Fantastic Favorite Freebies Collection

Everybody LOVES freebies! Especially teachers, right? I have a brand new freebie and an invitation that I would like to share with all of my bloggy friends.

I Survived Various Verbs

Task Cards and ZAP!

Task cards are VERY popular in many elementary and middle school classrooms. I think that I use task cards at least three out of the five school days each week. Easily adapted to any content area and grade level, they make for a welcome change from just completing a worksheet for skill practice. This pack of 42 task cards (40 skill cards and two ZAP cards) may be used in a literacy center, as part of a scavenger hunt, or for a game of scoot or ZAP. Each card requires a student to read a sentence and identify its verb. The cards contain sentences taken from Lauren Tarshis’s popular I Survived Series books, my students' favorite books overall. This pack of cards can be used by an individual student, for small group instruction, or with an entire class. They are extremely versatile, easy to implement, and best of all...reusable.

To prepare this set of task cards…

1.Print the Playing Cards found on pages 4-10.

2.Laminate the pages for durability if you choose.

3.Cut apart the cards.

4.Print the cover page and glue it onto a large envelope.

5.Print a copy of the Answer Sheet found on page 11.

6.Place the Playing Cards, ZAP cards, and Answer Sheet in the envelope for safe storage.

To play a game of Scoot…

1. Place the cards (minus the ZAP cards) around the room face down in front of each student. Use as many cards as you like. If you wish to use all the cards, simply double-up cards in front of some students if necessary.

2. Have each student number a sheet of paper from 1-40 (or however many cards you choose to use). You might consider playing two separate rounds, using cards 1-20 for round one and cards 21-40 for the second round.

3. Students begin by answering the card(s) in front of them, writing their answer(s) on their paper next to the matching number.

4. After an appropriate amount of time, call “SCOOT!” and students turn the card(s) face down and move to the next place where they answer the question on that card.

5. Play continues in this manner until all items have been answered or time runs out.

6. Collect the student papers to assess yourself or check them together in class.

To Play a Game of ZAP (My students' FAVORITE game):

•Divide your class into several teams depending on the number of students.

•Determine how long you will play or how many rounds you will complete.

•Place the task cards and the two ZAP cards in a container (coffee can, paper bag, etc.).

•Have a student draw a card from the container without looking inside

•The team should read the words on the card, then confer to determine the answer.

•If the team answers correctly, it keeps the card. If it answers incorrectly the card is returned to the container.

•Teams take turns drawing/collecting the cards. However, there is a twist. If a team draws a ZAP card, it must return ALL of its cards to the container. Return the ZAP card to the container after each turn.

•The winner is the team that collects the most strips. You may want to award them with a simple prize such as a piece of candy, bonus points on an upcoming quiz/test, 5 minutes of free time, etc.

To Use as a Scatter (Scavenger Hunt) Activity:

•Distribute the task cards around the classroom, hiding some in plain sight while others place out of sight.

•Have students number a paper from 1-40 or however many cards you have decided to use.

•Students should meander around the classroom in search of hidden task cards. As they locate a card, they should read it and record its answer.

•You can have the entire class scattering around the room or just a few students at a time. This can be a station activity, small group enrichment, or whole class assessment. Anyway you present Scatter is great for students since they are able to get up and get moving around the room a bit.

You can download your free set of I Survived Various Verbs HERE or by visiting my TpT Store and downloading the featured free product.

Looking for MORE freebies? I've listed several more below.

And now for the INVITATION...

TpT friends, I invite you to include your favorite freebies in the list below. We can create a tremendous warehouse of fantastic products that are easy to locate. In the process, we can share our talents with each other and with blog visitors who might not have been able to find us before.

FANTASTIC FAVORITE FREEBIES COLLECTION

July Winner Wednesday

Today I'm joining Sara J Creations and A Dab of Glue Will Do for their fabulous monthly linky Winner Wednesday. This month for Winner Wednesday you have the opportunity to win my Back to School ELA Bundle, a packet of SIX upper elementary/middle school activities.

