Evaluating an Argument - Supports Common Core! Use around Earth Day, or any time you study nonfiction. PowerPoint slides helps students understand how to evaluate an argument, a critical reading skill. Students learn that evaluate means to judge a selection by looking for the author's main point, whether it is supported by evidence and facts, and whether the author argues against opposing arguments. Practice exercise with informational text included. Students will read and evaluate the argument from an excerpt of the book Green Planet Rescue by Robert Halpern. Good practice of common core standards and appropriate for Earth Day, too. Background vocabulary is endangered, species, and habitat. - HappyEdugator Aligned to Common Core Standards RI 7.1, RI 7.2, RI 7.3, RI 7.5, 7.6, 7.8, RI 8.1, 8.2, 8.5, 8.6, 8.8 Supports College and Career Readiness Standards grades 6-12 for drawing evidence from informational text to support analysis and reflection

Georgia - Symbols of Georgia Interactive PowerPoint. Fun interactive slides ask Georgia students to choose the state flower, state flag, state seal, state bird, etc. If they get it right, It will say, "Yes! Good Job! You're a true Georgian..." and if they get it wrong it will say, Oops, try again." Students will learn about Georgia state symbols and have fun, too! Includes a link to video of Ray Charles playing Georgia on my Mind. - HappyEdugator

Learn all about the 7 New Wonders of the World with this 21 slide PowerPoint presentation. Gives background information about the amazing structures built around the world that were voted to be the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Includes slides on the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, and Petra. Also includes slides of some of the finalists in the competition, such as the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Easter Island, Stonehenge, Red Square and the Kremlin, the Acropolis, Angkor Wat, and the Sydney Opera House. Great for cultural literacy. ©2017 HappyEdugator.

Learn all about the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World with this 19 slide PowerPoint presentation. Gives background information about the amazing structures built by early civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea. Includes slides on The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Also includes links to short video clips on the Great Pyramid and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. (Not YouTube). ©2017 HappyEdugator.

Canada - All About Canada PowerPoint Presentation. Includes information on Canada's geography, environmental issues, trade, the Canadian Shield, Government, Provinces and Territories, and History, Lots of information to use to supplement your unit on Canada. Also has information on Canada Day! 36 slides. - HappyEdugator Updated March 2015.

Writing Activities - 21 Writing prompts for engaging narrative, expository, and even poetry about trash. Reduce, reuse, recycle writing ideas. Fun to use anytime, but also a good Earth Day project or when studying ecology or conservation. Differentiated writing activities that can be used in various ways for whole group, cooperative learning, or as a literacy center. You can show the individual slides to a whole group as a class writing activity. Also, you might prefer to print the slides and divide the activities between small groups, and give students a selection of cards to choose from. In addition, the slides can be printed out on index cards and laminated to be used in a literary writing center. If you make a center, consider putting a trash can in it filled with interesting junk to inspire writing ideas. However, you decide to use them, I hope you will enjoy the wonderful writing your students will create, and that they will enjoy writing and be proud of their accomplishments. A rubric is included on the last slide. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

New Year Around the World. Happy New Year! PowerPoint on traditions and customs of the New Year's holiday in 21 different countries: United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Australia, India, Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Good for first day back from break. Great follow up to your Christmas Around the World unit. Animation and lots of interesting fun facts! A nice way to start off your new year when you return from the Christmas break. Fun! Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

China - All About China PowerPoint Presentation. Studying China? 62 slide PowerPoint on China. This presentation is packed with information on China: the land, the people, the history and the culture. Complete with animation, interesting facts about China, and lots of photographs of different regions of China, this presentation is a good way to supplement a unit of study with an overview of Chinese population, politics, manufacturing, products, agriculture, wildlife, religion, and landmarks. For example, the one-child policy, Chairman Mao, Three Gorges Dam, and educational system are some of the topics covered. This can also be used in Language Arts class to build background knowledge of China for the novel The Red Scarf Girl.

Giraffes - Fun Facts About Giraffes PowerPoint. Learn about giraffes! This giraffe PowerPoint has interesting and fun facts about the life of a giraffe. Informational text can be used to introduce or supplement a jungle theme unit or a unit about the zoo, giraffes, or African animals. Engage students and grab their attention, or build background knowledge for reading books with giraffes, like "Giraffes Can't Dance." It can even be a fun supplement to the book "The White Giraffe." - Happyedugator

Latin America - All About Latin America PowerPoint. Teach Spanish or Social Studies? Latin America: the land, the people, the history and the culture. Packed with information! Animated slides. Can be used as an introduction to Spanish in a foreign language class, or in a Social Studies class. Engaging and entertaining, with interesting facts, and lots of photographs, this presentation is a good way to supplement a unit of study with an overview of population, politics, manufacturing, products,and agriculture. All countries in Latin America are included. 25 slides.

