Brain Breaks for your older students are physical activities that give your students a quick break so they return to the lesson with a better focus.    No prep: Just print and cut  Less than 4 minutes  Easy for Teacher and Students  Stress Reliever If a few of your students are hesitant to join in, offer to give the best participant one extra point on the current assignment. After the initial motivation, you will notice that students enjoy- and request brain breaks. Option 1 (SLIDES 4-10) Cut and pass out cards to individual students (four to a page). Option 2 (SLIDES 11-38) Show the entire class the PowerPoint slide. There are 28 brain breaks. Notes** Cards 1- 21 are for individual student movement. Card 22 requires 4 paperclips for each student. Card 23 requires an item for each student such as a pencil or piece of paper. Cards 24-28 are whole class activities and require teacher interaction. **You may want to listen to the pronunciation of the word on Card 26 before you begin (the pronunciation is available on Dictionary.com.) If you have any suggestions, please contact me at luckykroll@hotmail.com. Thank you! ~Kim

This is a complete lesson for the short story "What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything?" by Avi. No prep! This product includes: ---Lesson Plan in EATS format including an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and more. ---Five printable worksheets, which include comprehension questions, exit ticket, and more… ---Answer Keys ---Powerpoint, which includes Essential Questions, PALS reading strategy, Essential Question Sample Answer, and more… This lesson is Common Core aligned to : CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. Thank you!

The PPT, lesson plan, worksheets, and exit ticket all focus on CCSS.L. 9-10.2. Teach punctuation to your secondary class with this no prep resource. Check out the reviews! With the PowerPoint, a lecture unfolds to include an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and summarizing strategies. Using the Essential Question: “When do I use a semicolon?” the worksheet allows students to follow along with the PPT smoothly, while taking notes.The PPT and worksheets focus on the correct ways to use the semicolon. Included are examples and activities. Answer keys are provided for each activity. Addressed Common Core Standards include: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.2.a Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses Both “independent clauses” and “conjunctive adverb” are defined and examined in the lesson. Hope you enjoy this lesson! It will save you hours from creating a lesson from scratch! Thank you! ~Kim

Hyphenation conventions are the focus of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.2.A. This product contains a PowerPoint, Lesson Plan, Worksheets and an activity on the use of Hyphens. There are many hyphen rules, but here are the 10 most common (and important) uses of hyphens: 1) Two words that, when linked, describe a noun 2.) Ex- words 3.) All compound numbers from 21-99 4.) Spelled-out fractions 5.) Self- words 6.) Well- words 7.) With figures or letter 8.) Between a prefix and a capitalized word 9.) New word blends 10.) Avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters The second worksheet, “Matching Hyphens with a Rule” can be completed independently. The third worksheet “Hyphen Needed?” is a great paired activity because students can discuss which rule applies to each sentence. Finally, the FIRST worksheet is my favorite- because it helps students focus on the message of the PowerPoint lecture. When they are finished, they have a great study sheet that lists the ten rules! Answer Keys are provided. This product is aligned with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.2A Observe hyphenation conventions. Thank you!

Secondary Word of the Day S.A.T. Bracelets S.A.T.-level vocabulary for your secondary students! These paper bracelets are ready-to-go! Simply print, cut, and tape them on students’ wrists. Add a bit of whimsy to education! Don’t think for a minute that your secondary students are too mature for paper bracelets; they LOVE them! Use these Word of the Day bracelets to help reinforce long-term learning. (Eradicate the “remember-for-the-test, then forget” strategy.) Students will be reminded of their vocabulary word throughout the day. Assign one word to each student per period- and watch them find students with the same word throughout the day. Watch students between classes discuss each other’s words. Hooray! These bracelets create a ripple effect, too. Students report that family members learn their words, too (especially their younger siblings– your future students)! At the end of the week, ask students to use the bracelets to create links for a Vocabulary Word Chain in their locker for year-long reinforcement. Included are “Don’t Forget,” “Test tomorrow,” and some blank bracelets for you to customize as study reminders for students (and parents)! This product includes: - 45 slips with (45) S.A.T.-level vocabulary words and definitions - notes/ directions - 1 free Cootie Catcher - 15 Reminder Bracelets (5 “Test Tomorrow”, 5 “Don’t Forget”, and 5 blanks for you to write on) This product is in PDF form and is not editable. Thanks! Kim Kroll

