End of Year - Summer Jumbled Words PowerPoint Game. Fun end of the year interactive word scramble game with summer words. Words will appear in scrambled form for students to try to puzzle out. Click for a clue, then click for the answer. Click again to go to the next slide. Fun activity for the end of the year , last day of school, or for summer camp. 18 slide PowerPoint Skill Level - EASY

Drama Extension Activities PowerPoint. Presentation includes several extension menus for differentiating instruction for any drama unit. These were developed originally to be used with the plays "A Christmas Carol" and "The Diary of Anne Frank," but can be used with any play or dramatization. There are extension menus or enrichment activities for author, time period, play comprehension, drama terms and an independent study guide and a menu of reading project ideas for multiple intelligences-auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Also included is an oral presentation rubric and a peer evaluation form. Useful for gifted students who need extra independent work. Enjoy. - HappyEdugator

Valentine's Day Crossword Puzzle. Cross word is slightly challenging for middle grades students. Made for middle grades and up. Enjoy! Solution included, of course. Examples of the types of clues and level of difficulty below: cardboard greeting = CARD often written to lovers = POEM sweet confections = CANDY the act of seeking a partner = COURTSHIP love story= ROMANCE stunningly beautiful =RAVISHING has the power of attracting = CHARM the blossoms of plants = FLOWERS like sugar = SWEET without end = FOREVER inspiring approval = ADMIRABLE boyfriend = BEAU term of endearment = DARLING symbol of love; at the center of = HEART - HappyEdugator

Parts of a Book PowerPoint. Basic parts of a book from the cover, spine and pages to what is inside. Distinguishes between fiction and nonfiction books, and explains how a book is organized, from the title page, table of contents, to the index and bibliography. Animated graphics make it engaging. Supports common core standards. Revised with more content in June 2014 - HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Halloween Smartboard Games - 4 Different Activities K - 3. Four Interactive Halloween Activities for the Smart board. The first game, Halloween Consonant-Vowel Sort, is really an easy game for the little ones. They have to decide if the Halloween word begins with a consonant or a vowel, and place it in the vortex. The second game is a Halloween Word Guess, a game similar to Hangman. The third game is A Halloween Sequence, where they have to put the events of Halloween in chronological order. The last game is a Multiple choice Halloween Fun Fact Quiz. Games are made with SMART Notebook software. -HappyEdugator

An assignment to give at the end of the year to keep students engaged in their learning. Students will present a 3-5 minute speech reflecting on the people and experiences that made this year memorable. 3x5 cards required, and visual aids are strongly recommended. This is ready made for you to hand out to your kids. Included is the printable assignment sheet with guiding questions, requirements, and a grading rubric. Students will really enjoy telling their stories, and this will make a memorable and fun activity for the last week of school.

Mother's Day Gift - Flower Pot Craftivity. Make a mum for mom for Mother's Day! Print out flower parts and flowerpot on cardstock. Students can write adjectives that describe their Mom on the orange flower petals, then cut out the pieces and assemble by gluing the petals on to the flower center, and then adding the stem and leaves. Students can decorate the flowerpot with their name, pictures, stickers, glitter, etc. and then attach the flower to the flowerpot. After flower is dry, laminate or cover with clear contact paper for durability, and trim. Write a message to mom on the flower pot. Give to mom on Mother's Day to make her smile! Includes black and white pages, MOM or MUM for flower center, and a list of Mother's Day adjectives to help students choose the ones that best describe their mothers.

Transportation - Transportation Ways to Go PowerPoint Presentation. What moves you? Kinds of transportation PowerPoint. Introduce and investigate the concept of transportation from the days of Paul Revere's ride to the present, with the many types of transportation we have available today. Students will have 54 different kinds of transportation to identify and classify, including interesting ones like Segways and the ISS. Each one is numbered, and then the answer is on the next slide, so they get immediate feedback. Slides can be advanced on a Smartboard and students can check themselves. This can be used to build background knowledge and vocabulary skills for students who have limited experiences. - HappyEdugator

Alaska Study Questions Webquest. Includes an Iditarod Webquest, too. Students must answer 10 basic questions about the state of Alaska. Includes a list of safe websites for researching the questions. Questions are about location, climate, demographics, resources, etc. Iditarod webquest has 10 questions with a website to use for a guide. Students can complete as a webquest or do research to find the answers. Answer key for the teacher is included, which can be used as a guide for class discussion as well. A photo of bears fishing and the famous red lantern included to share with students. - HappyEdugator

Signal Word Posters. Set of 6 reading comprehension strategy posters to help students spot signal words or transition words in reading that show main idea, compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequencing, inferences, and fact and opinion. Hang up at the beginning of the year for back to school decorating with a purpose. Supports common core! - HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3c Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3c Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3c Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.

