Over twenty years teaching, developing lessons and conducting professional development - coupled with fiction and film writing - is who I am. Family, education and writing define what I love.
Over twenty years teaching, developing lessons and conducting professional development - coupled with fiction and film writing - is who I am. Family, education and writing define what I love.
Bring in March with 20 original nonfiction March-themed Reading and Writing
Warm-ups for Fifth Graders. Each passage is written at three levels: above
grade level, at grade level and below grade level. Sixty passages in all.
Why Reading and Writing Warm‐Ups? Adding just one daily Reading and Writing
Warm‐Up to your schedule takes less than ten minutes a day, promotes the higher
order thinking skills necessary of today’s student and helps build reading fluency
and comprehension skills.
Aligned with the Common Core State Standards, these passages help promote
literacy in all subjects, while providing opportunities for higher order thinking and
reasoning. A reading, Common Core and Bloom’s Taxonomy boost all in one ten
minute a day assignment.
Passages are written to promote vocabulary acquisition. Content vocabulary
repeats allowing readers to familiarize themselves with the same word in different
sentences.
Students learn to write by writing, every day…sentences, paragraphs, essays and
stories. Students also learn to read fluently and across the curriculum by reading
every day…take an extra ten minutes a day to promote that proficiency.
This workbook is designed to cover one-quarter of the Common Core State Standards in English for the 9 and 10th grades. The writing requirements should be used to teach and emphasize all of the Common Core State Standards for Language - as proper grammar usage must be relevant and applicable to real world settings.
This unit is perfect to teach the short fairy tales of the Brothers’ Grimm – Hans in Luck and The Golden Bird. This unit contains a 37-page Interactive Reader – with lessons, quizzes, project-based learning opportunities and more plus 2 PowerPoints – one for the Golden Bird and one for Hans in Luck.
Table of Contents
The Golden Bird page 5
Theme CCSS 9-10 RL.2 page 11
Character Analysis CCSS 9-10 RL.3 page 12
Author’s Choice n Text Structuring CCSS 9-10 RL.4/5 page 13
Digging Deeper: Critical Thinking for 21st Century page 14
Summary Writing CCSS 9-10 W.4/5 page 15
PBL: Multimedia Project page 16
Who Were the Grimm Brothers? Information Text (RI.2) page 17
Hans in Luck page 18
Literary Devices CCSS 9-10 RL.6 page 23
Multi-Media Comparison CCSS 9-10 RL.7 page 25
Writing Arguments CCSS 9-10 W.1 page 26
Non-Fiction: Around the World 1812ish CCSS 9-10 RI.2/7 page 27
PBL CCSS.W1 and W.7 and RH.2 and RH.3
Appendix page 29
Writing Rubric page 30
Critical Response Rubric page 31
References page 32
Counter the December Dilemma with rich lessons and links on Christmas, the Native American Miwok Big Time Festival, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, traditions and holidays in general in a culturally competent context. Also included: an original story about a group of children who combine their holidays into one that focuses on the central themes of all: peace, good will to men and hope.
Table of Contents
#1 Countering the December Dilemma
Photos for Brainstorm – Fourth of July
#3 Miwok Big Time
#4 Student Page: Indian Grinding Rock
#5 Photo for Indian Grinding Rock Activity
#6 Student Page: Chaw’se
#7 Student Page: Miwok Roundhouse
#8 Hanukkah
#9 Student Page: The Dreidel
#10 Student Page: Make a Dreidel
#11 Ramadan
#12 Student Page: Ramadan
#13 Student Page: Good Deed Quilt
#14 Kwanzaa
#15 Student Page: Kwanzaa
#16: Christmas
#17 Student Page: The Origin of the Christmas Tree
#18 Student Page: My Christmas Tree Origin Story
#19: Student Page: Traditions I Do
#20 Student Page: My Traditions Comic Strip
#21 Holiday RAFT Assignment
#22 What is a R.A.F.T.?
#23 RAFT Rubric
#24 My Investigation
#25 Holiday Cutouts for My Investigation
#26 Holiday Cutouts for My Investigation
#27 Kwanmisadomakuh Big Time: Literature Unit
Original Illustrated Story
Common Core Aligned Literature Study Worksheets
“Thomas Jefferson: Views on Slavery and Framing Independence” is part of the non-fiction, Common Core State Standards aligned readings and primary source document pamphlet series: Discovering America. This is an interactive reader designed to help students read for information and think critically as they form their own thoughts and opinions about United States history. This series allows students to explore history by looking at and interpreting artifacts constructed by the people and events that made history.