Middle School Exit Slips are based on Common Core Literature Standards and can be used with any selection, any day! Just print, cut, and distribute! CCSS Aligned You can use each of the twenty-one tickets several times throughout the year with different literature selections. Although these are titled “Exit Tickets,” they can be used as activating strategies, homework slips, prompts for extemporaneous speeches, task cards… The uses are MANY. I have found these cards to be very successful with collaborative pairs as an informal assessment. Each of the 21 printable pages has four Exit Tickets. If you need 40 exit tickets, simply make 10 copies. Print, then cut along the lines. You may choose to laminate and keep them in a Ziplock bag to use more than once. (Since they work with any selection, students will benefit from repeated practice!) Two Exit Tickets that are included in this product: *How did the main character change during the story? (based on CCSS) *How might the story change if the ending was different? (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) Each card will be the same size (easy collecting and stacking!). A box at the bottom of each card is provided for the score (easy grading!). I have also added 14 Bonus Exit Ticket ideas (common core aligned) that are more specific- PLUS a blank Exit Ticket page. Write in your own idea! These bonus tickets might not work well with every story, but when you find one that works for your selection, simply: cut, paste, and print! Exit Slips are the tickets to get out of the door. They help students process what they've learned by allowing them to reflect and summarize. Thank you!

An EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). ✓Worksheets- Just print and go! ✓Answer key ... are all included. ✓ The 20-slide PowerPoint, 5-page lesson plan, and 2-page worksheet are aligned with the CCSS.Lit. 6-7.3 & 6-7.5. Created to be easy to use and fully engaging, the lesson plan pairs with the worksheets that I have created to be very successful with "Eleven," a short story found in most middle school anthologies. The lesson has a sample answer to the Essential Question (How do characters respond to change as the plot moves toward a resolution?), which I have found to be extremely helpful for students. They are able to see an effective answer before they are expected to write one. The sample is on "The Three Little Pigs." Students get to discuss the example answer before they write their own response for the exit ticket. I have also included the instructions and sample for the PALS reading strategy- as I've found this to be an effective strategy with short stories in my classroom. Students will discuss being eleven, write a six-word memoir, read “Name” from House on Mango Street, and more. External and Internal conflict are discussed. If you have the short story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros in your anthology, this lesson is for you!

"The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg is the basis for this creative writing lesson. Check out the reviews below. The text is not included. Please secure a copy of "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg before buying this product as you will need the pictures for the lesson. This product includes: EATS Lesson plan Powerpoint Student worksheets Brainstorming worksheet Peer conference worksheet After teaching/ brainstorming the first day, the class will write (like their fingers are on fire!) for days 2-5. I have added a simple PowerPoint, but it is not essential to teaching the lesson. The PPT is editable if you desire to make changes. Fun lesson for your creative writers! Thank you.

This complete lesson for the short story “Too Soon A Woman” by Dorothy M. Johnson requires no prep! This product includes: ---3 day lesson plan in EATS format (including an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and more…) ---Six printable worksheets (including comprehension questions, discussion questions, exit tickets, and more…) ---Answer Keys ---28- Slide PowerPoint (including methods of characterization, PALS reading strategy Essential Question Sample Answer, and more…) This lesson is Common Core aligned to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. I LOVE this story! The voice, the desperate situation, the narrator’s naïve hatred all tug at my heart! I especially love the last sentence’s revelation! The lesson discusses character traits, character motivation, point of view, and conflict. Each is clearly defined- and examples are given. During the three days, students are given the opportunity to work independently, in pairs, in groups, through writing, through speech, etc. Various activities will help with differentiated learning. This lesson is particularly effective in helping students answer the Essential Question (How can we analyze how particular lines of dialogue or a particular incident in a story reveal aspects of a character?) for three reasons: 1- Students practice answering in groups with a short fable BEFORE they read the text 2- Students are shown an example of an answer, which they critique BEFORE they read the text 3- Students read the text at least twice. Due to this preparation, students are able to successfully answer the E.Q. at the culmination of the lesson (on Day 3!). I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as I do! Thank you!

This no-prep lesson is includes a powerpoint, printables, plan and more to make teaching this short story a breeze! Included: -- Lesson Plan in EATS format with an Essential Question, vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket)- aligned with the CCSS.Lit. 6.3 & 6.5 -- an original PowerPoint- that showcases the vocabulary definitions, discussion questions, sample answers, and more. Some slides have timers to keep students motivated to keep their discussions alive. --PALS reading strategy- a technique for reading to allow all students to read aloud (I use this a lot with short stories in my classroom!) --- 3 printable worksheets- No prep- Just print and go! ---an activity to mimic the author’s style. Students get to try their hand at writing a paragraph using Uchida’s sentence formation and style. --- Answer Keys -- two optional slides for differentiation. Students didn’t fully master the essential question? I have included an EXTRA Sample Answer. I often display this one as students are writing their exit tickets- so they can refer to it if they get “stuck.” A sample answer can also be printed and sent home for students to use as they write their own responses. The SAMPLE RESPONSE to the Essential Question is extremely helpful to struggling students. The sample is based on "The Three Little Pigs." Students get to see- and critique- a response before they are expected to write. Characterization is discussed in detail. Note: * Some of the activities and slides from this lesson come directly from my original product entitled “The Smallest Dragonboy.” If you have the short story “The Bracelet” by Yoshiko Uchida in your anthology, this lesson is for you! Created to be easy to use and fully engaging, the lesson plan pairs with the worksheets to be very successful with “The Bracelet,” a short story found in most middle school anthologies. The PowerPoint is very helpful to provide students examples and activities- and keep them in the right place! Thanks so much! ~Kim

