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.
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.
India Travel Brochure Project. Student project with rubric. Students create a travel guide on India on a tri-fold construction paper. Students imagine they are travel guides leading a tour of India and must give their group an overview of India's history, geography, language, government, economy, religion, climate and attractions. Student instructions for the project to handout, teacher directions, brochure template, and a detailed rubric included. Rubric measures use of class time, writing conventions, attractiveness, organization, creativity, relevance of graphics, required elements including sources, and knowledge gained. - HappyEdugator
Critical Thinking - Brain Teaser Sheet. Words That Go Together. A challenging word game for gifted and talented students, or anyone who wants to think! Find another word that starts with the same two letters as the given word. The right answer will create a familiar compound word or two-word phrase. Key included.
Diary of Anne Frank PowerPoint for teaching play by Goodrich. 23 slide presentation walks through the play The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett scene by scene with essential questions, activities, vocabulary and check tests. Editable for your classroom use. - HappyEdugator
Biography Research Project using We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. Students choose from people in the lyrics to research and then write a biography. Includes instructions for the teacher with a link to the video on teachertube, lyrics, handout on late 20th century peacemakers or controversial figures, assignment handout and rubric. This really got my students using the writing process, research skills, and writing without plagiarism. I was very happy with the results I got this year from my average students! They were very motivated. - HappyEdugator
Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady PowerPoint. A biography of some of the highlights of the life of Margaret Thatcher, her childhood, her schooling, her rise to leadership, and her accomplishments as the first woman to become British Prime Minister, her family, her friendship with Ronald Reagan, the Falklands War, and famous quotes. Good for Women's History Month. 27 slides. Print out the slides with quotes to also make nice posters for your room!
- HappyEdugator
End of the Year I Am Poem - Make a Poet T Craftivity. Fun end of the year activity, beginning of the year activity, or any time you study poetry. PowerPoint on how to make an I AM poem and transfer it onto a t-shirt. 11 slides will walk you and your students through the whole process. Format for writing a metaphor I AM poem, and a format for writing another I AM poem included. Literature connection - metaphor poem example from All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. Students can use formats or create their own. Creative and fun! Students will love to wear their shirts. - HappyEdugator
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
PowerPoint on After Twenty Years by O. Henry with before reading activities to preview the story vocabulary, highlights of the author's life, and the literary elements of foreshadowing and omniscient point of view. Includes a link to the story to read. During reading, students must look for clues to how the story ends, and after reading, check their predictions. The following slides are a mini-lesson on independent and subordinate clauses and sentence structure. Students will learn about complex sentences. A writing activity follows in which students are asked to incorporate subordinate clauses into their work. Animated graphics make it fun and interesting. Updated January 2015 -
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
Biomes of the World PowerPoint. An overview of the different biomes of the world. Includes rain forest, temperate grassland, savanna, tundra, taiga, temperate forest, mountain, desert, and three major aquatic biomes- freshwater, saltwater, and estuaries. Average temperatures, rainfall, and interesting facts about the diversity of life in each. 34 slides. 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
Analyzing Context Clues PowerPoint. Strategies help students figure out unknown words in text. Build vocabulary and reading comprehension by teaching common context clues. This PowerPoint has explains five different context clues: definition, synonym, antonym, example, and inference. Practice activity at the end with answers. 15 slides. Good for test prep! - 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
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
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