Perfect for any classroom, from guided Fifth Grade through college, this series engages students and prompts them to think for themselves, question, reflect and gain a deeper understanding of the events that shaped the United States of America. Students will experience an inside glimpse of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson – in all of his historical glory and flawed humanity. This publication is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and covers anchor standards as well as standards on writing, reading and literacy across the curriculum.
Students analyze source documents and determine historical outcomes from the words and workings of the people who made history
Table of Contents
Interpreting a Source Document Instructions page 7
Declaration of Independence Notes page 8
Letter to Henry Lee page 9‐10
Thomas Jefferson page 12
Annotated: Little Journeys To the Homes of the Great page 13
Letter to John Randolph, August 25, 1775 page 23
Letter to John Randolph, November 29, 1775 page 26
Letter to Benjamin Franklin, August 13, 1777 page 28
Drafting the Declaration page 30
Towards Independence page 37
Annotated from Thomas Jefferson’s Memoir, Correspondence and Miscellanies page 37
Thomas Jefferson and Slavery page 48
Acknowledgments page 57
Notes on Answers page 58
PowerPoint and Lesson Manual.
Experiments, activities, student templates, observation sheets, snowmen and matter, compare and contrast template, guided reading activity and more! Everything an elementary student needs to know about matter.
Common Core State Standards aligned for 2nd and 3rd English Language Arts
Next Generation Science Standards
2-PS1-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
2-PS1-3 Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.
2-PS1-4 Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.
This is an engaging No Prep Unit for Groundhog’s Day that includes: Readers’ Theater scripts, Science Literacy and Comprehension activity, vocabulary, labeling, story writing, graphic organizers and more.
19-pages of fun!
Can you Name 4 states that begin with the letter "S" in 30 seconds?
Can you Name 4 types of precipitation?
Can you Name 4 parts of the sun?
Engaging game for the entire class, as a,center activity, or for partner play. The premise is simple – a team or student draws a card and answers the question by naming four.
Questions based on information students need to know for school success in 5th Grade.
There are:
81 – History/Social Studies Cards
45 – Science Cards
63- Math Cards
45 – English/Language Arts Cards
Winter themed Boogle Word Search. Goes great with my Waiting for Winter -- Snowflake Science lesson! 41 cards in all.
Students love this fast-paced game for work student and spelling and reading reinforcement.
Word Seek -- Boggle is great for whole class or partner play, early finishers, literacy centers, bell ringers and warm-ups. Boggle can even be given as homework.
The rules are easy:
• Players have three minutes to find as many words as they can on a 3 x 3
• grid.
• Players have four minutes to find as many words as they can on 3 x 4 and 4 x 4 grids. Players have five minutes to find as many words on a 5 x 5 grid
Word letters must be adjoining in a chain. (Letters in the chain may be adjacent horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Words must contain at least three letters.
Scoring: The first two letters of each word do not count for score. Each player gets 1 point for each letter after the second.
For example:
• won = 1 point
• come = 2 points
• change = 3 points
Word Seek is great for partner play, early finishers, literacy centers, bell ringers and warm-ups.
22-slide teaching PowerPoint
10-student pages
30 Differentiated Multi-Digit Addition Task Cards -- 60 in all for total student access
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.4
Fluently add multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
64 total pages of a turn key lesson on area and perimeter that is aligned with the Common Core State Standards 4.MD.3.
14-slide interactive teaching PowerPoint
13-page student work pages to accompany PowerPoint for guided learning
39-Area and Perimeter Task Cards (plus 36 answer cards)
Grade 4: Measurement & Data: Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements: 3: Students will learn to apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems. For example, find the width of a rectangular room given the area of the flooring and the length, by viewing the area formula as a multiplication equation with an unknown factor.
The non-fiction Common Core aligned readings and primary source Document Pamphlet series: Discovering America is designed to help students read for information and think critically while forming their own ideas about why history happened.
Students and adults alike will discover history by looking at artifacts constructed by the very people who shaped the United States of America. Perfect for any classroom, from Fifth Grade to college, this series engages readers and prompts them to think critically and divergently by analyzing and synthesizing information, questioning and reflecting…all to gain a deeper understanding of how the U.S was formed and how policy decisions were derived. In this edition, students discover the intelligent and pervasive John Adams.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for literacy across history – “John Adams: Non-Fiction Readings” will engage students and non-students alike as they discover American history.
This is a 37-page Project-Based Learning Unit were student work cooperatively and independently to create their own government. This unit fosters 21st Century Learning Skills, is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and culminates in students deciding on a classroom government structure.
