Addie Williams - Teacher Talk

The Outsiders

2023-08-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

Picking a class novel is exhausting! Every student has different interests and passions. So, it will be hard for them to connect to the novel if they do not have similar interests as the characters. Thankfully, this will never be the case with The Outsiders! This iconic book has many situations that students can relate to, no matter what is happening in the world. Between the characters, rivalries, and understanding, this book is always a student favorite! Best of all, it is one students can talk about to their parents, which is so helpful during this tough age. Luckily, The Outsiders teaching resources ensure students love every aspect of reading and working on assignments!

The Outsiders Novel Study

A novel unit has to focus on many aspects. This includes analyzing literary elements, comprehension, understanding character actions, and making connections to life. Honestly, it can seem overwhelming when figuring out where to start. Thankfully, this unit has everything you need when teaching The Outsiders!

Specifically, students will respond to the events in the story through graphic organizers and analyze literary elements. Additionally, they will complete various projects, such as creating a newspaper and designing character sketches. They will even address teen issues, draw subway art, explain essential quotes, and work on final projects.

These activities encourage students to think critically, engage with the text, and explore the issues in the novel.

The Outsiders Character & Quote Posters

If you’ve ever read The Outsiders, you know characters have powerful lines! So, this set includes classroom posters with all of the major characters. Additionally, each character has a poster describing key traits since it can be easy to confuse them initially.

Specifically, there are posters about the Greasers and Socs in general and posters for specific Greasers and Socs. There is even a poster for the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Students will truly understand what Johnny means when he tells Ponyboy to Stay Gold!

The Outsiders Character Analysis

The Outsiders has some of the most memorable characters! This includes Darry’s undeniable love for his brothers and Dally’s fight for self-preservation. Honestly, The Outsiders has characters students will never forget!

Thankfully, this set of graphic organizers helps students analyze each character. There are even multiple versions of the assignment. For instance, teachers may assign a paragraph character summary or a longer response essay.

This resource uses the STEAL acronym to help students deeply focus on characters. Specifically, this includes their speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks. This is a great way to teach indirect characterization!

The Outsiders Newspaper Project

This is such a fun project to explain the conflict between the Socs and the Greasers!

Students will learn how to write a newspaper article with brainstorming guides. There are also different templates and a grading rubric.

Students will love exploring the dynamics between these two groups!

The Outsiders Digital Final Projects and Paper Final Projects

It is imperative to spend time reflecting on a story after finishing it. So, this resource has four options for students to select from! Thankfully, students can complete a project in their preferred method to show their true understanding of The Outsiders novel.

Specifically, three of the four projects involve a poster or artwork. Each project also includes a writing component since this is essential for students to practice. No matter which options students select, there is a handout to explain the project, planning pages, and an organizer sheet.

Students love having the option to choose their final project!

Honestly, there are not enough words to explain how amazing The Outsiders is! The characters, interactions, conflicts, and support excite students to read every page. Luckily, The Outsiders teaching resources ensure students practice many standards while reading a book they will always remember!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will receive freebies for blog exclusive subscribers!

Earth Science Activities

2023-07-31T07:29:00.006-07:00

There is something special about teaching science to middle school students. They are at the age where they understand the planets and how some aspects of Earth happen. So, they are now eager to dive in deeper and learn more information. Thankfully, this means students will be focused and excited to participate while working on Earth Science activities!

Moon Phases, Eclipses, and Tides

The moon is fascinating to study! Honestly, every aspect of space is. Luckily, the multiple templates help teach and review phases of the moon. Additionally, there are templates for students to explore the differences between solar and lunar eclipses. Students will even discover how spring and neap tide work.

To push thinking further, students will represent the position of the sun, moon, and earth during eclipses and tides. They will do this by cutting and pasting included pictures to represent the different positions. Thankfully, this extra manipulation allows students to truly push their knowledge to a deeper level of thinking!

Rocks and Minerals

These resources will help students learn and review minerals, the rock cycle, and different types of rocks!

There are 5 products to ensure students explore these topics in-depth. This includes 4 different graphics organizers with review questions. There is even a fun assignment where students write a creative story from the perspective of a rock in the rock cycle! Additionally, there is a mineral identification activity and review games.

Rocks Doodle & Write

The rock cycle is always fun for students to learn about! It is fascinating how rocks transform over time. So, this interactive doodle graphic organizer is the perfect way to review or introduce the three types of rocks.

Specifically, students will learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. There are two detailed graphic organizers for students to add notes and doodles while learning about rocks.

Students will love the creativity behind these notes!

Astronomy Activity Bundle

Once students begin moon lessons and activities, they will want more! Honestly, astronomy is so exciting to learn about! Thankfully, this bundle helps teach all about space and the solar system.

Students will learn about the solar system through a doodle and write activity and a flip book. These are amazing ways to increase engagement and focus! Additionally, they will learn about the sun through a graphic organizer. They will even learn about the moon's phases, tides, and eclipses through an interactive notebook. There is even a fun cookie activity for the phases of the moon!

Honestly, this bundle has so many incredible moon lessons and activities! Students will love learning how fascinating the solar system is with these lessons.

It is so much fun teaching Earth Science activities! Since students have a connection with their planet, they are always eager and excited to learn how things work. Thankfully, these lessons will mean the classroom has so many engaged students focused on their learning!

Novel Study

2023-07-21T10:05:00.007-07:00

When reading a novel, teachers plan activities for many aspects. For instance, they must check comprehension. Additionally, they plan to teach, review, and assess many literary elements, such as main idea and characterization. On top of this, they incorporate vocabulary and figurative language. They even need to plan final projects to show student knowledge. So, planning for multiple novels is exhausting! Thankfully, a novel study with any novel is ready for ANY selection!

Novel Study Bundle

Incorporating a novel study is an amazing way to include so many standards. Best of all, it shows the true joy of reading. However, students change each year, so what works one year may be different from the next. This means there is a ton of planning with a novel study! Thankfully, this bundle includes everything you need for ANY novel!

Chapter Responses

When reading a novel, students need to understand it! So, teachers can use the graphic organizers provided to check for understanding. These are great alternatives to chapter questions.

Projects

Projects are a fantastic way to dive deeper into a novel. Students can show their understanding beyond multiple choice or short answer questions on a test. Luckily, there are 8 final project options. Each project allows students to explain and expand on the novel in a fun and creative way. Since there are 8 options, there are projects ready for the year!

Reading Circle/Literature Circle Graphic Guide

Incorporating literature circles in the classroom can be challenging. Since there are multiple options, teachers have to know where every group is. Thankfully, all this tracking won’t be a problem anymore. These organizers allow teachers and students to track what they are reading.

Reading Journal Graphic Organizers

It is so important for students to reflect on their reading. So, these open-ended questions are perfect for a novel study with any novel!

Character Study

Students often build significant connections with characters. As additional support, this activity will lead students through writing a character sketch. After sketching it out, students can even use it to write a paragraph or full essay.

Book Review

When students finish a novel, they need to reflect. Thankfully, this easy-to-use template is the perfect way for them to write a book review! Teachers can even display the student work around the classroom. Honestly, this is an excellent way for all classmates to see what others are reading and be inspired to read more!

Looking for these amazing activities in a digital format? Well, you’re in luck! There is a

Digital Novel Study Bundle! This includes all the same activities as the print bundle but is perfect for the computer!

ELA Bundle: Writing, Poetry, and Novel Study

There are so many standards in ELA! It can be overwhelming to think about how much there is to teach in one year. Thankfully, this bundle includes everything teachers need for writing, novel studies, and poetry instruction!

