Secondary students will get a task card and determine the text structure of a passage. Cause and Effect, Compare and Contrast, Description, Problem-Solution, Sequence, and Chronology are the structures used in this NO PREP product. Twenty-one original reading selections are showcased. Focus: CCSS ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.5, 6.6, 7.5, 7.6, 8.5, 8.6, 9-10.5, 9-10.6 Included: ---- 21 original text structure Task Cards ---- Answer keys ---- Answer sheets ---- optional “Your Turn” activity ---- 6 “Your Turn” Task Cards ---- Text Structure printable worksheet --- Lesson/ Notes Just print, copy, and distribute. It's that easy! Students read a selection on each card and decide if the text structure is: Cause-Effect, Compare-Contrast, Description, Problem-Solution, Sequence, or Chronology. These cards are an easy way to check student comprehension, but can be used in many more ways. Try them as Entrance Tickets, Exit Tickets, Differentiation, Comprehension Check, or Homework… They might also be used as a springboard for discussion of how the author accomplishes his/ her purpose. One of my favorite ways to use is as follows: Make copies of each slide, but do not cut apart. Each student will answer all four items on one page. The next day, as students enter the room, they will receive the next page. Continue until all answers are completed. On the fifth day, students pair up and check answers. Give students time to re-read any passages that received a different answer from their partner. Turn in for a grade. Have students write on the task cards- or the provided answer sheets.

This graphic organizer will help students figure out the difference among Possessive, Plural, and Plural-possessive nouns. What's the difference? This product answers just that. Worth its weight in gold for my students! For some reason, this was a difficult concept. Even ADULTS confuse plurals and possessives. Think about how many Christmas cards you get from the Smith's or Jones's? (There is NO apostrophe on plurals, guys!) This printable shows the difference between plural, possessive, and plural- possessives. The clip art proves to be a valuable tool for student understanding! The 1-page printable is copied 4 times: once as a printable, once as a black and white printable, once as a fill-in-the- blanks graphic organizer and once as a graphic organizer without images. This product will easily help your students LEARN plurals and possessives! Thanks!

This 26- slide PowerPoint gives great background biographical information of America's beloved writer, O. Henry. Paired with a worksheet, you may use as an example of any historical figure for a research project. This resource can serve as a great introduction for any class studying O. Henry's short stories. The accompanying worksheet will assure students follow along with the PowerPoint presentation. The answer key is included. This is perfect to use as an example of a finished project- when students are assigned to make a PowerPoint on a historical figure.

This lesson for the short story “Anataeus” by Borden Deal includes an EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, preview vocabulary (including ALLUSION), activating strategy, teaching strategies, and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). The product includes a Powerpoint, a PALS worksheet, a 2-paged study guide, and the answer key. RL.7.3. Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot) is the Common Core focus. Best of all, this lesson splits the text into chunks so that the students can group to do an ever-popular “Jigsaw” activity. The product is editable in case you want to add or delete any section. The allusion to the “real” Antaeus is included. Instead of just reading a short story in class, use this product to teach flashback, plot, character- all tied to the COMMON CORE standard.

Author's Purpose Task Cards for High School and Middle School (two sets of 20 each) Based on Common Core.RI.6.6 , 7.6, 8.6, and 9-10.6, these task cards present a reading selection for which students select the correct author’s purpose. Included are: 2 SETS of 20 original Task Cards (There are 40 cards total- both sets use the same 20 cards strong>, but have different multiple choice selections. The second set is more rigorous- and most closely resembles the selections found on standardized tests.) Answer sheets Answer Keys Set 1: Students read a selection on each card and decide if the author's purpose is to: Persuade, Inform, or Entertain. Set 2: Students read a selection on each card and determine the author's purpose from more rigorous options, such as: A) to present an argument using facts, B) to narrate a scene using sensory details, etc. These cards are an easy way to check student comprehension, but can be used in many more ways: Entrance Tickets, Exit Tickets, Differentiation, Comprehension Check, Homework… They might also be used as a springboard for discussion of how the author accomplishes his/ her purpose. One of my favorite ways to use is as follows: Make copies of each slide, but do not cut apart. Each student will answer all four items on one page. The next day, as students enter the room, they will receive the next page. Continue until all answers are completed. On the fifth day, students pair up and check answers. Give students time to re-read any that are different from their partners. Turn in for a grade. Have students write on – or laminate and use them more than once. Focus: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

