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.
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
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.
Discounts - What's My Discount? Percentage Worksheet. Real world math finding percentages. Using their knowledge of percents, students figure out how much they would have to pay for various items if a furniture store was having a percent off sale. This is practice for a real world situation that they can relate to. Useful for test preparation. Key included.
Internet Safety PowerPoint - Pausing Before You Post. Strategies for students to use the internet and social media wisely. Students can discuss appropriate internet behavior on social media and ways to increase their internet security. Students can then take a pledge online at jostens to pause before they post.
Reading Strategies PowerPoint - How to Attack Unknown Words. Reading strategies that can really help. Word attack skills for beginning readers. You can use this PowerPoint as a minilesson projected on your whiteboard, or you can print the slides out on index cards or 4 X 6 cards and laminate to place in literacy centers, or make posters out of them. Also good for test prep. - HappyEdugator
Appositives and Appositive Phrases Handout and Practice. This includes a two page handout with clear graphics detailing what an appositive and an appositive phrase is, providing examples and the rules for correct punctuation of them. It can be copied front and back to save paper. The third page is a worksheet for practice, and the last page is the answer key. - HappyEdugator
Following Directions Puzzles. A fun way to teach following directions and critical thinking. Great test preparation. You get three challenging puzzles! In the first puzzle, students cross words off of a table according to the directions provided. When they are finished, they will reveal a famous inspirational quote about life. In the second puzzle, students have to rearrange letters according to the directions to change one phrase into another. Finally, in the third puzzle, students must follow the arrows in order to reach the finish. Keys included. This is also a useful activity to do around testing time, at the beginning or end of the year, or anytime you wish to reinforce the importance of following directions. Good brain work out for gifted and talented, too. - HappyEdugator
Ratios, Fractions, Percents, and Decimals PowerPoint. Helps students learn the rules for converting equivalent fractions, decimals and percents. Also Includes a common equivalent reference sheet which can be printed out and kept in student notebooks. - HappyEdugator
CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.C.5 Express a fraction with denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with denominator 100, and use this technique to add two fractions with respective denominators 10 and 100.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.C.6 Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100.
CCSS.Math.Content.6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
CCSS.Math.Content.6.RP.A.3c Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100
Cumulative Test of Greek and Latin Word Roots or Stems. Greek and Latin Roots test to assess students on their general knowledge of word stems after we have studied basic Greek and Latin roots. It includes multiple choice, matching and fill-in type questions. A key is provided. The basic Greek and Latin word root lists, which include affixes, prefixes, and suffixes, are also available separately. 35 questions in all. Left editable for your specific needs, so you may customize for your class. Supports common core. - HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.4b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
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.
ADHD tips, observation sheet, and reward tickets. If you have an ADHD child in your class this year, I hope this list of tips will be helpful. Use the observation sheet to write down and record problem areas. This will be helpful for parent conferences and for seeing what works and what doesn't. Use the reward tickets as an incentive for your student to stay on task. You can offer your student a choice of different activities to choose from (such as 10 minutes of computer time) if they complete a task you give them. This worked very well for my autistic students as well. I have included tickets for a boy or girl to give them if they cannot do the activity right away.
Editing Activity - What I Did on Spring Break! Great test prep! Find the mistakes in the sentences and make corrections in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 25 sentences with common errors. Students have to become the "teacher" and correct the poorly written sentences they have found in their students' writing about their Spring Break vacation. These came from actual student mistakes. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
Essay Writing - Open-Ended Introductions PowerPoint. How to start writing expository and persuasive essays. Writing essays with a starter. Students will learn how to write an interesting anecdote to introduce their essay and engage their reader. The introductory anecdote is made to be open-ended so it is not dependent on the topic of an essay prompt, so students can create a unique and personal hook to use on a state writing assessment. An example anecdote and how it can be related to different types of essay topics included.
- HappyEdugator
Vocabulary - Mood Tone Words. Vocabulary Improvement Strategy Charts. Twelve vocabulary improvement strategy charts of commonly tested mood and tone words. Each chart has the student complete the synonym/antonym for the word, root, picture clue, definition, and sentence. Can be used as a weekly vocabulary assignment, which would cover twelve weeks. - HappyEdugator
Shapes - Guess the Shape PowerPoint. Read the clues, then guess the shape. 8 basic shapes: triangle, square, rectangle, diamond, heart, star, circle, and pentagon. Interactive PowerPoint for early learning, Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
Award certificates for your classroom or school needs. A pack of 8 awards...type in the name of student, subject, dates or other information, print, sign, and award! Includes a most improved award, a certificate of achievement, student of the month, attendance award, essay contest award, certificate for excellence, award for excellence, and certificate of merit. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
Language Difficulty Indicators Handout. FREE A list of 16 indicators, such as limited vocabulary or delayed responses, that a child is having difficulties processing language, and may need special services or extra help. - HappyEdugator
Following Directions TEST - A Tricky Following Directions Lesson. Fun for April Fool's Day, too! Give this following directions test to your students, and try not to laugh too much when they are taking it. If they don't read the directions first and do what the directions say, they will be shocked at the end to find out they only had to do number one...write their name! Great test preparation activity to get kids ready for standardized tests, too! Enjoy!
Speech Presentation - Teacher Evaluation Sheet. Easy checklist to assess a student's performance when making a speech or presentation. Assess whether student exceeds, meets, or does not meet standards for organisation, staying on topic, supporting ideas, logical arguments, appropriate sources, voice clarity and volume, etc. Has a column for N/A, so it may be used to evaluate an expository or persuasive speech. Nice to use on presentations given at the end of each grading period. - HappyEdugator