Writing: How to Engage the Reader PowerPoint. Focus on writing using three strategies to hook the reader, with examples. These three different writing strategies to engage the reader and create a great beginning for a narrative account can be used to help students overcome writer's block, especially when preparing for state writing tests. For use in a standards-based writing program which supports common core. Includes a slide with several other strategies students can try as well. Updated August 2014 - HappyEdugator

William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying - essay test or examination for the novel. Questions are based on Faulkner's life, style, including characterization and organization, themes, symbolisms and ironies. You can choose to have students answer all of the questions or let them select. This can be used as a take-home open book examination. Grading form and answer key included. You can use this for backwards design, and use the answer key to drive your class discussions. - HappyEdugator

Frequently Confused Words Packet - Supports Common Core! Includes a Poster or Handout on how to study commonly confused words, Four sets of frequently confused spelling words for study, four quizzes, and answer keys. The word lists are typed in text boxes, so they can be cut out and put on index cards. Students can then write the words on the other side of the cards. They will have a set of flashcards that they can then use to quiz each other for practice, and a way to self-check. Give out the words at the beginning of the week and have them take a quiz on Friday. These four sets will provide four weeks of practice! If you would like, do one set one week out of the month instead of their regular spelling words. However, you use them, enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Christmas adjective clause worksheet with 15 different sentences. Students have to identify the adjective clauses in the sentences related to the winter holiday. Useful in December to keep focused on the learning, even when the holidays are coming! Helps students understand sentence structure. Can be used in class or as homework practice. Common core standard in Language Arts. No prep. Print and go. Key included. - HappyEdugator

Snow Activities for Fun! Need some fun things to do this winter? Here are some activities your students can do! Includes a sheet to go with the story There Was a Cold Woman Who Swallowed Some Snow, and also a maze, a snowflake creative writing sheet, a snowman acrostic, directions for an art activity with soap flakes, a dot to dot snowman, a snow globe coloring sheet, Snow Word Family sheet, and even a snowman Venn Diagram. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Standards Tracker - Use this excel file to keep track of standards and student mastery. You can adapt it to use for a variety of uses. - Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Race to the Finish PowerPoint Game Template. Students have to answer a series of mutiple choice questions to move through the categories. Wrong answer...start over! Great for review in any subject. Just add your own content. Enjoy! HappyEdugator

Simple Subjects and Complete Subjects Worksheet. Finding subjects and predicates is made easier with practice. Students will identify simple subjects and complete subjects. This will help them identify complete sentences. Simple and easy to understand directions. Ten sentences for simple subject, and ten for complete subject. Answer key included. - HappyEdugator

Dolch Sight Words Activities - Week 6. A week of Dolch sight word activities for the sixth set of ten 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 will cover the first 100 Dolch Sight Words. - HappyEdugator

Rebus Puzzles 2 - a fun critical thinking activity. Figure out the word puzzles. Great to do with partners, or use as a warm up. Print and go, Works especially well for gifted and talented students who enjoy challenges, but will work with other student populations as well. Also includes a blank rebus puzzle sheet for students to create their own. Enjoy! - Happyedugator

Dolch Sight Words Activities - Week 5. A week of Dolch sight word activities for the fifth set of ten 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 will cover the first 100 Dolch Sight Words. - HappyEdugator

Independent and subordinate clauses worksheet supports the story After Twenty Years by O. Henry. Students have to determine the independent and subordinate clauses in four sentences, and then they have to add their own subordinate clauses to a given main clause to create complex sentences. - HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1a Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1b Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1c Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Writing Paper - Lined Paper - Seasonal Packet with Drawing Boxes. Use for Back to School, Fall, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Spring, Easter, Birthday, and more. Handy to have at the beginning of the year or use at the end of the year. 40 different styles of writing paper for different times of the year. Illustration boxes to stimulate imaginations. Dashed lines help develop handwriting. Use for other occasions such as patriotic days, school events, or to go along with a story or unit. Students will love writing poems and stories on these decorative papers, and adding their own illustrations. - HappyEdugator

TEST PREP Parts of Speech and Sentence Construction Interactive PowerPoint. Interactive practice for standardized tests. Parts of speech in context and subject and predicates practice questions. Help students practice sentence construction for testing of standards. Animated graphics and immediate feedback after each slide. This is a good practice for test preparation for state tests, but it can also be used as an assessment of your students skills. You can project this on a whiteboard and do it as a whole class activity, or you can have students do it individually if they have a computer or chromebook. Self-checking. 20 questions. 43 slides. - Happyedugator

Open House Parent Sign In Sheet Spreadsheet. Beginning of the Year, Back to School Night parent sign in sheet created on an Excel Spreadsheet, which makes it easy sort your data. Editable sign-in sheet for your parent night has a place for a school mascot picture, name of school and date of Open House, teacher name, student name, parent name, and contact information. You can print out and use as a hard copy, or even better, you can have parents sign in on a computer if you wish, and then you have everything typed in and you won't have to decipher messy handwriting! - Happyedugator

Beginning of the Year Student Survey and Poster. Beginning of the Year or First Day of School print and go handout. Includes an 8 question student survey about classroom expectations from a student perspective, and a poster you can hang about new beginnings. This that will help you get to know your students and help them focus on what is important. Share results of the survey with your students and discuss how they fit in to classroom rules and procedures. - HappyEdugator

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Vocabulary List and Activities. Complete Vocabulary List and Activity sheets for the Hunger Games book Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The first page is a word list with definitions of 47 important words to know from the novel. There are four pages of vocabulary activities: two different fill-ins, a crossword puzzle, and a synonym match. Key included. - HappyEdugator

Middle Grades Writing Test Preparation PowerPoint. A detailed TEST PREP PowerPoint presentation designed to help students prepare for what is required on the Middle Grades Writing Assessment in Georgia, which can be applied to any standardized writing test anywhere. This presentation can be used to teach students to produce quality expository and persuasive essays and the expectations of any writing assessment. 43 slides, the last seven slides are for the teacher, including scoring, activities to promote good writing, and best practices. -HappyEdugator

TEST PREP: Reading - English Language Arts. Key terms and academic vocabulary. Standardized test terminology. Two lists of vocabulary and terminology often seen on standardized tests. One for Grade 1 - 3, and one for Grade 4 - 8. These words may be found on state tests or common core assessments. Make sure your students are familiar with the terminology before testing begins. - HappyEdugator

Suffixes for Parts of Speech PowerPoint Presentation. This PowerPoint has common suffixes that are used for nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, and their meanings. Students who learn these suffixes will find determining parts of speech easier, and will also be able to use this knowledge to build vocabulary. A foldable graphic organizer (instructions included) will help students retain the information. After students take notes, they can quiz on the practice questions. Then they can learn four spelling rules for suffixes. - HappyEdugator