Encouraging English

On the first day of my freshman English class, I like to gauge what my students remember from their first decade in Education. Can they identify Parts of Speech? Do they know how to write a complete sentence? Do they understand how to write for a specific purpose? Do they know how to verbalize connections they make between activities, topics, and their lives? They can remember what they wore on the first day of 2nd grade, but unfortunately, they are usually unable to tell me what an article of s

September 11th, 2001 is a day we should never forget. That's why it's important to have the tough conversations with our students about what transpired that September morning. This permission slip is a generic form regarding lessons & discussions about September 11th, 2001. Some parents, depending on their child's age, may feel more comfortable discussing it with their child at home themselves or they may not be ready for their child to learn about this day in our not-so-distant history yet. C

My class loves holiday treats and I love to attach cute tags to them! Use these Easter Bunny holiday labels to dress up any treats you give out this season. 4 Easter Bunny options included with multiple colors! "Hoppy" Easter!

This is a 20 question self-grading Google Form that can be used as a formal assessment or quiz to assess student understanding of "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst. Questions require students to consider the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues, and require them to analyze tone, mood, theme, setting, narrator, flashback, characterization, symbolism, metaphor, and climax. The questions assess comprehension of the text as well as students' grasp of the deeper meaning of the text.

Do your students need help processing Covid? A lot of kids will just "brush their feelings under the rug" and not actually think about (or discuss) the impact of Covid. My students needed an outlet to share their feelings about the pandemic. They needed to hear that they weren't the only ones who felt the way they felt. This short poetry activity has helped them do just that. Students will use the outline to create a poem focusing on their feelings about Covid. Students can share if they feel c

My students STRUGGLE with how to write an email, how to speak "professionally", and how to interpret the tone of what someone has said to them via social media or email. This activity will help your students reflect on how easily we can interpret words on a screen much differently than if we were talking to someone face to face. Students will be given examples of emails written incorrectly and they'll need to fix them! Students will also be given examples of emails and they will have to identify

Combine the fun of a snow day with the fun of imagery! This is a great activity to have students pause to think about the snow (without actually using the word "snow") and to surprise them when they use tons of figurative language without even realizing it! I love to use this as a warm up, remote learning activity, or if students need assistance with understanding imagery as a concept.

This Black History Month activity will give your students the opportunity to learn more about a famous African-American author of their choice, answer reflective questions, and then complete a choice board (with the amount of activities to complete at your discretion) to learn more about the author they've chosen. While some authors are well-known, others are not and therefore students have the chance to be exposed to more style, culture, and literature through this activity. With this purchase

My students were tired of writing letters telling me about "who they are" so, I took their advice to heart! Instead of letters, we've started creating "Shoebox Time Capsules"! Students can include drawings, photographs, or items that represent the most important events in their life. They explain why they've included this event in a paragraph that is strategically placed with the item or in the box. Their goal is to teach whoever "opens" the box all about them. There is still a writing component

Let your students enjoy this coloring activity on Valentine's Day! Students will read each of the 10 quotes (from Shakespeare, Poe, Browning, Burns, Byron). They will decide if the quote is a simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or personification. After they determine which type of figurative language is used, they will color the heart using the key! You get: -Handout -Key **You can extend this activity by asking students to identify the author of each quote, and/or by having them explain HOW the qu

This interactive notebook handout will help explain the basics of the English II EOC to students (and stay where they can refer back to it time & time again!). You can provide students with a fill in the blank copy OR you can print the "key" to save time. This is an easy way to be sure students are aware of what the EOC requires.

This PDF will help explain the basics of the English II EOC to parents and students alike! This is a great handout to send home the first day of English II so that parents are aware of what their child will be expected to do by the end of the semester. I've also included a "fill in the blank" form to be used in the classroom with students while discussing what the EOC requires.

My students tape this (only at the top; they can lift it and cut as they need a pass!) on the inside front cover of their interactive notebook. I allow them 4 passes (for emergencies) for the semester. As students need to use the restroom, they know to fill out one of their passes, have me initial it on the lid or toilet paper (haha!) and use it as their "pass out" of class.

This is an activity that can be used with MANY different texts and can be adapted to fit for many different grade levels. -You'll need to start with an engaging nonfiction text. I usually start with a podcast on Asha Degree, a missing girl from Shelby, NC. Available in our TpT store! -Students will copy notes, reflect on Central Idea and supporting details, and define topic. -Students will practice applying information from the nonfiction text to each visual for each structure. This is also a

In this activity, students get to "host" a dinner for a special guest from history! *Students will choose a historical figure and create a menu that is tailored to them! *Students will also get creative and decide how they would decorate their dinner party including the table setting and colors! *Students will explain all choices and provide visuals of their menu, décor, and historical guest themselves. *Students will have the opportunity to describe how much their dinner party would cost in

In this activity, students get to "host" a Holiday Dinner for a special guest! *Students will choose a historical figure and create a menu that is tailored to them! *Students will also get creative and decide how they would decorate their dinner party including the table setting and colors! *Students will explain all choices and provide visuals of their menu, décor, and historical guest themselves. *Students will have the opportunity to describe how much their dinner party would cost in toda

Students will select a famous author, or a character from their favorite story or book, then design the cover of their holiday card keeping in mind the author or character’s personality and style! Their design should be reflective of the author or character they have chosen. On the “back” of their holiday card students will write a message to a recipient related in some way to the author or character. They can choose who the recipient is. After creating their holiday card with symbols, colors, p

Ready for the Holiday season? My kids are MORE than ready to talk all things holiday, snow, winter, and gifts! So, what better way to get students interested in discussing their favorite characters than to combine it with a season many of us enjoy?! Students will choose a character from their favorite story or book. After they decide on a character, they'll list the traits that describe them best. You can differentiate the amount listed based on grade level and ability! Students will then prov

My students like to have a reference page for which characters "side" with the Capulets and which ones "side" with the Montagues. I created this brief activity that will help students keep it all straight! This activity can be completed before, during, or after reading. If you complete it before reading, you'll have to frontload the information for the kids by either giving them the information or have them use their textbook. If you complete it during reading, students can complete it as a cla

I love these graphic organizers because I can use them for so many texts and activities! This is a great way to help students understand what each text structure looks like, as well as reminding them that central idea is developed from topic, and central idea is supported by details. This product can be used in any subject, for multiple grade levels! What do you get? -Graphic organizers for the following structures: Description, Chronological order, Compare/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Problem/Solu