The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas PowerPoint. An introductory preview of the book, with a glimpse of the plot and characters, important vocabulary, setting, and a little about the author. This book is the first in a series of three books. - Greg Smith

Students will match color words to the sheet with the correct color and trace the sentence. If you want an activity you can use over and over again:
Print color word cards out on cardstock, cut apart, and laminate for durability. 
Print out activity sheets on cardstock and laminate for durability.
Have students match the color words to the correct color activity sheet. They can place the color word in the box, and then use wet erase markers to trace the sentence. When they have completed the activity, they can erase the color sheets with wet wipes. 
Alternatively, you can print these out on regular paper and make it a cut and paste activity. 
You can have children work in groups or individually.
You can make this a whole group activity doing one color at a time, or make it a center activity with as many colors as you would like. 
Thanks and enjoy. - Greg Smith

Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera PowerPoint. An introductory preview of the book, with a glimpse of the plot and characters, important vocabulary, themes, and a little about the author. Discussion questions and activities. Good read! - Greg Smith

Swindle by Gordan Korman PowerPoint. Preview the book Swindle by Gordan Korman and get students excited to read. Includes 16 vocabulary terms that students will need to know to better understand the book. Enjoy this freebie with sounds and animations that will engage your kids. - Greg Smith

The Ransom of Red Chief Short Story Study. Includes story, story elements activity sheets, vocabulary, vocabulary activity sheets, and the comprehension test. INCLUDES the vocabulary and test, which are also available separately

Students will enjoy the traditional Columbus Day poem that starts with "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue..." illustrated with this animated PowerPoint. Afterwards, they can learn a song set to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb, that will help them remember what they learned. - Greg Smith

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg PowerPoint. Preview the book with this PowerPoint and get your students interested in this award-winning book! Set during the Vietnam War, it tells the story about a young boy named Matt Pin from Vietnam who was airlifted out during the war after his mother begged American Soldiers to take him so he could live in the United States and have a better life. Includes vocabulary words for students to investigate. - Greg Smith

The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice PowerPoint. An introductory preview of the book, with a glimpse of the plot and characters, important vocabulary, themes, and a little about the author. Includes links to information, videos, and music about the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano to build background knowledge. Good read! - Greg Smith

Fun gnomes writing paper for your little gnome writers. Gnomes can also be used for elves! 7 different styles. In color and black and white, with the option of no borders. Includes a friendly letter template. All papers have a place for name and date. Your students will be able to write letters, stories, poems, and more with this set of papers. Great to go with books on gnomes, like No! No! Gnomes, or to write letters to desk gnomes. Enjoy! - Greg Smith ©2016 Greg Smith.

Subject Verb Agreement practice and review. Students will have fun with the Jeopardy style PowerPoint game. Students play it similar to the game show...by answering with the question. Enjoy! - Greg Smith

Word Game - Categories. Students will have fun competing in this word game that requires quick thinking. How to play: Choose a letter Choose a category Name as many words as you can that begin with that letter that fit in the category in the time allowed. Print out letters on card stock, cut out and laminate for durability. Print out categories on card stock, cut out and laminate for durability. Store separately in containers of your choice, but best if they are not clear. You may use the included labels for your containers. When you are ready to play, take out the containers and draw ( or have a student draw) a letter from one and a category from the other. You may project the How to Play slide on your whiteboard. Players will have to think of as many words that begin with the letter drawn that fit into the category selected. Game can be played individually, but works best in groups or teams. Give players 3 minutes (more or less, depending on your group) Have them record their answers on a sheet of paper, or you can print out the recording sheet After time is up, the player(s) with the most amount of words in that category wins! Everything you need to play this game for a long time! Includes 216 different category cards, 26 alphabet cards, labels for storage, teacher directions, student directions, optional recording sheet

What is a Portmanteau? Activity. Background information on portmanteau, definition, portmanteau in literature, functions of portmanteau. Students determine the portmanteaus from the given words...interactive and self checking. May be shown as a slideshow or printed out and used as task cards for a center. Also includes activity on making a personal portmanteau with a template for a poster. Great beginning of the year activity! - Greg Smith

The Monsters are due on Maple Street PowerPoint and Printables. The PowerPoint includes background information on the teleplay, terms used in film making, themes, setting, conflict, foreshadowing, 16 vocabulary words to know, comprehension questions and essay questions. At the end of the slide show, you will find printable activities to support learning: a printable anticipation guide, a printable vocabulary recording sheet to go with the vocabulary slides, and a plot diagram to fill out. - Greg Smith

Twenty One Balloons Novel Study. Based on the novel by William Pene DuBois. Includes Plot Overview, Vocabulary by Chapter, Discussion Questions, Informational Text on Volcanoes, Volcano Crossword Puzzle, Map Labeling Activity, Internet Research Questions on Krakatoa, Quiz with key, Study Guide with key, Test with key, Coloring page, Justification Page, Around the World Sequencing, and What Would You Do? Culminating Activity. 23 pages.

This PowerPoint will help your students analyze themes in the book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. Use it after having read the book to have class discussion about the themes of friendship, appearance, and acceptance in the novel. Includes journal writing prompts, group work, homework, and a whole class hands-on activity to do to understand challenges facing people with disability. - Greg Smith

Writing - How to Write for Different Situations. The slides are short summaries of how to write in different situations. Students can use these guides to help them write in a variety of ways. You may wish to use these as reference sheets to put in interactive notebooks or writing journals. You can also print these out, laminate, and make into posters for your writing center. The instruction guides can also be projected on an overhead when you want students to refer to them while they are working. You can also print these out on index cards (adjust your printer settings before you print), and make into a little reference book which can be laminated and stored on a ring for a writing center. Includes: How to Write Effective Paragraphs How to Compose a Paragraph of Comparison or Contrast How to Write a Book Report Research: How to Choose and Limit a Topic Research: How to Take Notes Efficiently Research: How to Write a Topic Outline Research: How to Write a Research Report Research: How to Write a Bibliographic Entry for a Book or Encyclopedia How to Write a News Article How to Write Explanations or Give Directions How to Conduct and Report an Interview How to Write a Friendly Letter How to Write a Business Letter Editing Checklist

Diary of Anne Frank Play - Supporting Material. This study guide includes a timeline of events, history of Anne Frank's Diary, Comparison of Events in the Play to real life, The Holiday of Hannakuh, Living in the Secret Annex, Diagrams of the living quarters, photos of the secret annex, individual and group activity, link to the film Forget Me Not, Classroom activity ideas, and Writing prompts. - Greg Smith

Holes by Louis Sachar Literature Guide. Novel study of book Holes includes several vocabulary lists, 8 quizzes on the book, one end of book test, reading response journal writing prompts for each chapter, and a list of good websites to use when teaching the novel Holes. Keys included in literature guide. - HappyEdugator

My Brother Sam is Dead PowerPoint. Use this PowerPoint as an introduction, a reading guide, and to conclude your novel study on My Brother Sam is Dead. Includes information about the author, background information, themes, setting, characters, conflicts, vocabulary, discussion questions, writing response questions, essays, research, and opinion writing. - Greg Smith

The Clay Marble Novel Study. Use this novel guide for the book The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho. Character maps, graphic organizers, Vocabulary, and Tests with constructed response and vocabulary matching. Also has possible projects and a pcture book writing project with rubric. 23 pages.