The writing activities include all templates, rubrics, and mentor texts needed to teach writing! This applies to narrative, expository, persuasive, descriptive, and creative writing. Additionally, all of the activities are easy to differentiate. Teachers can select which activities to use based on students' writing levels.

Poetry often seems boring to students. Thankfully, that will all change with these activities. Students will practice poetry analysis, identify themes, use figurative language, and write poems. These are ones based on many of their interests, such as pet peeves, hero music, and imagery. It will feel so refreshing to have students excited about poetry activities!

In middle school and high school, students often say goodbye to textbooks and hello to novels! While this is the perfect way to show students reading is fun, it takes hours to plan a novel study. Thankfully, the novel study pack works with ANY novel! There are novel projects, character studies, reading journals, literature circle resources, and novel chapter responses. There is even a book review activity.

While there are a lot of standards to teach in ELA, there are so many ways to teach them. Honestly, this is one of the neatest aspects of teaching this subject. However, it can also lead to a lot of planning when teachers are already short on time. Thankfully, the novel study and ELA bundle will ensure there are tons of fun, hands-on, interactive lessons with little planning!

Doodle and Write

2023-07-13T19:07:00.006-07:00

Middle school teachers always search for ways to create enjoyable lessons for students. This is a tough age, and their minds run wild with different thoughts. So, it is challenging to keep them focused and engaged! Thankfully, these doodle and write notes are the perfect solution! Each set focuses on a key science topic while incorporating something students love: doodling! Now, students can learn key information while coloring and creating doodles that represent the information. Students will love having hands-on, interactive lessons!

Power of Doodle and Write

While it would be nice for students to sit and listen, many cannot. However, this is not their fault. From their changing bodies to dealing with middle school drama, so much is happening in their minds. So, they need lessons that help their brains focus on the material. This is why doodle and write notes are perfect! Students focus on the topic while keeping their hands and minds busy. Honestly, it will be amazing to look at their doodle notes and see how they brought the material to life.

Rocks Doodle and Write

Specifically, students will learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. There are two detailed graphic organizers for students to add notes and doodles while learning about rocks.

Students will love the creativity behind these notes!

Astronomy Doodle and Write

Looking up at the night sky is always fascinating. There is so much going on so far away, so catching any glimpses is amazing.

These doodle notes will allow students to learn all about the inner and outer planets. Additionally, students will learn about galaxies, nebulas, stars, red giants, supergiants, and white dwarfs. Students will even learn about comets, meteors, asteroids, lightyears, and more!

Students love adding color and bringing shine to their doodle and write notes!

Weathering & Erosion Doodle and Write

These doodle and write notes will explore many topics students see while exploring nature!

Specifically, students will explore weathering, erosion, and deposition, along with physical and chemical weathering. They will also explore factors influencing how quickly a rock will weather and human impacts of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students will even learn how weathering, erosion, and deposition have related processes.

Students will love learning these topics in the classroom and exploring them outside.

Volcano Doodle and Write

Volcanoes are intriguing to study! While they are dangerous, they are breathtaking to see. So, students will learn all about cinder cone volcanoes, shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes, and strato volcanoes.

The best conversations will spark while learning about the different types of volcanoes.

School should be enjoyable for students. However, this is not always the case during middle school. Luckily, these doodle and write notes are ready to transform learning! Students will love taking notes on these pages.

Back to School Activities

2023-07-06T19:30:00.006-07:00

I know what you’re thinking- back to school activities already!? Believe it or not, some return to school in early August, while others have a few extra weeks. No matter when teachers head back, there is always so much to prepare! Some of the most challenging activities to plan are the ones students complete in the first few days of school. Honestly, there is so much pressure to plan the perfect back to school activities since this helps set the tone for the year. Thankfully, I’ve got the perfect options for your classroom!

Back to School Activities for Middle and High School

Honestly, planning activities for middle and high school students can be stressful. They all have different interests to incorporate. Thankfully, these 20 engaging and educational literacy activities mean there is something for everyone. Best of all, they all help get to know students’ personalities and a sense of their writing and language skills at the same time!

Activities include a fun student survey, would you rather questions, a poetry writing activity, and various writing prompts. Additionally, there is a Movie Madness activity where students transform their favorite memories into a film strip and a Personal Logo activity. On top of this, there are tons of activities that have students describe their lives, interests, and ideas for a perfect school year.

If you prefer digital options, check out Digital Back to School Activities! Whether working on paper or the computer, students will love having a teacher who cares about their interests.

My Life in 30 Words Poetry Activity

Each year, teachers get to know a new group of students. This includes what they like to do, their favorite food, and their learning struggles. Honestly, teachers want to know everything they can to support students in every way possible. Thankfully, this back to school poetry assignment helps do exactly that!

This autobiographical poem allows students to share who they are in exactly 30 words! While this is a challenge, students have so much fun with it.

There is a detailed assignment sheet, a brainstorming sheet, and examples to ensure the year begins smoothly. There is even a template to help students with their 30 words. Students will love showing their teacher and classmates who they are.

Get to Know You & Goal Setting Activities

Middle and high school students are at the perfect age to set goals for themselves. So, this is the ideal way to connect with students and set goals for the new school year!

Specifically, there are 18 graphic organizers and writing prompts that create the perfect “get to know you” activities. This includes Top 10 Lists, goal setting, and so much more! Thankfully, these back to school activities help teachers quickly assess writing levels. Teachers will learn their students' interests while seeing where to begin their instruction with these activities!

Soundtrack of My Life

When it comes time for students to work on back to school activities, some are less than thrilled to be back. Many times, it takes fun and exciting activities to help them warm up to a new year. Thankfully, this activity will be sure to do that!

Students love music! Honestly, they would listen all day if they could. So, this activity combines back to school poetry with music. Students will create a soundtrack of their life or summer to help show who they are and connect with others. There are brainstorming sheets and templates to help guide students.

Students experience so many emotions during back to school season. While some are excited to be back, others are not. Additionally, many are nervous about the new grade level and the changes that it presents. Thankfully, these back to school activities will help ensure students are excited and relaxed about the new school year!

Astronomy

2023-06-27T10:10:00.007-07:00

Do your students always get excited when the moon looks extra bright? Or, do they get excited whenever the sun rises and sets with beautiful colors? I know mine do! Honestly, they are so fascinated to learn about anything dealing with astronomy. They love talking about planets, the stars, and special events occurring in space that we can see on Earth. So, these aspects always create lessons where students are eager to learn more! Thankfully, the Astronomy Doodle & Write and Astronomy Activity Bundle are ready to take learning to a deeper level! Students will love all of these activities while learning about one of their favorite topics.

Astronomy Doodle & Write

Students love to draw. They also love to learn all about space. Thankfully, this resource combines the two!

There are 4 fun and engaging Doodle and Write graphic organizers. Each one allows students to learn and review important astronomy terms and topics. For instance, they learn about the inner planets and outer planets. Additionally, they learn about galaxies, nebulas, asteroids, stars, red giants, supergiants, white dwarfs, light years, comets, and meteors!

Students have visuals showing their astronomy topic on each doodle page. Additionally, they fill in notes and can draw their own visuals. Students always have so much fun adding color and doodles to their notes!

Astronomy Activity Bundle

Once students begin learning about astronomy, they will want more! Honestly, astronomy is so exciting to learn about! Thankfully, this bundle helps teach all about space and the solar system.

Students will learn about the solar system through 5 different resources. This helps ensure there are a variety of learning activities to guarantee students learn in engaging formats. For example, there is a doodle and write activity for the universe. Additionally, there is a flip book over the planets. These are fantastic ways to increase engagement and focus! Additionally, they will learn about the sun through a graphic organizer. They will even learn about the moon's phases, tides, and eclipses through an interactive notebook. On top of this, there is a fun and creative cookie activity for the moon's phases!

