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

Thanksgiving Reader's Theater - Gobble It Up. A first Thanksgiving play script or Thanksgiving reader's theater; On the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims and the Indians are coming together for a three day feast, and Mr. Turkey Lurkey has to take cover. There are 26 short speaking parts, so everyone can be involved! It takes approximately 20-25 minutes to be performed. No costumes necessary, but you can dress it up. Fun November educational activity based on facts on the history of Thanksgiving! Two versions included - one with a smaller print (4 pages) to save on copies, and one with a larger font for reading ease (8 pages). No need to memorize lines. My students loved reading it, and I am sure yours wil enjoy this Thanksgiving activity, too! Print and go. No prep. Happy Thanksgiving! - HappyEdugator

Drama Terms and Test. Elements of Drama. Includes a study guide and a test of common drama terms in a matching format. In addition, you will get a higher level comprehensive list of drama terms, which you can decide to use in a variety of ways, such as independent study, enrichment, etc. Also included is a handout on the Elements of Drama. - 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

Rikki Tikki TaviPlot Diagram Activity. A hands-on activity for the story Rikki Tikki Tavi. After learning that the plot is the sequence of events, and having been introduced to a plot diagram with the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, have your students work in small groups to cut and paste this list of events from the story onto their own plot diagram and label what part of the story they belong to. Blank plot diagram included, or have them create their own on a large piece of colored construction paper using the blank diagram as a guide. The story is not included...but is available free online.

Idioms Matching with Color Coding. Print and go. Printable activity - students match idioms to their meanings by coloring the matching boxes the same color with either colored pencils or crayons. A fun activity that helps students develop their understanding of idioms as figurative language. You get four different worksheets and answer keys. Common Core Standard L4.5: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs Common Core Standard L 5.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. Common Core Standards L 5.5 Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. - HappyEdugator

Figurative Language. Figurative Language Practice Sheets. This figurative language pack includes: types of figurative language, and a handout that first defines metaphors and similes, and gives an example of each. Students then have to tell whether the following ten sentences use metaphors or similes, and underline what is being compared. Secondly, the handout defines hyperbole, and personificaton, and gives examples of each of these. Students then have to tell whether the following ten sentences is an example of hyperbole or personification. Then there are three additional practice sheets with figurative examples from literature. Students have to identify and give their reason for how they know. These are good practice sheets when introducing figurative language. You can have students work in small groups or with partners to try to figure out the figurative language. No prep. Print and go. Keys included. Can be used to supplement a poetry unit, writing unit, or literature unit. Supports these Common Core Standards, which also need 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

Theme Graphic Organizer for Any Novel or Short Story. Helps students understand how to identify theme in a novel or a short story by looking at dialogue, conflict, and endings. Includes examples of each from literature, and uses a mnemonic device to remember what theme is. (THEME = THE MEssage) Supports Common Core Standard for reading Literature #2, Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text Includes a blank copy for students. - HappyEdugator

Tall Tales Story Pattern. How to write tall tales! This is a simple story pattern that can be used to help students write their own tall 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 tall tale. Good to use as a follow up to a unit on tall tales, or after reading a tall tale such as Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill. Helps students avoid writer's block by scaffolding and gives them the confidence to comlete their own story. Writing practice is essential to the CCSS (common core state standards ) in Language Arts. - HappyEdugator

Adverbs - Fun Worksheet and Word Search. Students need to identify adverbs in 20 sentences and then find them in the wordsearch. Fun practice that helps students become more familiar with adverbs as parts of speech. Fun test prep! Good activity to use the day before or after a long break, like Spring Break. - Happyedugator

Punctuation Using Commas PowerPoint. Supports Common Core! PowerPoint presentation on comma rules and using comma punctuation correctly in writing elements and sentence structure. The presentation covers using commas with lists, dates, addresses, titles, joining independent and subordinate clauses in compound and complex sentences, nonessential clauses, phrases and words, introductory clauses, and separating adjectives. Animated clips. There is a short 10 question multiple choice quiz at the end, with questions similar to what students would see on a standardized test. Recently revised and updated. - HappyEdugator Common Core Language Standards L 4.2b, L4.2c,,L.5.2c

Sentences: Writing Correct Sentences PowerPoint. How to write complete sentences, focusing on how to identify subjects and predicates, sentence structure, and how to avoid sentence errors, fragments, and run-ons. Also includes practice questions. Important to know for good writing. Good review for state standardized tests and common core. Necessary information for preparation for writing tests. Includes ten self-checking practice questions at the end. 61 slides. - HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.3a Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.3a Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1b Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.

Thanksgiving: The First Thanksgiving. Teaching the history of Thanksgiving? The First Thanksgiving fill-in the blank story or cloze activity will add to your unit. Students can fill in the blanks of the story using the Word Bank. This is a fun vocabulary building activity and provides historical background for the holiday as well. 1 page worksheet and 1 page key. - HappyEdugator

Christmas Homophones Search - The Night Before Christmas. Fun printable handout for December. A Christmas activity searching for homonyms and homophones in a crazy homophone version of the famous Christmas poem "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clark Moore. Supports common core standard to spell correctly. Challenging activity using poetry: I recommend you use partners. It will take your students some time to find and correct all of the incorrect homonyms in this one. No prep. Print and go. Student answer sheet and key included. - HappyEdugator

Verb Tense Shifts Paragraph Revising Worksheet. This grammar worksheet has a paragraph with the verb tenses all mixed up. The story is about a summer canoe trip. The students' job is to rewrite and revise the paragraph, correcting the shifts in tense so the paragraph reads clearly. (This is a common grammar mistake, and this practice will help students recognize the problem.) Then students should also underline all the verbs they found in the paragraph. 2 per page for saving paper copies. Supports common core standards for Language Grade 5* and up. Can be used in centers and then students can self check the key. Great end of the year activity -or the beginning of the year when students are returning from summer vacations. L.5.1.D recognize and correct inappropriate changes in verb tense *Use verb tense to convey various times, sequences, states, and conditions. CCSS.ELA - Literacy L.5.1d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb tense.

Idioms Search - Find the Idioms in the Story. This handout is a short story filled with 20 idioms. Students must first answer questions about idioms and figurative language, and then use a highlighter or colored pencils to find the idioms embedded in the story. The story is about a man at a job interview. Excellent for an end of the year activity. Includes a glossary and a quiz. Key included. Common Core Standard L4.5: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs Common Core Standard L 5.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. Common Core Standards L 5.5 Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. - HappyEdugator

Poetry Activity for A Remarkable Adventure by Jack Prelutsky. At the beginning of the year, read a poem about excuses for not doing homework! A fun back to school poem to read with your students. They can also do the poetry activity sheet (useful for the beginning of the year) which provides a scaffolded guide for them to analyze a poem, looking for rhyme, alliteration, figurative language, imagery, and so forth. They are also challenged to draw a picture of what they visualize and write their own poem of excuses. 2 pages...first page is the actual poem with some graphics, 2nd page is the worksheet and writing activity. Poem can be copied on the front and activity on the back of one sheet. - HappyEdugator

Idioms Interactive PowerPoint. Match the idioms to their meaning. Definition of an idiom, examples, and 20 idioms with four possible meanings. Students can decide on the correct answer, then check. This PowerPoint can be used at a computer station or interactively with the whole class. Students have to be exposed to idioms in order to achieve greater comprehension. Supports common core standards! Fun! - HappyEdugator Common Core Standard L4.5: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs Common Core Standard L 5.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. Common Core Standards L 5.5 Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. - HappyEdugator

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.

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