I have a total of 27 years teaching experience . After I received my M.Ed. from the University of Florida (hence the name "HappyEdugator"), I began teaching in elementary school, where I taught pull-out remedial classes for grades 2-5 and a section of K-1. Then I taught Pre-K for 5 years, before I went up to Middle School, where I have been in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Last year, I went back to 1st grade in a private setting. I have traveled worldwide and am also fluent in Spanish.
I have a total of 27 years teaching experience . After I received my M.Ed. from the University of Florida (hence the name "HappyEdugator"), I began teaching in elementary school, where I taught pull-out remedial classes for grades 2-5 and a section of K-1. Then I taught Pre-K for 5 years, before I went up to Middle School, where I have been in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Last year, I went back to 1st grade in a private setting. I have traveled worldwide and am also fluent in Spanish.
Writing a Bibliography. Bat theme. Writing a bibliography for a report. Includes handout on how to write a bibliography with correct format for entries, and activity writing a bibliography from notecards. Goes very well with writing a report about bats, but can be used with other report writing as well. Use around Halloween or anytime. Key included.
Storms - Hurricanes vs. Tornadoes. Paired nonfiction reading with a Venn Diagram- and compare tornadoes and hurricanes. Students read about tornadoes and hurricanes, then compare and contrast the characteristics of hurricanes and tornadoes on this basic Venn diagram activity sheet. Add to your weather unit and have students research facts about storms. Also a good supplemental resource to use when reading books that have hurricanes or tornadoes in them, such as The Cay by Theodore Taylor or Tornado Alert by Franklyn M. Branley. - HappyEdugator
Common Prefixes and Suffixes PowerPoint. Learn what are prefixes and suffixes, why they are important to know, and the most common prefixes and suffixes that are used in English. 25 slide PowerPoint presentation has animated graphics, common prefixes and suffixes, and interactive practice slides with answer keys.
Introduction to Research PowerPoint Presentation. Introduce students to writing a research project. Starts with an activating strategy where students have to guess and check. The next slides relate to where students can find information about their topic. Interactive activities such as a 2 Minute Brainstorm. General information on how to choose a topic and not plagiarize. This is a PowerPoint used to introduce writing a research paper only. Details of writing one are not included. Summarizing strategy is a 3-2-1. Three things to know about research, 2 purposes of research, 1 possible topic to research. Last slide accelerates the idea of plagiarism and crediting your sources. 16 slides. - HappyEdugator
All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story that is rich in figurative language and theme. This PowerPoint with animated graphics introduces three common types of figurative language- similes, metaphors, personification- in before reading activities. Then, during reading, students can look for these types of figurative language and write them down in the chart shown on the screen. (Also available separately as a printable) After reading activities include discussion questions and writing activities. The last slide has links to the online video, and students can make a Venn diagram to compare the movie to the short story
The Cay PowerPoint Introduction is an engaging and interactive slide show for previewing the book The Cay by Theodore Taylor. 24 slides with animated clips. If you are planning to read The Cay in class, this PowerPoint will introduce your students to the setting, characters, plot, theme and vocabulary, and build background knowledge that they will need to comprehend the book. Great book for hurricane season. Students can discuss with partners how they would survive on a desert island, or you could have them write about this and share with each other. Then discuss how difficult it would be to do it blind! No spoiler at the end...they will have to read to find out if Phillip and Timothy survive the oncoming storm. - Enjoy!
- HappyEdugator
End of the Year Superlative Questions: Most Likely To Succeed as ... Printable ballot with 32 great "Most Likely to" questions for end of the year activities - perhaps a classroom fun filler, an assembly, or to use when creating a yearbook. - HappyEdugator
Writing - Effective Expression in Writing PowerPoint. Practice Revising! Test prep! Effective expression in writing helps students understand the main characteristics of effective writing: being consistent, expressing ideas logically, being clear and precise, and following conventions. Students must revise sentences that have specific problems (such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun shifts, fragments...), then check to see if they were right. Animated effects make this a useful interactive tool. Show them the poorly written sentence, let them see if they can figure out what is wrong and fix it, then show them the correction. 20 animated slides with graphics. Notes for the teacher included. Helps prepare for state tests! - HappyEdugator
Greek and Latin Roots. 30 Sets of Word Stems from Latin and Greek Roots. ADVANCED Lists of Greek and Latin roots that will help your students understand the building blocks of the English language. The lists contain the stem, the meaning, and an example word. This set is a more challenging set of word stems, roots, prefixes, suffixes, and affixes that can be used for enrichment after the basic Greek and Latin word stems have been mastered.