All of these activities are open to easy differentiation. Teachers can decide what students complete and how much support they receive since they know their students best.

Honestly, this bundle has so many incredible astronomy activities! Students will love learning how fascinating the solar system is with these lessons.

Astronomy is such a fun topic to teach! Students are engaged and eager to learn more. However, even your most hesitant learners will love soaring off to space with these resources. So, teachers do not have to worry about behavior issues or handling any drama. Instead, they can focus on learning, discussing, and enjoying every moment of teaching astronomy lessons. Thankfully, the Astronomy Doodle & Write and Astronomy Activity Bundle are ready to make prepping for these lessons simple and stress-free!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive freebies for blog exclusive subscribers!

Halloween Activities

2023-06-20T17:04:00.001-07:00

No matter the age of the students, Halloween is so exciting! Whether dressing up to collect candy or working in a haunted house, so much fun is going on. However, this also means it can be hard to keep students focused. They want to discuss their celebrations and plan everything with friends. Honestly, this can make teaching in October a frustrating month. It doesn’t have to be, though! Creative Halloween activities can help students focus on learning while celebrating the holiday with classmates. Thankfully, there are fantastic Halloween activities to pick from!

Halloween Bundle: Writing and Grammar

When working on writing, it is crucial to incorporate grammar skills. This allows students to see the focus elements in action and apply their learning. Thankfully, this bundle allows students to do exactly this!

Specifically, there are 6 fun and creative Halloween writing, poetry, and grammar activities. This will help ensure students stay engaged and learning throughout October!

For instance, students will write a Halloween mystery using a unique story starter. Students will even develop a protagonist, antagonist, conflict, and more! Additionally, students will work on a fun interview with a vampire. Their report creates the funniest findings! Students will even work on parts of speech, task cards filled with Halloween activities, and figurative language. On top of this, there are activities where students use subway-style art for inspiration for a poem, haiku, short story, and more!

Halloween Mystery Writing

Students love all things spooky! So, this is the perfect way to create an engaging and fun assignment incorporating writing!

This resource contains everything teachers need to support students in creating a mystery story! This includes brainstorming and planning guides, instruction sheets, and a short story planner. This will help ensure students have components of a plot diagram, including an introduction, rising action, and climax.

Since creative writing can be challenging for students, there is even a “Dial-A-Mystery” template. This helps struggling writers or ones with writer’s block develop their mystery elements. Additionally, students can work together or individually to create the ultimate spooky mystery story!

Students will love when teachers incorporate academics with Halloween activities!

Halloween Parts of Speech

Honestly, learning the parts of speech is essential! Students will use this knowledge all throughout their lives, so they must have a strong understanding. Thankfully, this set of Halloween-themed worksheets creates a fun way to review this information!

Students will have the Halloween-themed worksheets as they identify nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Additionally, they will identify prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, and interjections. Students will even further apply their knowledge by creating “scary” examples.

Students will have so much fun working on these Halloween activities! October will be one of their favorite months in the classroom with all of these spooky and mysterious activities!

Moon Lessons and Activities

2023-06-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Students experience a lot of stress. Between completing assignments and preparing for tests, they often become overwhelmed. On top of this, many spend hours each day at extracurricular activities and practice. So, they have just a few moments to do what they want each day. This means they often need ways to destress. For many students, this is drawing, listening to music, or just looking up at the peaceful sky. Luckily, these moon lessons and activities will help show students what they are looking at! They will become fascinated while learning about space and be eager to apply their knowledge while exploring the sky.

Moon Phases, Eclipses, and Tides

Be sure to check out the Moon Phases Cookie Activity FREEBIE! Students will love the delicious hands-on lab! Best of all, it provides an amazing visual representation of the phases.

Astronomy Activity Bundle

Once students begin moon lessons and activities, they will want more! Honestly, astronomy is so exciting to learn about! Thankfully, this bundle helps teach all about space and the solar system.

Honestly, this bundle has so many incredible moon lessons and activities! Students will love learning how fascinating the solar system is with these lessons.

Astronomy & Space Word Wall

There are so many terms to learn during moon lessons and activities! Thankfully, there are 60-word wall stripes to help students understand their astronomy vocabulary. This includes terms for planets, the life cycle of a star, the sun, comet, astronaut, space station, and much more! Each strip has a word and a picture to help students learn them. You can even print the strips in color or black and white.

Learning about the solar system and how it works will be the favorite topic of students! Thankfully, these fantastic moon lessons and activities will ensure classrooms are full of smiling faces and curious minds.

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will receive Moon Phases Cookie Activity FREEBIE for blog exclusive subscribers!

Poetry Activities

2023-06-07T12:55:00.003-07:00

No teacher likes to hear students groan about certain activities. Unfortunately, this is often the reaction when students find out they are beginning a poetry unit. However, this does not have to be the reaction! Poetry activities can be really fun. Students just need to experience this excitement to change their perspective on poetry. Thankfully, the Poetry Activity Bundle will be the resource to do this! There are tons of exciting activities that students love working on.

Poetry Activity Bundle

Honestly, students can feel so inspired when reading and writing poetry! Many times, they just need poetry activities that relate to their interests. Thankfully, this bundle has the perfect activities for middle and high school students.

One of the activities allows students to complain about their pet peeves in a poem! Students love to do this! They will include similes to build connections with their pet peeve as an added element. Similarly, students will write a poem using imagery. It is so fun to see what students use as their topic.

Students will also write a poem about their life in 30 words. While this is challenging, they love tackling this assignment! Also, students will use music lyrics that best exemplify the idea of a hero as an example of poetry. They will love having a teacher who cares about their interests!

For more poetry activities, there is a laughing with limerick assignment. These are always so much fun to read! Students will also write a poem about a view out of a window. Students become so insightful in this activity! They will even compare prose to poetry using newspapers.

Since figurative language is essential to know, there is a poetry poster project to review. There is even a reference sheet for guidance.

Best of all, these amazing poetry activities include lesson plans, full assignment sheets, brainstorming graphic organizers, rubrics, and more!

ELA Bundle

Honestly, there are so many standards in ELA! It can be overwhelming to think about how much there is to teach in one year. Thankfully, this bundle includes everything teachers need for writing, novel studies, and poetry instruction!

ELA should be a fun and exciting class! There are so many ways to teach all of the standards, which means teachers love to incorporate student interests. Thankfully, the Poetry Activity Bundle and ELA Bundle will help show students how much fun learning is. The poetry activities, writing resources, and novel study will help create activities students always remember!

The Outsiders

2023-05-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it is an exhausting process to select which books to read in the classroom. This is because every student is different! They have different interests, so it is challenging to choose books that will fit the needs and interests of everyone. Thankfully, selecting The Outsiders novel is a no-brainer! Even though S.E. Hinton wrote the book many years ago, it is a story that resonates with every student! Best of all, there are tons of activities for this novel study that will quickly become a student favorite.

The Outsiders Novel Study

Specifically, students will respond to the events in the story through graphic organizers and analyze literary elements. Additionally, they will complete various projects, such as creating a newspaper, and design character sketches. They will even address teen issues, draw subway art, explain essential quotes, and work on final projects.

These activities encourage students to think critically, engage with the text, and explore the issues in the novel.

The Outsiders Character & Quote Posters

The Outsiders Character Analysis

The Outsiders has some of the most memorable characters! This includes Darry’s undeniable love for his brothers, and Dally’s fight for self-preservation. Honestly, The Outsiders has characters students will never forget!

Thankfully, this set of graphic organizers helps students analyze each character. There are even multiple versions for the assignment. For instance, teachers may assign a paragraph character summary or a longer response essay.

