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.
Super Hero Profile Sheet and Dialogue Writing Activity. Create a superhero! Superheros like Spiderman are cool! Includes a graphic organizer to build their superhero, a worksheet that walks students through creating their own superhero character, and a writing activity. Students will write a short dialogue about a conflict the superhero is having. They may write it with stage directions for an actor to act it out. Some students like to illustrate their dialogue as well with a picture of their created superhero. - HappyEdugator
Literary Terms for Fiction TEST. Elements of Literature multiple choice test on 33 critical literature terms or story elements of literature that are important to student understanding of fiction texts, such as plot, theme, conflict, setting, etc. 10 pages, including key. It is based on my literary terms for fiction handout which is also available to use as a study guide. - 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
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.
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant Short Story Unit. What you need to teach The Necklace: Vocabulary, Comprehension Questions, Cause and Effect, Observing Details, Making Inferences, Dialogue, Word Scramble and Fill-in, Essay Questions. Answer key included. -
Africa - All About Africa PowerPoint. Studying Africa? An overview of Africa, complete with animations, interesting facts, photographs from different countries in Africa, and important information about climate, geography, people, social issues, and politics. Discusses the climatic zones and ecosystems of each of the U.N. regions of Africa at length…from the pyramids and deserts of North Africa, to the Sahel and desertification of West Africa, to the savannas and mountains of East Africa, the jungles of central Africa, and the semi-arid mountains of South Africa. Also, covers other important issues, a few for example…poverty, life-expectancy, kwashiorkor, and the abolishment of apartheid in South Africa. You can use this in sections as you study each region of this great continent. 56 slides. - HappyEdugator Updated March February 2023.
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.
This activity will help your students identify adjectives in text. They will search for adjectives in the story, and try to find them all. My students like to use highlighters to find them, but you can have them circle or underline them if you desire. Also includes a reference sheet and key. Great activity to do after studying adjectives with my All About Adjectives PowerPoint. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
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
Drama Extension Activities PowerPoint. Includes five extension menu choice boards for differentiating instruction for any drama unit. These were developed originally to be used with the plays "A Christmas Carol" and "The Diary of Anne Frank," but can be used with any play or dramatization. There are extension menus or enrichment activities for author, time period, play comprehension, drama terms and an independent study guide and a menu of reading project ideas for multiple intelligences-auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Also included is an oral presentation rubric and a peer evaluation form. Useful for gifted students who need extra independent work. You will also have a color slide for each menu for projection on a white board and printer friendly student handout. Editable for your own classroom use. 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
Christmas Story Starters. 50 Christmas writing prompts that you can use to help your students get writing creatively around the holidays. A winter creative writing handout or resource that will help students find something to write about! Quick and easy December printable handout. 2 pages. Have fun with writing!
- HappyEdugator
Spider Webquest. Fun at Halloween or anytime. Explore the world of spiders. In this webquest, students will learn about a variety of different spiders, their habits and habitats, toxicity of venom, first aid, and interesting facts. Students will visit 3 websites and complete two different tables and answer the questions. Key included.
Narrative Hooks and Writing Practice. Examples of various types of hooks from literature. Students will learn about hooks that writer's use to engage the reader and apply what they have learned by using a hook in their own writing. - 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
December Holidays PowerPoint - Guess the Word. Students guess the correct words to fill in the blanks about the winter holidays. Students will learn that Christmas, Hanukkah, and kwaanza are all celebrated in December, and that although there are different traditions, there are similarities as well. Happy Holidays! - HappyEdugator