Are you looking for FUN and ENGAGING Back to School themed ELA activities to review or introduce key language arts concepts? Look no further! This bundle contains SIX products to help your intermediate students practice identifying parts of speech and kinds of sentences, as well as recognizing fragments, sentences, and run-ons. Included are THREE Zap! games, TWO Mystery Pictures, and ONE pack of Scoot cards. Each item is available separately in my TpT store as well as in this bundle.

First up are three Back to School Zap games... Not sure what ZAP is? Click HERE to read more about it and how it is played. Would you believe that there are nearly EIGHTY Zap games in my TpT Store?

Back to School Zap! Fragments, Run-ons, and Sentences
     Zap is a fun and engaging game to help your students practice mundane skills. This Zap game provides practice with identifying groups of words as either a sentence fragment, as a run-on sentence, or as a complete sentence. Simply click on the product link to read more about it.

Back to School Zap! Kinds of Sentences 
    This Zap game gives students practice with identifying sentences as being declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory.

Back to School Zap! Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs
     Learning and identifying the parts of speech can be a real drudge! Zap makes learning this skill FUN!

Also included in the Back to School Bundle are TWO Mystery Pictures. So, what's a mystery picture? Following a key, students match a word's part of speech with its representative color by shading in squares to reveal a mystery picture. The coloring sheet can be projected on a whiteboard for whole group instruction/participation or printed for individual use. This activity aligns with Common Core Standard ELA L.1.

Mystery Picture Schoolhouse
     The parts of speech practiced in this picture are nouns, verbs, adjectives, and conjunctions.

Mystery Picture Apple
     This mystery picture is a bit more challenging than the schoolhouse. With this activity, students practice nearly all of the parts of speech: nouns, vers, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and interjections.

The last item included in the Back to School Bundle is a scoot game. Basically this is a set of typical task cards; I just designate the pack as a scoot game. GAME sounds so much more inviting than TASK. If you're not sure how to play scoot,you can download the directions HERE along with a set of cards for a math game. You can see my students playing a scoot game in the following video. It's not the one in the bundle, but you get a feel for the activity. Notice how quiet engaged they are.



Back to School Scoot Revising Sentences
     This set of task cards provides practice for students with editing and revising sentences that have a back to school theme. 

On each card is a sentence laced with mistakes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and/or usage. Students  must write the sentence correctly on their papers before scooting to the next card. What's really fun is that each of the 24 cards contains a QR code; students can use the cards independently, checking their answers.

There you have it! This bundle is PERFECT for those first weeks back to school when upper elementary and middle school students need a refresher on basic skills. Are you ready to take a chance on winning this terrific teaching item? Enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below. But hurry! You only have today, Wednesday, to enter! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

When you're finished entering my giveaway, be sure to hop on over to Sara J Creations or A Dab of Glue Will Do to enter more Winner Wednesday giveaways.

Five for Friday

Holy Shmoly! I couldn't tell you the last time that I was able to join this fun, Friday linky hosted by Doodle Bugs Teaching.

FIRST... We had a wonderful visit from our Science Coach, Dr. Ann. She is the chemistry professor from the local branch of Kent State University whom we have the pleasure of working with throughout the year. Dr. Ann presented a lesson, along with three hands-on activities, about electrochemistry. My kiddos were totally engaged for the complete 90 mins. During this time they exploded (took apart) a flashlight, drew its schematic, and then put it back together; they built a simple motor from a simple kit (base, magnet, battery, and copper wire); and they drew working circuits by using special pens with silver ink.

SECOND... I was given an old, rusty cast iron skillet. It was a mess so I googled how to clean/season it. You see, I was craving an old family dish that I hadn't had since long before my mother died, over six years ago. Known as placki, I LOVE these fried potato pancakes, and was taught by grandma then mom that REAL placki could only be made in a cast iron skillet. Mom had one that was used ONLY for this favorite dish, but it sat unused for so long that it looked awful so I threw it out! SHAME ON ME! This past Wednesday, I fried a batch of placki in my refurbished iron skillet and ate every single pancake by myself... YUM!