High School Exit Tickets (a.k.a. Exit Slips) are based on Common Core Standards and can be used with any selection, any day! Just print, cut and distribute! You can use each of the twenty tickets with EACH of the selections you assign. 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 20 printable pages has four Exit Tickets. If you need 40 exit tickets, make 10 copies. Simply print and 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 one character develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot? (based on CCSS) If the main character transported to the past (or the future), how well would s/he endure? (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!). Thank you! Exit Slips are the students' tickets to get out of the door!

This is Poetry Match-Up Game that is effective and can be used over and over in the classroom! Accompanied with an EATS lesson plan and following the Common Core RI.7.4., the "board" gives 28 definitions. If poetry terms seem a little too rigorous- or you want to begin slowly, I’ve divided the words into two sections. You can give students half of the words to begin. When they finish, you can give them the more challenging words. Or, to differentiate instruction, you can challenge gifted students with all words immediately. Poetry words (in blue) are: Free verse, Haiku, Internal rhyme, Alliteration, Limerick, Simile, Metaphor, Rhyme scheme, Imagery, Personification, Hyperbole and Pun. Challenging words (in green) are: Acrostic, Bard, Genre, Ballad, Symbol, Allusion, Foot, Tone, Parody, Theme, Stanza and Harlem Renaissance. The answer key is provided not only to make life easier, but to allow students to check their own work. At the beginning of the year, have students work in groups to match the term to the definition. As the year progresses, use it as a review to see if the students learned the material. Eventually, students will complete the activity individually. It is a great activity for the end of the year, too. You will be impressed how much the students have learned. What took them 20 minutes at the beginning of the year now takes 5 minutes for many students! Throughout the year, I use this as a "filler" when the power goes out or a bomb threat is called in (Yes, it happens!) without wasting students' time. Once, my principal unexpectedly visited my classroom while the students were working on this activity- and he asked if I made this myself. He was impressed. Yay! (The happiness we teachers get from a pat on the back...) I suggest making copies of the game pieces with colored paper so the words stand out more. (My copy is on colored paper in the photo. You may use plain white paper. I've put the terms in a colored font- in hopes you have a colored printer). Laminating the game board and pieces (hint: laminate BEFORE you cut them apart) is a really good idea as well. I also print out copies and give at Open House or at conferences. My students' parents were very grateful!

REVENGE! This short story deals with justice and revenge. If you have the short story "Bargain" by A. B. Guthrie in your anthology, this lesson is for you! Created to be fully useful, this is a lesson that I have found to be successful with ""Bargain." I use this at the beginning of the year when teaching the plot mountain. 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 The lesson has original (written by me!) sample answers to the Essential Question, which I have found to be EXTREMELY helpful for students. They get to see an answer before they are expected to write one. One sample is on "The Three Little Pigs." I have also included the components for PALS reading- as I've found this to be an effective strategy with short stories in my classroom. External and Internal Conflict are discussed. This product turns the short story in your book into an interactive lesson. Thanks so much! ~Kim