The Outsiders Final Project

It is imperative to spend time reflecting on a story after finishing it. So, this resource has four options for students to select from! Thankfully, this means students can complete a project in their preferred method to show their true understanding of The Outsiders novel.

Students love having the option to choose their final project!

Additional Resources

There are many aspects to include when reading this novel. The relationship between the Greasers and Socs and the dynamics of the Greaser brothers build so many connections. Thankfully, there are tons of Outsider Resources to fit the needs of any classroom! These products will help ensure students truly understand this incredible story.

The Outsiders novel is a story students will always remember! There is so much going on between the characters' relationships and the exciting rumble! Thankfully, these activities help students work on many standards while enjoying this novel study!

Middle Ages

2023-05-21T20:45:00.002-07:00

Many middle school and high school students say history is boring. Sadly, they do not realize how much the past impacts the present and future. However, this thought is often because they have yet to experience highly engaging and hands-on lessons. So, their opinions are often based on lectures and activities that do not allow them to express their thoughts. This will no longer be the case when learning about the Middle Ages! Between the Middle Ages Activity Bundle and the Personal Coat of Arms, students will be eager to begin class! These Middle Ages activities allow students to take charge of their learning, which they love!

Middle Ages Activity Bundle

Students often need various activities to fully understand a topic. Additionally, they like activities with different formats. So, they like to read, write, create, design, draw, and discuss. Thankfully, the Middle Ages activities in this bundle incorporate all the different learning style preferences.

Specifically, 6 Middle Ages activities help students learn about crucial aspects of this time period. This includes the feudal system, heraldry, knights, daily life in medieval times, and more!

Students will complete a Feudal society pyramid to represent the structure of the time period. Additionally, they will create their personal coat of arms, design a Middle Ages newspaper, and write about a monk or nun. Students will even make a knight's wanted poster and explore how people lived during the Middle Ages. Each assignment also includes an assignment sheet, needed templates, and a grading rubric.

Since students love to be independent, they will access information through various sources. For instance, they can use their textbooks, the internet, or library books. Students love being able to find their research while working on these engaging activities!

Personal Coat of Arms

Students love pretending to be a knight living in the Middle Ages during this unit! Honestly, seeing how invested they become in their learning is so neat. So, one of the most popular Middle Ages activities among students involves designing their coat of arms.

Students will design their coat based on their hobbies, personality, family, and items essential to their identity. There is also an included sheet with some common heraldic symbols, colors, and their traditional meanings. This is a great way for students to include specific time period aspects. Students love to show off their coat of arms and hang them around the classroom!

Honestly, this is an amazing Middle Ages activity to draw interest from the start of the unit! It instantly builds excitement over what all students will learn. If teaching the Middle Ages at the beginning of the year, this is also the perfect get-to-know-you activity.

There is an assignment sheet, brainstorming guide, paragraph worksheet, grading rubric, and templates to ensure everything goes smoothly. Students will love the clear instruction that allows them to start designing!

The Middle Ages is such an exciting time period. Students love learning about knights, the empire, and the hierarchical system. Thankfully, the Middle Ages Activity Bundle and the Personal Coat of Arms ensure students learn all the crucial information in multiple formats!

Back to School Poetry

2023-05-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Teachers listen to so many groans and complaints whenever students hear it is time to write poetry. For some reason, the word poetry brings out so much negativity in students. However, this quickly changes as students begin to try the assignments. Once they start writing, they realize how fun learning how to write poetry is. Thankfully, there are so many fun activities to help students enjoy writing back to school poetry! By starting with these assignments, students know their year will be amazing!

My Life in 30 Words Poetry

This autobiographical poem allows students to share who they are in exactly 30 words! While this is a challenge, students have so much fun with it.

Poetry Activity Bundle

Once students complete their first back to school poetry assignment, they will want to learn how to write more! Writing poems can quickly become a favorite activity of students.

Luckily, this bundle includes so many poems. This consists of a pet peeve poem with similes. Students love being able to talk about their pet peeves in this assignment! Additionally, students will write about their life in 30 words, compare prose to poetry, and compose an imagery poem. Students will even use music lyrics as poetry, review figurative language, and laugh with limericks. There is even an insightful poem about the view from any window. Students will love the wide range of poetry in this bundle!

To help ensure writing goes smoothly, each poem includes lesson ideas, assignment sheets, and brainstorming graphic organizers.

Soundtrack of My Life

When it comes time to go back to school, some students are less than thrilled to be back. Many times, it takes fun and exciting activities to help them warm up to a new year. Thankfully, this activity will be sure to do that!

Poetry is insightful, emotional, and creative! Every student can take the same assignment in entirely different directions. So, when learning how to write poetry, everyone puts their spin on it. Luckily, back to school poetry will help students believe in themselves and be who they truly are! This will be a year students always remember!

Character Analysis

2023-05-06T18:45:00.001-07:00

Students in middle and high school often read multiple novels or short stories a year. This is a fantastic way to build their reading stamina while exposing them to different genres. However, this also means there is a ton of planning for teachers. Every novel requires students to focus on many elements, such as character analysis and theme responses. On top of this, teachers rotate books in and out based on the students and their needs. So, it can be frustrating to put hours of work into a novel study only to set it aside the following year. Thankfully, there are ways to make the same resources work for ANY story! For instance, the Character Analysis for ANY Novel or Story works no matter the topic, book, or genre!

What is Character Analysis?

When working on character analysis, students dive deep into who a person is. They examine a personality and identify what character traits explain who they are. Additionally, students are looking into the drive and determination behind a character. In other words, their motivation for making decisions. This includes everything from being the protagonist or antagonist to a flat, round, dynamic, or static character. Overall, a character analysis reminds students that there are many aspects to consider when assessing the characters in a story.

Character Analysis for ANY Novel or Story

Students do not want to do the same activity over and over again. They like trying something new. Thankfully, there are tons of options in this resource!

Students will learn about indirect characterization using the STEAL acronym. This includes a character’s speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks. There are character charts, note-taking sheets, and guides to support students.

Since writing includes so many standards, there are paragraph and essay planners. So, students can apply everything they know about the character to a well-written character analysis. Honestly, this is a great way to combine reading and writing standards!

Differentiation

When reading a story or novel, differentiation is critical! Students need to have appropriate support to understand what happens in the story. Thankfully, differentiation is easy when using the Character Analysis for ANY Novel or Story. Teachers can select which pieces and parts students work on, making this great for varying abilities and ages.

No Prep Resource

When planning a story or novel unit, you can take some of the planning off your plate with the Character Analysis resource! All of the activities are no prep. Teachers just need to decide which to use and when.

Characters drive a story. Students often fall in love with a character or become so angry with their actions. Honestly, students form amazing connections with characters for various reasons. Thankfully, the Character Analysis for ANY Novel or Story helps them analyze characters and really dive deep into their thoughts!

Map Skills

2023-04-30T13:07:00.001-07:00

If you ask middle schoolers to name all the states, many will be unable to do this. Additionally, if you ask students about directions, it will often be a struggle. While most will mention landmarks, such as well-known places, many will struggle using coordinates. This is exactly why students must learn map skills! One day, they will be driving and need to get around. So, they will need to know about scales, symbols, and locations. Whether using map skills worksheets or hands-on projects, students will significantly benefit from this instruction. Thankfully, the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park provides a wonderful challenge in a highly engaging format!

Map Skills: Design Your Amusement Park

Students love amusement parks! For some, it is all about rides. For others, it is about the shows and food. Honestly, there is so much to do at amusement parks! So, this is the perfect element to bring in when working on map skills.

