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.
Halloween Quiz. This simple and fun quiz about Halloween will test your students knowledge of some basic Halloween vocabulary and traditions. Students can fill in the blanks from the word bank. Pair and share, write a story with the words from the word bank, and color the Jack O Lantern afterwards. You can also cut out the word bank if you wish, and make a game for kids to "win" it! Included are word bank cards, a monster for early finishers to color, a key and a reward cut out for completing it correctly! - HappyEdugator
Robert Frost - Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening PowerPoint. Poetry analysis for a close read of the poem and writing activity. Includes slides about the author, setting, characters, figurative language, alliteration, metaphor, end rhyme, internal rhyme, structure, meter, different interpretations (including a Christmas one), and a writing activity based on common core standards that requires citing text evidence. 27 slides. Enjoy
Bare Bones Story Writing Activity. Expand the story. Elaboration in writing. This descriptive writing activity will get students adding detail and elaborating more to make a visual picture in the reader's mind. An example of a simple story or bare bones story is given, and then it is shown with elaboration. Demonstrates to students how including specifics and adding details is important when they are writing. Students must then elaborate on a bare bones story given, and make the story their own. Teaches students a revision strategy that will help them expand and elaborate on their own. Includes handout with examples and practice exercise, and two bare bones stories that need to be expanded. Aligned with common core 5th grade standards that require development in descriptive writing. - HappyEdugator
Ancient Egypt Fun Activities - includes Ancient Egypt word search with key, mummy writing prompt, ancient Egypt pharoah writing paper, ancient Egypt True/False quiz, and an ancient Egypt coder breaker activity. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
Point of View - Four Types Handout. Understanding point of view in reading. Describes the four types of point of view: first person, second person, third person, and omniscient point of view. (Also, Omniscient point of view and Limited ominscient point of view are distinguished, so we now have five) Supports common core standards for reading literature. A comparable example is given for each so students can see the difference point of view can make. - HappyEdugator
The Hobbit Writing Activities Based on Common Core Standards. Seven standards based writing activities for The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Includes essay questions on Argument, Expository, Narrative, Research, and Character Analysis. Includes graphic organizers for characters and setting. Pages can be printed out as handouts for writing assignments. Written for Common Core Standards in Writing for Grade 7, but can be used for Grades 6-8 as well, since the standards are the same and only the level of complexity changes. - HappyEdugator
MLA Format Handout. This printable handout is a guide for students when making citations in essays using Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Includes general guidelines for margins, font and spacing, how the heading, title and page numbers should be formatted, and how to make citations for both long and short quotations, which are defined. An example included.
- 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
Rhyme in Poetry Practice Sheet. This poetry worksheet defines rhyme and then lets students actively identify the rhymes in ten silly sentences. There are more than one rhyming pair in the sentences,and rhyming word endings are not always spelled the same, so students have to look carefully. Also, there are some words that students may not be familiar with, so that presents an additional challenge and a way to develop vocabulary by introducing new words. Key included.
- HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.5 Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
Analogies PowerPoint. Interactive practice and strategies for understanding what is an analogy and how do you figure it out. 25 slide presentation defines what an analogy is, how analogies are written, and what kinds of relationships to look for when solving analogies. There are 10 practice questions for students, with answers and explanations given after they have had a chance to think. This type of guided practice will help students develop critical thinking skills and help prepare them for standardized tests. At the end is a practice quiz. Editable for your classroom needs. Can be projected on whiteboard and used as a whole class activity where students can write answers in their notebooks, or it can be assigned to students to work on independently on individual computers, tablets, or chrome books.
Supports Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5b Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5b Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
- HappyEdugator
Flowers for Algernon Vocabulary Activities. Includes vocabulary list, study guide, a 30 question multiple choice vocabulary test for the short story Flowers for Algernon, and a crossword puzzle. Includes answer keys. - HappyEdugator
Desert Adaptations PowerPoint. Strategies that plants and animals use to survive in the desert, including examples of some specific animal and plant adaptations. 18 slides. - HappyEdugator
Poetry - Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt. Find figurative language while reading poetry! This is a simple hands-on activity to use with students to get them to recognize figurative and sensory language in poems. Students have to find examples of figurative and sensory language such as idioms, personification, hyperbole, metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, consonance, assonance, and rhyme. Students can work individually or in groups. You can make the activity a grade or make it a game with the winners getting the highest number of points. Includes teacher directions, student assignment sheet, and student recording sheet. Poems not included. Pull a variety of poetry books from the media center and allow students to search through the various texts. I take my students to the media center and have them work in groups, looking at books stacked on their tables. No doubt some of your pupils will get hooked on poetry after reading the variety of poems in this activity. Enjoy!
Supports these Common Core Standards, and also needs to be reinforced in higher grades as well.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
- HappyEdugator
Easter acrostic poem. Do you need a quick fun activity for Easter? This is a short 9 slide PowerPoint explaining how to write an acronym poem, also called an acrostic poem. This would be a good warm-up activity to use around Easter holidays. Included is a definition of an acronym or acrostic poem, two example poems using egg and Easter, an Easter vocabulary slide, and a slide prompting students to write their own poem. You could also print this last slide for students to fill in. - HappyEdugator
Drama - Introduction to Drama PowerPoint. PowerPoint presentation with animations, sounds, and graphics that will engage your student when starting a drama unit. Defines drama, drama terms like playwright, stage directions, set, props, script and much more! Includes staging, dramatization, how plays are produced, the role of the audience and theater etiquette. Also, now includes information on Greek theater, Shakespearian theater, and Modern theater. Enjoy! . - HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.7
Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
Dolch Sight Words Activities - BUNDLE Weeks 1 - 10. 100 pages - Ten weeks of Dolch sight word activities for the first one hundred words from the Dolch sight words list. Activities include: flash cards/ memory game, color the words, trace the words, match the words, cut and paste the words in alphabetical order, and write the words in letterboxes. Enjoy! Weeks 1 - 10 covers the first 100 Dolch Sight Words. Be ready for the beginning of the year or use for test prep. Good for summer school or homeschool practice, too. - 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. Happy writing! - HappyEdugator
A Geologic Time Scale PowerPoint. A summary of the eras in Earth’s geologic history. Includes slides on Azoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenzoic, and Neozoic eras. Slides cover from the origin of the planet to the rise of humans. Timeline included. Quiz included with key at the end. - HappyEdugator
Ten activities to do with building brick blocks. Use the games individually on separate occasions, or make stations with them and have an event. Print out the cards and use to mark each station. Students go from station to station to complete the activities on the card. You can also break them into teams and see which team completes the activities first.
Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