Ancient Greece and Rome Tic Tac Think. Differentiated assignment menu to use as an extension writing activity. In this activity, students choose a task from each horizontal row. Students have a choice but will focus on characteristics, impact and constructing support for the importance of these early civilizations. In some cases the teacher may want to specify certain tasks for individual students. You may challenge some students to complete all the squares for enrichment. PowerPoint format. You can display on whiteboard or print out slides as handouts. Included is a writing checklist for assessment. - HappyEdugator

All About Me Puzzle - Back to School. Fun beginning of the year activity. Print and go! All you have to do is sign! Students will take the sheet home, decorate the puzzle pieces about themselves, cut out (optional) and return to school to share with the class. This can be given out at Open House and the kids can return them on the first day, or you can give it out as their first homework assignment on the first day of school! You can use it as a fun filler activity early in the year or anytime you wish. Includes a puzzle piece sheet to print out on card stock, and a letter to parents with a poem detailing student directions. - HappyEdugator

Research Skills Vocabulary Practice Sheet. This worksheet is an introduction to research vocabulary. Students will need to understand the basic vocabulary they will need when conducting research in a library or media center. This short fill-in-the-blank activity will give them practice with some of the terms they will encounter when writng a report or on state tests. - HappyEdugator

Thanksgiving Counting Turkeys math and literacy sheet. Numbers 1 - 10. Students have to count the turkeys, draw a line to match them to the number word, then write the number in the box provided. Use turkey or feather shaped candy and have your kids count them out as they complete the sheet. Fun math activity for Thanksgiving. Supports math, reading, and writing skills. Supports common core state standards! - HappyEdugator

Commonly Confused Words and Practice Sentences. Good spelling help! Includes a handout of twenty commonly confused words that are often seen on state tests. Includes common homophones like there, they're and their; frequently confused words with usage errors such as its, and it's and should have vs. should of; as well as words such as sit and set and lie and lay. Also includes sentence practice to really make them think. Five sentences per page on four pages...students must fill in the blanks. Can be projected on the overhead or printed. Hand out the list on Monday, then use for a week of warm-ups, and then test on Friday.

Reading Strategy Strips - How to Think When You Read. Make active reading strategies more concrete and help students take personal ownership of using reading strategies taught in class. Students will focus on ways to approach their reading. This will empower students to become better independent readers by giving them actual tools they can use to figure out unknown words and gain comprehension of the text. Directions for the teacher: Print out strategy strips, cut out, and laminate. Use these during guided reading lessons. If possible, schedule guided reading groups for at least 25 minutes, four days a week. In small groups, introduce the text and have the students discuss the pictures, make connections and predictions. Immerse students in leveled texts that are on their instructional reading level in a variety of genres. As they read the story, choral read with the whole group or whisper read with individuals to figure out words in context. Write troublesome words on the white board and discuss which strategies will help. Discuss and elaborate on the strategy strips you wish to focus on that day. This depends on the stage of readers. Primarily, with emergent readers, Study the pictures and Read to understand work well. Early readers will be ready for Point at the words and Hear the sounds whereas, students who are already using active reading strategies may be ready for Read some more. Put these strips on white board with a magnet. If students are reading individually, troublesome words can be put on small white boards, and reading strips can be left on the table. Students can pull the strips for the strategies they used. Teacher can suggest other strategies that would be helpful. If a student makes a substitution, for instance, it is a good time to stop, write both words on the white board, and use the strategies to check the words. Use one set of strategies for the whole group. Play strategy detective and see if you can guess who is using which strategy. Students will notice that sometimes they will need to use more strategies than other times. This will help them figure out which books are just right, or if they are too easy or too difficult, so that they will be better able to select books that are appropriate for their level of development. Included here are the active reading strategy strips which you can print out and laminate, and the teacher directions, including an explanation and elaboration on what each strip really means. - HappyEdugator

Mother's Day Activity Pack - Mother's Day activities. Print and go. Includes an original Mother's Day song to learn, an original poem, a card, slides to print out to make pictures, poems, and handprints for Mom, a slide picture frame, a recipe for a sweet treat, and suggestions for crafts and ideas for gifts and easy things to do for Mom on her special day. For example, make butterflies with clothespins, clip them on twigs and make her a butterfly tree. Happy Mother's Day! 18 pages. - HappyEdugator

Dandelions by Eve Bunting Tic Tac Think. Differentiated assignment menu to use as an extension writing activity for the book. In this activity, students choose a task from each horizontal row. Students have a choice, but will have to make different text connections in each row. In some cases the teacher may want to specify certain tasks for individual students. You may challenge some students to complete all the squares for enrichment. PowerPoint format. You can display on whiteboard or print out slides as handouts. Included is a writing checklist for assessment. - HappyEdugator

Spring Vegetable Garden Signs - Fun Literacy Activity! Spring activities: Great handwriting practice! A good accompaniment to the book The Gardener by Sarah Stewart., or books about seeds. Have your students make vegetable garden signs! They can make these as a gift or just to celebrate the coming of spring. Print out the color slides on index cards (set up your printer to the desired size) or on card stock or tag board. Then students can trace the letters and name the vegetables. Students practice reading and writing; developing vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and fine motor skills. When finished, laminate and attach to craft sticks and let them take them home to put in the garden. Good to use in March, April, and May. For even more fun, plant a bean in a paper cup with potting soil and let it grow. Kids can take home their signs when their bean has sprouted. Or plant a school vegetable garden. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Good Writers Will Have Success - Traits of Good Writing Posters. Success becomes an acronym for the traits of good writers. 6 Traits include Ideas and Content, Word Choice, Fluency, Voice, Organization, Conventions, and Presentation. These can be printed as a handout, made into a transparency, projected by LCD, or even blown up into a poster. Students will be reminded about what it takes to be a successful writer. Hang up at the beginning of the year to get your students thinking before they write. - HappyEdugator