multiple tasks within your classroom during this wonderful fall season. This packet contains a fall student centered pennant for each of your students to complete to share in your classroom! The pennant is made in five different fall colors and ask the students to write three favorite things that he/she enjoys doing during the fall of the year. Also, students are asked to write the names of three sports which are played during the fall! Finally, students are to write a goal they hope to accomplish during the fall! You will love this short writing task as a springboard for a writer's notebook, a tool for brainstorming to create a poem for fall, or simply to use as a pennant hanging in your classroom for this wonderful time of the year!

Calling all administrators and education majors... This is a four page needs assessment survey which is a great tool for administrators to use on his/her campus to grasp the heartbeat of the culture, achievement, and levels of professional development needed! It is designed in a likert scale format with "4" being the highest score! Sections include: (1) High expectations for student achievement (2) Focusing on teaching and learning (3) Parental and community involvement in the educational program (4) Continuous assessment of students, staff, and programs to evaluate program effectiveness (5) Safe and orderly environment (6) Staff effectiveness and professional development (7) Capable leadership As well, education majors in undergraduate school as well as masters and specialist level candidates in education, this is a great tool for one of your classes which may require such an assignment!

Your students will absolutely love this short passage of nonfiction informational text about none other than the highly decorated Drew Brees-- the New Orleans Saints quarterback. The article begins with information regarding Drew as a child and and gives information about his early life and one sibling. It continues to progress into his high school and college days and culminates with his career in the NFL. At the conclusion of the four page article, complete with illustrations that enhance some of the text, there is a six question formative assessment quiz. The quiz has four multiple choice questions and three open-ended questions asking the student to cite evidence from the text and defend his/her answer. Finally, there is a performance based assessment at the end of the quiz that students are sure to enjoy that includes a project regarding the two homes of Drew Brees. Your students will LOVE this text and the performances based assessment!

Show your students there is more than one way to express their words in poetry! In this packet, you will find eight mini posters each featuring a form of poetry to use when teaching each instructional format. Each poster also has an example of the type of poem explained. Students are sure to love writing these forms of poetry about their favorite topics. As well, this could be converted into a fall poetry unit utilizing the awesome fall scenes as springboards for brainstorming. Forms of poetry included are: limericks, diamantes, cinquains, haikus, couplets, acrostics, shapes, and free verse.

This unit is a literature study of The Greedy Triangle. In this unit, there are eight teaching and learning activities with opportunities for extending the literature study with eight additional activities. In the reading and math activities, there are approximately sixteen Common Core State Standards addressed and covered in the teaching and learning sequence. There are questions written at the remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating levels of thinking to formatively assess comprehension. There is also a quiz at the end of the literature study to help gauge success in mastering math geometry vocabulary. Your students will absolutely love this literature study!

In this set of mini-posters, you will find four posters for each of the basic operations– addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. On each mini-poster, there are key words that serve as cues for the students when trying to persevere and solve math word problems and develop habits of mind for the Standards for Mathematical Practice. These posters are the perfect size for a bulletin board or placement right above the white board to reference to as one is teaching! The posters are designed to be eye-catching and definitely engage the students!

This timeless Caldecott winner is sure to bring our the imaginations of all of your students. Students absolutely love this story of fantasy and will delight in engaging in all of the teaching and learning activities. In this literature study, you will find a total of twenty-five teaching and learning activities all connected with this great piece of literature! Activities are all correlated to Common Core State Standards. Additionally, there is a formative comprehension check with ten questions. You don't wanna miss this literature study particularly during the month of October while potentially doing a study of "wild things and monsters!"

Think for a few minutes how much time you spend each day trying to gather assignments for students who have had to check out early or have been absent all day. It is a very important task; however, we know that it can take valuable time. This resource is to help you out! Don’t spend any more time scurrying through your lesson plans to make sure you don’t miss any of the make-up work and/or announcements that your student(s) may have missed. Use a page each day to stay “ahead of the make-up work/announcements/what's for homework syndrome.” This assignment book is very similar to student assignment planners that are sometimes given to students at the beginning of the year. On each page, first, there is a small space to record the date. Additionally, there is a space for you to document who was absent or checked out early etc. The biggest area of the sheet is a space for you to jot down, throughout the day, assignments that were given to students. By jotting them down, you can very quickly look and gather materials quickly for these students. There is also a space dedicated to any important announcements that were made and/or notes that might have gone home or project directions, etc. This area is for all of those other important things that are communicated to the students that the student who is absent doesn’t hear or receive. The last area on the sheet is that of a space dedicated to place any homework assignments that were discussed, assigned, and/or gone over. By placing all of the information in one spot daily, this becomes a huge time-saver and we all know how valuable our instructional time is. I have included sixty-five pages in this packet but I encourage you to download as often as you need throughout the school year!

This resource is a total of fifty-one slides to use as a presentation for older teenagers, young adults, college students, older adults, parents, etc. The material discussed is that of thirteen strategies that adults can adopt and implement for success in life.

In this packet of mini-posters, you will find a set of three posters that serve as reference tools for students in aiding in trying to determine the author’s purpose of a specific text! These posters are a perfect fit for a bulletin board and/or right above your whiteboard! You can’t go wrong in displaying these mini-posters in that throughout the year, students are asked to identify and justify the author’s point of view!