I have a total of 27 years teaching experience . After I received my M.Ed. from the University of Florida (hence the name "HappyEdugator"), I began teaching in elementary school, where I taught pull-out remedial classes for grades 2-5 and a section of K-1. Then I taught Pre-K for 5 years, before I went up to Middle School, where I have been in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Last year, I went back to 1st grade in a private setting. I have traveled worldwide and am also fluent in Spanish.
I have a total of 27 years teaching experience . After I received my M.Ed. from the University of Florida (hence the name "HappyEdugator"), I began teaching in elementary school, where I taught pull-out remedial classes for grades 2-5 and a section of K-1. Then I taught Pre-K for 5 years, before I went up to Middle School, where I have been in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Last year, I went back to 1st grade in a private setting. I have traveled worldwide and am also fluent in Spanish.
Fairy Tale Homophones. Fun practice sheet identifying homophones in famous fairy tales. Sheet includes ten sentence that have incorrect homophones for students to find and fix. Supports common core. - HappyEdugator
Fairy Tale Homophones. Fun practice sheet identifying homophones in famous fairy tales. Sheet includes ten sentence that have incorrect homophones for students to find and fix. Supports common core. - HappyEdugator
TEST PREP : Language Arts Practice for State Test. Usage and mechanics. This interactive PowerPoint is a good test prep review or study guide for any state test. It has 25 questions similar to the type students might find on a standardized test in Language Arts. Slides are set up so that students can first attempt the question on their own, and then use the next slide to check their answer and discuss. Designed for middle grades. Supports common core standards. - HappyEdugator
Non-fiction Text Structure PowerPoint. Describes non-fiction organisational patterns or informational text structure in easy to understand terms. 6 different text structures, including cause and effect, comparison/contrast, and sequence, question and answer, problem and solution, and description. The slides discuss each structure separately and offer what signal words to look for in each type of text. A concept map or graphic organiser accompanies each type of structure as well. Selections for practice included. Animated graphics and animations to engage your pupils. Helps students recognise different text structure when reading and provides a foundation for expository writing. 20 slides.- HappyEdugator
Figurative Language PowerPoint game. A fun interactive way to practice identifying types of sound devices and figurative language used in poetry and writing. One slide reviews definitions of similes, metaphors, idioms, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, and onomatopoeia before the start of the game. Students are given two sentences and have thirty seconds (fifteen seconds each) to decide what type of figurative language or sound device the underlined words function as in a sentence. (Time's up when the lines under the greyhound vanish) They can work with a partner and use wipe-off white boards or write the answers down on paper. After time is up, the sentences will disappear. Click again to check answers. Advance slide and click to start with a new set of sentences. 36 sentences in all. Updated and revised! (Please note - some people have expected that there is sound and a countdown timer. There is no sound or countdown timer...I cannot add that without removing the animation. Students just watch the racing dog and the two lines - when the first line disappears, they have to hurry up before the second line goes and time is up.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
- HappyEdugator
This word wall book also makes a great ABC Book - alphabet book for students to create their own. Fun for back to school or at the end of the year. Use with a word wall and many other vocabulary activities. Younger students can draw pictures to represent each letter, while older students can use the books as a review of a story, social studies or science unit, vocabulary activity, etc. Each page has an uppercase and lowercase letter at the top, a picture to represent the beginning sound, and a drawing box to write the letter. Lines for writing 12 different words. You can also use as a summarizing activity and have students find words that begins with each letter for their lesson, unit, novel, or even the whole year in review! Enjoy!
The Monsters are Due on Maple Street Plot Diagram Activity. A hands-on activity for the story The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. After learning that the plot is the sequence of events, and having been introduced to a plot diagram with the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, have your students work in small groups or individually to cut and paste this list of 11 events from the story onto their own plot diagram and label what part of the story they belong to. Blank plot diagram included, or have them create their own on a large piece of colored construction paper using the blank diagram as a guide.
You can also use the larger event cards (included) and challenge your students to do a human plot line.
1. Print out the 11 separate plot event cards. Laminate for durability.
2. Have some students hold up the cards and put themselves in the correct order in a kinesthetic activity.
3. Allow the rest of the class to help decide which is the correct sequence of events.
They will have to think critically to put the events in the correct order. I liked to do this before my students went to small groups, so that everyone could have a good understanding of the sequence of events before doing it on their own.
The story is not included...but is available free online. I have included links to the story and the video.