These exercises for learning how to determine an unknown word using context clues focuses on 4 categories: examples, definition, antonym, and details. Teaching these strategies will help your students’ reading comprehension with secondary texts. Context clues are so important; they are part of the Common Core Standards in grades TWO through TWELVE. This product includes: ---An EATS Lesson plan (with vocabulary, teaching strategies, etc.) ---A complete PowerPoint for this lesson ---Two worksheets ---Two activities ---A PowerPoint of printable TASK CARDS (8)- perfect for differentiated instruction This lesson focuses on grades 9 through 12. The lesson gives the definition for context and shows examples. A sample sentence without context clues is also shown. Students will be given an original picture of "clues" as a PowerPoint visual to connect with this concept. Students will learn the four main strategies that writers use to give context clues to their readers (telling, examples, antonyms, and picture-painting). As a class, students will practice with the examples on the PowerPoint- identifying which strategy the writer used. Later, students will pair up and work on TASK CARD examples (perfect for differentiating this lesson- or use them as homework slips!). Finally, students will work independently on a worksheet and create a context clue-filled sentence of their own for their peers to critique. Most of the students' unknown words come from my "Word of the Day: Preparing for the S.A.T." So, if they accidentally learn the meaning, it's a win!! This lesson has a lot of information and several strategies for students to learn. The second PowerPoint (the one with task cards) is intended to be printed. This lesson focuses on: CCSS Literacy .L9 -12.4.a. Thank you!

This product includes a Powerpoint, two- day lesson plan, and several worksheets. Created to be fully useful, this is a straightforward lesson plan with worksheets that I have found to be very successful with "Ta-Na-E-Ka," a short story on traditions. I use this at the beginning of the year when teaching the plot mountain. Included: ---2 EATS lesson plan with an Essential Question, preview vocabulary, activating strategy, teaching strategies and a summarizing strategy (Exit Ticket). ---4 worksheets- Just print and go! ---Answer keys ---An extra (optional) worksheet for differentiated instruction. ---Quiz The lesson has a sample answer to the Essential Question, which I have found to be EXTREMELY helpful for students to see before they are expected to write. The sample is on "The Three Little Pigs." A link to the story is provided if you want to read the story to your students. I have also included the lesson plan, worksheet and sample for PALS reading- as I've found this to be an effective strategy. External and Internal conflict are discussed. Thanks so much! ~Kim

“The Sea” by James Reeves is OFTEN used in state tests, worksheets, and anthologies. It is short, but provides a lot to discuss. It is straightforward, and yet still complex. The imagery is superb. Almost all of it is within the grasp of the student, and yet there are parts that need discussion to be revealed. All in all, it is a perfect poem to use with a class! Due to copyright laws, I am unable to include the poem. It is easy to find and is likely in your anthology. Included is a lesson plan originally written for 7th graders- appropriate for grades 6-12. This is a PowerPoint, lesson plan AND worksheet. The PowerPoint includes: the Essential Question Activating Strategy Defined vocabulary and Examples. Students will learn figurative language, metaphor and simile. They will see examples and create some new ones. Next, they will learn denotation and connotation. Again, they will see examples and try their hand at examples. Finally, they will apply this knowledge to the poem, "The Sea" by James Reeves. After reading through once, students will answer questions about the first stanza and discuss. Then, the teacher (and PowerPoint) will guide them to answer the essential question based on the first stanza. The second stanza will be read, questions will be answered, and the essential question will be attempted again, discussed and perfected. Finally, the third stanza will be the focus of the assessment. The students will again read and answer questions, but this time, the students will be expected to use the strategy taught (re-read, locate, investigate and compare) to answer the essential question on their own. There are more slides after the poem study is over, including an activity to write the poem in as few words as possible (to illustrate how word choice is important) as well as an exit ticket. I hope you enjoy this lesson! Thank you!

Display this student collaboration to show gratitude to the administrators! Eighteen pages total, this product has one extra page that can be added many times to the final poster (for any extra students you have). GREAT for end of the year! Pages can be colored any color, or you can ask students to: Color the background - Blue Color each letter - Yellow NO CUTTING Required. Just color and tape up! This Collaborative Poster is one of many. (Thank You, Guidance Counselors! / Thank You, Cafeteria Staff! / Thank You, Teachers! ETC.) This is an inclusive, community-building activity that promotes student collaboration. Each student colors one section of a large mosaic poster. Once all sheets are colored (NO CUTTING!), they are assembled to reveal a large multi-colored mosaic / poster / mural. You will love the results! Thank you!