Verb Mood... is a Common Core necessity! Verb Moods - Subjective. Conditional. Imperative. Interrogative. Indicative. I've tried to make this topic a little snazzy. Generally, students feel that verb moods are a bunch of big words that are not relevant to them. My goal is to connect a visual with each mood and have students understand each mood through various activities. This EATS lesson includes: --a very helpful graphic organizer -- the content standard and essential question -- preview vocabulary -- Fantastic PowerPoint with the definition and example of each mood: Indicative, Imperative, Interrogative, Conditional and Subjunctive -- a review -- a writing activity -- an Exit Ticket The graphic organizer works really well with my 8th graders! Students connect to the visuals and can use this g.o. with future assignments! This PowerPoint is accompanied by an EATS lesson plan. This lesson focuses on: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking, AND (especially) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1c Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood. The Essential Questions used are: -- How can I use verbs correctly in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive moods? -- How can I form verbs correctly in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive moods? Thanks so much!- Kim Kroll

Secondary students will get a task card and determine the text structure of a passage. Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast, Description, Problem-Solution, Sequence, and Chronology are the structures used in this NO PREP product. Twenty-one original reading selections are showcased. Focus: CCSS ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.5, 6.6, 7.5, 7.6, 8.5, 8.6, 9-10.5, 9-10.6 Included: ---- 21 original text structure Task Cards ---- Answer keys ---- Answer sheets ---- optional “Your Turn” activity ---- 6 “Your Turn” Task Cards ---- Text Structure printable worksheet --- Lesson/ Notes Just print, copy, and distribute. It's that easy! Students read a selection on each card and decide if the text structure is: Cause-Effect, Compare-Contrast, Description, Problem-Solution, Sequence, or Chronology. These cards are an easy way to check student comprehension, but can be used in many more ways. Try them as Entrance Tickets, Exit Tickets, Differentiation, Comprehension Check, or Homework… They might also be used as a springboard for discussion of how the author accomplishes his/ her purpose. One of my favorite ways to use is as follows: Make copies of each slide, but do not cut apart. Each student will answer all four items on one page. The next day, as students enter the room, they will receive the next page. Continue until all answers are completed. On the fifth day, students pair up and check answers. Give students time to re-read any passages that received a different answer from their partner. Turn in for a grade. Have students write on the task cards- or the provided answer sheets.

This graphic organizer will help students figure out the difference among Possessive, Plural, and Plural-possessive nouns. What's the difference? This product answers just that. Worth its weight in gold for my students! For some reason, this was a difficult concept. Even ADULTS confuse plurals and possessives. Think about how many Christmas cards you get from the Smith's or Jones's? (There is NO apostrophe on plurals, guys!) This printable shows the difference between plural, possessive, and plural- possessives. The clip art proves to be a valuable tool for student understanding! The 1-page printable is copied 4 times: once as a printable, once as a black and white printable, once as a fill-in-the- blanks graphic organizer and once as a graphic organizer without images. This product will easily help your students LEARN plurals and possessives! Thanks!

This 26- slide PowerPoint gives great background biographical information of America's beloved writer, O. Henry. Paired with a worksheet, you may use as an example of any historical figure for a research project. This resource can serve as a great introduction for any class studying O. Henry's short stories. The accompanying worksheet will assure students follow along with the PowerPoint presentation. The answer key is included. This is perfect to use as an example of a finished project- when students are assigned to make a PowerPoint on a historical figure.

This lesson for the short story “Anataeus” by Borden Deal includes an EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, preview vocabulary (including ALLUSION), activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). The product includes a Powerpoint, a PALS worksheet, a 2-paged study guide, and the answer key. RL.7.3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot) is the Common Core focus. Best of all, this lesson splits the text into chunks so that the students can group to do an ever-popular “Jigsaw” activity. The product is editable in case you want to add or delete any section. The allusion to the “real” Antaeus is included. Instead of just reading a short story in class, use this product to teach flashback, plot, character- all tied to the COMMON CORE standard.

This one page printable is ready for students to fill in. Ten text boxes are provided. Each text box has a blank for the year and lines so that students can fill in a description of the events. Great for novels, non-fiction, autobiography life lines, history and more! Thank you!