Introduction to Research PowerPoint. Introduce a research project. Starts with an activating strategy where students have to guess and check. The next slides relate to where students can find information about their topic. Interactive activities such as a 2 Minute Brainstorm. General information on how to choose a topic and not plagiarize by citing sources. This is a PowerPoint used to introduce writing a research paper only. Details of writing one are not included. Summarizing strategy is a 3-2-1. Three things to know about research, 2 purposes of research, 1 possible topic to research. Last slide accelerates the idea of plagiarism and crediting your sources. 16 slides. - HappyEdugator
Bibliography and Source Card PowerPoint. How to write citations on source cards for a bibliography in MLA format. Slides begin by having the students make a foldable organizer to keep their notes, complete an activating strategy on plagiarism, and then they must practice making the different source cards and citations. 33 slides. - HappyEdugator
Funny Jokes and Puns for the Classroom. 60 school jokes! Fun for April Fools Day or anytime! Promotes critical thinking skills. Fun two minute activities. If you have two minutes, you can still get those brains working and have fun, too! Riddles, puns, and brain teasers that are sure to make everyone smile. Fun, humorous riddles about school that will crack you up! Enjoy these when class is not quite over, but the lesson is! You can also use as a fun filler at the end of the year! Or use before or after spring break, or after state testing for comic relief. Or use them as a daily warm up! 60 slides. Show slide to reveal the beginning...click to reveal the punchline. - HappyEdugator
Context Clues Word Study Worksheet. This context clues sheet can be used as students read. They can chart the unknown word, the sentence in which it appears, make a prediction on the meaning, and record the actual meaning of the new word. Supports common core!
- HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
PowerPoint Timer! Classroom Management PowerPoint Timer. Set for any time up to 1 hour. Keep students on task with this countdown clock. The PowerPoint slides count down from 60 minutes all the way to "None." Set it for any time up to 60 minutes. It has a 2 minute warning (with a sound effect) as well to give students advance notice that time will be up soon. It can be used for timing students for many different activities including cooperative learning time, group work, independent work, timed tests, etc. A great visual aid for teaching students how to pace themselves for state tests. Just project it up on the Smartboard for all students to see. It doesn't have to be set always at 60 minutes: it can be set at any interval between 1 and 60 minutes and transitions slides each minute. Good classroom management technique to keep students on task.
Sentences - Complex Sentence Worksheet and Handout. The first page of this document is a handout that explains sentence structure, and how to distinguish between simple, compound, and complex sentences by identifying independent and dependent clauses and the use of subordinating conjunctions. The second page lists some common subordinating conjunctions and has fifteen practice sentences to be completed by students to make their own complex sentences. Black and white ink saver and color version included. Also included a key with possible answers for discussion. Print and go. No prep. Supports common core state standards. - HappyEdugator
Paraphrasing - Steps to Great Paraphrasing PowerPoint presentation, including what is paraphrasing and why it is important. Stimulate students to think. Strategies to turn what they are reading into written summaries. Helpful when teaching how to research and write notecards and source cards. Students need to know how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism by putting their research into their own words. Supports common core state standards. Happy writing! - HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Punctuation - Punctuating Dialogue PowerPoint FREE! Improve writing by using quotation marks! Punctuation is important! Show students how to use quotation marks in dialogue correctly. 10 slides explain the correct way to punctuate dialogue. Explains split quotations, capitalization, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, and periods. Helpful for understanding where to place punctuation.
Summer Outdoor Fun Crossword Puzzle! Fun and free as a thank you to all my wonderful followers We all hate to see summer go, but hopefully it will last just a little bit longer. Enjoy this little piece of summer! - HappyEdugator
Vocabulary Builder Chart. A vocabulary graphic organizer chart you can use to help your students build their vocabulary. Students can look up the definition and a sentence from the story in which the word was used.