This project allows students to design their own amusement park using map skills learned in class. This includes map elements, such as a scale, legend, symbols, and more! Honestly, students always have so much fun working on this project! It is a favorite each year.

Setting the Tone

Every amusement park has its own theme. This is a fantastic way to draw interest and encourage people to visit. So, students will create a theme for their park. Whether this is Rock N’ Roll, Video Games, or Vampires, students will love bringing their ideas to life! Seeing students' excitement as they walk around the classroom and explore all the unique themes is always amazing.

As the weather warms up, students will start to see advertisements, commercials, and features of amusement parks. Companies do this to entice people to visit. Additionally, they want to show off something special. While working on map skills worksheets, students will also do this! They will write about their “best” ride. They will explain the features, such as twists, turns, and hills. Honestly, this is a fantastic way to combine geography and language arts!

Limited Prep Project

Students love working on projects and letting their creativity soar. However, there is often a lot of prep with them. Thankfully, that is not true with the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park project! There is a detailed assignment sheet and mapping essentials handout. Both are super helpful for students! Additionally, there is an amusement park planner worksheet, two marking guides, and teacher instructions. There is even a student example!

Middle school students have so much going on in their lives. Honestly, many say this is the most challenging age to go through! Luckily, amazing teachers work hard to create hands-on, engaging lessons. This is crucial to ensuring students learn the material. Thankfully, the Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park ensures students work on material they will use throughout their lives! Best of all, the map skills worksheets and project creates learning students absolutely love!

End of the Year

2023-04-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

As crazy as it seems, it is time to focus on the end of the year! While some weeks dragged on for so long, the months passed quickly. So, students are in the final countdown for summer. While teachers are ready for a break, there is still a lot of planning to do! One of the top items includes end of the year high school activities. Teachers want students to remember this year forever, and the right activities can help do that! Thankfully, the End of the Year Activities for Teens and Tweens provide many amazing options!

Making the Year Memorable

Many times, elementary students have extravagant end of the year activities. This includes special trips, field day events, and celebrations. However, acknowledging this special time is just as important for high school students! As each year continues, students are one step closer to becoming independent young adults going through many changes. So, they deserve special end of the year high school activities that they can always look back on.

End of the Year Activities for Teens and Tweens

Planning at the end of the year is stressful! Students anxiously await summer break, so it can be hard for them to focus. Thankfully, this package includes 18 different activities for students to complete as they near the last few days of school.

The variety of projects help ensure there are end of the year high school activities for every student. For instance, there are reflection activities that will help students reflect on this year. This includes looking back at the year in a nutshell, an idiom poetry project, and making an advertisement about the world's greatest classroom. Additionally, students will reflect on their past, present, and future goals. This is an excellent activity as they approach summer and onto the next step in their lives.

Since students love music and social media, there are even projects incorporating that. For example, students will make a soundtrack of their lives, create selfies and snapshots, and do a fun tweet activity.

As students near the last day, there are even activities to show appreciation. Specifically, this includes a project where they thank someone for their help this year. Additionally, they will even write about their life lessons and advice to future students.

Academic Skills

Teachers always worry about students remembering all the skills learned this year. Luckily, the End of the Year Activities for Teens and Tweens allows students to work on many skills. Between various writing aspects to researching music, students will work hard and focus on the end of the year assignments.

Print and Go

One of the best parts of the End of the Year Activities for Teens and Tweens is how the activities are print and go! Everything is ready, so teachers won’t have to spend hours planning and preparing! Thankfully, this allows time for cleaning out cabinets, finalizing grades, and taking in those last days with students.

While students are excited about summer, they are also worried, anxious, and nervous. They are comfortable in their classroom, so it can be hard to process the upcoming changes. Thankfully, the End of the Year Activities for Teens and Tweens provide lots of opportunities for reflection while making memorable activities.

Media Literacy

2023-04-14T10:29:00.004-07:00

There is no doubt about it- students love social media! Even though they follow certain people and try different trends, they do not realize the power of being online. They often don’t even realize how impactful the internet is even when working on a trendy dance or prank. This is exactly why students need to understand what media literacy is. While learning, they will probably wonder: Why is media literacy important? Thankfully, the Media Literacy Activities Bundle incorporates many standards while engaging students!

Why is Media Literacy Important?

Middle school students often ask why they must learn about a particular topic. Honestly, if they do not understand this, they do not put their full effort and focus forward. So, it is helpful to address this even before a unit begins!

Whether providing the answer upfront or waiting until students ask, it is crucial to have a solid response together. This helps students understand the importance! So, when answering why media literacy is important, there are a few reasons to address. This includes the fact that the internet allows students to critically analyze the various media and influencers encountered. Truthfully, this aspect will enable students to know what and who they can and cannot trust. Additionally, media literacy allows students to decipher different messages and symbols encountered on the internet. Students can then make decisions for themselves, engage with others, and understand that everything has multiple sides. Ultimately, media literacy allows students to access, analyze, and evaluate media sources.

Media Literacy Activities Bundle

This bundle includes many activities to engage your students while learning about media literacy. Best of all, the 6 resources and activities allow students to have a hands-on process in their learning. Due to this, some of the best classroom discussions and collaboration often stem from these activities.

Advertising Techniques

Students will learn 10 common advertising strategies. Then, they will apply their knowledge to create an ad and justify their work. Students will love exploring all the ads their classroom creates!

Social Media Use

Students spend hours on social media! So, this activity is a great way to build awareness. Additionally, they will discuss the influence media has on today’s teens. Students will even better understand how their behavior adapts to what they see online.

Advertising Analysis

This fun and engaging activity allows students to review advertisers' strategies to persuade people to buy their products. Honestly, the discussion during this activity is impressive over which products students purchase based on social media. Then, students will select an ad and analyze the advertising techniques used.

Advertising and Media Writing Prompts

Students will love learning about media literacy. So, these 34 critical thinking questions are great for discussion, writing prompts, and journaling.

Advertising Slogans

When working on writing, students understand the importance of a hook to draw readers in. This is why the Media Literacy Activities Bundle shows students the same is true for social media! Students will explore advertising slogans and icons to create poems. This is an excellent way to tie in persuasive writing!

Political Cartoon Analysis

Honestly, many students have a social media addiction. However, they often do not realize it. So, this activity uses political cartoons themed around social media attention. Students will analyze them for their message and effectiveness. The discussion during this activity is always insightful!

Social media is a huge factor in students' lives. They spend hours watching videos, surfing the Internet, and interacting through different outlets. Due to this, students must understand the power of media. Thankfully, the Media Literacy Activities Bundle helps them see how powerful influencers and ads are. After this unit, students will be much more aware of why media literacy is crucial to understand!

Persuasive Writing

2023-04-07T12:16:00.007-07:00

Honestly, describing the process of teaching middle school students to write is hard. They are growing up in a world filled with technology, so they learn all sorts of slang. Since this is often how they text and talk, it is hard to break these habits while working on academic writing. Students spend hours behind a screen, so they forget the importance of proper grammar and structure during school hours. Thankfully, the Writing Pack is here to help with all types of writing! Whether creating a persuasive writing lesson plan or wanting students to write creatively, there are many options!

Middle School Writing Styles

Before entering middle school, students hopefully understand the importance of capitalizing proper nouns and putting solid sentences together. However, they need to know various essay skills before entering high school. This includes citations, embedding evidence, and writing paragraphs about the same topic. Honestly, the growth students must show during middle school is intense! Luckily, the Writing Pack provides many resources to support students as they handle the rigor of middle school writing.

Writing Pack

This easy-to-use set of activities, graphic organizers, and templates is here to help students tackle writing! Whether this is working through a persuasive writing lesson plan or learning how to self-assess, everything is within this resource! There are even grading rubrics for teachers.