THIRD... One of my students has a mother who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. As a sign of our love and support for her, we made her cards and purchased pink, stretchy band bracelets to wear throughout her treatment time. Here we're showing off our bracelets for a photo we popped into one of the cards. I have THE BEST kiddos!

FOURTH... We completed a fun-filled STEM project earlier in the week wherein we designed catapults to help Jack-Be-Nimble jump over his candlestick. Check out the variety of designs!

FIFTH... I FINALLY finished a set of task cards that I've been working on FOREVER, and just in time since Pentecost is this coming Sunday! The pack consists of three distinct sets of cards, each focusing on a particular ELA skill. However, you can also mix the cards to form three multi-skill sets of cards as well. Each card contains a QR Code answer so the sets are perfect for placement in a literacy center. They are also perfect for a round of Scoot, Scatter, or a Scavenger Hunt. You can read more about them HERE or even download a pack for yourself.

I hope you all had a terrific week just as I have had! Be sure to stop by Doodle Bugs Teaching for more fun Five for Friday posts!

Mind Boggling Monday: New Year ELA Ideas

Well, my mind was certainly boggled! What was I thinking? To not have Mind Boggling Monday until mid-January? EEK! A game of boggle is perfect to start the mind juices flowing again after a long holiday break. It's perfect for morning work on that first day back, allowing the teacher to catch a breath and get those housekeeping chores completed. Here's a fun, sparkly New Year boggle board for you and your students. Just download the image and project it for you to have some fun! But don't just stop with a game of boggle. Keep reading for loads of ELA activities to fill your morning back after break.

Not sure how to play Boggle? Click HERE for the original game rules.

Need a Boggle board that you can edit yourself? Click HERE for a free editable board.

Want a blank boggle board template for your students to use with classroom boggle? Click HERE.

How about a variety of editable boards to change with the seasons? Click HERE for a bundle of fifteen.

Speaking of New Year... here's another fun little freebie that you can also use to motivate your students in those opening moments of the first day back from break. Sneak in a mystery picture and sneak in some Language Arts review with identifying parts of speech. My kiddos clamor for mystery pictures! I don't think they recognize that it's school WORK. They think of mystery pictures as just FUN! You can download your New Year mystery picture HERE. And if you like this mystery picture, check out this link for a WHOLE PASSEL of mystery pictures for all the seasons and holidays.

And if a game of boggle and a mystery picture aren't enough, here's a fun game of ZAP! that also focuses on parts of speech. Click HERE to get your own copy.

What? Not sure what ZAP! is?

For those of you who don't know how to play ZAP, here's a quick run down. The game consists of playing cards in a container (generally a Pringle's can). The cards focus on a particular skill (in this case, identifying nouns, verbs, and adjectives).

1. Divide your class into several teams depending on the number of students. Determine how long you will play or how many rounds you will complete. 
2. Have a student draw a strip from the container without looking inside. 
3. The team should read the words on the strip, then confer to determine the answer.
4. If the team answers correctly, it keeps the strip. If it answers incorrectly the strip is returned to the container.
5. Teams take turns drawing/collecting the strips. However, there is a twist. If a team draws a ZAP! card, it must return ALL of its strips to the container. 
6. The winner is the team that collects the most strips. You may want to award them with a simple prize such as a treat, bonus points on an upcoming quiz/test, 5 minutes of free time, etc.

Now, doesn't that sound like a fun activity to include in your first day back after break?

Still need a few more ELA activities to fill your morning back after break? High energy or focused study? How about a game of scoot or doing an interactive notebook lesson? This set of noun task cards might be just what you need. You can read more about them HERE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope that your return back to classes after break is smooth and wonderful and that you might have found an idea or two here that helped make it that way!

Mind Boggling Monday: Celebrating Veterans Day

This week we celebrate Veterans Day, a day to remember veterans who served our country. I am grateful that men and women feel the call to serve our country and keep us free.

