Eric Jayne

Students don't use the dictionary as often as they should. Part of the reason, I believe, is because they don't know how and they don't really know what's in there. I use this activity to force students to get into the dictionary and find out all that it has to offer. It's also a great activity to meet CCSS L.4.4.c or L.5.4.c. I start the activity with some basic instruction about guide words, pronunciation guides, and what is meant by parts of speech. I then provide students with a dictio

This parts of speech quiz assesses students understanding of the 9 basic parts of speech (noun, verb, adverb, adjective, pronoun, preposition, article, conjunction, and interjection). This can be used as a pre-assessment prior to instruction on the parts of speech and again as a post-test after instruction.

This interjections worksheet asks students to identify and correctly punctuate interjections. The sentences combine a variety of interjections, including ones that require an exclamation mark and ones that require a comma after them.

This adverb quiz assesses students understanding that adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs by answering the questions how?, where?, and when?. Students are asked to not only identify adverbs but also the word the adverb describes, and the question the adverb answers.

This quiz assesses students understanding of how to correctly punctuate dialogue. Students are asked to insert commas quotation marks, and ending punctuation into quotes. They are also asked to correctly punctuate back and forth dialogue between two speakers.

I use this activity to introduce my students to the concept of square roots. It starts by having students draw as many squares as they can on grid paper. Students are then asked to analyze the squares to see how long their sides are and what their area is (in squares). Once students have that data, they are able to make connections between the length of side and the area (side x side = area). This enables a discussion about square roots and perfect squares, as the students will have essentia

Students have difficulty using protractors to measure angles. This activity is a great starting point for teaching students to use protractors because it takes away the lining up piece (where they struggle) and only requires them to correctly read the angle. Students will also practice drawing an angle using a protractor. This make a great introductory activity before having students actually use a protractor.

This compound sentences quiz assesses students understanding that a compound sentence is made of more than one simple sentence combined using a coordinating conjunction (and a comma). Students are required to identify whether a sentence is a compound sentence or not, and they are also asked to correctly punctuate the use of conjunctions.

I made this contract to try to hold students accountable for their behavior. It contains a list of daily responsibilities that seem to be typical for disorganized, struggling students. Responsibilities include writing down assignments in their planner, putting papers where they belong, and following directions. I find that getting down your expectations is a good first step in holding students accountable for their behaviors, and this contract serves that purpose.

This preposition worksheet has students identifying prepositional phrases. It works well as practice or as an assessment.

This is a brochure that outgoing students can make for incoming students (the following year) to read and learn about the grade they're entering. The brochure has areas for students to share what they learned in math, science, social studies, reading, and writing. There are also sections to describe fun activities students might do and advice that the outgoing student has. The brochure can be tri-folded, and students can design a cover, like "Welcome to ___ Grade!" I use this activity during

This appositives quiz assesses students understanding of appositives. Students are asked to insert appositives into a sentence using correct punctuation and to correctly punctuate appositives that are already in given sentences.

This packet contains everything needed to successfully assign book reports to intermediate students. It contains both a book report and a book talk rubric, both of which focus on the following elements: genre, characters, setting, plot, and critique. There are practice sheets for each of those elements so students can work on their report in pieces that get submitted to the teacher for approval. Lastly, there is an outline and an organizer to help students organize their ideas.

This activity is to designed for students to write about their summer vacations. I use it as a first day/week activity to get students writing. It's intended to be a chance for them to talk about their summers and to practice writing. When students are finished, this makes a nice early item to display on bulletin boards.

This quiz is designed to assess students' understanding of subject and verb agreement in a sentence. There are 11 multiple-choice questions with both singular and compound subjects.

Maps are a great way to examine proportions because they are drawn to scale using proportions. In this activity, students use the classroom map and a ruler to figure out the actual size of states and actual distances between locations in the United States. Students use the map scale (i.e., 1 inch = 30 miles) to set up a proportion with the measurements they get. This is a fun way to get students up and moving and practicing proportions in a real-world context.

In this activity, students will be planning a Halloween party for their class. They will need to "purchase" supplies for their party using a budget that you set. I set a budget that forces the students to make budget choices, i.e., I don't give them enough to buy everything they want. Students will work in partners to plan their party, making decisions based on their budget constraints. Students are also asked to perform some data analysis on the party choices. This is a good activity to do

This sheet assesses students basic understanding of decimals. Students are asked to identify the value of digits in decimals, write decimals in standard and word form, plot decimals on a number line, order decimals, and convert decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals.

I made these cards as a way to track good choices students are making. The way it works is you need to print out a sheet of cards and cut out each card. Printing on card stock works best. Laminate each card. Work out a goal for students to work towards (i.e., turning in homework) and give them a card to put their name on. Punch out (with a hole punch) a space in their card each time they make a positive choice towards meeting their goal. When students fill up their cards with punches, you

Students change a lot over the course of a school year. This time capsule is an attempt to capture some of those changes by having students record some of their preferences (food, shows, hobbies, etc.) at the beginning of the school year and then again at the end of the year. I pass this out during the first month of school, and then I collect it from students. At the end of the school year, I fold the paper on the lines so that the beginning of the year responses are hidden. I then have stu