Cask of Amontillado - Short Story Unit and Teaching Activities. Teaching resources to go with the short story by Edgar Allan Poe. Includes a short bio of Edgar Allan Poe, Pre-Reading Questions, Overview of the story, Vocabulary to Watch for with graphics, 10 Question Multiple Choice Quiz with key, Essay Questions, Discussion Questions, Character Analysis T Chart, Irony Handout, and a list of web resources with links to a great YouTube video and Online slideshow. - HappyEdugator

Writing Essays - how to write an essay starting with a graphic organizer. This PowerPoint will walk students through a graphic organizer and using it to write a rough draft of an essay, either expository or persuasive. A sample of the graphic organizer is on a slide, but I usually make two blank copies of the organizer to give to each student. A printable graphic organizer is included at the end for you to print for student copies. We do one together on the practice thesis statement, and then they have one to use when they write from a different prompt. Great test prep for state writing tests. - HappyEdugator

Poetry Test - Poetry Terms, Poetic Devices, Figurative Language and Form. This 30 question test on Poetry assesses students on their understanding of poetry terms, their ablility to identify different types of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, and personification. Also, students must read several poems and identify their form, such as free verse, haiku, narrative, concrete, or limerick. - HappyEdugator

Literary Terms for Fiction Handout. This handout has 47 essential literary terms defined in easy to understand language that students should be familiar with when taking standardized tests. Great for test prep! Some of the litereature terms include elements of a short story, such as exposition, climax, resolution; elements of plot, conflict and theme. Supports common core standards. Goes with my Literary Terms for Fiction TEST. - HappyEdugator

Vocabulary Game - Race to the Finish! Can be used with any vocabulary list for students to practice their vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. Print out game board and student directions, (best on cardstock and laminated or placed in page protectors) and provide a die and a game piece for each player. Can be used as a file folder game. Works best with 2 - 3 students per board...but can be more. You can differentiate by allowing students to use resources or not. Also works well for gifted and talented kids who easily get bored. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Reading - In Class Reading Log. On this Pop Into A Good Book reading log, students can keep track of their in-class reading, by recording title, author, genre, finished/abandoned, rating, and difficulty. When log is completed, they will select their favorite book. Movie and popcorn theme. Perhaps reward your class for reading with a movie and popcorn! - HappyEdugator

Christmas Figurative Language Memory Game PowerPoint. This Christmas PowerPoint game on figurative language is set up like the game Concentration. This Christmas game provides matching pairs made up of a literary term and its definition on one slide and an example from literature on another slide. For a fun December winter activity, the examples are related to Christmas. Examples come from such works as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, and even The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Some of the terms used in the game are metaphor, allusion, oxymoron, paradox, symbol, simile and irony. Click on the number on the board to reveal the card. Click on the number on the card or the arrow button to return to the board. Instructions on play are included, as well as a link to a Christmas music video to watch when the game is completed. Revised and Updated. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! -HappyEdugator

Seventh Grade by Gary Soto Preview PowerPoint. Introduce the short story 7th grade by the author Gary Soto. Develops background knowledge. Information about the author. Images compare Fresno, California to Paris, France. Vocabulary connection includes words like tortilla, fiesta, and siesta. Students are reminded to think about the author's purpose and the theme of the story as they read. There are several slides with images of different Gary Soto books for students who might be interested in reading books by this author. I use this presentation to introduce the story to my students. Includes a graphic organizer of the elements of fiction which you can print out for your students. Story is about the going back to school experience of a middle grades boy who wishes to impress a certain girl. - HappyEdugator

Halloween Horrid Homonyms Worksheet. A Halloween writing activity. Many students get homonyms (or homophones) confused when they write, and this worksheet will help them practice using homonyms correctly. There are twenty sets of commonly misused homonyms, and students will write their own spooky sentences using the homonyms correctly. To make it more challenging, students can try to use both ( or all three) homonyms in the same sentence! Students can work with partners or individually, as the teacher directs. They can then write a Halloween story using their newly learned homonyms. Decorative lined paper included. The idea can be adapted for other holidays as well. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Middle School Expository Writing Rubric. Use with expository essays, and help middle school students focus on what they need to acheive in order to meet state standards. The standards based rubric has four categories: conventions of language, purpose and style, 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. -Happyedugator