My students and I will be learning about the history of Veterans Day and how it is celebrated in other countries. We will also be reading a famous poem associated with it, "In Flander's Field."

Here's an easy, quick way to add a little about Veterans Day to your busy day- play a game of boggle. The words "veterans" and "day" are hidden away on the board. Simply download the image and project for your students to play. It can serve as a conversation starter and is great word work!

Not sure how to play Boggle? Click HERE for the original game rules.

Need a Boggle board that you can edit yourself? Click HERE for a free editable board.

Want a blank boggle board template for your students to use with classroom boggle? Click HERE.

How about a variety of editable boards to change with the seasons? Click HERE for a bundle of fifteen.

Looking for another quick, simple way to add a little Veterans Day to your studies this week? Do you teach Language Arts to intermediate students? Here are three low prep activities suitable for students in grs. 3-6.

 

Mystery pictures are a fun way to practice the ho hum skill of identifying parts of speech. In this Patriotic Mystery Picture students practice identifying singular and plural nouns and past, present, and future tense verbs.

 

 

Veterans Day Scoot is an extremely versatile item. The cards can not only be used for a round of scoot but also in a literacy center, for small group instruction, a classroom scavenger, or a game of scatter.

Veterans Day Zap is a fun, engaging game to help students practice identifying complete sentences while learning about the holiday.

 

Since Veterans Day is all about remembering those who have kept us free, here is a fun little FREEBIE to give to your students, parents, veterans, and all to remind them of this important holiday.

 

Celebrate Veterans Day with this set of Veterans Day Brag Tags!

 

 

 

Let's Celebrate Sale

Happy BD2 me!

Happy BD2 me!

Happy BD!

Happy BD!

Happy BD2 me!

My birthday is fast approaching (no. 49 for the 8th year) on the 26th. To celebrate, I am throwing a huge sale in my TpT Store from Oct. 24th-26th. EVERTHING is marked 20% off!  With Halloween just a week away, it would be a great time to stock up on some fun and engaging Language Arts activities for your middle school classroom. Just click on the pics below to read more about each of them.

Mystery Pictures are a favorite with my students. These holiday themed puzzles make practicing parts of speech actually FUN!

 

Playing a game of SCOOT is always a great activity around holiday time. Getting your students up and moving about the room is guaranteed to help keep them focused on skills. With this bundle there is a new game for each day until Halloween.

If you haven't played ZAP! with your middle school students yet, this Halloween themed game designed to help students practice identifying prepositional phrases is sure to please!

Task cards are a versatile item to add to your Halloween bag of treats. You can involve your students in playing SCOOT, engage them with a round of SCATTER, or have them do a SCAVENGER HUNT while practicing BOO-tiful synonyms. This set is even self-checking with the addition of QR Codes, making it ideal for placement in a literacy center.

Have you ever played I HAVE, WHO HAS? Not only is this type of game terrific for reviewing specific grammar skills, it is AWESOME for practicing much needed listening skills!

 



 

If you still haven't found a HALLOWEEN treat for your kiddos, why not check out a CREEPY, yet cute, zombie activity, like this one that requires your students to practice proofreading skills.

 

 



These are just a few of the holiday activities on sale Oct. 24-26th during my birthday sale! Stop by my TpT Store to check out more Halloween items, zombie activities, and MORE!

 

A birthday celebration just wouldn't be a birthday without a gift.

 

For everyone who replies with a favorite TRICK or TREAT in the comments below (please include your email address in your comment if you are NO REPLY Blogger) during my birthday celebration, I will send you your choice of Halloween or Zombie Grouping Cards.

 

 



 

Two for Tuesday

I can't believe that it is Tuesday already! Where does the time go? It's time to join Chalk One up for the Teacher for...

This week I selected two of my favorite products to share with you. Both will be listed at a 50% discount through this coming Thursday.