If you’ve never read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (“EvCT”) by Jacqueline Kelly, you are in for a treat. My sixth graders love EvCT and I LOVE teaching it! It works well as a cross-curricular unit with science OR history- and the author’s voice is simply incredible. 71 pages + 91 PowerPoint slides = 162 page resource! This product contains everything you need for a great unit and aligns with the Common Core State Standards. This product includes: • TWELVE lessons, each with a worksheet (study guide) featuring vocabulary. Answer keys are included. Most lessons also include extra activities to supplement the lesson (For example, one chapter features a PALS activity, complete with instructions; another chapter features a figurative lesson worksheet and activity.). The lesson plans are grouped as: 1. EvCT Ch 1 2. EvCT Ch 2 3. EvCT Ch 3 4 5 4. EvCT Ch 6 7 5. EvCT Ch 8 9 6. EvCT Ch 10 11 7. EvCT Ch 12 13 8. EvCT Ch 14 15 16 9. EvCT Ch 17 18 19 10. EvCT Ch 20 21 22 11. EvCT Ch 23 24 25 12. EvCT Ch 26 27 28 EvCT POWERPOINT (90 slides) The PPT gives visual references for background information (pinafore, kerosene lamp, Wounded Knee Massacre, author background, etc.), discussion questions, Venn diagrams, exit tickets and much more. Students also get to guess the prices from the 1890’s (my students love this activity!) EvCT Final Test (Answer Key included) Bookmarks What student doesn't like a little gift? Packed with EvCT info (and vocab!), this bookmark is a handy "cheat sheet" to use with the worksheets ~and possibly the final test (IF the teacher allows it...). This product also features several opportunities for figurative language practice (EvCT has a ton of figurative language: perfect for mini-lessons!) and a semi-colon study. Some worksheets (study guides) offer “challenge questions.” There are opportunities for differentiated learning. You can use challenge questions for students who are absent or as an activity for cooperative learning…). There are also suggestions for research. PLUS- writing prompts! This product is editable, if you prefer to customize any part. Final test, writing prompts, and extra activities are included! The Common Core Standards cited are for 6th grade, but other grades are largely interchangeable. Recommended for grades 5-8, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a 2010 Newbery Honor Book and the winner of the 2010 Bank Street - Josette Frank Award. I spent over 100 hours on this product. I pride myself on creating a unit that offers user-friendly, thought-provoking lessons and creative activities. Click this link to buy all of my

This lesson focuses on helping middle school students identify the different types of sentence. Students will notice that each structure signals differing relationships among ideas, as based on the Common Core Standard 7.1.b . This is a challenging topic. I have worked on this product to bring some fun to the lesson. I have included: # a PowerPoint, # a lesson plan (with activating strategy, vocabulary, exit ticket, etc.), # a graphic organizer # worksheets # FIVE activities, # a quick quiz, # a vocabulary list # answer keys and # a Your Turn exit ticket The lesson plan is detailed so that it is easy for the teacher to teach each structure with an activity (or two) without getting overwhelmed! The 66-slide PowerPoint is filled with information and is easy for students to follow- especially as they fill in their graphic organizer. There are visuals included. Plus, there is a silent activity where students guess by using sign language letter to show their choice! Fun! I have also included the worksheets in PDF in case that works best for you! CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1.b Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. Thank you!

This 9th- 10th grade resource consists of a PowerPoint, a Lesson plan, 3 worksheets and an answer key- everything you need to teach euphemisms and oxymora, based on the Common Core Standards L.9-10.5 and L.9-10.5a. The PowerPoint discusses euphemisms and oxymora, giving several examples and opportunities for students to participate in discussions. The class will follow along with the lesson by filling in the first two worksheets. The class will begin with an Activating Strategy and move into a discussion on the obstacles people face while learning English and encountering euphemisms. Students will pair up and brainstorm euphemisms and oxymora- as well as guess what the illustration on the PowerPoint represents. Students will be challenged to answer the Essential Questions: How can I uncover the meanings of euphemism and oxymoron? AND How do I analyze the role of euphemism and oxymorons inside of a text? Differentiated instruction is offered with extra challenges- such as providing the definition of the opposite of euphemism (dysphemism). Students will be given a chance to review before completing an Exit Ticket. A third optional worksheet is included for fun- or for extra differentiation, if there is a need for extra practice. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