Seventh Grade by Gary Soto Multiple Choice Test. Quick assessment. Ten multiple choice questions on the short story to check comprehension, making inferences, and some story elements. Short and simple to grade. Key included. Includes a constructed response (essay) portion if you wish to have your students write and use text evidence to support their answers. - HappyEdugator

Christmas Activity - Teaching Vocabulary with Lyrics from Jingle Bells. Here's an engaging December or winter activity to teach vocabulary by using the familiar Christmas carol Jingle Bells. The lyrics for all four verses are large enough for a transparency or LCD projector. The words highlighted in red and green are the vocabulary words. There is a list of words, also made for the overhead or LCD, and a key. This was designed as a Christmas lesson for kids in upper elementary and middle grades, but it can be used for higher levels as well. - HappyEdugator

Thanksgiving: The First Thanksgiving. Teaching the history of Thanksgiving? The First Thanksgiving fill-in the blank story or cloze activity will add to your unit. Students can fill in the blanks of the story using the Word Bank. This is a fun vocabulary building activity and provides historical background for the holiday as well. 1 page worksheet and 1 page key. - HappyEdugator

Research Paper Writing PowerPoint for Middle Grades. This PowerPoint will walk your students through the BASICS of doing research and writing a research paper. Includes the purpose of research, selecting a topic, making source cards and note cards, taking notes, creating an outline, drafting, writing a bibliography, sources to use, and avoiding plagiarism. 27 slides. - HappyEdugator

Strong Verb Sentences and Paragraphs PowerPoint. Teach students to use strong verbs in their writing and avoid "dead" verbs. Sentence and paragraph practice for writing improvement, based on common core. Students can practice using a variety of vivid verbs to bring their sentences and paragraphs to life. This works as a great mini-lesson. Some teachers like to have mock funerals for the "dead" verbs to put them to rest forevermore. Revised and improved with new content and animated graphics! Enjoy! Updated August 2014. - HappyEdugator

Poetry Characteristics - Notes and Poetry Writing Activity. Poetry notes can be projected or printed as a handout. Several different characteristics of poetry writing are explained. Students will then write a poem using the form for a poem sheet. Students practice their writing skills and review parts of speech as well. - HappyEdugator

TEST PREP Reading Test Strategies PowerPoint. Standardized Test Strategies for Reading Comprehension. Test prep on how to pass the CRCT for reading (or any state standardized reading test) using 6 essential steps. Students are given six basic strategies, and three slides of basic terms that they should be familiar with in order to be successful on a reading test. There is another slide on test-taking tips that can also be used for any test. 17 slides. Aligns with common core. - HappyEdugator

St. Patrick's Day Writing with Sentence Writing Checklist. 5 different writing prompts with drawing boxes and a simple writing checklist for students to use when writing basic sentences. Students evaluate their writing by checking neatness, capitalization, punctuation, completeness, and ideas. Includes 4 steps to the writng process. The clover graphic organizer makes it a useful checklist for around St. Patrick's Day! - HappyEdugator

EST PREP Common Core Vocabulary for Middle Grades PowerPoint. Test prep for middle grades Language Arts. Academic vocabulary. Vocabulary words that may be tested on the new common core assessments for middle school Language Arts. Each slide has a word, a definition, and an illustration or animated graphic to help students remember. Can also be printed out on index cards and used for a word wall or as flash cards. Now updated with even more words! Helpful for test preparation. Includes Sprenger's words - essential and critical vocabulary for common core- HappyEdugator

Halloween Dead Words and Dead Verbs Handout. Great for Halloween writing activities, or even throughout the year. Dead words are overused words that have lost their power. List of dead words, dead verbs, and some more interesting alternatives that should be used instead. There is a place for students to add to the list. A useful tool for students to use for reference when they write and revise. 2 pages. - HappyEdugator