In this unit students will learn
The Basic Forms of Government
How to Research and Create a Video
How to Storyboard
How to Discern Creditable Information from the Internet
Research and Inquiry Skills
Writing Process Skills
How to think critically
Technology Skills
Cooperation
Communication
Table of Contents
Project Explanation “The Ruling Class Project” page 4
“Who Rules” Student Worksheet page 5
“Before You Begin” Browsing the Web Worksheet pages 6-7
“Where are They?” Internet Search Practice Sheet on Various Governments – Then and Now pages 8—11
“Types of Government” Worksheet with explanations on Autocracy, Democracy,
Theocracy, Oligarchy, Totalitarian, Dictatorship and Anarchy pages 12-14
Student Reference and Internet Resources Page page 15
“Our Classroom Government” Worksheet page 16
Create a Public Service Announcement Standards and Student Outcome Page page 17
PSA Checklist and Student/Teacher Monitoring Notes page 18
“My Classroom Government Planning Sheet” Worksheet page 19
“Research Template” and Fact Sheet Citation Page page 20
Public Service Announcement Script Outline Page 21
Script or Screenplay Writing 101 – A Quick and Dirty Guide to a Screenplay Page 22-23
Storyboard Information Sheet that Can Be Used as a Close Reading Assignment Page 24
“Storyboard Template” – Copy Multiple for Each Student Page 25
“Now What?” Instructions on What to Do Next Page 26
“Was I Convinced” Peer PSA Video Watching Review – Multiple for Each Student Page 27
“Name That Government Type” Group Quiz Page 28
“PSA Self-Reflection Sheet” Page 29
Answer Sheets Page 30-37
This No Prep Book Unit is based on “Jouanah: The Hmong Cinderella” and contains 36-pages of interactive, cross-curricular and engaging activities -- all standards-aligned. This print-and-go unit contains interactive journal pages, a review of Cinderella Elements, essays, social studies assignments, quizzes and a whole lot more. Differentiated for use with the whole class.
Table of Contents
#1: About Jouanah…In My Opinion
#2: Jouanah Story Connectors
#3: Story Characters – Jouanah
#4: Jouanah Grammar Fix
#5: Sentence Sorting – Cinderella
#6: Jouanah Sentence Sorting
#7: From Sentence Sorting to Essay Writing
#8: Jouanah Dictionary Skills Activity
#9: Comprehension Quiz for Jouanah: The Hmong Cinderella
#10: Questions Along the Way
#11: About: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella: In My Opinion…
#12: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella: Constructed Response #12
#13: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella -- Character Conflicts
#14: Quick Write Compare and Contrast
#15: About the Author
#16: Story Summary
#17: Character Changes
#18 Text to Text: Connection Fiction Texts
#19: My Thoughts While Reading Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella
#20: Inferring Character Feelings
#21: Cause and Effect
#22: Compare and Contrast Cinderella and Jouanah
#23: Think, Question and Analyze
#24: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella Report Card
#25: Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella Book Review
#26: Lights, Camera, Action
Differentiated book unit for Fair, Brown and Trembling, a Cinderella story by Jude Daly. No prep printables and companion lessons that are engaging, interactive and perfect for every level of learner. Complete with interactive notebook pages, quizzes and a whole lot more. Common Core State Standard aligned.
Table of Contents
Cinderella Elements
#1 Draw A Title Page
#2 Questions Along the Way
#3 In My Opinion
#4 Constructed Response Questions
#5 Story Connectors
#6 Character Analysis
#7 Math Connections
#8 Make Up My Own World Problems
#9 Correct the Grammar Errors
#10 Comprehension Questions
#11 Character Conflicts
#12 Sentence Sorting
#13 Sentence Sorting to Essay Writing Enrichment
#14 Dictionary Skills
#15 Quick Write: Compare and Contrast
#16 About the Author
#17 Story Summary
#18 Character Changes
#19 Text to Text – Cross Fiction Story Analysis
#20 My Thoughts While Reading…
#21 Inferring Character Feelings
#22 Cause and Effect
#23 Compare and Contrast – Cinderella and Trembling
#24 Think, Question, Analyze
#25 Fair, Brown and Trembling Report Card
#26 Fair, Brown and Trembling Book Review
#27 Sentence Sorting Traditional Cinderella
#28 Lights, Camera, Action
Answers
This workbook includes 110 pages of drills, interactive notebook pages ideas and more.
Ask any teacher above the 4th grade what the one thing is students must know to be successful in math and the answer will be most likely be the same: math fact fluency.