All about tornadoes! Fully animated PowerPoint with information on how tornadoes develop. Learn about tornado structure, their effects, and how they are measured with the Enhanced Fujita scale. Great addition to your weather unit. Includes facts and details about the following topics: What is a tornado? Where and when do tornadoes form? What are the effects tornadoes? How are tornadoes classified? What is the tornado strength scale? Preparation, Duck and Cover Watches and Warnings Forecasting and tracking Also includes a link to a video clip of students in a tornado drill. Ten question interactive review at the end with answers to self check. ©2017 HappyEdugator.

Owls - Fun Facts About Owls PowerPoint. All about owls! Facts about the life of an owl; covers various species. Use in science to discuss owl pellets and owl behaviors. Informational text for reading practice. Build background knowledge for reading books with owls, like "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen or "Hoot" by Carl Hiassen. Use to introduce an owl unit of study to engage students. Good for any owl theme. 17 slides. - HappyEdugator

Learn all about volcanoes with this 26 slide animated PowerPoint. Informative text on volcano types and shapes, how and what is an eruption, how eruptions are measured, the difference between lava and magma, fun facts, famous volcanoes and more. Includes video link to Mt. St. Helens eruption, and a video clip of an underwater volcano erupting. ©2016 HappyEdugator. This product is the intellectual property of Deborah Hayes aka HappyEdugator.

Elephants - Fun Facts About Elephants PowerPoint. Learn about elephants! 21 slides of fun facts about elephants, which can be used to introduce a jungle theme unit of study. Informational text for reading practice. Learn the differences between African elephants and Asian elephants. What do elephants eat? Where do elephants live? Engage students and grab their attention, or build background knowledge for reading books with elephants, like Babar the Elephant or The Magician's Elephant. Updated August 2014. - HappyEdugator

Polar Bears - Fun Facts About Polar Bears PowerPoint. Polar bear facts including information on polar bear size, adaptations, what polar bears eat, cubs, global warming, the environment, etc. Informational text for reading practice. Animated clips make it more engaging to young readers. Includes three activities! Activity 1 - Read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear? By Eric Carle. Click on the sound icons and identify the everyday sound. Name the sound and draw a picture. Activity 2 - Discuss camouflage. Find multicolored toothpicks thrown in the grass...why is it harder to find the green ones? Activity 3 - True False facts about the polar bear. The last slide has book suggestions for further reading for literacy and math development, such as Polar Bears Past Bedtime. Fun to use around the Christmas season or during the winter months! - HappyEdugator

Teaching the history of Ellis Island requires giving students good background information and vocabulary. This Ellis Island PowerPoint has 17 vocabulary words essential to understanding immigrants and Ellis Island. Includes vocabulary slides, quick activities, and a vocabulary review activity at the end. - HappyEdugator ©2016 HappyEdugator.

Penguins - Fun Facts About Penguins PowerPoint. All about penguins...are you using a penguin theme in your classroom? Need to read more nonfiction? Informational text for reading practice. Learn about penguins this winter! Fun facts about the life of a penguin...a study of different kinds of penguins, which can be used to introduce a unit on penguins to engage students and grab their attention. Good for building background knowledge for reading books with penguins, like Mr. Popper's Penguins, Tacky the Penguin, or Penguin Chick. Fun to use during the Christmas season or in the winter months. Editable for classroom use. 18 slides with animated graphics. - HappyEdugator Content Alert - Includes a slide on the African penguin, also called the "Jackass" penguin because it sounds like a donkey. Some classes may giggle just a bit too much, so it is editable if you wish to edit it out. :)

Interdependence of Living Things PowerPoint. Food chain and the interdependence of living things. Includes terms: producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores,omnivores, detritivores, food chains, abiotic and biotic factors. 18 slides. - HappyEdugator ©2016 HappyEdugator.

Geography Cards - Key Terms to Understand. 83 key geography terms on bright and colorful chevron cards. Make them into flash cards or a concentration game. Directions: Print out on cards stock and cut out. If you want flashcards, match the term and the definition and stick back to back with a glue stick, and then laminate for durability. If you would prefer to make a matching game such as concentration, or a center activity, do not stick them together and laminate separately. Lots of uses! 83 terms that will help students have a better understanding of important key terms in the study of geography! A blank sheet is included in case you wish to add your own terms, such as state names and abbreviations, or capitals and countries. You are sure to find many uses for these cards. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Winter Word Wall - Also Winter Word Sort. A set of 150 cards that have a theme of winter, cold, and staying warm. 75 cards are the words in uppercase letters with a winter background design. 75 cards are the same words in lowercase letters on photo background of the word. May also be used as a matching game or concentration. Can be printed out on cardstock and laminated for future use. The cards can be used as a classroom word wall, a winter word of the day, or as a word sort. Students can sort the words into different categories such as things you wear, things you do, weather, etc. Words can be used to develop vocabulary for reading fluency, or to give students ideas for writing. Blank template for adding your own words included. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator