This resource includes the Powerpoint, two- day lesson plan, and two worksheets (Answer Key included) for the short story by Anne McCaffery. Created to be fully useful, this is a straightforward lesson plan with worksheets that I have found to be very successful with "The Smallest Dragonboy," a short story on courage. ✓ I have included: -- an EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, preview vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket) --2 worksheets- Just print and go! --Answer keys --PowerPoint I have also included the lesson plan, worksheet, and sample for PALS reading- as I've found this to be an effective strategy. This product turns the short story in your book into an interactive lesson. Note: One slide- the original sample answer (on "The Three Little Pigs")- is the same one featured in my product "Bargain" by A. B. Guthrie. Thanks so much! ~Kim

If you have the short story “A Day’s Wait” by Ernest Hemingway in your anthology, this lesson is for you. Included in this resource are: a PowerPoint, lesson plan, and 3 worksheets. ✓ The EATS lesson plan includes: Essential Question, vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies, and an Exit Ticket. ✓ The lesson plan and worksheets are a time-saver. Just print and go! Answer keys are included. ✓ The PowerPoint will help with pacing the lesson (especially if you are getting observed!) and will help students focus on the most important components of the lesson. Indirect and Direct Characterization are discussed. I have also answered the essential question (using an example for "The Boy Who Cried Wolf") so that students will be able to discuss how to critique an effective response. Display this sample answer when students are completing the exit ticket. The Common Core Focus is: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. Thank you!

This figurative language (Hyperboles and Paradoxes) lesson includes a PowerPoint, a lesson plan, two worksheets and an Exit Ticket- everything you need to teach hyperbole and paradox. The PowerPoint discusses hyperbole and paradox, giving several examples and opportunities for students to participate. The class will follow along with the lesson- filling in an individual worksheet. Common Core Standard L 11-12.5a is the focus. The class begins with the Essential Question and Activating Strategy. The teacher will discuss the definition and role of hyperbole and paradox. Students will have opportunities to pair up, brainstorm, and work individually. Differentiated instruction is offered with the Exit Ticket. A second optional worksheet is included for fun- or if there is a need for extra practice.This lesson uses examples from classic literature. Focus: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

If you are looking for a high-interest topic to tackle the reading, viewing, and listening standard, look no further! Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius' eruption, lava, Pliny the Younger... it's all here. The videos are superb, the the text is rigorous (but short, accessible- and has humor!) and the audio is great. I LOVE teaching Pompeii because the students are fully engaged- mesmerized! 1) The text for READING is by Pliny the Younger. A first-hand account of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Knowing that students may struggle a bit with the language, I have created a paired activity where students summarize each sentence. I have included my summary of each sentence (in case they get stuck- or ) to compare with the student's finished activity. Yes, Pliny actually calls his uncle out for snoring! 2) The LISTENING text is "The Dog of Pompeii" by Louis Untermyer. If you don't have the text in your anthology, try this link to the audio. (It's free!) http://readlifelong.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/6/1/13617939/dog_of_pompeii_01.mp3 Students individually complete a worksheet (included) after reading. 3) The VIEWING component uses two videos readily available on the web- one made by PBS that is 2 minutes in length (but packs a punch!) and another lengthier, informative video. Check it out here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/mount-vesuvius1.htm Once the students have completed activities on EACH of the modes, there is a writing assignment. The writing assignment begins as a group activity. Groups will write a paragraph and compare to my sample paragraph. Then, students work individually for the final assessment- a similar paragraph that compares the three modes: reading, listening, and viewing. This is a week-long lesson, but you can just teach a part of this lesson if you are focusing on other standards (For example, you may have "Dog of Pompeii" in your anthology. You can use the worksheets and activity for just this story instead of teaching the entire unit). I have listed the links below so you can check out the awesomeness of the modes in this lesson before you purchase. I LOVE them and they work really well with this standard. Thanks so much for your interest. Enjoy teaching Pompeii! Please check out these links to make sure you will like the subject matter before you purchase. http://www.pompeii.org.uk/s.php/tour-the-two-letters-written-by-pliny-the-elder-about-the-eruption-of-vesuvius-in-79-a-d-history-of-pompeii-en-238-s.htm http://readlifelong.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/6/1/13617939/dog_of_pompeii_01.mp3 http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/mount-vesuvius1.htm http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episodes/herculaneum-uncovered/108/

