Writing an Objective Summary with Rubric. Handout on how to write an objective summary based on common core standards. Often a constructed response will require a summary of the text. Includes rubric for evaluation.

Valentine's Day - Coded Words activity sheet. A fun Valentine activity for students to do to fill in time or at your Valentine's Day party. Decode the Valentine related words using the decoder at the bottom of the page. Key included. - HappyEdugator

Martin Luther King Jr. Crossword Puzzle. Cross word based on Dr. Martin Luther King's life. Medium difficulty for your students to solve. Useful as an extension or reinforcement activity for when you study MLK or to support Black History month. Now includes a copy with a word bank for scaffolding and differentiation. Solution included, of course. Updated: January 2015 Enjoy!

Rikki Tikki Tavi - Simple or Compound Sentences Practice Activity. This sheet has six sentences taken from the short story Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling. Students need to determine if the sentences are simple or compound. Good partner activity.Key included.

Writing to An Audience Project. How To Project. A writing assignment or writing project that teaches author's purpose and writing for different audiences. Student (and partner) will draw an audience from the basket. They are to choose their own how-to topic amd create a brochure for their audience. The purpose of this brochure is to tell a specific audience how to do something. Here are some examples: First graders - How to Convince Your Parents to Make Your Bedtime Later Parents - How to Get Along With Your Seventh-Grade Son or Daughter Teachers - How to Win Respect from Students Students will use creativity and their imagination to complete this writing activity. Complete project rubric included. - HappyEdugator

Christmas Activity - Writing Letters from Santa. Christmas Writing Center from a different point of view. Students pretend to be Santa Claus and write persuasive letters on various topics. Fun December activity. Includes teacher directions, Student directions, Santa's Wish List (student requirements) and eight different writing topics on decorative lined paper. Also includes an optional extra credit assignment where students write a postscript for their letter

Context Clues - Analyzing Context Clues PowerPoint. Help students figure out unknown words in text. Build vocabulary and reading comprehension by teaching common context clues. This PowerPoint has explains five different context clues: definition, synonym, antonym, example, and inference. Practice activity at the end with answers. 15 slides. Updated August 2015. Good for test prep! -

Story Elements Think Tac Toe. This literary elements think-tac-toe has students investigate characterization, setting, and plot and differentiates by learning style. This can be used with any short story or book. Students choose one box from each row of the project choice board or menu and then completes. (A row goes horizontally) They do not need to have three in a row or column. Good to use at the end of a book or any story. Nice differentiated culminating activity for elements of a short story. Includes a checklist at the bottom for students to make sure their work is high quality. An engaging way to assess student understanding. Updated August 2015

Middle School Technical Writing Rubric. Standards based rubric for use with technical writing, such as letters, thank-you notes, formula poems, instructions, web pages, procedures, business correspondence, resumes, job applications, and application essays. The purpose of technical writing is to inform, explain, interpret, evaluate, and/or recommend in order to transmit specialized information to a specific audience. This rubric will help middle school students focus on what they need to acheive in order to meet state standards. The rubric has four categories -conventions of language and style, purpose, organization, and development and support of content. Standards-based grade: students will exceed, meet, approach, or fall below standard in each category. Students can self-evaluate their work. Editable for your classroom use.

Easter Activity Pack - Literacy and Math Fun. Spring into spring with a 27 page packet. Includes an Easter writing prompt and coloring sheet, Easter writing paper, an Easter crossword, an Easter word search, an Easter acrostic poem sheet, an Easter poem writing sheet, Easter Syllables, Easter shopping math activities, Easter Fractions and Easter Decimals sheets, a Bunny Hop Search for Numbers divisible by 4, an Easter math puzzle, an Easter puppet template, an Easter bookmark, and Easter ABC order. Answer Keys included. Lots of fun for April!- HappyEdugator

Character Traits Rating Continuum Graphic Organizer. Supports common core. This graphic organizer will have students doing some higher level thinking! Students analyze a character trait as they read a book by placing specific examples or text evidence of that trait from the book on a continuum. For instance, they could rate Brian's survival skills in Hatchet, or Billy's maturity in Where the Red Fern Grows. As they find examples of the trait in the book, they write the page number, a description, and evaluate it. This can be done with a book the whole class is reading with teacher guidance, and then with their independent reading books as well. Supports common core! - HappyEdugator

