Halloween Games, Writing, and Math Sale

Here we are again... The Back-to-School season quickly transforms into Fall and Halloween.  People start thinking about seasonal activities they can do in their classrooms. I am the same way.  I have updated all of my Halloween and Fall items, and I'd love to share them with you.

This can be a wacky time of year, especially as it gets closer to the actual day of Halloween.  So, I created some activities that encourage learning (when focusing can be a challenging), and are lots of fun.  The games have been great for my ESL (and non ESL) students.   Follow the links to read more and get your own. 

Halloween Mad Libs Complete Set

Halloween Taboo Game- based off of the board game, Taboo

Halloween Scattergories Game- based off of the board game, Scattergories

Halloween Spooky Story Starters Writing Set with Rubrics and Decorative Paper

Pumpkin Math with lots of activities

Holiday Writing Paper Set

  

Holiday Sticker Charts

 Happy Halloween!

You can find my store and follow me here.

Fractured Fairy Tales

This Fractured Fairy Tale Writing Set is one of my most popular items (with students and teachers).   This creative and narrative writing activity requires students to choose a traditional fairy tale to use as a springboard to compose a new "fractured" version of the story.  They will have to focus on one character's perspective and write the story from his/her point of view.  (So, it's really a great lesson for teacher character perspective or point of view also).  You can download it by clicking here or on any of the links or pictures.

This is very versatile, and can be used across several grade levels.  The set is easy to use.  You just print and go.  It includes:

- Teacher information
- Student directions
- Brainstorming organizers
- Student-friendly rubric
- Original teacher-created examples of brainstorming organizer and story
- Writing paper for final copies
- Pages to create a student or class book

I love creating a class book after all students are done with their final copies.  It goes in the class library for everyone to read throughout the year.  At the end of the year, I auction it off during a class celebration.  It's also fun to keep a copy from year-to-year and share those with students.

Thank you for visiting!

Simile and Metaphor Poetry Set

Simile and Metaphor Poetry Set

Studying similes and metaphors can be tricky, especially for students who have limited experience with figurative language or who are learning about it for the first time.  This resource is intended to support all students learning about figurative language.  Students will use similes and metaphors to create a poem about any topic they choose.  You can require very basic similes and metaphors or more detailed and descriptive ones.  You can get yours at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store or click on any of the links or the picture below.

  I've included the following resources in this product:

· Teacher Information and Directions

This includes a general overview, objectives, and directions.

· Posters for Simile and Metaphor

One poster for each with examples and graphics

· Writing Organizers/Idea Webs

There is a blank copy and a copy that tells what should go in each space.

· Examples of Organizer and Completed Poem

These are my examples that I use to model the process and final product.

· Student Rubric

You can use this of you want to grade the poem.  It includes areas for ideas, organization, imagery, and conventions.

· Writing Paper

 There are 5 pages of decorative paper if you want to have students write their poems on them.

Poetry Unit for Elementary and Middle School

April is National Poetry Month.  I now say that with a huge smile and a tingle of excitement.  If I'm going to be completely honest, and I am, I loathed having anything to do with poetry throughout my own education and teaching it my first few years.  That's because up until the past 6 years or so, the only experiences I had with poetry were:

1. having to memorize and recite Shakespeare in front of an entire class (as a teacher, I still don't see the educational value in that)

2. being forced to write poetry with minimal support or understanding of what I was doing

3. having to decode and analyze poetry

So, why the smile and tingle of excitement now?  Well, a wonderful friend and colleague turned me onto students writing their own poetry in fun and meaningful ways.  At first I was apprehensive because my students didn't want anything to do with poetry either.  They thought it was boring and confusing.  It was my job to prove them otherwise, and I was going to do it by allowing them to be the poets for a change.

It took me a lot of research and tons of time, but what I created I just have to share.  It's a complete unit that takes students through several stages.  First they learn about different poems, then practicing writing poems, and finally turn their poetry into an amazing book that includes an About the Author Page, a Table of Contents page, a Cover page, and much more.  There is even a rubric to keep your students on track and for you to grade student work.  My Poetry Do-It-Yourself Book does the following:

1. Introduces students to 9 different types of popular poetry
2. Provides my original examples of the 9 types of poetry
3. Provides directions for how to write these poems
4. Includes (printable) templates for students to write their own poems
5. Includes all of the materials for students to build their own book with Author, Cover, and Table of Contents Pages


Click here or on any of the images below to get yours.  I posted the product cover and some actual pages from the resource.  I'd love to hear your experience with this.  Happy Poetry Month!

