Story Elements Think Tac Toe. This literary elements think-tac-toe has students investigate characterization, setting, and plot and differentiates by learning style. This can be used with any short story or book. Students choose one box from each row of the project choice board or menu and then completes. (A row goes horizontally) They do not need to have three in a row or column. Good to use at the end of a book or any story. Nice differentiated culminating activity for elements of a short story. Includes a checklist at the bottom for students to make sure their work is high quality. An engaging way to assess student understanding. Updated August 2015

Drama vs. Prose Chart and Word List. A good activity to use when introducing drama to your students. Students will have to categorize the terms as either used in drama, prose, or both and put them in a chart. This is an activating thinking strategy and pretest which can also tell you what your students know and don't know about drama and prose. -HappyEdugator

Pintastic Report Board - This blank Pinterest style template to make reports on any topic, Print it off and have students create a unique research report, book report or character analysis. Students love social media and will be excited to create their own bulletin board. The first page is a blank template, and the second page is a guide for where to put information. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Labels - Space Theme. Stars and Space Kids or Aliens. Blank classroom labels with editable textboxes so you can just type in what you need. Created as ink friendly as possible. Includes: 8 large decorative frame 8 large rectangular blank labels (2 per page = total 16) 8 decorative nameplates with writing lines (2 per page = total 16) 8 smaller rectangular blank labels(2 per page = total 16) 8 smaller rectangular labels with writing lines(2 per page = total 16) 3 large square blank labels (2 per page = total 6) 3 smaller square blank labels (4 per page = total 12) 4 small circular labels (4 per page = total 12) 4 large circular labels ( 2 per page - total 8) Just print and copy how many of each style or size you need and laminate for durability.

Short a sound - Sounding Out Words PowerPoint. Teach reading with phonics and decoding using word families. CVC words. Begin with Short a Word Family. Slides introduce the sound of short a and have students practice blending short a sound with consonants to form one syllable CVC words. Students read the the slides, and get rewarded with fun sounds and cheers! This is a first step to reading after students learn consonant sounds.

Found by Margaret Haddix Supporting Materialks. This resource goes with the first book in The Missing series. Another book series by the author of Among the Hidden - The Shadow Children series. Included are vocabulary lists for Chapters 1-6, 7-17, and 18-32, a crossword puzzle activity for chapter 1-6, a word search for chapters 7 - 11, a word scramble for chapters 12 - 17, a crossword puzzle for chapters 18 - 25, and a book jacket project for the final project with rubric. - HappyEdugator

Magazine Ad Book Report. This book report assignment has students create an advertisement to encourage readers to get their book. Students produce a colorful advertisement for their book which includes an illustration and 5 sentences that show deep understanding and entice people to read their book. Includes directions for the assignment, on one large sheet or two per page to save copies, and a grading checklist, also two per page. Reading level requirement is left blank to be filled in for differentiation.

Research and Expository Writing Formative Assessment. Multiple choice practice questions for state tests. Focused on the research process, expository and persuasive writing. Prepares students for standardized test questions. Questions are GPS standards based, but support common core standards as well. Standards are identified and correct answers are marked. Teacher and student copy included. Prepared for grade six, will work as review for 7th and 8th. - HappyEdugator

TEST PREP Reading and Language Arts Study Guide PowerPoint. 38 slide test prep presentation on standardized testing. What it is, what it measures, and includes sample questions with feedback for review and test taking strategies. This can be used to prepare for any state test, as you can modify or just skip the introductory slides and focus on the questions and answers. Designed for middle school, but may be used with upper elementary students as well. Supports common core. - HappyEdugator

Biography Research Project using We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. Students choose from people in the lyrics to research and then write a biography. Includes instructions for the teacher with a link to the video on teachertube, lyrics, handout on late 20th century peacemakers or controversial figures, assignment handout and rubric. This really got my students using the writing process, research skills, and writing without plagiarism. I was very happy with the results I got this year from my average students! They were very motivated. - HappyEdugator

