BrainyCats Learning

Are your students ready for the STAAR test? Help them review graphical elements, poetic technique, and more with the aid of this resource. A PowerPoint is included to guide them through note-taking, a practice poem, and independent review. This resource includes: A 25-slide PowerPoint to lead students through visual note-taking and the guided practice poem. It details how to create the visual notes, what to look for in the poem, shows possible answers for the analysis sheet, and explains a

Be ready for Friday the Thirteenth or any day with this bundle of thirteen reading, math, science and history activities. This package contains thirteen different activities from all four core classes for you to use for centers, early finishers, brain breaks, or just a fun Friday activity. Each activity has the number 13 as a focus, making them especially ideal for Friday the 13, but suitable for any day. The activities included in this set are: The First Thirteen Elements: Students answ

If you live in Texas, all roads lead to the STAAR test. This resource, which contains two original reading passages, will engage your students and help them review literary non-fiction as we head into our end-of-the-year testing season. It's also great as an introductory unit earlier in the year. This resource focuses on Literary Non-Fiction. The TEKS reviewed are : 7.2A Latin roots and affixes 7.3 Author’s message or theme 7.7 Inferences and conclusions about organization, characterizatio

This resource was designed for use as a review for paired text questions on the 7th grade STAAR Reading test. It also allows students to individually review fiction and informational text. Other STAAR resources can be found in my store, BrainyCats Learning Store This resource includes: NOTES TEMPLATE and GUIDE for PAIRED READINGS: The guide can be projected so students can take notes on the template, or reproduced and handed out to save time while reviewing. WHAT BROTHERS DO: A four-page pi

This resource was designed for use as a review for drama questions on the 7th grade STAAR Reading test. Other STAAR resources can be found in my store, BrainyCats Learning Store BEFORE PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT, PLEASE DOWNLOAD AND READ THROUGH THE GUIDED PRACTICE SCENE TO MAKE SURE IT IS SUITABLE FOR YOUR CLASS. My students enjoyed it, but it is about a food contest where competitors try to make disgusting combinations of food, so the topic may be off-putting to some groups. The sample can

Just in time for cold and flu season, with its accompanying need for emergency sub plans, it's a bundle of my most popular informational texts. Each of these eight texts comes with a set of comprehension questions, along with a no-prep activity. Just print and copy to keep your students engaged and learning while you rest. This resource includes: “It’s All About the Benjamins”: 2 reading levels of an informational text and comprehension questions about Benjamin Franklin, along with a “Mad

Every US History student is expected to know the names of prominent Federalists and Anti-Federalists, weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and why we have a Bill of Rights, This fun, 20-minute reader's theater script allow students to review these concepts in a fresh, interactive way. With added bits of humor (did Patrick Henry really say, "Give me liberty or give me a side of beef?") and the constant middle-school scuffling between Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, students will see

Challenge your students with this 1000 L informational text about superstitions, then keep them engaged with vocabulary building activities. The packet also includes an expository writing prompt styled after those on the STAAR test for grade 7. CONTENTS: -- Frayer model bellringer (3 versions for ESL, general ed, or custom use) -- a one-page reading passage on superstitions (bonus two-page note-taking version) -- comprehension questions, including questions about text structure, fact vs opi

This Benjamin Franklin - inspired twist on the more traditional observation of the 100th day of school, gives your middle school students a little education with their fun. (Or, maybe, a little fun with their education!). The no-prep activities in this packet all have to do with the $100 bill and Benjamin Franklin, and differentiated levels make them are suitable for 5th -8th graders. There is also a self-reflection journal that allows students to analyze their performance in the first 100 da

This product was designed to help 7th grade students review for their STAAR Writing test, but would also be great throughout the year. Use it any time you need a no-prep activity for a sub or want to give your students a little extra writing practice. This resource includes: Two Revision Practice Texts: One expository (about Jackie Robinson) and one persuasive ((asking the Capitol to end the Hunger Games). Revision Questions: Each set of revision questions uses sentence stems from the ST

This Women's History Month resource contains activities related to Amelia Earhart and her last attempt to circumnavigate the globe. It also addresses the mystery surrounding her disappearance. The activities can be used individually, or as part of a themed unit. The comprehension questions use question stems from the 7th grade STAAR test, making the readings ideal for state testing practice. The pre-reading and idiom activities are especially helpful for English language Learners. Activit

Final Four, Sweet Sixteen, March Madness, the Big Dance. Every March, these terms pepper our conversation as focus shifts to the NCAA basketball tournament. Use the excitement surrounding this popular sporting event to engage students in activities that provide practice in writing revision, math, creative writing and reading comprehension. In addition, this resource contains a math activity and word puzzles, which are great for strengthening student focus and problem-solving abilities. Acti

This resource contains problems from the 13 Readiness Standards for Grade 8 Mathematics in Texas. Since problems from the Readiness Standards make up about 60 – 65% of the STAAR test, this makes an ideal take-home review for the test, or a great resource for intervention before the second and third retakes. The questions are written in the style of the Readiness questions on previous STAAR tests. The TEK is at the top of the page, so students can use it to search for additional problems in th

Are you trying to get your students to connect with what they read? This informational text about Friday the 13th will capture student attention and engage critical thinking. High-level comprehension questions at the end of the reading will help you assess student understanding, and a pre-teach vocabulary worksheet will help make content comprehensible for language learners. It's everything you need for a no-prep, print-and-teach lesson that you and your students will all enjoy. UPDATE: T

UPDATED FOR 2026! This resource includes an assortment of math, reading, writing and critical thinking activities, all involving different aspects of the 60th Super Bowl on February 8. It's perfect for upper elementary and middle school students who need activities that allow them to review concepts while engaging them with the excitement of the big game. This is the same product as previous years, but the activities that are directly related to the current Super Bowl have been updated to refle

Students need to understand the difference between fact, opinion and commonplace assertion, so they don't fall into the trap of believing everything they read on the Internet, or hear on television or radio or podcasts. This product was designed to help students differentiate between fact and opinion, and introduce them to the idea of commonplace assertions -- those things that many people believe to be true, but really aren't. With a PowerPoint that guides both teach and students through the

This slope and y-intercept Escape Room gives students a chance to race against the clock and each other while trying to escape a locked room -- all while practicing how to find slopes, intercepts, and equations. Escape rooms harness the natural competitive nature of middle-school students to encourage them to work cooperatively and to use critical thinking and comprehension skills to complete a series of tasks which allow them to succeed. This product features four math activities that must be

Teachers of Beginning and Intermediate level language learners will be able to help their students make connections between words in math problems and the arithmetic operations needed to solve those problems. The activities in this packet also encourage students to think "reasonably". Does the answer make sense? After teaching my eighth grade Newcomer ELLs these reasoning strategies, I've been able to extend their thinking to more difficult concepts, such as finding sides of right triangles.

Escape rooms harness the natural competitive nature of middle-school students to encourage them to work cooperatively and to use critical thinking and comprehension skills to complete a series of tasks which allow them to succeed. This product features four puzzles that must be solved to “escape”. One puzzle is simply an informational text about Veterans Day, along with comprehension questions. There is also another brief reading passage that contains clues for a second lock. The third lock

Escape rooms make a fun change of pace for middle school learners and can reinforce critical thinking skills and teach how to work cooperatively, as well as reviewing academic information. This Thanksgiving Escape Room, which has both digital and non-digital versions, givers students a chance to read and make inferences about the poem "Thanksgiving" by Edgar A Guest. In addition, students can practice research skills by finding facts related to Pilgrims on the Internet, they can hone spatial sk