This powerpoint will help you discuss animals, their fur, hair, shell... and the functions of these "wrappers." A picture of a covering is shown. Students guess which animal belongs to the covering.The next slide shows the answer- with a picture of the animal. Later, students hear a riddle and guess which animal is described. The answer slides follow. The format of the 45 slide PowerPoint is: 2 slides to discuss wrappers/ coverings 5 coverings 5 movements (example: Spider- fingers crawl on arm) 3 more coverings 5 more movements (designed to keep students involved!) 2 more coverings a conservation message "Pick up trash" etc. 7 animal riddles- with answer pictures to follow and 3 bonus animal pictures w/ animal facts This is a PowerPoint only. No lesson plan or worksheet is attached at this time. Thank you!

This Punctuation Lesson, PowerPoint, two worksheets and Answer Key teaches the Common Core standard addressed in L 9-10. 2b : using Colons for introducing a list and quote. Teachers will be able to use this resource to completely teach the concept. With the PowerPoint, a lecture unfolds to include an activating strategy, teaching strategies and a summarizing strategy. The worksheet allows students to follow along with the PPT smoothly, while taking notes. Included are examples and activities for the entire class, partners, and individuals. Answer keys are provided for each activity.

This is a complete lesson for the short story "What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything?" by Avi. No prep! This product includes: ---Lesson Plan in EATS format including an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and more. ---Five printable worksheets, which include comprehension questions, exit ticket, and more… ---Answer Keys ---Powerpoint, which includes Essential Questions, PALS reading strategy, Essential Question Sample Answer, and more… This lesson is Common Core aligned to : CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. Thank you!

This printable requires no prep; print- and students to fill in. Different versions can be used in subjects ranging from literature to history to culinary arts to musical composition! Includes One extra large colored Two-Circle Venn Diagram One extra large Two-Circle Venn Diagram, black and white One Colored Three-Circle Venn Diagram One Three-Circle Venn Diagram, black and white One BLOCK Venn- easy to fill out! All Venn Diagrams are lined- so students can easily write inside! I have found the extra large Venn Diagram to be very successful! Some students prefer the BLOCK version. This five-slide PowerPoint in pdf is ready to print! Thanks! Great for novels, non-fiction, autobiography life lines, history and more!

Crocodiles and Alligators are intriguing subject matter! This product contains a lesson plan, 2 Powerpoints, a two-page worksheet, and a graphic organizer. Also included is an activity for students to draw what Crocs might look like in 200 million years. Students will discuss: What do Crocodiles eat? What characteristics have helped them survive while other species have become extinct? What would you name a crocodile? (although this is more of a creative "brain break," I've included names of crocs at our Texas zoo- in 2014.) How can a crocodile breathe and look around while submerged? How many species are there? and much more. Many crocodile body parts are discussed (teeth, eyes, tail, etc) as well as habits (inability to sweat, sounds, buoyancy, etc.) This 2 day lesson gives the option of allowing to use the graphic organizer to further research certain species and note findings. Teachers in grades 4-7 may choose to delete some of the more academic slides and keep the presentation simple. The PowerPoints are editable for that reason. (Originally, this lesson was created for an 8th grade class.) Thanks!!

Use this PowerPoint in its entirety - or add and delete to create a unit on animal habitats and biomes. Plenty of information and pictures are already here for you to use. Birds, Marine animals, Tundra, Dessert, Scorpion, Grassland, Forest, Armadillo, Porcupine, Sloth, Tiger, Ecosystem, Giraffe, and Recycling are all mentioned in this presentation. If your students are studying habitats, grab this resource today!

The PPT, lesson plan, worksheets, and exit ticket all focus on CCSS.L. 9-10.2. Teach punctuation to your secondary class with this no prep resource. Check out the reviews! With the PowerPoint, a lecture unfolds to include an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and summarizing strategies. Using the Essential Question: “When do I use a semicolon?” the worksheet allows students to follow along with the PPT smoothly, while taking notes.The PPT and worksheets focus on the correct ways to use the semicolon. Included are examples and activities. Answer keys are provided for each activity. Addressed Common Core Standards include: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.2.a Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses Both “independent clauses” and “conjunctive adverb” are defined and examined in the lesson. Hope you enjoy this lesson! It will save you hours from creating a lesson from scratch! Thank you! ~Kim