Christmas Games, Writing, Math, and More

This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year to be a teacher.  There are so many fun, educational (and some just fun) things to do in the classroom.  People are happy, the air smells of hot cocoa at least once a week (thanks to some amazing parents), and the snow brings on such excitement.

As our two week break gets closer, there are some activities that I like to do to keep the kiddos interested and motivated in the classroom.  You can find all of these activities in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Use this link to go directly to the Christmas Resources page.  You can click on any of the links or pictures below to go directly to the product pages also.

 

 

Christmas Taboo and Scattergories Games

 

 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Mad Libs Edition

Dear Santa,...

A Holiday Gift Persuasive Writing Activity

 

 

 



Holiday Gift Tags (FREE)

 

 

 

Holiday Writing Paper

 

 

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Thanksgiving Activities

Here are a few of my new and updated Thanksgiving resources.  Enjoy!

A Turkey's Troubles:  A Persuasive Writing Activity

 

Students write from the perspective of a turkey and try to convince a shopper to buy a different turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner.  Included are student directions, brainstorming organizer, student rubric, and Thanksgiving themed writing paper.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Taboo and Scattergories Games

 

I LOVE games.  I created these two games based off the board games Scattergories and Taboo.  These are super for small groups, centers, or whole class.  Both provide great oral language practice and can be beneficial for students learning the English language.

 

 

 

 

 

FREE Thanksgiving Game and More

My Customer Appreciation Sale Continues...

Today, your freebie is a Thanksgiving game called Thanksgiving Scattergories. 

The Featured Category for sale is Halloween and Fall Resources.  Click on the links below to find lots of seasonal fun for your students or your own family, even.

Halloween and Fall Resources

Thanksgiving Resources

Click on any of the images to get your own for FREE or at a great discount:

 

 

FREE Writing Center to Celebrate

That's right...FREE!  No strings attached either.  I have recently made a Teachers Pay Teachers Store milestone, and I am celebrating and thanking all of my wonderful buyers and loyal followers.  For the next week, I will be offering one of my best selling Writing Centers for FREE.  It's called Are You Kidding Me? and is based off of the game Would You Rather?  It includes student directions, a planner, choice cards, a rubric, and writing paper.  It's a lot of fun for a range of grade levels.  You can get it here.  (Please remember copyright rules still apply.  If you have a friend or colleague who would also like this, they must visit my store and download their own set.)  I appreciate the referrals and any feedback you have.  This activity is one of four in a writing center bundle that I have in my store. 

Being part of the Teachers Pay Teachers community has been an amazing ride, and I have been rejuvenated as a teacher and as a person.  My students benefit so much as well, as I am constantly reflecting on every lesson or activity, new or old, to think about how to make it better. 

If you don't follow me on TpT, please consider.  My store name is Keep Calm and Teach.  I will be launching a surprise week of deals and steals in October, and being a follower will provide you with all of the information you'll need to get these great deals. 

Creative Writing

How the Creature Got its Feature

Creative Writing Project

 

 

 

This creative writing assignment is one that I have really enjoyed doing with my students for the past few years.  I'm always amazed at what they come up with.  This would definitely work in grades 4-8.  Depending on your students' abilities, this could be adjusted and used at other levels too.  It can be used in different ways also when considering writing (shared, writer's workshop, writing centers, etc.)

 

Basically, students choose an animal that has a specific characteristic (ex. a zebra with stripes, a pig's curly tail, or a chameleon's changing colors) and writes a fictional, narrative story that tells "how the animal got its feature." 

 

Included in this set of materials are a lesson plan, an example story that I wrote with my class, student planning organizers, a student rubric, decorative writing paper, and materials to use to put a class book together (cover page, table of contents, about the author page).  I tried to make this collection complete so that you don't have to do anything but read through the materials and copy items that you want to use.  You can click here or on the picture to get the materials.

 

I'd love to hear your experience if you use this so please leave comments below.  Also, if you have any suggestions or ways to use this differently, please share.  Enjoy!

 

 

Writing Centers

On Sale Now...

 

 

This set of 4 Upper Elementary Writing Centers is now on sale.   Writing is always tricky in the upper elementary and middle school grades because students often see it as a daunting task.  These centers are fun, differentitated, and engaging.  Each of them comes with a pre-writing organizer and a rubric.  There are even several pages of decorative writing paper included. 

