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.
Prepositional Phrases PowerPoint. Don't Let Them Confuse You! Animated and interactive. Defines prepositions and prepositional phrases, gives examples of prepositional phrases with nouns, pronouns, gerunds, and noun clauses, discusses problems with subject-verb agreement and intervening prepositional phrases, has a short quiz on identifying prepositional phrases in sentences and not confusing them with infinitives, and finally, presents five questions on common usage problems with typical prepositional phrases. 18 slides.
- HappyEdugator
Vocabulary Builder - Pump Up Your Vocabulary in Ten Easy Steps PowerPoint. Going back to school? Give students vocabulary strategies that will help them build a strong vocabulary for reading and writing. Interactive PowerPoint lesson. Ten vocabulary builders. The ten steps for building vocabulary include:
Pronounce words correctly
Use a dictionary
Use a thesaurus
Make word cards
Use mnemonics
Use context clues
Distinguish between multiple-meaning words
Learn word origins
Study word parts
and
Distinguish connotation and denotation
33 slides with activities for practise and answers.
Materials required: a dictionary for each student or group of students, and 4 index cards for each student.
- 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!
Lesson Closure Sheet - For Any Subject. Use this lesson summarizer sheet to have your students write about key points in your lesson, which can be used as a quick assessment of comprehension. You can use it as an exit slip, ticket out the door, or to summarize learning of a unit. Handy for any subject or unit of study. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
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
Frayer Model. Blank Frayer Model Graphic Organizer. Build vocabulary by having students use this graphic organizer to define the term in their own words, provide relevant characteristics and pictures, and give examples and non-examples from their own experience. Includes two versions for differentiation, and two formats...one larger for projecting on a screen, and one smaller with a place for student name and date for printing. Thanks!
Standards Tracker - Use this excel file to keep track of standards and student mastery. You can adapt it to use for a variety of uses. - Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
Narrative Elements Graphic Organizer. This fiction reading guide or graphic organizer will help students with identifying literary elements when they read fiction selections.
Inspirational Poster- Motivational poster on leadership for your classroom decor. "Be Somebody You Would Be Proud to Know." Sized 81/2 X 11. Print and laminate, or project on your whiteboard as a message for students to see as they walk in the door. This can also be used as a writing prompt. Have students reflect on the meaning of the poster and the image. Bird Theme. Enjoy!
The Westing Game Word Search Puzzle. A fun Wordsearch puzzle based on words from the book The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. 26 words hidden in the word find horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, forwards and backwards. Key included. One page with color border, and optional black and white page without border to save your ink. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator
A Christmas Carol Christmas Card Project. Christmas activity! Students will create a Christmas card based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Directions with rubric included on one sheet. No prep. Print and go. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
Election Day! Sentence Election Cooperative Learning Activity. This is a fun Language Arts middle school activity on sentence structure! Student groups make a slogan, a speech, and a poster to campaign for the best sentence structure: simple, compound, complex, or compound – complex. Each group will present their platform to the class.
Includes teacher directions, student directions slide to project overhead, student directions handout with requirements and scoring checklist, and a slide to print out with sentence structures on them for group selection. Enjoy! Supports common core standards for writing and speaking and listening. - HappyEdugator
PUMPKINS Writing Paper - Lined Paper - Pumpkins Theme. Eight different pumpkin designs, two different sizes of lines for writing at different ability levels. Fun paper for Thanksgiving or anytime. Students will have fun writing with some cute little pumpkins to inspire them. - Enjoy! HappyEdugator
Maniac Magee Novel Study. Everything you need to teach the novel Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli except the book. 34 pages. Vocabulary lists and study guides, quizzes and tests (with keys). This is a good book for many themes, and fun and easy to read. Editable for your own classroom. - HappyEdugator
Dolch Sight Words Activities - Week 10. A week of Dolch sight word activities for the tenth set of ten words from the Dolch sight words list. Activities include: flash cards/ memory game, color the words, trace the words, match the words, cut and paste the words in alphabetical order, and write the words in letterboxes. Enjoy! Weeks 1 - 10 will cover the first 100 Dolch Sight Words. - HappyEdugator
Dolch Sight Words Activities - Week 9. A week of Dolch sight word activities for the nineth set of ten words from the Dolch sight words list. Activities include: flash cards/ memory game, color the words, trace the words, match the words, cut and paste the words in alphabetical order, and write the words in letterboxes. Enjoy! Weeks 1 - 10 will cover the first 100 Dolch Sight Words. - HappyEdugator
TURKEYS Writing Paper - Lined Paper - Turkeys Theme. Eight different turkey designs, two different sizes of lines for writing at different ability levels. Fun paper for Thanksgiving or anytime. Students will have fun writing with some cute little turkeys to inspire them. - Enjoy! HappyEdugator