5th, 6th, 7th, 8th MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH ELA HALLOWEEN ACTIVITY! ACROSTIC POEM: Save yourself some time (and sanity!) with this quick “time-filler” for the crazy week around Halloween. This worksheet provides: *Definition of an Acrostic Poem *Example of an Acrostic Poem *Brainstorming Word Web *Acrostic Template with the word “Halloween”

FREE Grammar Resource: Parts of Speech Graphic Organizer FREE Resource! This is a Graphic Organizer for your students to keep in a binder. Included in this organizer is a Definition, Example words, and a blank space for a student example for each of the 8 Parts of Speech.

THE GIVER NOVEL STUDY INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY “TIMELINE PROJECT”: This is a comprehensive unit project for The Giver. This fun project is a favorite of the students that encourages student engagement with the entire progression of the novel. This project can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups. With the timeline project, you are able to assess formative student engagement and comprehension throughout the unit, as opposed to just a summative assessment at the end of the unit. In this packet, you will find the Timeline Instructions and Checklist for students. This project can be given after reading the novel, but it works best if given at the beginning. This activity asks the students to document important moments, events, and/or dialogue as they read. Included is a graphic organizer that will help them compile their notes for their Timeline. You will find an easy-to-grade Rubric that should allow you to grade their projects quickly, yet efficiently.

Middle School Christmas Activity: Letter Writing (Exploring Cultural Traditions) This is a thoughtful and engaging activity with the Christmas and other Holiday Seasons in mind. In the month of December, Christmas is the holiday that tends to take precedence as we count down the final weeks to the holiday break. While many students celebrate Christmas, I think it is important to recognize our students who may celebrate a different holiday. This activity was created in order to give students the opportunity to explore and appreciate other cultures and their traditions. HANUKKAH KWANZAA CHRISTMAS BODHI DAY Activity Includes: Prompts to help students brainstorm how to express their gratitude Letter Templates to help structure the letter Facts Sheet with information for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Bodhi Day Easy, thoughtful activity with NO PREP for you! Have a Happy Holiday!

**MIDDLE SCHOOL CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY ACTIVITY: CROSSWORD AND WORD SEARCH (6th, 7th, 8th Grades) ** Three fun and easy activities for your students to do before the Holiday Break. The Crossword and Word Search Puzzles include Holiday Vocabulary. This packet now includes a Multicultural Word Search. Not all students celebrate Christmas, so it is important to be inclusive of all during the Holiday season! I hope you enjoy the updated packet! CHRISTMAS HANUKKAH KWANZAA BODHI DAY Happy Holidays!

Get ready for a laugh… This Parts of Speech Christmas Writing Activity is based on the popular and fun game of “Mad Libs!” Students LOVE this silly game, and you will too! In this Christmas version, students will rewrite the story of The Night Before Christmas by using different parts of speech: ADJECTIVES NOUNS VERBS IDIOMS This activity is one of the most popular products from my store–a student and teacher favorite! If you enjoy this one, be sure to purchase the Valentine’s Day version! :) Happy Holidays!

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY ACTIVITY: ACROSTIC POEM (6th, 7th, 8th Grades) Have your students create a Holiday Acrostic Poem using the Holiday of their choice. (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day). Easy-to-read instructions on how to craft an acrostic poem, as well as a short acrostic example provided. Easy, thoughtful activity with NO PREP for you! Have a Happy and Blessed Holiday!

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH ELA HALLOWEEN ACTIVITY: HALLOWEEN WORD SEARCH Now includes BONUS ACTIVITY!! Create Your Own Halloween Word Search! Save yourself some time (and sanity!) with this quick “time-filler” for the crazy week around Halloween. Includes 15 Halloween-related words! This activity now includes a “CREATE YOUR OWN HALLOWEEN WORD SEARCH ACTIVITY” with detailed student instructions. HOCUS POCUS GHOST HAUNTED HOUSE ZOMBIE TRICK OR TREAT WITCH HAYRIDE COSTUME SUPERSTITION BROOMSTICK PUMPKIN HALLOWEEN CANDY BLACK CAT OCTOBER Answer Key provided!