Display this student collaboration to show gratitude to the cafeteria staff ! Twenty pages total, this product has one extra page that can be added many times to the final poster (for any extra students you have). GREAT for end of the year! Pages can be colored any color, or you can ask students to: Color the background - Blue Color each letter - Yellow NO CUTTING Required. Just color and tape up! This Collaborative Poster is one of many. (Thank You, Guidance Counselors! / Thank You, Administrators! / Thank You, Teachers! ETC.) This is an inclusive, community-building activity that promotes student collaboration. Each student colors one section of a large mosaic poster. Once all sheets are colored (NO CUTTING!), they are assembled to reveal a large multi-colored mosaic / poster / mural. You will love the results! Thank you!

This is a PowerPoint, lesson plan, several worksheets and activities on phrases and clauses. An EATS lesson plan (tied to the Common Core Standards) as well as two graphic organizers are included. Complete with an essential question, activating strategy, vocabulary, teaching strategies, and an exit ticket, students learn the difference between phrases and clauses. In Part 1, students are shown examples of each phrase type: Noun phrase Verb phrase Adjectival phrase Adverbial phrase Participial phrase Prepositional phrase Absolute phrase The class will fill out a graphic organizer, practice with partners and practice individually using different phrases. In Part 2, students are shown examples of each clause type: Independent Clause Dependent Clause Noun Clause Relative Clause Adjectival Clause Again, the class will fill out a graphic organizer, practice with partners, and practice individually using different clauses. In Part 3, students get a chance to review. There are opportunities for differentiation in the activities. For example, on the PPT, students are asked to create example sentences. To challenge students, teachers may opt to ask students to use a topic. On Worksheet #5, students are challenged to identify phrase/clause types. Lastly, students will complete an exit ticket. This is a complete lesson- ready for your classroom. Thank you!

Teach indirect and direct characterization! Use “My Favorite Chaperone” by Jean Davies Okimoto at beginning of the school year to review characters and plot- and build on elements of a short story. This product includes a 40-slide PowerPoint, a 3-page editable EATS Lesson Plan (complete with Essential Questions, Activating Strategy, Exit Ticket, etc), a 3-page Reading Guide, Discussion Questions printable, Summary Paragraph Worksheet, Answer Keys, and an Assessment. What a valuable time-saver. Just print and go! The best part? A sample answer to the Essential Question is provided (on the PowerPoint and student worksheet) so students will understand the concept- and have a model when they respond. This has proven very effective in my classes. Students read and analyze the sample answer before attempting to write. Students also have the sample as a guide for their writing. Some activities are optional and can make this a 6- day unit. I encourage you to read the text (available online). This particular story lends itself nicely to teaching the elements of a short story plot. Students enjoy the collaborative discussions based on the text. Thanks for taking a look at my store!

Verbals are to be taught in 8th grade, so says the Common Core. Gerunds, Infinitives, Participles might be difficult to teach if you've kind of forgotten yourself! (right?) This lesson solves that problem! The EATS lesson includes: -- the content standard and essential question -- preview vocabulary -- the definition and example of each verbal -- a quick review -- an Exit Ticket The graphic organizer works really well for my 8th graders! Higher grades can use it as a review/refresher, too. This PowerPoint gives step-by-step instructions to the students. The lesson plan guides the teacher through, too! CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.1.a is the focus of the lesson.

This lesson includes an EATS lesson plan, 3 worksheets, answer keys, discussion questions, and a PowerPoint for the classic short story that includes O. Henry's trademark twist! Focusing on CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3 and 6.5, students will describe how the main character changes as the plot moves toward a resolution & analyze how a particular sentence contributes to the development of the plot. (Similar seventh-grade and eighth-grade standards are provided. The PowerPoint for "Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry guides the class in activating activities, defining vocabulary, discussing key details, and answering the essential question. A sample answer to the E. Q. is provided for the class to critique (and use as a model for students to answer the E.Q. at the end of the lesson!). This is a great short story for students to enjoy! Thank you!