Types of Writing

The Writing Pack includes narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing.

There are templates for each form that are perfect to use throughout the year! So, students will start off with the initial assignment since this showcases the type of writing. Then, teachers can use all the guides as students work on various writing assignments as the year continues.

Learning the Styles

Honestly, each form of writing has distinct elements. So, there are over 60 pages to help students learn each style. For instance, this includes using the PEE (Point-Evidence-Explain) format when working on persuasive writing. Additionally, there are well-written and poorly-written examples when working on descriptive writing. Students will even learn how to write a hook while working on narrative writing. The writing pack has many helpful resources and guides to support students' writing journey.

Differentiation

When working on writing, differentiation is crucial. This allows strong writers to deepen their skills and understanding while supporting struggling students. Thankfully, the Writing Pack can easily adapt to different ages and abilities! The detailed assignment sheets, mentor texts, self-assessment rubrics, peer editing activities, and brainstorming activities fit ALL students! Since teachers know their students best, they can differentiate however needed.

Learning how to write in an academic structure is hard! Students have to adjust to formal writing versus texting with their friends. Additionally, they must remember the essential elements of each type of writing. Thankfully, the Writing Pack provides all the resources students and teachers need! So, whether working on persuasive writing or another format, students will blossom into talented writers!

Novel Study with Any Novel

2023-03-31T09:30:00.005-07:00

Honestly, middle school students are so lucky to have many incredible novels to pick from! Between ones that have been out for years to new releases, there are books on every topic. So, teachers often switch out novels every few years. Or, they allow students to pick which book to read in literature circles. While updating novels and allowing choice is terrific, planning for so many options can be stressful. Luckily, the Digital Novel Study Bundle solves this problem! Teachers can now ensure they have a great novel study with any novel!

Digital Novel Study Bundle

Chapter Responses

When reading a novel, students need to understand it! So, teachers can use the graphic organizers provided to check for understanding. These are great alternatives to chapter questions.

Projects

Honestly, projects are a fantastic way to dive deeper into a novel. Students can show their understanding beyond multiple choice or short answer questions on a test. Luckily, there are 8 final project options. Each project allows students to explain and expand on the novel in a fun and creative way. Since there are 8 options, there are projects ready for the year!

Reading Circle/Literature Circle Graphic Guide

Incorporating literature circles in the classroom can be challenging. Since there are multiple options, teachers must know where every group is. Thankfully, all this tracking won’t be a problem anymore. These organizers allow teachers and students to keep track of what they are reading.

Reading Journal Graphic Organizers

It is so essential for students to reflect on their reading. So, these open-ended questions are perfect for a novel study with any novel!

Character Study

Book Review

Implementation

The versatility is one of the best parts of the Digital Novel Study Bundle. On top of working for any novel, it is perfect for multiple formats. For instance, teachers can use it when working with a student on an independent novel study. Additionally, the resources are great for a whole-class novel or to use during reading/literature circles.

In addition to multiple instructional formats, differentiation is easy with this bundle! All of the activities are quick to differentiate and use for various grade levels. So, teachers can use all these resources and tailor them to their classes.

No matter how teachers and students read, the Digital Novel Study Bundle works for everyone! Honestly, students love working on all of the engaging activities during any novel study with any novel! Classrooms will be full of students who love to read and interact through discussion and collaboration.

Teaching Poetry

2023-03-21T07:54:00.003-07:00

While poems are beautiful, students do not necessarily enjoy reading them. Instead, they often find them boring and confusing. However, students have to learn different ways to read poems to gain strong interpretation skills. This means they may need to read the poem two or three times and look up unknown words. Additionally, it means they need to break down stanzas to understand the deeper meaning. Since this takes a lot of time and practice, there are many activities for teaching poetry. Thankfully, this will help with lesson planning and ensuring there are enjoyable activities for each student!

Out My Window Poetry Writing Activity FREEBIE

Poetry often involves imagery and figurative language. These are great ways to set the tone and allow readers to understand the words better. So, after analyzing these aspects, it is time for students to apply their skills to their writing!

Students will write an original poem based on a view out of a window. This could be their bedroom window, a window at school, or a window they find a photo of online. Honestly, it can be a window anywhere! While they write, they will include imagery and figurative language to help set the tone for the poem.

Since every classroom is different, there are print versions and a link to a digital version.

Digital Poetry Activities

This resource contains so much poetry inspiration! Honestly, students will be eager to embrace their poetic side after completing all of these fun, hands-on activities. Best of all, teaching poetry will be enjoyable as students are excited about lessons instead of groaning about reading poems.

Poetry Writing: Students will analyze and read multiple poems. Then, they will apply the styles as they write their own. This includes poems about pet peeves filled with similes, imagery, and limericks.

My Life in 30 Words: Students will love the challenge in this assignment. They write a poem about themselves, but it can only be 30 words! This will be tricky, so there are examples to help.

Comparing Prose to Poetry: Students will learn about the difference between prose and poetry. To do this, they will use short newspaper articles as a prompt and write a poem based on the images and ideas. This can result in really moving poems!

Hero Music: Students will be amazed at how poetry is a form of music! So, they will explore songs that exemplify the ideas of a hero. There are even suggestions for students to pick from.

Digital Poetry Poster Review: Poetry contains so much figurative language. So, there is a fun review activity to practice similes, metaphors, hyperboles, onomatopoeia, rhyme, alliteration, and personification.

Best of all, these activities are perfect for different ages and abilities! They even include lesson plans, brainstorming sheets, rubrics, and examples.

ELA Bundle: Writing, Poetry, and Novel Study

There are so many standards to teach in ELA. Thankfully, this bundle includes so many incredible resources for writing, novel studies, and poetry. It is perfect for any middle school or high school ELA teacher, with plenty of differentiation available.

In total, there are 18 different activities and over 150 pages.

Writing Activities: There are templates, rubrics, and mentor texts for narrative, expository, persuasive, descriptive, and creative writing! There are plenty of options for easy differentiation.

Poetry Activities: Teaching poetry is hard! Teachers must plan fun and engaging activities to show students poems are not dull. Thankfully, this resource includes many exciting lessons, such as pet peeve and hero music poetry.

Novel Study: Honestly, novels are a fantastic way to show students how excellent books are. However, teachers also have to ensure they understand the meaning. So, this activity works for ANY novel! It has many creative projects, character studies, literature circle responses, and chapter responses. It even has a book review activity.

Whether teaching poetry or novels, engagement is critical! When students are interested, they become invested in their learning. Thankfully, these fantastic activities will draw in even your most reluctant learners!

Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Activity

2023-03-14T13:20:00.002-07:00

Honestly, science curriculum can be daunting to plan. For instance, students learn everything from cloud types to balancing equations. This means that students must develop a strong understanding of many concepts. Thankfully, teachers understand this and work hard to plan engaging and hands-on activities to help students remember the content. For instance, teachers use labs and simulations when planning plate tectonics and earthquake activities. Additionally, they use Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes Graphic Organizers to help classes organize their thoughts. This variety helps ensure students focus on the material without becoming frustrated and overwhelmed.

Science Progression

Due to the range of science concepts, standards do not necessarily follow a traditional scope and sequence. Instead, students learn so many concepts in middle school. Then, this becomes the foundation for different classes as they progress to high school. This means they may learn the foundational information in 8th-grade science but not focus on it again until 10th grade. Understandably, this challenge means that teachers work hard to ensure students do not memorize information. Instead, they develop lessons allowing students to build a strong understanding.

Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes Graphic Organizers

When learning about plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes, students hear many terms and concepts. So, they can become lost and confused. Since no teacher wants this, they plan engaging plate tectonics and earthquake activities to help students process the information. Thankfully, these graphic organizers are a great example of science teachers using creative methods to help students sort information.

Specifically, there are four sets of organizers to support learning these essential concepts. Best of all, they work in print and digital formats to fit all classrooms!

Plate Tectonics Organizers

Honestly, it can be tough to keep the different plate boundaries straight. While convergent and divergent sound similar, they are total opposites. So, this set helps students organize their notes. There are 3 different graphic organizers based on the needs of students. They will love this review and extension activity!

Earthquakes Graphic Organizers

When planning plate tectonics and earthquake activities, vocabulary is essential. For instance, students will learn about different types of faults, epicenters, focus, and earthquake waves. So, there are 8 pages to help keep all these terms straight!

Volcano Graphic Organizers

Honestly, volcanoes are fascinating! Students love to learn about lava and the destruction that can occur. However, they also need to know about the main types of volcanoes. So, there are graphic organizers for stratovolcanoes, shields, cinder cones, and dome volcanoes. There are even comparison charts for compare and contrast skills!

Volcanic Features Graphic Organizers

Since volcanoes are so complex, students love to learn everything about them. Thankfully, there are also graphic organizers to teach about features associated with volcanism. This includes calderas, sills, dikes, batholiths, geysers, and hot springs. Students will love exploring each concept!

Students often love all the fascinating real-world concepts involved in science. However, information can become super complex at times. Thankfully, there are supportive resources when planning plate tectonics and earthquake activities. For instance, the Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes Graphic Organizers help students make sense of so much information. Students will love learning about science with graphic organizers!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive FREEBIES for blog exclusive subscribers!

Reading Response

2023-03-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

When students read a novel, there are many aspects to consider. For instance, students have to examine character growth, conflict, setting, and themes. However, teachers must incorporate a good blend between reading and analyzing the pages. If they do not, students can become bored and lose sight of how amazing books are. Thankfully, there are reading response guides that offer tools for students to analyze novels while becoming invested in the plot!

Novel Study for ANY Novel

There are so many fantastic novels for teachers to pick from! While this is a great problem, it also makes planning challenging. So much work goes into each novel, whether using it as a whole-class book or small group. Thankfully, this resource works for ANY novel!

Specifically, there are 10 slides for students to analyze ANY chapter from ANY novel! Each graphic organizer and question set allows students to explore various aspects, such as character growth, favorite scenes, and plot tracking. Additionally, there are two blank organizers and a list of 22 additional questions.

Students will love reading and working on these graphic organizers!

Novel Study: Reading Response Organizers

This resource creates the perfect way to help structure and organize student reading groups. Honestly, this makes the ideal way to hold each group accountable.

Students will work in a reading circle and then complete their assigned activities. This includes writing summaries, discussing comprehension questions, and recording their thoughts and ideas.

Thankfully, this helps teachers manage multiple small groups who are reading different novels! The same activity works for every book!

To Kill A Mockingbird Reading Response

Honestly, this is a book readers do not forget. The story of Scout, Jem, and Dill has so many adventures while exploring the Radley House. To help students build connections and follow the storyline, this reading response set is perfect for ANY chapter!

Specifically, there are 9 graphic organizers for students to review characters, setting, plot, and other literary elements. There are even chapter response questions. Students will love working on these organizers while enjoying this book.

Of Mice & Men Reading Response

This reading response set adds a fresh twist to this classic novel! Instead of chapter questions, there are character and timeline charts to track the story. Additionally, there are graphic organizers and chapter response questions. Students will love following the journey of Lenny and George with these graphic organizers!

The Outsiders Reading Response

This is a powerful book every year students read it! While S.E. Hinton wrote it in 1967, it still resonates with students today. Additionally, they are always eager to go home and discuss it with their parents! This is a powerful way to help build conversation between teens and parents during challenging years.

Instead of traditional chapter questions, these 8 graphic organizers allow students to demonstrate their understanding. There are various versions to fit all chapters. For instance, there are quick versions with few questions, whole pages for chapter analysis, and blank pages for open-ended responses. Each page focuses on the setting, characters, and other literary elements to ensure students understand the incredible story of Ponyboy and Johnny Cade!

Reading novels is one of the most amazing parts of language arts. Students become immersed in the storylines and come to class eager to read. Thankfully, all the reading response sets above allow them to build comprehension. Additionally, they consistently practice literary elements in fun and exciting ways. Students will see the tremendous power behind novels with all of these activities!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive a Reading Response FREEBIE for blog exclusive subscribers!

Writing

2023-02-28T14:37:00.003-08:00

Teaching writing can be one of the most challenging aspects of language arts. Between sentence structure to organization, there are so many elements to include. This is the case whether students write a single paragraph or an entire essay. On top of this, every student is at a different spot on their journey to becoming a writer. So, teachers have the stressful task of organizing the writing process into student-friendly steps. Thankfully, teaching persuasive writing, narratives, expository, and descriptive writing will be easier than ever with the guides below! All students will show so much growth in their skills with these resources!

Persuasive Writing

When students try to persuade, they will often need help to develop an argument explaining why. Many times, they will say, “Just because” or “I don’t know. I just think that.” So, it is incredibly important to help them come up with reasons to support their opinion. Thankfully, teaching persuasive writing will be easier than ever with this resource!

Ultimately, activities lead students through the process of writing a persuasive paragraph. The resource begins at the planning stages with worksheets based on a student-favorite topic of bringing cell phones to class. However, there is also an open-ended planning page that allows students to select their own topic. Then, students will progress to brainstorming, organizing their thoughts using the PEE (Point-Evidence-Explain) format, and an essay outline. After planning and writing, students will work on peer-editing and self-editing before creating the perfect final piece. There are even self-evaluations and grading rubrics!

Thankfully, this resource helps students build the confidence to write a full persuasive/argumentative essay!

Printable Writing Pack

There are so many types of writing for students to learn! Thankfully, this writing pack has it all. So, whether you are teaching persuasive writing or creative writing, this has everything you need.

Specifically, there are over 60 pages to help students learn different writing styles! This includes descriptive, persuasive, and narrative. Additionally, it teaches students newspaper writing in tabloid and expository styles. All resources quickly adapt to different ages and abilities to ensure this product fits all classrooms.

There are activities, graphic organizers, brainstorming sheets, and templates to guide students through each type of writing. Furthermore, there are mentor texts, self-assessment rubrics, peer editing activities, and grading rubrics. Students will love the support this resource provides as they work on becoming strong writers!

Digital Writing Pack

Just like the above printable writing pack, the digital version has everything students need while working on writing!

It covers persuasive, narrative, descriptive, and expository writing. Students will learn about each style through 54 included slides. There are even activities, graphic organizers, and templates to support all ages and abilities.

Since grading writing takes a lot of time, there are rubrics and peer assessments.

Whether you are new to teaching writing or a veteran, every year presents different challenges. This is because you have a new set of writers with unique skills and knowledge! Thankfully, these resources are perfect whether you teach persuasive writing or a different style. All of the graphic organizers and templates will ensure students learn to organize their thoughts and arguments into paragraphs.

Romeo and Juliet

2023-02-21T11:59:00.001-08:00

High school students do not hold back on their feelings. If they are bored, teachers will know it. Likewise, everyone around them will see if they are full of energy. So, when they find out they are going to read Shakespeare, teachers usually hear grunts, groans, and sighs. They assume it will be a mushy love story. However, once students discover Romeo and Juliet involves two people who got married almost immediately after meeting, they are eager to learn more. Honestly, the number of missteps and tribulations keeps students hooked on this story! Thankfully, there are amazing Romeo and Juliet lessons in the Romeo and Juliet Bundle to incorporate so many content standards.