Halloween Writing Activity for Smartboard. Halloween writing motivator. Five different Halloween characters...vampire, ghost, scarecrow, skeleton, and witch. Students drag the character traits they want for their chosen Halloween character into the box. They then can name their character and in their journal show, not tell, how their character demonstrates the traits they chose. Good Halloween Smartboard activity for the whole group or class, or use as enrichment for a center. You can choose to make one character a day for a whole week. Many character traits to choose from, some will build vocabulary by having to look up unknown words. Supports common core standards in writing. Happy Halloween!

Short a sound - Sounding Out Words PowerPoint. Teach reading with phonics and decoding using word families. CVC words. Begin with Short a Word Family. Slides introduce the sound of short a and have students practice blending short a sound with consonants to form one syllable CVC words. Students read the the slides, and get rewarded with fun sounds and cheers! This is a first step to reading after students learn consonant sounds.

Halloween Spooky Grammar PowerPoint. Halloween PowerPoint with a spooky Halloween twist to learning about misplaced and dangling modifiers. Beware of these sentence errors! Thirteen slides with Halloween themed animations define, give examples and tips to fix these troubling errors. Assignment at the end has seven spooky sentences to correct. Last slide is the key. Happy Halloween! - HappyEdugator

Help students learn their letters with this Letter Recognition and Alphabet Order Smartboard Activity. Learn the alphabet with a Smart board! Students will have fun on the interactive SmartBoard learning to read, write and order the alphabet. Teaches letter recognition, letter formation, and alphabetical order. Listen to the sound of each letter and trace how the letter is formed on the Smartboard. Each letter of the alphabet is presented in order, with a picture of something that begins with that letter. Click on sound icon to hear it. Multisensory learning. They can touch the icon to listen to the letter, then say the letter, use a marker, pen, or creative pen to trace the letter, see a picture of an animal that represents that letter, and finally, trace the alphabet and place the letters in order using fridge magnets. Upper case and lower case letter writing practice. Students can see the letter, hear the letter, and trace the letter. They have the opportunity to trace the alphabet in upper case and lower case letters. On the last slide, they can build their own alphabet in correct alphabetical order. Fun and interactive learning for the students. Supports common core state standards. 32 pages. - HappyEdugator

Pintastic Report Board - This blank Pinterest style template to make reports on any topic, Print it off and have students create a unique research report, book report or character analysis. Students love social media and will be excited to create their own bulletin board. The first page is a blank template, and the second page is a guide for where to put information. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Inspirational Posters - Bird Theme. You get TEN (10) Motivational posters with inspirational quotes for your clasroom decor. Sized 81/2 X 11. Print and laminate, or project on your whiteboard as a daily message for students to see as they walk in the door. These can also be used as daily writing prompts. Have students reflect on the meaning of the poster and the image. Set 1 of 4 sets. - HappyEdugator

Beautiful engaging Inspirational Posters - Bird Theme. 10 Motivational posters for your classroom decor. Sized 81/2 X 11. Print and laminate, or project on your whiteboard as a daily message for students to see as they walk in the door. These can also be used as daily writing prompts. Have students reflect on the meaning of the poster and the image. Set 2 of 4 sets. - HappyEdugator

Inspirational Posters - Bird Theme. 10 Motivational posters with inspirational quotes for your clasroom decor. Sized 81/2 X 11. Print and laminate, or project on your whiteboard as a daily message for students to see as they walk in the door. These can also be used as daily writing prompts. Have students reflect on the meaning of the poster and the image. Set 3 of 4 sets. - HappyEdugator

Inspirational Posters - Bird Theme. 10 Motivational posters with inspirational quotes for your clasroom decor. Sized 81/2 X 11. Print and laminate, or project on your whiteboard as a daily message for students to see as they walk in the door. These can also be used as daily writing prompts. Have students reflect on the meaning of the poster and the image. Set 4 of 4 sets.