The purpose of the lessons in Multiplication Made Easy is twofold: to help students learn multiplication facts accurately and to help students learn facts with automaticity. At the first level, students can produce math facts when they have time to think and concentrate. The second level allows them to simply produce facts – automatically -- with both speed and accuracy.
Some people say they simply can’t learn math facts – they have tried and they can’t; however, if one can learn to sing the Happy Birthday song, or Row, Row, Row Your Boat or any other song and can recall it instantaneously when needed – then that same person can indeed learn their math facts.
Fluency practice helps with fact development and having the ability to automatically regurgitate math facts paves the way for future math success. This can be achieved by using the lessons in Multiplication Made Easy to chunk away at math fact mastery. Once you and your child feel he or she is proficient with chunking pages move to on to the Multiplication in a Minute lessons and math fact fluency will be attained!
This No Prep Book Unit is a companion to “Cinderella Penguin or The Little Glass Flipper” by Janet Perlman and contains pages and pages of interactive, cross-curricular and engaging activities -- all standards-aligned. This print-and-go unit contains interactive journal pages, a review of Cinderella Elements PowerPoint – with compare and contrast for PowerPoint, essays, social studies assignments, quizzes and a whole lot more. Differentiated for use with the whole class.
Part 1:
This Math and Literacy Unit is aligned with the Common Core State Standards and guidelines for 21st Century Learning for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades and is easily adapted to all proficiency levels. Differentiated by design, this thematic unit is engaging includes the following plus a PowerPoint on the Elements of Fairy Tales Cinderella vs. Cinderella Penguin.
Page 4: Cinderella Penguin Comprehension Quiz
Page 5: Cinderella Penguin Story Connection Summary Template
Page 6: Cinderella Penguin Story Characters – Template
Page 7: Cinderella Penguin – About the Story in P’s Please Literacy Worksheet
Pages 8-10: My Very Own Cinderella Story – Template to Write Own Cinderella Story
Pages 11-14: “Cinderella Penguin After Happily Ever After” Reader’s Theater
Pages 15-16: Penguin Science Nonfiction Article and Critical Thinking Questions
Page 17: Summarize the Article “Penguin Science” Template
Page 18: Cinderella Math Word Problem Worksheet
Pages 19-34: Math Center Activities and Resources
Activity: Fishing for Problems
Activity: Fraction Math – Finding Equivalents Memory and Comparison Game
Page 36: Cinderella Story Elements Teacher Information Streets
Part 2:
Interactive Notebook Pages
Table of Contents
#1 Cinderella Penguin Cover
#2 Questions Along the Way
#3 Story Connectors
#4 Character Analysis
#5 Character Conflicts
#6 Dictionary Skills
#7 Quick Write Compare and Contrast
#8 Story Summary
#9 Text to Text – Connecting Fiction Texts
#10 My Thoughts While Reading Cinderella Penguin
#11 Inferring Character Feelings
#12 Cause and Effect
#13 Compare and Contrast Cinderella With Cinderella Penguin
#14 Think, Question and Analyze
#15 In Brief
#16 Cinderella Penguin Book Review
#17 Lights, Camera, Action – Draw Your Favorite Scenes
Part 3:
From Sentence Sorting to Essay Writing Presentation and Template
Cinderella Elements PowerPoints
The activities in this unit are CCSS aligned with grades 4-8. These lessons and activities are differentiated and engaging. Students will learn about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the office of the Presidency as they work through Readers’ Theater scripts, Fluency exercises, compare and contrast writing assignments, projects: Make Your Own Ink and Write a Letter to the President and source document analysis and study.
69- Pages Including – George Washington PowerPoint and Notes Template for Students
Part 1
Page 4: Reader’s Theater Script Instructions
Page 5-8: Reader’s Theater 1: “George Washington’s Years with His Brother”
Pages 9-11: Reader’s Theater 2: “It’s Presidents’ Day”
Pages 12-13: Reader’s Theater 3: “Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address”
Pages 14-15: Reader’s Theater 4: “Facts About Lincoln”
Differentiated for Struggling Readers
Pages 16-17: Reader’s Theater 5: “The Gettysburg Address”
Part of Lincoln for advanced readers
Page 18: Instructions for “Lincoln vs. Washington Compare and Contrast Differentiated Writing Assignment”
Page 19-22: Lincoln vs. Washington Compare an Contrast Reading
Page 23: Lincoln vs. Washington – graphic organizer activity
Page 24: Lincoln vs. Washington Essay notes Template
Page 25: Instructions to Five Minutes to Fluency Practice and Comprehension.