<strong>RHETORICAL APPEAL IN WRITING</strong> As a college instructor for Composition, I have found that most first year college students have never been exposed to rhetorical appeal or they are very confused by the concept. I have tried to develop a visually appealing and straight-forward introduction to the concept of rhetoric that may be used in high school and college courses. (This packet could also be used in advanced middle school courses) This packet offers your students the following: 27-SLIDE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION WITH VIDEO –Defines Ethos, Pathos, Logos – Provides Examples of Ethos, Pathos, Logos –Challenges students to test their knowledge on Ethos, Pathos, Logos –Final Video presentation of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Commercial Advertisements STUDENT NOTES –Fill-in-the-blank graphic organizer to help students comprehend, practice, and review Ethos, Pathos, Logos RHETORICAL APPEAL ACTIVITY –Instructions for an activity that challenges the students to implement Ethos, Pathos, Logos within their own commercial advertisement (print or video) –Ready to use Rubric (one that includes scoring and one that is blank to allow you to choose your own points per element)

1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL NOVEL UNIT Reading and Writing Unit Activity: Letter to a Character This is a great lesson to help students think critically about how characters are driven by plot. In addition, this lesson will hold them accountable for their reading engagement. This lesson is also print-ready-to-go to allow for little effort on your part! For this lesson, students will be asked to write a letter to a round/dynamic character of their choice from the novel (simple definitions of round/dynamic characters provided). This lesson can be done mid-reading or upon completion of the novel. This assignment helps students review the parts of a letter (a skill quickly becoming lost in the age of technology!) by providing them with detailed prompts and a template to help them structure their final draft. The prompts for each paragraph will help them flush out the following: Description of character and reflection of self in comparison Description of a particular moment in the novel that has an impact on their character Reflection of how character has undergone a change (or if they are still reading–how they think a character may undergo a change) Optional Fourth paragraph for extra credit/extra reflection An easy-to-grade rubric and clear, lined drafting paper is also provided!

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th English ELA Fun Middle School Halloween Activity: "Mad Libs!"This Parts of Speech Halloween Writing Activity is based on the popular and fun game of “Mad Libs!” In this Halloween version, students will rewrite a Halloween story by using different parts of speech: ADJECTIVES NOUNS VERBS and more! REVIEWS: “My students enjoyed this resource, and while they were shy to share their stories with the whole group, they happily shared their responses in smaller peer groups. I will happily use this resource next Halloween!” “This was such a great ELA activity to do with my students before Halloween weekend!” Easy, thoughtful activity with NO PREP for you!

******** A LETTER TO OUR PLANET EARTH: Earth Day can come and go with some of our students never truly having the opportunity to reflect on the impact they can have with the environment. This letter-writing activity allows them to do so. They are asked to describe some of Earth's greatest natural wonders, how the planet affects our survival as a human race, man's impact (negative and positive) on the environment, and how they can change their daily routines in order to help preserve planet Earth. There are instructions, suggestions/prompts for each paragraph, a letter-formatting template, and a final draft template included. Easy, thoughtful activity with NO PREP for you! Recommended Grades: 5th-10th

******** LETTER TO MY FAVORITE TEACHER: This is an end-of-the-year activity that allows students to reflect on that one, special teacher who positively impacted their lives. Not only will this help students realize how much their teachers should be appreciated, it will your brighten your colleagues' days! There is a template to help structure the letter, as well as prompts to help them brainstorm what they want to express to their teacher. Easy, thoughtful activity with NO PREP for you!