An analogy shows the relationship between pairs of words. The relationship between the first pair of words is the same as the relationship between the second pair of words. For example, quick is to fast as loud is to noisy. Four practice sheets for students. They must use the words in the box to complete the analogies. - HappyEdugator
The short story The Treasure of Lemon Brown by Walter Dean Myers has many literary elements for students to study. This packet addresses vocabulary, comprehension, character, theme, symbolism, internal conflict and external conflict, author's purpose, and tone. Requires critical thinking and analyzing the text to find evidence to support answers. Graphic organizers included. - HappyEdugator
Includes a guide for writing expository paragraphs that explains the structure of expository text, several writing prompts, and a writing assignment sheet with illustration box. - HappyEdugator
Parts of Speech PowerPoint. Parts of speech instruction, review, and practise.
Great for the beginning of the year or back to school! 58 animated slides explain the eight parts of speech! Lots of animations and sounds to keep your students engaged and interested, in addition to helping them understand English grammar! The key to writing good sentences is to know how words are put together and how they function in a sentence. Describes nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections and how words can function as different parts of speech. Lots of slides and information. Best to break into chunks to supplement your lessons.
Slides on Parts of speech including-
Nouns - definition
Concrete nouns and abstract nouns
Common nouns and proper nouns
Action verbs and linking verbs
"To be" verbs - forms of be
Personal pronouns Demonstrative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns Indefinate pronouns
Pronouns and Antecedents
Degrees of comparison - adjectives
Positive Comparative Superlative adjectives
Irregular Comparative adjectives
Coordinate adjectives - punctuation of
Order of Cumulative adjectives
Degrees of comparison - adverbs
Irregular Comparative adverbs
Prepostions and objects
Prepositional phrases
Coordinating Conjunctions and compound sentences
Subordinating Conjunctions and complex sentences
Interjections
A slide to practise with questions over the main points included after each part of speech section, followed by a slide with the answer key. Now also includes some links to videos and web content. - HappyEdugator
Poetry - Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt. Find figurative language while reading poetry! This is a simple hands-on activity to use with students to get them to recognize figurative and sensory language in poems. Students have to find examples of figurative and sensory language such as idioms, personification, hyperbole, metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, consonance, assonance, and rhyme. Students can work individually or in groups. You can make the activity a grade or make it a game with the winners getting the highest number of points. Includes teacher directions, student assignment sheet, and student recording sheet. Poems not included. Pull a variety of poetry books from the media center and allow students to search through the various texts. I take my students to the media center and have them work in groups, looking at books stacked on their tables. No doubt some of your pupils will get hooked on poetry after reading the variety of poems in this activity. Enjoy!
Supports these Common Core Standards, and also needs to be reinforced in higher grades as well.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.
- HappyEdugator
Paraphrasing - Steps to Great Paraphrasing PowerPoint presentation, including what is paraphrasing and why it is important. Stimulate students to think. Strategies to turn what they are reading into written summaries. Helpful when teaching how to research and write notecards and source cards. Students need to know how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism by putting their research into their own words. Supports common core state standards. Happy writing! - HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Context Clues Word Study Worksheet. This context clues sheet can be used as students read. They can chart the unknown word, the sentence in which it appears, make a prediction on the meaning, and record the actual meaning of the new word. Supports common core!
- HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
PowerPoint Timer! Classroom Management PowerPoint Timer. Set for any time up to 1 hour. Keep students on task with this countdown clock. The PowerPoint slides count down from 60 minutes all the way to "None." Set it for any time up to 60 minutes. It has a 2 minute warning (with a sound effect) as well to give students advance notice that time will be up soon. It can be used for timing students for many different activities including cooperative learning time, group work, independent work, timed tests, etc. A great visual aid for teaching students how to pace themselves for state tests. Just project it up on the Smartboard for all students to see. It doesn't have to be set always at 60 minutes: it can be set at any interval between 1 and 60 minutes and transitions slides each minute. Good classroom management technique to keep students on task.
Nonfiction Text Structure PowerPoint. Describes organizational patterns for informational text structure in easy to understand terms. Explains 6 different text structures, including cause and effect, comparison/contrast, and sequence, question and answer, problem and solution, and description. The first slide is a graphic organizer, and the remaining slides discuss each structure separately and offer what signal words to look for in each type of text. A graphic organizer accompanies each type of structure as well. Supports Common Score Standards for Reading Informational Text. Selections for practice included (along with a recipe you are sure to enjoy) Animated graphics and animations to engage your learners. Helps students recognize different text structure when reading and provides a foundation for expository writing. 22 slides. - HappyEdugator
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.5 Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