Author's Purpose Task Cards for High School and Middle School (two sets of 20 each) Based on Common Core.RI.6.6 , 7.6, 8.6, and 9-10.6, these task cards present a reading selection for which students select the correct author’s purpose. Included are: 2 SETS of 20 original Task Cards (There are 40 cards total- both sets use the same 20 cards strong>, but have different multiple choice selections. The second set is more rigorous- and most closely resembles the selections found on standardized tests.) Answer sheets Answer Keys Set 1: Students read a selection on each card and decide if the author's purpose is to: Persuade, Inform, or Entertain. Set 2: Students read a selection on each card and determine the author's purpose from more rigorous options, such as: A) to present an argument using facts, B) to narrate a scene using sensory details, etc. These cards are an easy way to check student comprehension, but can be used in many more ways: Entrance Tickets, Exit Tickets, Differentiation, Comprehension Check, Homework… They might also be used as a springboard for discussion of how the author accomplishes his/ her purpose. One of my favorite ways to use is as follows: Make copies of each slide, but do not cut apart. Each student will answer all four items on one page. The next day, as students enter the room, they will receive the next page. Continue until all answers are completed. On the fifth day, students pair up and check answers. Give students time to re-read any that are different from their partners. Turn in for a grade. Have students write on – or laminate and use them more than once. Focus: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

High School Exit Tickets (a.k.a. Exit Slips) are based on Common Core Standards and can be used with any selection, any day! Just print, cut and distribute! You can use each of the twenty tickets with EACH of the selections you assign. Although these are titled “Exit Tickets,” they can be used as Activating strategies, homework slips, prompts for extemporaneous speeches, task cards… The uses are MANY. I have found these cards to be very successful with collaborative pairs as an informal assessment. Each of the 20 printable pages has four Exit Tickets. If you need 40 exit tickets, make 10 copies. Simply print and cut along the lines. You may choose to laminate and keep them in a Ziplock bag to use more than once. (Since they work with any selection, students will benefit from repeated practice!) Two Exit Tickets that are included in this product: “How did one character develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot? (based on CCSS) If the main character transported to the past (or the future), how well would s/he endure? (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) Each card will be the same size (easy collecting and stacking!). A box at the bottom of each card is provided for the score (easy grading!). Thank you! Exit Slips are the students' tickets to get out of the door!

This is Poetry Match-Up Game that is effective and can be used over and over in the classroom! Accompanied with an EATS lesson plan and following the Common Core RI.7.4., the "board" gives 28 definitions. If poetry terms seem a little too rigorous- or you want to begin slowly, I’ve divided the words into two sections. You can give students half of the words to begin. When they finish, you can give them the more challenging words. Or, to differentiate instruction, you can challenge gifted students with all words immediately. Poetry words (in blue) are: Free verse, Haiku, Internal rhyme, Alliteration, Limerick, Simile, Metaphor, Rhyme scheme, Imagery, Personification, Hyperbole and Pun. Challenging words (in green) are: Acrostic, Bard, Genre, Ballad, Symbol, Allusion, Foot, Tone, Parody, Theme, Stanza and Harlem Renaissance. The answer key is provided not only to make life easier, but to allow students to check their own work. At the beginning of the year, have students work in groups to match the term to the definition. As the year progresses, use it as a review to see if the students learned the material. Eventually, students will complete the activity individually. It is a great activity for the end of the year, too. You will be impressed how much the students have learned. What took them 20 minutes at the beginning of the year now takes 5 minutes for many students! Throughout the year, I use this as a "filler" when the power goes out or a bomb threat is called in (Yes, it happens!) without wasting students' time. Once, my principal unexpectedly visited my classroom while the students were working on this activity- and he asked if I made this myself. He was impressed. Yay! (The happiness we teachers get from a pat on the back...) I suggest making copies of the game pieces with colored paper so the words stand out more. (My copy is on colored paper in the photo. You may use plain white paper. I've put the terms in a colored font- in hopes you have a colored printer). Laminating the game board and pieces (hint: laminate BEFORE you cut them apart) is a really good idea as well. I also print out copies and give at Open House or at conferences. My students' parents were very grateful!

This is a complete lesson for the short story “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. No prep necessary! This product includes: ---3 day lesson plan in EATS format (including an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and more…) ---4 printable worksheets (including comprehension questions, writing prompts, exit tickets, and more…) ---Answer Keys ---41- Slide PowerPoint (including methods of characterization, PALS reading strategy, Sample Answer for the Essential Question, and more…)This is a great short story for the middle school! The lesson discusses: explicit details vs. implicit details, inferring, static vs. dynamic characters, and theme. During the three days, students are given the opportunity to work independently, in pairs, in groups, through writing, through speech, etc. Various activities will help with differentiated learning. This lesson is particularly effective in helping students answer the Essential Question (How can a reader determine theme of a text?) because a sample student answer is given for the class to critique. Students will independently answer the E.Q. at the culmination of the lesson (on Day 3!). I hope you enjoy this lesson ! This lesson is Common Core aligned to: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.