Vocabulary Practice Tic-Tac-Think. Having trouble getting your students to practice their vocabulary words? This menu gives students some choice, but also makes them accountable for producing some creative ways to practice their vocabulary! Students choose to do three activities in a row: vertically, horizontally, or diagonally by the end of the week. (You can also assign the activities for differentiation) I have left it in Word format so you can adapt it as necessary for your classroom. I like to change out the squares sometimes and have them make a crossword instead of chaining, or make a word scramble instead of bubble letters. - HappyEdugator

Christmas Pictionary and Charades Game. A fun Christmas game of Pictionary or Charades - where all words are related to Christmas, Winter, or December, and even include Christmas songs and Christmas movies. 99 Different Cards! Print out Cards. Cut out and Laminate. You can then use the cards to play the game Pictionary or Charades. Just team up. Either game is for four or more players. The more, the merrier! The object of the game is to have fun! Fun party game at school or at home! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! - HappyEdugator

Test Taking Strategies - Test Taking Strategies for State Tests. Test prep PowerPoint.for all standardized testing and state testing. Useful strategies for taking a state test or assessment. Test taking strategies that students can use during mandated standardized state tests to be successful. Mnemonic devices or catch phrases will help them remember what to do on and before a standardized test! - HappyEdugator

Sentence Structure PowerPoint for a FlipBook. Help your students learn sentence structure (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex) and the importance of varying sentences in writing. How to create a flip book. Notes, explanations, and example sentences of these sentence structures: simple, simple with compound parts, compound joined by comma and conjunction, compound joined by a semicolon, complex with adverb clauses, complex with adjective clauses, and compound-complex sentence structures that are important to know and recognize. Develop a deeper understanding of English mechanics and grammar. Review activity at the end where students have to identify the sentence structure of five different sentences. FLIP BOOK ACTIVITY - My students made a flip book by taking 4 sheets of white paper staggered so that about one inch of paper from each sheet overlapped, and then folded in half and stapled to make a total of eight flaps. Students then used the first flap as a title, and listed each of the seven different sentence structures on the other flaps and put their notes and examples underneath. It was a useful study guide for them. - HappyEdugator Common Core Standards L.7.1b

Transition Words and Phrases Lists and Sorting Activities. Supports common core! Transitional words and transitional phrases are useful in writing clear and fluent paragraphs, but students need to be familiar with when to use them. Includes a Word Splash of Transition Words with a graphic organizer for sorting, several different handouts with lists of useful transition words, and a categorizing worksheet.for groups to work on and discuss. Some words may be classified in different categories, so this can lead to interesting discussions and students will have to employ higher level thinking skills.The lists will become a handy reference tool for use when writing. - HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3c Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3c Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2c Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.

Christmas - Winter Holiday Wordsearch. A challenging Christmas word find or word search puzzle with holiday words hidden in the letters. Nearly 100 words are disguised in the puzzle. Words can be forwards and backwards, and either horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. Bonus drawing frame included. No prep. Print and go. Key included. - HappyEdugator

Thanksgiving Quiz - Test Your Thanksgiving Knowledge. The first Thanksgiving trivia quiz. Twenty questions. How many answers do you know? Some will surprise you! A fun Thanksgiving activity that can be used as a party game, but it could also be used as a student anticipation guide for a unit on Thanksgiving, a research or web quest sheet, or as an assessment after a Thanksgiving unit of study. Key included, of course! No prep. Print and go. - HappyEdugator

Poetry Test - Poetry Terms, Poetic Devices, Figurative Language and Form. This 30 question test on Poetry assesses students on their understanding of poetry terms, their ablility to identify different types of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, and personification. Also, students must read several poems and identify their form, such as free verse, haiku, narrative, concrete, or limerick. - HappyEdugator

One Hundred Essential Questions for Language Arts. Vitally Important questions for students in critical areas of reading, writing, and grammar. Not open-ended questions as named in some specific curriculum programs, just essential questions for learning the content. This list of one hundred essential questions can be used to drive lesson plans in an English Language Arts classroom. Good for back to school. You can give it as a handout at the beginning of the year and focus students on what is essential to know and what they will learn. This is also a useful tool at the end of the year for review for state standardized testing. It will help you focus on learning what is really important in the areas of grammar and writing.