 

Centers included are:

- Are You Kidding Me?  (based on the activity Would You Rather...)

- R.A.F.T.

- Let Me Help You With That

- Picture Prompts

 

I have used them as whole class and intervention activities also.  Click below to preview the set.  Enjoy!

 



Writing Center: Would You Rather...?

I have to admit that I really didn't do much with literacy centers until about 5 years ago.  Up until then, it was something that always seemed more "primary" than "intermediate" elementary. 

BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!  Centers are what keep me sane (minus the planning and organizing of them).  My students love them, and they have really helped to keep my students engaged, on task, and have allowed them to really take a concept that we have learned and expand it.

So, I created some writing centers.  The one that I'd like to share today is called "Are You Kidding Me?"  It's based off of the game Would You Rather?

I created some of my own Would You Rather Cards and even bought the card game.  I laminated them, cute them out and out them in a tin can,.  Easy so far....

Then came the more difficult part- what do I want the outcome to be for my students?

I developed a planner/organizer in which students have to choose which item they would rather do (for example- Would you rather wear boots all summer or sandals all winter?).  They have to write down their choice and think of three reasons why they chose this.  Then, they have to list three details to defend each reason.  So, it became an expository/persuasive type or writing.  I created and gave them a rubric so they could do the next step- the official writing!

This is what amazed me.  I was so shocked at the increadible writing that they did.  Some used humor, some were extremely serioius, and some were a combination of both.  They were so fun to read a share with each other. 

So, I am now trying this with only 6 days left of school, and becuase of the timing I have to spruce it up a bit.  Today, students paired up, and went through the cards until they found one that they disagreed on.  Then, they started their organizers.  We will start the writing tomorrow with the editing and final copies to follow next week.  The new part of the assignment is that they will have to convince the rest of the class that their opinion is the more desireable one.  They will present their writing to the class, and the students will vote for which person convinced them the most.  This is definitely more persuasive writing than expository.  I'm excited to see how it turns out.  They could't stay quiet today becuase they kept telling each other why their choice was better. 

If you'd like to check out these materials, click here.

Click here to preview an entire set of writing centers.



Upper Elementary Writing Centers with Rubrics, Organizer, and Writing Paper

R.A.F.T. Writing Activity



Today, we tried something new (not the jicama that we had for snack either)!  We tried a variation of the R.A.F.T. writing strategy.  Traditionally, this is an activity done to get students to write an original piece of writing from a specific perspective, for a certain purpose, to a specific audience, and about a specific topic.  It is really great for practicing the word choice trait.  However, this is a spin (on pun intended) on the traditional version.

I turned it into a game.  Each letter in RAFT  (Role, Audience, Format, and Topic) has its own spinner with 8 different options on each.  This allows for lots of different variations in writing.  You could also use less spinners if you know that students must write about a specific topic of in a specific format.  There are options for students to choose their own elements too. 

After students spin the spinners, they use the brainstorming organizer to write down any ideas they have about how to combine the elements to create a piece of writing.  It was really neat to have the kids work together.  They came up with some creative ideas.

Today, the kids spun to find their elements, completed their organizers, and started their drafts.  They're off to a wonderful start.  I'm excited to see (and share) their final pieces. 



Everardo and Nayeli give the spinner a go and start their assignment.

 

Odalys and Emely take turns deciding their R.A.F.T. fate.  Great job working together, Ladies!

 

Alyssa, Kat, and Rey are busy organizing their thoughts. 

 

Melissa, Senia, and Camila make a great R.A.F.T. team!

This is a great way to introduce this strategy before having students choose all elements on their own. I use it as a writing center after students learn how to do it.  Click here to get your own set of materials.

Fractured Fairy Tales

Fractured Fairy Tales are so much fun to write with students.  We had a really good time with it this year.  I did something different this go-round by introducing two graphic organizers for brainstorming before writing and also writing a class story first.  This really helped students write their own stories. 

If you're not quite sure what a fractured fairy tale is, it's another version of a traditional fairy tale that is retold by a different character or narrator.  Some published examples include The True Story of The Three Little Pigs by Scieszka and Seriously, Cinderella is so Annoying! by Trisha Speed Shaskan .

So, here are some examples that were created in my classroom.  I am so proud of the work they did.  This is not an easy writing assignment.  Way to go 5K!!!!!!

If you're looking for the materials that I used with my class, you can find them here.





The Three Little Pigs told from the Wolf's Perspective



The Three Little Pigs told from the perspective of the Wolf