Page 27: Grade Level Fluency Chart
Page 28-31: Four Multi-Level Presidents’ Day Themed Fluency Passages
Page 32-35: Alternative Fluency Assignments for Advanced Learners – “Working With Source Documents – The Gettysburg Address
Page 36-40: Relevant CCSS
President Washington Literacy and Math Unit With Some History on the Side
Part 2
Pages 4-6: Guided Reading Exercises and Questions
Page 7: Fluency and Comprehension Passages and Questions
Page 8: George Washington Fluency Practice The Early Years
Page 9: Comprehension Questions
Page 10: George Washington Fluency A Man of Manners
Page 11: Comprehension Questions
Page 12: George Washington Fluency Practice George Meets Martha
Page 13: Comprehension Questions
Page 14: George Washington Fluency Practice George Protests
Page 15: Comprehension Questions
Page 16: George Washington Fluency Practice Father of the Country
Page 17: Comprehension Questions
Pages 18-19: Critically Thinking Activity: Colonial Manners – Think Critically The Art of Civility
Page 22: Washington and Me: Presidential Material – Comparison Activity
Page 23: I Would Be a Great President Writing Activity
Page 24: Math Problem Puzzles
Page 25: Math Word Problems
Page 26-27: Letter to Martha or George: Letter Writing Activity; Make Your Own Ink for Letter Writing: Letter Writing Template
Page 28: Answer Key
Martin Luther King Jr. cross curricular, differentiated unit. The activities in this unit are engaging and perfect for grades 4-8.
Pages 3-4: Who is Martin Luther King Jr?: Literacy Activity
Pages 5-8: Readers’ Theater Script “I Have a Dream.”
Page 9: “I Have a Dream Readers’ Theater Summary” Template Worksheet
Page 10: Writing Across the Curriculum: Organization Game Directions
Page 11: Organization Game Cutable Worksheet: Words and MKL
Page 12: Vocabulary Building
Page 13: Writing Across the Curriculum: Social Students: Sentence Sorting to Building a Paragraph Instructions
Page 14: Sentence Sorting Activity and Template: MLK and the Quest for Civil Rights Pre-Writing Activity
Page 15: From Sentence Sorting to Paragraph Writing: Teacher Template – A completed template for teachers to use to teach the following…
Page 16: From Sentence Sorting to Paragraph Writing Student Template
Page 17: I Have a Dream: “A think and write about me” activity.
Page 18: I have a Dream Activity
20 Slide PowerPoint – MLK Jr. and the Road to Civil Rights
8 Slide PowerPoint to help instruct student about Readers’ Theater Guidelines and Participation
50-thought provoking, engaging and standards-based activities to reinforce learning perfect for early finishers or daily warm-ups. This item contains engaging high interest, creative, fun and challenging activities to for early finisher. It offers a broad range of print-in-go puzzles, brainteasers and creative activities to enable practice of CCSS based and 21st Century Learning skills. These activities can be used independently, in pairs, as bell ringers or as early finishers.
This No Prep Book Unit is a companion to “The Korean Cinderella" by Shirley Climo and contains pages and pages of interactive, cross-curricular and engaging activities -- all standards-aligned. This print-and-go unit contains interactive journal pages, a review of Cinderella Elements PowerPoint – with compare and contrast for PowerPoint, essays, social studies assignments, quizzes and a whole lot more. Differentiated for use with the whole class.
Table of Contents
1. Common Core Ties – page 1
2. Template Instructions – page 3
3. Cinderella Elements – page 11
4. “In My Opinion”: Constructed Response – page 14
5. Story Connectors: Summarize the Story – page 15
6. Story Characters Template – page 16
7. Sentence Diagramming – page 17
8. Comprehension Questions – Multiple Choice – page 19
9. One-Minute Fluency Passages – page 20
10. Sentence Sorting Template – page 27
11. From Sentence Sorting to Essay Writing Template – page 28
12. Compare and Contrast: The Korean Cinderella and Cinderella – page 30
13. Design Your Own Cover – page 31
14. Questions Along the Way – page 32
15. In My Opinion – page 33
16. Character Conflicts – page 34
17. Quick Writes Compare and Contrast – page 35
18. Story Summary – page 36
19. Text to Text – page 37
20. My Thoughts While Reading – page 38
21. Inferring Character Feelings – page 39
22. Interactive Notebook Cause and Effect –page 40
23. Think, Question and Analyze – page 41
24. Korean Cinderella – page 42
25. Lights, Camera, Action – page 43
26. Rubric for All Constructed Responses – page 44