St. Patrick's Day bookmarks. 6 different St. Patrick's bookmarks with pots of gold, green shamrocks, rainbows, and leprechauns that you can print out, laminate, and pass out to your students. March is a great month for spring book fever. Leprechauns remind students of the value of reading. Encourage your students to appreciate the value of books and treat them as treasure. Happiness is having a good book to read. Happy St. Patrick's Day! - HappyEdugator

Source Cards-Information Required Handout with Practice Activity. Help students organize notes and write bibliography in MLA format. This handout will help students identify what information they will need to put on their source cards when they take notes for a research paper and use to write a bibliography using MLA format. This is an important step in the research process. This will help make sure their bibliography is clear and correct. In simple terms, it lays out what is necessary to record for books, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Students can put it in their binder and use it as a handy reference for when they take research notes. The last page is a practice activity they can use to correctly make source cards. - HappyEdugator

February Famous Author Birthdays PowerPoint. To engage your readers and inspire your writers, show them the slides on these famous authors who had birthdays in February such as Langston Hughes, Jerry Spinelli, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Charles Dickens, to name a few. Each slide tells a little about the classic author and their most famous works. This winter, engage them in reading and writing! Have them choose from three writing assignments about these authors and their works on the last slide. - HappyEdugator

Reading Test Prep. Reading comprehension practice using an excerpt from the short story The Corrector of Destinies by Edward Wellen. Includes excerpt of story, vocabulary fill-in the blank activity, graphic organizer for story elements, and 12 multiple choice questions about the story setting, characters, plot, author's purpose, theme, and figurative language. Questions support standards tested on standardized tests. Supports the rigor required of common core. Can be done independently or as guided practice. Good for a substitute activity as well. Key included. Grades 7 - 12. - HappyEdugator

Spelling: Ex-Spelled Spelling GAME. This is a fun way to review a list of spelling or vocabulary words, or to use as an activity for a substitute teacher. Students have to spell words correctly or they have to sit down. Who will be the last one standing? The catch...each student only gives one letter! At the end of a word, the next student gets ex-spelled! Yikes! A fun word list is included to get things started. Supports Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2d Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2e Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.2b Spell correctly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.2b Spell correctly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2c Spell correctly.

Smartboard Create a Story. Spin a Story. This Smartboard activity helps students write a short story. This story idea generator works when students click on the spinners to generate story elements. Who What Where and When...Character, Plot, and Setting. Will create thousands of variations. Great for differentiation. Can be used to generate a whole class writing assignment or use for student journals. Graphic organizer for adding details included, which can be printed or projected on the whiteboard. When all the story elements have been generated, students write a story by adding their own details. - HappyEdugator

Joe DiMaggio - The Yankee Clipper PowerPoint. A Baseball Legend. This is a short biography of the famous Joe DiMaggio. Students will learn about this American baseball hero, who set a major league record of a 56 game hitting streak in 1941 that still stands today. Use it with books such as Becoming Joe DiMaggio by Maria Testa or Joe DiMaggio by Herb Dunn. Goes well with a baseball unit or theme. - HappyEdugator

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady PowerPoint. A biography of some of the highlights of the life of Margaret Thatcher, her childhood, her schooling, her rise to leadership, and her accomplishments as the first woman to become British Prime Minister, her family, her friendship with Ronald Reagan, the Falklands War, and famous quotes. Good for Women's History Month. 27 slides. Print out the slides with quotes to also make nice posters for your room! - HappyEdugator

Word Families PowerPoint. 77 slides on this Literacy PowerPoint! Introduce word families. Print out as signs for literacy centers, make into reading phonics flashcards by printing out on index cards, or show on the projector to use when introducing a word family. Each slide has the word family as the title, an example of a word in that family, and a picture to represent it. Multiple uses...you can use these signs as word wall titles, for word sorting, reading practice flash cards, etc. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Reading Graphic Organizer - I Saw...I Thought. Students can use this organizer when reading fiction or nonfiction text. In the first column, they should write evidence, quotes from the text, headings, subheadings, etc. that would be important to remember. In the second column students should write what they thought or understood as they read. This could include questions, predictions, vocabulary in context, etc. Graphic organizer can help students organize their thoughts to write a reading response. Younger students can draw pictures related to the text as well. - HappyEdugator