Reading: The Importance of Rereading Story Frame. Reading a short story? This story frame can be used with any short story to encourage students to reread for specific details on characters, events, setting, and conflict. A good way to have students think about what they read. This is also a useful activity to use as a substitute lesson plan! - HappyEdugator

Present Simple and Progressive Verb Tenses PowerPoint. Explains how the present simple and present progressive verb tense is used correctly in the English language. Grammar rules and structure are examined, and examples and graphic organizers show how the verbs are formed in positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions. 18 slides. - HappyEdugator

Poetry Anthology Anchor Activity and Rubric. Students create a poetry anthology or poetry portfolio. Handout is the complete assignment for a poetry anthology for a poetry unit, including rubric. Give this handout and rubric to your students if you wish them to work on a poetry anthology project, which can also be used as an anchor activity to work on when other work is complete. - HappyEdugator

The Velveteen Rabbit PowerPoint. Author Notes, Vocabulary, Comprehension Activities to go with The Velveteen Rabbit Or How Toys Become Real by Marjorie Williams Bianco. Great story for Christmas, Easter or Spring. Share this classic with your students, and use the PowerPoint slides to discuss difficult vocabulary as you read. There are comprehension questions for each chapter as well. I put these together at the end of the show, but you can reorder the slides if you wish to present it in chapters or smaller chunks. There is information also about the author and when the story was written. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Easter acrostic poem. Do you need a quick fun activity for Easter? This is a short 5 slide PowerPoint explaining how to write an acronym poem, also called an acrostic poem. This would be a good warm-up activity to use just before Easter or right before Spring Break. Included is a definition of an acronym or acrostic poem, two example poems using egg and Easter, an Easter vocabulary slide, and a slide prompting students to write their own poem. You could also print this last slide for students to fill in. - HappyEdugator

Recommended Novel Reading Lists for Grades 7 - 12 with Lexile Levels. Useful when planning novel studies. Includes an alphabetical list of 180 novels and authors, along with their grade level recommendations and lexile reading levels, a list for high school, and a list for middle school. Useful for planning appropriate text complexity with the new common core standards. Can also be used as a suggested summer reading list - HappyEdugator

Chromebooks Rules for the Classroom - If your school is using Google Chromebooks in the classroom, you can use these technology rules for using notebooks in the classroom to get your kids started. You can adapt these rules to various notebooks or other laptops on a cart, or even for iPads. Left EDITABLE so you can change them for your classroom needs. Just project them on your SMARTBOARD or whiteboard and go over them with your kids before you begin. Use the last slide to review. Uesful for any subject, and a good resource for computing class. Hope you find it helpful!

Poetry Book Project. Students will create a poetry book by writing 11 different poems from a list of subjects, and each poem will require a different element of poetry including figurative language (metaphor, simile, idiom, personification, hyperbole) or sound device( onomatopoeia, alliteration). Students must also include one of each type of poetry given (limerick, ode, haiku, ballad, free verse, etc) Detailed rubric included. - HappyEdugator A great activity to do with this PowerPoint is to have the kids write their own dialogues. I cut out of magazines some interesting pictures of all kinds of different people interacting. I glued them on cardstock, with the words Who? What? Where? When? and Why? written on each card, and laminated them. I passed the cards out, and students had to imagine what the people were saying to each other in the pictures, and then write the dialogue, using correct punctuation. They also had to later incorporate the dialogue into a short story that answered the five W questions/ The kids enjoyed this activity and got very creative with their stories! Enjoy! :) HappyEdugator

Correlative Conjunctions Study Guide. Study guide and worksheet on correlative conjunctions. Definition, Examples, and practice using correlative conjunctions correctly in a sentence. Subject/verb agreement and pronoun/antecedent agreement using correlative conjunctions when writing sentences. Key inlcuded. Supports common core. -HappyEdugator CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.1e Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).

Earth Day Word Problems - Multiple Operations. 15 word problems related to Earth Day for your students to solve. Includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Some are two step problems. Encourages critical thinking and application of basic math skills. Supports common core! Problems can also be cut out and used as task cards. - HappyEdugator

Valentine's Day Pop-Up Valentine Card. Step by step directions on how to make a pop up Valentine card for Valentine's Day with just a plain piece paper! Includes instructions, template for cutting and folding, photos of what the card will look like when folded. After students make the cards, they can decorate them and add their own personal message with crayons, markers, glitter, stickers, etc. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs - Short Story Unit. Includes Anticipation Guide, Vocabulary, Plot Summary, Use Your Vocabulary sheet with key, About the Author, Comprehension Quiz with key, Essay Questions and Short Answer Questions that require students to use evidence from the text in their answers to support common core.The Monkey's Paw is a great spooky ghost story! A good read for Halloween or anytime. Enjoy!

Rebus Puzzles - a fun critical thinking activity. Figure out the word puzzles. Great to do with partners, or use as a warm up. Print and go, Works especially well for gifted and talented students who enjoy challenges, but will work with other student populations as well. Enjoy! - Happyedugator

Short Story Assignment Menu. Great for differentiation. This is an assignment menu which can be used as a culminating activity for a unit on short stories. It is differentiated by learning preference and level of difficulty. A rubric for grading is included.

Penguins - Penguins Crossword Puzzle based on penguin facts. Penguins are cool! Word list for the clues included. Key included. Good winter activity or use when reading books on penguins like Tacky the Penguin, Penguin Pete, or Puffins Climb, Penguins Rhyme. - Happyedugator

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.

Elements of a Fairy Tale PowerPoint. This PowerPoint will introduce your students to the main characteristics and elements of fairy tales, such as magic, royalty, characters, lessons and more. Animated slides will engage your students. I use this presentation to introduce a unit on fairy tales. Use it in combination with my Elements of Fairy Tales chart, then have students read several fairy tales (I assign at least 5) and let them determine what elements they can find in each story. - HappyEdugator

Polar Bears - Fun Facts About Polar Bears PowerPoint. Polar bear facts including information on polar bear size, adaptations, what polar bears eat, cubs, global warming, the environment, etc. Informational text for reading practice. Animated clips make it more engaging to young readers. Includes three activities! Activity 1 - Read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear? By Eric Carle. Click on the sound icons and identify the everyday sound. Name the sound and draw a picture. Activity 2 - Discuss camouflage. Find multicolored toothpicks thrown in the grass...why is it harder to find the green ones? Activity 3 - True False facts about the polar bear. The last slide has book suggestions for further reading for literacy and math development, such as Polar Bears Past Bedtime. Fun to use around the Christmas season or during the winter months! - HappyEdugator

ersuasive Prompts Handout. Use this as a handout to give students many different choices for writing an argument or opinion piece, or use the prompts separately for different writing assignments. There is a total of 18 persuasive writing prompts that will surely get them writing! - HappyEdugator Supports Common Core ELA Writing Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1a Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1b Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1d Establish and maintain a formal style. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1a Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1d Establish and maintain a formal style. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1a Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1d Establish and maintain a formal style. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Martin Luther King Jr. Vs. Malcolm X Venn Diagram. Students must research and compare the two civil rights activists using the Venn diagram provided. Students research Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, and can use this Venn Diagram to report on their findings, or as a graphic organizer for writing a comparison contrast paper. Good for black history month, MLK day, or any time for a study of the two different leaders and how they were similar and different. For differentiation, one page is blank where students have to fill in both sides, and the other page has the MLK side completed so students just have to complete the information on Malcolm X. The last page is a key with both sides completed and the central question answered.