THE OUTSIDERS 10-QUESTION CHAPTER QUIZZES: I am not a huge proponent for multiple choice assessment, but sometimes with novel units, you do need a quick way to hold them accountable and to asses their comprehension. These are BASIC QUESTIONS* about the chapters, so if they are actually reading, they will get these correct. (*I note this because they are very basic plot and character elements used just as an assessment to make sure they are following along. The EXAM I offer in my store is much more detailed and thorough). There are three comprehension quizzes that cover Chapters 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12. There are ten multiple choice questions per quiz and an Answer Key is included. *****************************************************************************

This is a pre-unit activity that asks the students to make inferences about each God and Goddess based on the accompanying images. This activity will get them activating prior background knowledge and making inferences about the powers, actions, etc. of each God or Goddess. After filling out their worksheet, you can go over the actual powers and titles of each God or Goddess. (I also like to show the Mount Olympus cartoon on the History.com website--it is a quick and entertaining look at the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology). Answers included **Can also be used as a study guide once answers have been corrected**

******** THE OUTSIDERS TIMELINE PROJECT: This is a unit project for The Outsiders that is introduced prior to reading and worked on as you progress through the reading. (The project could also be done post-reading if preferred; students will just have to go back through the novel a second or third time to find his or her information). It includes a guideline with instructions for the students, a graphic organizer for note-taking, and an easy-to-grade rubric for you. This project encourages student engagement throughout the entire progression of the novel. I have found this to be an extremely helpful tool in my classroom with ensuring that students are engaged and comprehending. This Timeline can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups. With the timeline project, you are able to assess formative student engagement and comprehension throughout the unit, as opposed to a summative assessment at the end of the unit. *****************************************************************************

THE OUTSIDERS: JOHNNY ON TRIAL: Mock Trial: This is one of the most fun, yet academically engaging lessons I have done with my kids. With this activity, they are challenged to go deep into the novel and interact with characterization and plot development.This activity also challenges them to engage their writing, group collaboration, and public speaking skills. The activity is a Mock Trial for Johnny Cade and his role in the murder of Bob Sheldon. It is the students' job to decide if Johnny acted in self defense or if he is guilty of second degree murder. The packet guides the students through the process of the trial with easy-to-follow instructions which means no prep for you! A grading rubric is also included. (I have noted the duration is two days, but this activity can be extended for longer if needed). The packet includes the following: 1) Instructions/Note for the Teacher 2) General Instructions and Steps for the students 3) Terminology sheet of basic "Courtroom Lingo" 4) Character Role sheets for the following: *Johnny Cade *Ponyboy Curtis *Randy Adderson *Arresting Officer (not a true character to the novel) *Defense Lawyer *Prosecuting Lawyer *Judge *Jury Member Optional Roles include: *Cherry Valance *Marcia *Dally Winston *Darry Curtis 5) Jury Member Official "Verdict" Votes 6) Easy-to-Read GRADING RUBRIC

ESSAY RUBRIC AND STUDENT CHECKLIST: This Rubric and Checklist can be used for the Narrative Essay. The Rubric is comprehensive with the intent to cover the primary aspects of the narrative essay. Easy-to-grade with numerical choices per each Essay element and additional feedback box. The Student Checklist allows your students to review the following aspects of the essay: Brainstorming/Prewriting Rough Draft (Optional Secondary Drafts) Introduction/Conclusion Paragraphs Body Paragraphs/Support of Thesis Organization/Structure Grammar, Spelling, Usage *****************************************************************************

VERBALS UNIT ACTIVITY: CLOZE TEST: ☑ Common Core Standard: (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A) ☑ This is an activity to help introduce gerunds, infinitives, and participles. ☑ A Cloze Test is a way to measure a student’s prior knowledge on a subject by asking the student to fill in the missing words that have been removed from a passage. This Cloze Test will measure how much the student knows (or is able to predict) about GERUNDS, INFINITIVES, and PARTICIPLES. ☑ After completing the test, you will give the students the correct terminology (TIP: always fun to make it a COMPETITION! Whoever gets the most correct gets candy, 5 points on exam, etc). ☑ Once they have all of the answers, they will be able to use this as a guide for review before assignments and quiz or exam. ☑ Easy-to-read Answer Keys always included in my products