Reading Guy

This 27 slide presentation is perfect for providing background knowledge to students beginning a study on WW2. I've used it primarily with 5th grade students, but it's written so that it's understandable for students 4th grade and up. Several slides contain hyperlinks to youtube videos showing the Blitz of London as well as Pearl Harbor. The presentation gives a broad overview of both the European and Asian aspects of the conflict. It would work well to use as a center or whole class. In order t

The book Take Me Out Of the Bathtub by Alan Katz is an excellent example of incorporating VOICE into writing. After reading several of the poems in the book, I explain what a parody is. The students then create their own parodies of famous songs such as It's Raining it's Pouring, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and I'm a Little Teapot. I encourage students to use their own VOICE while writing their parodies.

In the classic tale, The Scarlet Ibis, main character brother leaves Doodle during a severe storm. After completing the short story, I like to divide my students into groups and run a mock trial to determine if brother is guilty of Doodle's death. This product contains 8 pages with differing roles (e.g. the Defense, the Prosecution, Character Witness, and etc.) Students should use information directly from the story as well as their background knowledge to complete each form. I also have student

This file contains a 4 page minibooklet explaining the unusual relationships of four animal pairs. Each page is picture-rich and appropriate for more advanced first graders and higher. A complimentary flipbooklet is also included. Students can record facts they learn as well as reflect on what additional questions they have. There is also a writing component as well as a memory game. Depending on the ability of the students, the reading and writing activities could be sustained for an entire wee

Tired of boring, regular sentences in your student's writing? Do you need examples of great writing that will help inspire your students to write more descriptively. This activity helps model what it takes to make regular sentences REGAL or amazing. It's especially useful for students who enjoy illustrating. The pages contained in this activity can be used whole class or in centers during a literacy period.

Are you frustrated with your student's lack of descriptive writing. This activity is a great introduction to the concept of showing not telling in writing. On each of the twelve pages, students have an opportunity to sketch a picture related to an emotion. At the bottom of each page, they should describe the emotion without using the actual word (e.g. my heart was racing, my jaw dropped, and etc.)

On the website: https://www.npss.sk.ca/bell-games/prairie/build/index.html students are required to research plants and animals to determine if they are a good fit for prairie life. The site then simulates the growth of a prairie including grasses,flowers, and various animals. This three-page interactive activity is designed to accompany the site and includes questions students must answer as they maneuver through the site. Great for small groups, as a center, or whole group instruction.

Are you looking for a way to provide students with independent practice in questioning? Questioning spinners can be used while reading both fiction or non-fiction texts. In pairs or in groups, students read through short portions of a given text. They use one of the provided spinners to help develop a question about what they've read. Questions can be written in the circles provided on the questioning sheet. When finished, it's helpful to have a discussion about what questions were written down.

Created in Powerpoint, this Jeopardy game is designed to test students knowledge of both butterflies and moths following the end of a unit. Simply click on the number of points under each category to elicit a question. The answer can also be retrieved by clicking on the screen following a student's response. Click the "Back to gameboard" icon in the bottom right corner to return to the main game board. Students love playing Jeopardy, and it's a fun way to review.

This Jeopardy Game created in Powerpoint, reviews characters, events, and setting questions for the book The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson. Simply click a number of points under each category for the question and click the gameboard in the right hand corner in order to return to the main menu. A final jeopardy question is included.