Behavior Management Warning Cards. Classroom management tool.. Slip quietly on a desk and don't stop teaching! Be prepared for the beginning of the year or anytime you need a behavior plan. Explain to your students when they come back to school at the beginning of the year that you will expect them to follow your classroom expectations. Give them examples of positive and negative behaviors Tell them that once you give a verbal warning, you expect the behavior to stop. If it does not, and you have to address the issue again, they will quietly, without disrupting instruction, be given a behavior warning card. Just put it on their desk and don't stop teaching! They must sign it, date it, and write the behavior they are being warned about on the back and return it to you. You keep the card for documentation, which is useful for parent conferences or in the event of an office referral. Includes a plain set without name and date if you wish to use repeatedly without documentation. Includes cards with place for name and date, blank cards with a line to write on that you can customize, Last Chance cards, Stop! cards, and Oops! cards...which you can use as you choose. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

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

Drama - Abbott and Costello. This is a version of the famous Abbott and Costello skit "Who's on First?" When doing a drama unit, students love to perform this skit. Some of the words have been modernized from the original. Includes directions. Have students practice in pairs, reversing roles, so that each partner gets a chance to be the straight man. Make sure you give them time to practice. They love this and will want to perform for the class. Often they will bring in their own props from home. Have them watch the actual version, too, which is available on the internet. Includes link to video, teacher directions, follow up, a shortened one page version, and ideas for a baseball themed classroom. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

A Beginning of the Year Me Bag Activity - a great back to school activity that helps everyone get to know each other at the beginning of the year. This All About Me Bag activity includes letter to parents with calendar, assignment reminder sheets, and rubric. Includes an original "me" bag poem to paste on the bag that students can read aloud and two writing sheets. Promotes creative thinking.

Sequencing Activity Using Recipes. LF based lesson plan focuses on "How are following directions and sequencing events related?" This is an Activity Sheet with Essential Question and Activating Strategy, Activity Directions, and Exit Ticket Summarizer included, and a set of blank recipe cards for students to complete. Students will work with a partner and find recipes in a cookbook or on the internet and copy them down on their blank recipe cards. They will then complete two different activities with the cards. With the first card,they will identify directions and transition words and discuss what would happen if these got mixed up or out of order with their partner. With the second card, they will copy the directions onto sentence strips, mix them up, and give to another group to put in order. They will then write about their experience and turn in their summary. Ticket out the door included. - HappyEdugator

Leadership - Ten Qualities of a Good Leader PowerPoint Presentation. Helpful at the beginning of the year. Includes ten qualities that make a good leader. Some of the characteristics of a good leader include self-confidence, a sense of justice, and self-control. Good BTS character education activity or use when you are discussing classroom rules and behavior expectations. We tell kids to be good leaders,and not followers, but they need to know how. Good for back to school or the beginning of the year to provide students an understanding of expectations. Use at the beginning of the year to motivate. Use at the end of the year to review important life skills. (For professional development, insert the word teacher for leader, and student for follower) Animated slides, Partner activity and writing assignment included, along with some quick review questions. - HappyEdugator

Subject Verb Agreement - Practice Worksheets with key. You get 2 worksheets, and a subject-verb agreement handout! The first worksheet has twenty-five practice sentences that students can use to practice their skills. The second has twenty questions. There are two choices given in each sentence, but students will have to think to pick the correct choice. These can also be used as an assessment after a unit of study. Also includes a handout on subject verb agreement for student reference. Keys included. - HappyEdugator

Fairy Tales Story Pattern. How to write fairy tales! This is a simple story pattern that can be used to help students write their own fairy tale. They can fill in the blanks to create a story sketch, which they can then elaborate and expand on to create their own personal fairy tale. Good to use as a follow up to a unit on fairy tales, or after reading a fairy tale, like those written by Hans C. Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. Helps students avoid writer's block by scaffolding and gives them the confidence to complete their own story. Writing practice is essential to the CCSS (common core state standards ) in Language Arts. Example included. - HappyEdugator

Figurative Language in A Christmas Carol Worksheet. Using quotes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, students have to identify types of figurative language such as metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, and allusion. Also includes a handout on types of figurative language. No prep. Print and go. Key included. - HappyEdugator Standards RL.6.4, RL.7.4, RL.8.4, CCRA.L.5

Where The Red Fern Grows Introduction PowerPoint Presentation. Introduce the novel Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Photos of red ferns, redbone coon hounds, raccoons, notes about the book, characters, setting, author, and theme notes are included, along with pictures of items from the time period and a preview of the movies that were made from the book. - HappyEdugator

Reading Club or Book Club Activities for the Entire School Year. When you go back to school, are you planning to have a reading club or a book club start at the beginning of the year? Either in your classroom, or school-wide? This 34 page packet is what you need to start a successful reading club. This is a year's worth of activities for a Reading Club. The topics are planned for September through June. Everyone starts with a membership card, and to stay an active member, each student reads books on the theme of the month. The printables included here are: a student letter with membership card, a parent letter explaining the requirements, letters home with signature lines for books read for each theme, badges for monthly bulletin boards, and certificates of achievement for each month. There is also a super student award for the end of the year and a tic-tac-toe board for students to complete that will encourage them to read books from a variety of genres. Start your club anytime and enjoy the reading! 34 pages. - HappyEdugator