Focus your planning by getting clear on just three things: the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY.

Answers: 1b 2c 3a 4c 5d 6d 7b 8a (cause and effect) linking_words_phrases (linking words) (linking words)

One of my teammates shared this really awesome graphic organizer for persuasive writing. It came from Our Cool School. She uses the idea and acronym of OREO to remind students how to do a persuasive writing! O-Opinion R-Reason E-Example O-Opinion (restate) I wish I could claim this as my own, but I can't! It's totally Tracey from Our Cool School. (Click to go to her blog and get your copy!) How awesome is that? I decided to use this graphic organizer to build morale with my students. I'm really big on teaching my students more than just academic skills. When my students leave my class, I want them to be better people - caring and with stronger character! That's why I paired this organizer with the story Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Spoon is the cutest little story about a little spoon who gets down on himself because he doesn't think he's as cool as his friends knife, fork, or chopstick. They seem to be able to do so many things that he can't! By the end of the story, however, his mother is able to remind him of all the things he is able to do that make him so special. I start this lesson by reading the story and asking the students to help me complete the graphic organizer. (This actually takes several days, done in baby steps with my class.) We take his mom's perspective and state her opinion that everyone is special, including Spoon! Together we complete the graphic organizer stating our reasons, correlating examples, and finally restating mother spoon's opinion in a different way. This is when we make our text-to-self connections. I take a survey to see if anyone in the class has ever felt down on themselves about anything. We share a few examples and share how that makes us feel. Then I explain that this is why for our writing assignment we are going to choose a friend to whom we are writing a persuasive letter. We choose a positive descriptor or adjective of that friend which we turn into our opinion. Our goal in this letter is to convince our friend that he/she is in fact cool, awesome, lucky, funny, nice, etc. When we finally complete our project, the final product is published on cute stationary for the students to deliver to their friends. I tell them that if one day their friends ever get down on themselves, they can read their letters and feel good about themselves again. I walked my class through several examples, completing 3 graphic organizers in mini-lessons to better help them understand how to utilize the graphic organizer. I also conducted a separate mini-lesson on a different day showing them how to use their graphic organizers to write a rough draft in letter format. When students write their own, they complete the publishing process by revising, editing, and publishing on that cute stationary! I don't have pictures of the finished products yet, but I'll post some later! You'd be pleasantly surprised at how very sweet and heart warming these letters to friends can be.

I've done a lot of reading about habits that lead to wealth and success. Without a doubt, the number-one recommendation is to become proactive. Here's how.

Interactive books for preschoolers are a great way to get them involved in a book in meaningful ways. Since social emotional learning in preschool is key, I created this wonderful "I Can" interactive book. Preschool children will learn important concepts about what it means to be responsible. This colorful interactive book for kids gets them reflecting on how they can and do contribute each day to their own homes and families. All you need to do to prep the interactive preschool book is print, cut out the cards, and laminate for durability. Your child will likely want to go through it again and again!

Do you have excess phlegm stuck in your throat? Have you been frequently clearing your throat and you can’t seem to get that sticky stuff off your throat because it keeps building back up? You may clear your throat often because it feels like something is tickling or sticking in your throat. You may have

The 12 Jungian Archetypes Ruler The 4 Cardinal Orientations The 4 cardinal orientations that the archetypes are seeking to realise are: Ego - Leave a Mark on the World Order - Provide Structure to the World Social - Connect to others Freedom - Yearn for Paradise The 12 Archetypes in Detail Detailed Description of Desires,

Four-Star Reading Responses Anchor Chart. Use this anchor chart to show your students between a vague 1-star response and a detailed 4-star response!

An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it's describing. Search through this word search to find each comic book onomatopoeia!

Master the art of we're and were usage with our printable worksheet. Perfect your grammar skills through practical exercises and real-world examples. Save this pin for a quick grammar refresher anytime!

Pre-Intermediate use of these two phrasal modals. Short grammar usage definitions and short exercises to practice. Clear guidance as regards theory. Comparison of these formal phrasal modals with easier or simpler synonyms. - ESL worksheets

Resources for teaching persuasive writing! Free Persuasive Writing Kit for grades 3–12. Purpose of Persuasive Writing, Elements of a Persuasive Essays...

Did you think teaching students to write would be a snap? I mean, you are a college-educated, certified individual. How hard could it possibly be? Well, it’s a challenge, especially when just starting out. In my classroom,

The Learning the Alphabet is a comprehensive ABC program and includes everything you need to effectively teach the alphabet and help your child to build a strong reading and writing foundation.

In each sentence, the 'correct' word is scrambled to make a new word, but not the 'right' word. I hope this explanation is clear! There is an explanation and an example on the sheet. This is my second sheet with this exercise. (I took the idea from the great Anthoni. Check out his power point 'Anagrams'.) Key included. You could then get them to make lists of any similar words in their own language. A nice bit of fun! - ESL worksheets

The English Verb Tenses 'Ultimate Mind Map' is a clear, fun way to present & teach all the English verb tenses. Our expert article explains everything.

When I looked at my last post and realized it was Christmas themed, I realized I was long overdo for a blog post. This new year has brought...

seen: encrypted invitations I still love encrypted messages and think any child would have a party just opening this invitation-- the ...

Numbers are the first thing to learn as a preschool math student. But, it is very hard to make kids realize the importance of learning these. They may tend to stray away from the learning curve due to learning disabilities. Keeping up with discomfort, there is always a need

There has been a lot of buzz about DoK (Depth of Knowledge) levels by Norman Webb. First and foremost before I go any further on DoK I want to make it very very clear. DoK is not a verb!!! To ma…

Help kids who struggle with b d letter reversals with these tips and free printable posters!

What they don't teach us in education courses is just how freaking much students talk, and how hard it can be to quiet them down. Help is on the way.

Did you watch the launch attempt for the Demo-2 mission on Wednesday? My kids and I watched the entire thing and had our fingers crossed just like everyone else in the world that the weather would clear but to no avail. But in the time watching, we learned SO MUCH! There will definitely be some […]

The “Commonly Confused Words” worksheet is a focused educational resource aimed at teaching the correct usage of the homophones “They’re,” “Their,” and “There.” At the top of the worksheet, a designated space is provided for students to write their names, thereby personalizing their work. The top of the page features a brief explanation of each...

Classroom management consists of many things. Mainly, management revolves around classroom procedures. Another important aspect of classroom management is rules. Now, rules in the classroom…

Free, fun and useful Kindergarten - 1st Grade, Common Core aligned lesson plans, math games, calendars, behavior charts, materials and more!