Romeo and Juliet Bundle

I love to dispel student expectations that Romeo and Juliet is a typical love story. Thankfully, this bundle of Romeo and Juliet lessons includes many activities to ensure students understand the true story.

Graphic Organizers

There are graphic organizers for students to demonstrate their learning for any act or scene. For instance, there is a pre-reading activity to help introduce students to some of the themes in the play. They are always shocked to see some of these and cannot wait to begin reading to find out the reason behind them.

Additionally, there are graphic organizers teachers can mix and match throughout the play to keep lessons fresh and exciting. On top of this, there are 22 prompts to customize lessons and discussions for your classes. There are even graphic organizers to track the plot and outline each character!

If you don’t need the whole bundle, don’t worry! You can buy the Romeo and Juliet Graphic Organizers separately.

Newspaper Project

Teachers work hard to extend student learning through fun projects. Thankfully, the bundle includes a student-favorite project by creating a newspaper. They “report” on a significant event from the play, such as the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. When adding this project to your Romeo and Juliet lessons, you receive multiple templates, organizers, and peer editing guides.

As an extension, students can even work in pairs or groups to create an entire newspaper. If you have multiple classes reading Romeo and Juliet, they can even read each other's newspapers and provide feedback.

Since all teachers have different needs, you can buy the Romeo and Juliet Newspaper in the bundle or alone!

Word Wall Cards

As students continue to read, they may need clarification. With so much intense drama, misfortune, and conflict, it is easy to see why this happens! Thankfully, Romeo and Juliet lessons include word wall cards for many characters to track connections and relationships.

No Prep Resources

There is so much to analyze and incorporate when planning Romeo and Juliet lessons. Thankfully, the Romeo and Juliet Bundle is all no prep! Teachers just need to print and go.

Honestly, Romeo and Juliet is such an exciting story to teach! Once students realize they are not reading a typical love story, their excitement to reach each day is contagious. Thankfully, the Romeo and Juliet Bundle provides amazing activities to enrich the learning of all students. Between the graphic organizers and projects, students will understand love, missteps, and tragedy through Romeo and Juliet lessons.

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive a FREE Pre-Reading Activity for blog exclusive subscribers!

Figurative Language

2023-02-14T16:36:00.001-08:00

Once students understand the different types of figurative language, they love using it! However, finding the right activities to use can be challenging. For instance, if students learn too many types at once, they get confused. This is why teachers work so hard to select engaging, hands-on activities. Luckily, there are tons of great options below to ensure students understand how cool figurative language is.

FREE Figurative Language Reference Sheet

Between similes, metaphors, and personification, there are many definitions to keep straight. Luckily, this reference sheet is here to help students! It provides definitions and examples for alliteration, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, and personification. Additionally, there is space for students to create their own examples. They will love doing this and be eager to share their examples with classmates.

There is even a blank space for students to add additional terms as they learn them!

Pet Peeve Poetry

When teaching figurative language, students must apply the different types to their work. So, students will write about their pet peeves using creative similes. Honestly, this is a great way to show their knowledge.

They will begin by brainstorming all of the things that irritate them and then create a poem filled with similes to describe their irritation. There are brainstorming pages, student examples, and writing templates included. There are even self-assessment rubrics and a teacher rubric. On top of this, there is a poetry analysis activity to help students comprehend poetry.

This is a student favorite every year! The entire class will be laughing at all of the hilarious similes!

Monster Poster Pack

When teaching figurative language, students will significantly benefit from visual aids. This will help them remember the definitions. Thankfully, this poster pack includes posters for figurative language, word wall strips, and a reference sheet.

Since language arts involve many terms, there are posters for essential concepts. This includes the different parts of speech and types of sentences. Students will love having these learning supports hung up around the classroom.

There are even reading vocabulary bookmarks! Students will love every minute of language arts with these resources.

Figurative Language Digital Flipbook

Honestly, it is so easy to confuse the different types of figurative language. To help ensure this does not happen to your students, this flipbook is the perfect way to learn and review key terms.

Students will focus on alliteration, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, and simile. They will define each type and find examples from a text. Then, they will apply this information as they make their examples.

Students will love creating and sharing their figurative language flipbooks!

Figurative Language Task Cards, Flip Book, and Interactive Notebook

When teaching figurative language, teachers work hard to make lessons interactive. Luckily, this resource contains so many activities that students will love! This is a great way to help ensure they do not become overwhelmed.

The activities focus on metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, rhyme, alliteration, and more! To learn these essential terms, there are 36 task cards. This is a great way to inspire poetry writing! Additionally, there is a figurative language/poetry term flip book. This allows students to learn the terms in fun, creative ways. Additionally, there are notebook templates for students to complete an engaging vocabulary matching activity.

Figurative language can be complex for students to learn. However, teaching figurative language can be a ton of fun! With the interactive activities above, students will learn figurative language and apply it to multiple skills. This includes creating examples and writing poetry. Students will have a blast learning figurative language!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive a FREE FIgurative Language Reference Sheet for blog exclusive subscribers!

Geography

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There are so many concepts to learn in a Geography class. This includes learning about locations, regions, and interactions. So, it is easy to understand why teaching the five themes of Geography can be overwhelming for students. Thankfully, there are tons of fantastic resources to help students learn about the five themes in a fun, hands-on way!

5 Themes of Geography Hometown Project FREEBIE

Teachers work so hard to ensure content in the classroom connects to students' lives. Thankfully, this project does exactly that! Students will apply their knowledge about the five themes of Geography to their town. They will research their community's location, place, region, human-environment interactions, and movement.

There is even an assignment sheet and research record that provides students with helpful hints. Students will love thinking like a geographer and learning about their town!

Five Themes of Geography Posters and Word Wall

When teaching the five themes of geography, students will learn new vocabulary. Since it is imperative to know what words mean, this resource has 16 posters and 16 word wall strips! Specifically, there is one poster and word wall strip for each of the five themes and their subtopics. This includes the term location and the sub-topics of absolute and relative. These posters will be a great way to help students remember and learn to apply the five themes!

Map Skills: Design Your Own Amusement Park

Students LOVE roller coasters! So, when teaching the five themes of Geography, they are the perfect aspect to incorporate.

After learning map skills, students will apply their knowledge as they design their own amusement park. They even have to include a scale, legend, and symbols! Then, they incorporate writing by describing their top ride. Everything teachers need is within this product, including a detailed assignment sheet, a planning worksheet, marking guides, and a student example. Students will have so much fun showcasing their mapping skills with this project!

Latitude and Longitude Bundle

When learning about maps, latitude, and longitude are challenging concepts! Luckily, this resource has everything needed to teach and practice these skills.

Specifically, this includes reference sheets, worksheets, and activities to teach students how to find a spot on the globe. Additionally, there are multiple sets of task cards with varying degrees of difficulty. This is an excellent way for quick differentiation! Furthermore, there are latitude and longitude vocabulary posters and word walls to help students learn the meanings. Students will be so proud of their deep understanding of these skills!

It is so important for students to study land, its features, and how people interact with it. Honestly, Geography involves many aspects describing the amazing planet we will live on. So, all of the fantastic resources above will help ensure students have a strong understanding of essential Geography concepts. Best of all, teaching the five themes of Geography will be more enjoyable than ever!

If you do not want to miss any of the upcoming lessons, join my email list to be notified of all the interactive lessons coming up! By joining the email list, you will also receive the FREE Five Themes of Geography Hometown Project for blog exclusive subscribers!

Addie Williams - Teacher Talk

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Romeo and Juliet