Category: Classroom

Halloween Context Clues Task Cards

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Halloween Context Clues Task Cards

Yes, we all need a Halloween-themed activity for our students. Check out these context clues task cards. I have used these every year in my classroom, and the students definitely approve.

Build your students’ vocabulary skills with these 28 Halloween-Themed Context Clues Task Cards (black and white and color). These task Cards are perfect for partner work, center/station work, SCOOT game, Quiz Quiz Trade, Inside Outside Circle, or whole group activity.

What other buyers are saying:

“My students enjoyed the task cards. The Halloween theme was fun and the questions were well aligned.”

“Pull this out every year for Halloween for kids to practice their context clue skills.”

“Good word choice! The students really needed to use context clues because many words were unknown words!”

You can purchase this product by clicking HERE:

Happy Teaching!

Classroom, Teacher Resources

Freebie Friday – Free Verb Practice

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Freebie Friday – Free Verb Practice is the product for you if you’re heading into action verbs.

        Verb Practice FREEBIE

Grammar has always always a favorite subject of mine to teach. If you’re old like me 😂, then you remember diagramming sentences in school (shows my age). I was good at it; therefore, I liked it. Now math, that’s another topic! Moving on!

I have created many grammar products to use in the classroom. These products are tried and tested. My students always enjoyed completing these activities.

Mad Libs Throughout the Year

Noun Bundle

Verb Bundle

Grammar Bundle

I hope you’ll also find these helpful in your classroom.

Happy Teaching!

Classroom, Classroom Activities, Teacher Resources

Remembering and Teaching: September 11 Educational Resources

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Remembering and Teaching September 11: Why Teaching About 9/11 Matters…

As we approach another anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, it’s important to reflect on the significance of this day and how it has shaped our world. Educators have a unique responsibility to help their students understand the historical context, emotional impact, and ongoing effects of 9/11.

For many students, September 11, 2001, is a historical event they didn’t experience firsthand. This gap in personal experience can make it challenging to grasp the gravity and emotional weight of the day. Even though it was always difficult and emotional to teach the horrific events of this tragic day, I knew it was important because it’s sadly a HUGE part of America’s history.

Teaching about September 11 is not just about recounting historical facts; it’s about helping students understand the profound impact the event had on individuals, communities, and the world.

I created two products that I used in my classroom to help me teach the events of this heart-breaking day: 9/11 Context Clues Task Cards and a 9/11 Choice Board that includes multiple activities. Through these activities, my students became not only aware of the day’s events, but how much America came together and stood united as ONE.

If interested in either of these products for your learners, check them out my clicking on the images below.

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9/11 Choice Board

9/11 Task Cards

Together, we can ensure that the lessons of September 11 continue to resonate with future generations.

Never Forget!

Classroom, Classroom Activities, Teacher Resources

Analogies are Awesome!

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Analogies are awesome! As we all know, an analogy is a comparison between two different objects, people, or ideas that share some common characteristics. Why teach them? Analogies are important because they help us make sense of the world around us. For example, if we wanted to explain how a car works, we could use an analogy of a bicycle. We could explain that the car has an engine like a bicycle has a pedal, and the car has a steering wheel like a bicycle has handlebars.

Analogies are also useful for making complex topics easier to understand. For example, if you were trying to explain the structure of the internet, you could use an analogy of a highway system. You could explain that the internet is made up of highways and side roads, and that data travels along these pathways like cars travel along a highway.

Analogies can also be used to create vivid images in our minds, which can help us remember information more easily. For example, if you wanted to remember the order of the planets in the solar system, you could create an analogy of a string of beads. You could imagine that each bead represents a planet, and the order of the beads is the order of the planets.

Overall, analogies are an important tool that can be used to explain complex topics, create vivid images, and help us remember information. They can be a great way to make learning fun and engaging, and can help us understand the world around us in a more meaningful way.

My students always love analogies and seeing the connection and relationship between various objects, people, and more. If needing an analogy resource for your classroom, I’ve got your covered:

Check out these ANALOGY TASK CARDS

Analogy Task Cards

ANALOGY NO PREP PRINTABLES

No Prep Analogy Printables

IF YOU WANT BOTH OF THESE PRODUCTS, CHECK OUT THIS BUNDLE AND SAVE $

Analogy Bundle (Task Cards and No Prep Printables)

Happy Teaching!

Until next time,

Classroom Activities, Teacher Resources

How Do We Show Students We Care?

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How do we show our students we care?

As teachers, we all know it’s very important to show our students that we care about them. Why? Doing so can help create a positive learning environment where students feel safe, respected, and supported. Our students are dealing with A LOT these days. They need to feel that at least one person is in their court.

Here are a few ways that teachers can show their students that they care:

  1. Get to know them: Take time to get to know your students on an individual level. Ask them questions about their interests, hobbies, and goals. Showing that you care about their interests can help build meaningful relationships with your students.
  2. Be available: Let your students know that you are available to help them. Make yourself available to answer questions or just talk about their day. This can help create a sense of trust between you and your students.
  3. Show appreciation: Recognize your students’ achievements, both big and small. Give genuine compliments, encourage them to keep trying, and remind them of their potential. This can help build their self-confidence and make them feel valued.
  4. Show flexibility: Be flexible with assignments, deadlines, and expectations. Show your students that you understand that everyone learns differently and that you want to help them succeed.

By taking small steps to show your students that you care, you can create an environment of trust and support that can help your students learn and grow.

Happy teaching!

Classroom, Tips

Back to the Basics in Reading

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Word Work

Back to the basics in reading? Yes! I work as a reading and writing interventionist in a middle school. We might tend to think at this age, our students should know all the vowel sounds, blends, digraphs, consonant clusters, vowel rules, etc. Well, they don’t (and for many reasons, which is a whole other blog post). 😂

Therefore, I’ve gone back to the basics. Yes, even in middle school! We all need a refresher every now and then, especially when it comes to the basics, right?! Phonics is an important building block for a strong foundation in reading, writing, and language arts. That’s why it’s essential to go back to the basics of phonics to gain a better understanding of how language works. As teachers, we know there are HUGE debates right now between leveled literacy and the science of reading. I find that incorporating both into my class is extremely beneficial for my students.

What Is Phonics?

Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing that focuses on the relationship between sounds and letters. It involves teaching students to recognize and use the sounds that letters and groups of letters make. This is an important skill for reading, as it allows students to decode words and gain a better understanding of them.

Why Is Phonics Important?

Phonics provides students with the fundamentals of reading and writing and helps them to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. This knowledge can be used to help decode unknown words and to increase fluency. Additionally, phonics can help students to spell correctly and improve their overall writing skills.

How Can We Go Back to the Basics with Phonics?

Going back to the basics of phonics can be done in a few different ways. One way is to review the sounds that each letter makes and the different combinations of letters that create a particular sound. Just today, we worked on digraphs and long/short vowel sounds. We practiced reading words out loud and breaking them down into individual sounds. Finally, have them practice writing words from their sounds, as this will help them gain a better understanding of how the sounds and letters work together.

Overall, phonics is an important building block for literacy skills. Going back to the basics with phonics can help your students to gain a better understanding of the relationship between sounds and letters, which will ultimately help them to become better readers and writers.

Until next time,

Classroom, Classroom Activities, Tips