International educator with over 15 years experience.
I love the nuts and bolts of language teaching, but I also like communicative activities and task based learning, including simulations.
I hold a Master of Education with specializations in reading and behavior management, as well as graduate degrees in writing and education.
International educator with over 15 years experience.
I love the nuts and bolts of language teaching, but I also like communicative activities and task based learning, including simulations.
I hold a Master of Education with specializations in reading and behavior management, as well as graduate degrees in writing and education.
Essential, chapter-by-chapter, vocabulary for the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. Useful for students to look up before reading, or for the teacher to base quizzes and worksheets from.
Pre-teaching vocabulary helps students decode meaning and increases fluency and engagement.
20 ~ 50 words per chapter.
- Four game boards containing literal, inferential, & real-world and personal (reader) connection comprehension questions.
- Also contain questions on language, literary style, theme, author’s purpose, and other literary elements.
- Designed for use in English classrooms, grades 6 – 8.
- Game boards may be used in various ways; for journaling, homework, while reading or as consolidation.
- Can be adapted for use as individual, partner or group-work, with and without teacher supervision.
- Games require decks of playing cards and dice (or computer generations – random.org has playing card generators and dice rollers).
- Students enjoy the random and gamified nature of the activities, while reflecting on their reading and analyzing literature through cooperative learning activities.
- Questions are recycled across the four game boards.
- Great for English, Social Studies, Speech and Debate, and ESL classes
- Key expressions for 14 oration skills
- 8 expressions per skill
- 104 expressions in total
- Expression types divided by card color
- Teacher master lists included
***How to use this resource***
- Encourage students to develop a sophisticated bank of discourse markers by playing ‘Expressions Poker.’ Give students one card of each color and tell them to use the expressions during a speech, discussion, or debate. Students must lay down their card in a pile once used. The first student to get rid of his or her cards is the winner.
- Alternatively, give students multiple cards of one color, to develop proficiency in one area of speaking.
- Cards may also be used to incorporate key expressions when writing/ drafting debates and speeches.
- Cards are also a great resource when mounted on a bulletin board or literacy station.
This is a short workshop to introduce or re-introduce students to transition words (connectives) as a writing tool.
The worksheet contains definitions, usage, and examples.
There is also a cloze (fill in the blanks) exercise for students to apply their knowledge immediately.
Students can keep the worksheet for use as a reference tool when writing.
***The presentation is saved as .ppt, and pptx AND pdf.***
SAMPLE PROCEDURE
1. Show Ss the presentation and elicit their ideas for the function of the transitions shown on screen (e.g. "comparing"). The function (heading) will fly in after prompting.
2. Repeat this for each function.
3. Have students fill in the blanks of their cloze exercise.
4. Reveal sample answers on screen, and discuss possible alternatives.
*****PLEASE NOTE! THIS LESSON IS AVAILABLE AS PART OF THIS RESOURCE:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sentence-and-paragraph-workshop-11095633
This is a fun reading activity comparing the similar though distinct celebrations of Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Day of the Dead, and Hungry Ghost Festival. Students read about these holidays in small groups before returning to their "home-groups" to consolidate information, and then finally coming together as a class check their findings.
- Targeted to grade 5 - 7
- Common Core Aligned
***Resource contains:***
- Four reading comprehension passages (each a brief overview of the way Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Day of the Dead, and The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated).
- A “jigsaw” worksheet where students can record their answers.
- A PowerPoint presentation displaying sample answers to the information required in the jigsaw reading worksheet (in ppt, pptx, and pdf forms).
- Detailed instructions
ALTERNATIVE: This activity could be completed alone or in pairs, just by giving the students every reading. It wouldn’t be as much fun, though.
Literal, inferential, and real-world connection questions for the novel, 'Island of the Blue Dolphins' by Scott O' Dell.
Every chapter contains:
1. Reading comprehension questions (5 ~ 10, depending on chapter length).
2. Vocabulary lists (5 ~ 20, depending on chapter length).
3. Extension Questions: Multimodal reader response questions including drawings and internet research. Great for journaling or projects!
4. TEACHER ANSWER KEY INCLUDED!!!!!
- 38 short reading passages with 2 – 3 comprehension questions per page
- designed for independent work
- should only take 5 – 10 minutes per worksheet
- literal, inferential, and real-world (personal) connection questions
- high interest, non-fiction topics including: science, technology, cooking, sports, society, and culture
- great for struggling readers or students with ESL
- perfect for use as bell-ringers, homework, vacation work, early-finishers, and in literacy stations
- fun graphics and borders courtesy of openclipart.org
- Common core state standards covered: RI4.1, RI4.2, RI4.10; RI5.1, RI5.2, RI5.10; RI6.1, RI6.2, RI6.4, RI6.6, RI6.10
*****PLEASE NOTE: These passages are based upon the paragraphs in this resource:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/paragraph-writing-task-cards-11114879
You can utilise both (as they target different skills), but it is not advisable to use them concurrently*****
20 *Non-Fiction* Close Reading Passages and Worksheets
- Diverse range of high-interest extracts from authentic texts
- Designed for close reading
- Each excerpt stands alone as a close reading text suitable for scrutiny, critique, reflection, and evaluation.
- Texts may be used as bell-ringers, as homework or vacation
assignments, one-to-one tutoring, no-prep substitute plans, or any
other use
- Includes 3 levels of questions: main ideas and detail, language and literary devices, author's purpose, and evaluation and personal-connection
- Vocabulary rich
- Includes questions on text structure, word-choice, and author's bias
- Common Core Aligned
- Answer key included
- Sample Difficulty Levels included
Topics Included:
Hieroglyphics
Foreign Languages
Weather and Climate
Biology and Medicine
Biography - Joan of Arc, Da Vinci, Ghandi
Zoology
Engineering
Botany
History and Culture
Music
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Narrative Writing*** focuses on:
• Temporal linking words
• Reported speech
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This is a great value bundle of these ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Genres included:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Problem and Solution Writing*** focuses on:
• Intensifying adverbs & graded adjectives
• Absolute adverbs and non-graded adjectives
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Describing Data: Comparisons*** focuses on:
• Adverbs/ adjectives of Intensity
• Writing numbers in texts
• Interpreting and explaining information from pie-charts
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Opinion Writing*** focuses on:
• Intensifying adverbs & graded adjectives
• Absolute adverbs and non-graded adjectives
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product, argumentative/ persuasive writing, focuses on:
• Transition words for adding information
• Expressions for presenting evidence
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Cause and Effect Writing*** focuses on:
• Transition words for cause and effect
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Informational Writing*** focuses on:
• Complex sentences with essential and non-essential subordinate clauses
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Help your students improve their vocabulary!
4 categories covering the essential components of vocabulary building: word roots; words from other languages; prefixes and suffixes; and connotation and denotation
Variety of activities: matching; fill in the blanks; short answers; create your own words!
Suitable for grades 6 – 8
High-interest, real-world topics
Common core aligned
14 tasks per category (56 tasks in total)
Task recording document included
Teachers’ Answer Key Included