Hyphenation conventions are the focus of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.2.A. This product contains a PowerPoint, Lesson Plan, Worksheets and an activity on the use of Hyphens. There are many hyphen rules, but here are the 10 most common (and important) uses of hyphens: 1) Two words that, when linked, describe a noun 2.) Ex- words 3.) All compound numbers from 21-99 4.) Spelled-out fractions 5.) Self- words 6.) Well- words 7.) With figures or letter 8.) Between a prefix and a capitalized word 9.) New word blends 10.) Avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters The second worksheet, “Matching Hyphens with a Rule” can be completed independently. The third worksheet “Hyphen Needed?” is a great paired activity because students can discuss which rule applies to each sentence. Finally, the FIRST worksheet is my favorite- because it helps students focus on the message of the PowerPoint lecture. When they are finished, they have a great study sheet that lists the ten rules! Answer Keys are provided. This product is aligned with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.2A Observe hyphenation conventions. Thank you!

Secondary Word of the Day S.A.T. Bracelets S.A.T.-level vocabulary for your secondary students! These paper bracelets are ready-to-go! Simply print, cut, and tape them on students’ wrists. Add a bit of whimsy to education! Don’t think for a minute that your secondary students are too mature for paper bracelets; they LOVE them! Use these Word of the Day bracelets to help reinforce long-term learning. (Eradicate the “remember-for-the-test, then forget” strategy.) Students will be reminded of their vocabulary word throughout the day. Assign one word to each student per period- and watch them find students with the same word throughout the day. Watch students between classes discuss each other’s words. Hooray! These bracelets create a ripple effect, too. Students report that family members learn their words, too (especially their younger siblings– your future students)! At the end of the week, ask students to use the bracelets to create links for a Vocabulary Word Chain in their locker for year-long reinforcement. Included are “Don’t Forget,” “Test tomorrow,” and some blank bracelets for you to customize as study reminders for students (and parents)! This product includes: - 45 slips with (45) S.A.T.-level vocabulary words and definitions - notes/ directions - 1 free Cootie Catcher - 15 Reminder Bracelets (5 “Test Tomorrow”, 5 “Don’t Forget”, and 5 blanks for you to write on) This product is in PDF form and is not editable. Thanks! Kim Kroll

This printable allows students to cut and glue the different components of the food chain. All three pages are in black and white. Page 1- Students color, cut, and paste the animals in the correct order of the food chain. Page 2- Students color, cut, and paste the animals in the correct order of the food chain. Students also cut and paste the labels for four of the links in the chain (Producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer). Page 3- This completed page can be used as an answer key, as a coloring page, or as a poster in your classroom.

Middle School Exit Slips are based on Common Core Literature Standards and can be used with any selection, any day! Just print, cut, and distribute! CCSS Aligned You can use each of the twenty-one tickets several times throughout the year with different literature selections. Although these are titled “Exit Tickets,” they can be used as activating strategies, homework slips, prompts for extemporaneous speeches, task cards… The uses are MANY. I have found these cards to be very successful with collaborative pairs as an informal assessment. Each of the 21 printable pages has four Exit Tickets. If you need 40 exit tickets, simply make 10 copies. Print, then cut along the lines. You may choose to laminate and keep them in a Ziplock bag to use more than once. (Since they work with any selection, students will benefit from repeated practice!) Two Exit Tickets that are included in this product: *How did the main character change during the story? (based on CCSS) *How might the story change if the ending was different? (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) Each card will be the same size (easy collecting and stacking!). A box at the bottom of each card is provided for the score (easy grading!). I have also added 14 Bonus Exit Ticket ideas (common core aligned) that are more specific- PLUS a blank Exit Ticket page. Write in your own idea! These bonus tickets might not work well with every story, but when you find one that works for your selection, simply: cut, paste, and print! Exit Slips are the tickets to get out of the door. They help students process what they've learned by allowing them to reflect and summarize. Thank you!

This editable PowerPoint gives 20 slides of facts about hedgehogs. There are no graphics, but plenty of information. Feel free to add your own touches! The slides are attractive with borders, but more importantly, chock-full of facts about the East African Hedgehog. I have included all of the facts on a Word document for your convenience. Thanks!

An EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). ✓Worksheets- Just print and go! ✓Answer key ... are all included. ✓ The 20-slide PowerPoint, 5-page lesson plan, and 2-page worksheet are aligned with the CCSS.Lit. 6-7.3 & 6-7.5. Created to be easy to use and fully engaging, the lesson plan pairs with the worksheets that I have created to be very successful with "Eleven," a short story found in most middle school anthologies. The lesson has a sample answer to the Essential Question (How do characters respond to change as the plot moves toward a resolution?), which I have found to be extremely helpful for students. They are able to see an effective answer before they are expected to write one. The sample is on "The Three Little Pigs." Students get to discuss the example answer before they write their own response for the exit ticket. I have also included the instructions and sample for the PALS reading strategy- as I've found this to be an effective strategy with short stories in my classroom. Students will discuss being eleven, write a six-word memoir, read “Name” from House on Mango Street, and more. External and Internal conflict are discussed. If you have the short story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros in your anthology, this lesson is for you!

This complete lesson for the short story “Too Soon A Woman” by Dorothy M. Johnson requires no prep! This product includes: ---3 day lesson plan in EATS format (including an activating strategy, teaching strategies, and more…) ---Six printable worksheets (including comprehension questions, discussion questions, exit tickets, and more…) ---Answer Keys ---28- Slide PowerPoint (including methods of characterization, PALS reading strategy Essential Question Sample Answer, and more…) This lesson is Common Core aligned to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. I LOVE this story! The voice, the desperate situation, the narrator’s naïve hatred all tug at my heart! I especially love the last sentence’s revelation! The lesson discusses character traits, character motivation, point of view, and conflict. Each is clearly defined- and examples are given. During the three days, students are given the opportunity to work independently, in pairs, in groups, through writing, through speech, etc. Various activities will help with differentiated learning. This lesson is particularly effective in helping students answer the Essential Question (How can we analyze how particular lines of dialogue or a particular incident in a story reveal aspects of a character?) for three reasons: 1- Students practice answering in groups with a short fable BEFORE they read the text 2- Students are shown an example of an answer, which they critique BEFORE they read the text 3- Students read the text at least twice. Due to this preparation, students are able to successfully answer the E.Q. at the culmination of the lesson (on Day 3!). I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as I do! Thank you!

This no-prep lesson is includes a powerpoint, printables, plan and more to make teaching this short story a breeze! Included: -- Lesson Plan in EATS format with an Essential Question, vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket)- aligned with the CCSS.Lit. 6.3 & 6.5 -- an original PowerPoint- that showcases the vocabulary definitions, discussion questions, sample answers, and more. Some slides have timers to keep students motivated to keep their discussions alive. --PALS reading strategy- a technique for reading to allow all students to read aloud (I use this a lot with short stories in my classroom!) --- 3 printable worksheets- No prep- Just print and go! ---an activity to mimic the author’s style. Students get to try their hand at writing a paragraph using Uchida’s sentence formation and style. --- Answer Keys -- two optional slides for differentiation. Students didn’t fully master the essential question? I have included an EXTRA Sample Answer. I often display this one as students are writing their exit tickets- so they can refer to it if they get “stuck.” A sample answer can also be printed and sent home for students to use as they write their own responses. The SAMPLE RESPONSE to the Essential Question is extremely helpful to struggling students. The sample is based on "The Three Little Pigs." Students get to see- and critique- a response before they are expected to write. Characterization is discussed in detail. Note: * Some of the activities and slides from this lesson come directly from my original product entitled “The Smallest Dragonboy.” If you have the short story “The Bracelet” by Yoshiko Uchida in your anthology, this lesson is for you! Created to be easy to use and fully engaging, the lesson plan pairs with the worksheets to be very successful with “The Bracelet,” a short story found in most middle school anthologies. The PowerPoint is very helpful to provide students examples and activities- and keep them in the right place! Thanks so much! ~Kim

Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom" and Rita Dove's "An Interview: I Was Not Alone" (an essay on Rosa Parks) are perfect short non-fiction selections for Black History Month. Focus on heroes, cause and effect, black history, and more! This resource includes: --one-page lesson plan, --three worksheets, --a basic PowerPoint for Rosa Parks, ---a PALS instruction and example, and --answer keys. The PowerPoint is editable for your convenience. Using the Common Core Standards and Learning Focused, I have included an EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, preview vocabulary (including CAUSE and EFFECT), activating strategy, teaching strategies and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). Further, this lesson pairs students to work on cause and effect together. The texts of "An Interview: I Was Not Alone" and "The Long Walk to Freedom" are NOT included due to copyright laws. Please make sure you have access to the texts before purchasing this resource. The lesson plan, worksheets, and PPT are time-saving and effective. Thank you!