Year 'Round Homework Punch Cards

Contained in this packet are 10 pre-programmed punch cards and 10 editable punch cards containing 20 punches. Use the punch cards to track student behavior and provide rewards. When a student performs the behavior you are seeking, punch a space on his/her card. When the student earns a particular number of punches he/she receives a reward.

These punch cards are larger in size than typical ones. They easily fit in a pencil pouch or toolbox and are harder to lose or misplace. The brag tags referred to on the pre-programmed punch cards are simply small cards with positive messages. Brags tags are a little like trading cards. Students collect them and store them on a metal ring, cord, or thin chain. They are a visible/concrete symbol of student success and achievement, something a student can brag about. There are several styles of these available on Teachers Pay Teachers, including many in my store. You can check them out HERE (some are even free).

The blank punch cards are editable. You are able to add your own text and determine your own goals and rewards. You can download the set of cards to use with your students HERE.


3-2-1 Back to School ELA Bundle

Are you looking for FUN and ENGAGING Back to School themed ELA activities to review or introduce key language arts concepts? Look no further! This bundle contains SIX products to help your intermediate students practice identifying parts of speech and kinds of sentences, as well as recognizing fragments, sentences, and run-ons. Included are THREE Zap! games, TWO Mystery Pictures, and ONE pack of Scoot cards. Each item is available separately in my TpT store, but you can grab the bundle HERE.

Be sure to stop by Chalk One Up for the Teacher to see what other great items are being shared on this Two for Tuesday!

Throwback Thursday: Groundhog Day

Welcome to...

What is Throwback Thursday? How does it work, you might ask? Simply look through your PURR-fect Previous Posts, perhaps a particular favorite of yours, and re-post it! Then add the TBT badge to your post and include your link below! Purr-fectly easy and simple! Your post doesn't have to be from LOOOONNNGGG ago; it can be from last month or even earlier this week. And if you don't have a post to share, perhaps an old photo or two from WAY BACK will do! Even a favorite pin is PURR-fect! Just join in the Throwback fun!

This post first appeared on The Teacher's Desk 6 on Jan. 29, 2014 Introducing a brand new teaching tool just in time for the upcoming fun holiday: Groundhog Day.

What's Happenin' Wednesday? Not a whole lot... YET! We were still out of school today due to the frigid temps, but it looks like we MIGHT make it back for Thursday and Friday! MIGHT because a new, unexpected, wind chill advisory has JUST been issued for tonight into tomorrow morning... sigh! The air temp. is ONLY supposed to reach a low of zero and the wind chills are ONLY going to be -15 degrees... nothing compared to the past two days! That's why I say we MIGHT be back in school on Thursday.

I've kept busy these last four school days off, plus two weekend days, doing a whole host of things from practicing piano to doing dishes and everything in between. I've even had great fun creating some new products to add to my TpT Store. One that I have had great fun making is a SCOOT/SCATTER game for Groundhog Day.

I designed this for my fifth and sixth graders to use whenever we get back to the classroom. It'll be a fun way to get them thinking Language Arts again. There are various skills highlighted on the task cards: synonyms/antonyms, recognizing parts of speech, captilization/punctuation.

As they move about the room my students can simply write their responses on a sheet of loose leaf paper; however, it's much more fun to have a cute recording sheet to work on. 

I can even use these cards in a literacy center. I've included an answer key so that my students can check their own work, making the cards perfect for independent work.

With just the task cards, my students can "play" SCOOT. However, I included special answer cards so we could also opt to "play" SCATTER. 

I can select specific task cards to hand to half of my class and the matching answer cards to the other half. The kiddos must SCATTER about finding the classmate that has the match to their card.

I have a small group of students in both grades that work with intervention tutors and often leave the room, missing out on Scoot and Scatter. For them, I created this gameboard.

I'll send the gameboard and a second set of cards and answer key with them to their tutor. They can review the same material in the small group setting while still having some fun! The tutor will enjoy this also.

If you would like this fun product for use in your own classroom it is available for download HERE or by clicking on any of the graphics above.

Come on out of your burrow; it's time for your own THROWBACK!

An InLinkz Link-up