January Freebies and Classroom Resources

 The holidays are over and January is here. As we head into spring - it is more important than ever to engage our students. It is also more important than ever to find turnkey lessons that are easy to incorporate into the classroom, hybrid, and digital models.

Here are some finds.

Morning Work for 5th Grade-7th - January - No Prep - Or Secondary Review

NO Prep Morning Work for Fifth Grade - January THEMED. This 5th grade morning work/ bell-ringer perfectly spiral reviews the 5th grade language arts and mathematics standards. These exercises also work well for middle and secondary review.

More than morning work this resource can be used at any time during school day. Bins, back table work, early finishers, bell-ringers, take home, digital, print - endless possibilities. Great for any upper grade review as well.

Each daily ELA and Math activity is aligned to standards.

Powerpoint digital slides provide your students with repetitive and engaging morning work that reinforces standards and skills. Students can illustrate and write their responses in a composition or spiral notebook.

OR PRINTABLE:

ALSO INCLUDES A PDF Black and White Printable Version if you don't want to project and have students use their own notebooks.

Winter STEM Challenges (January)

This winter themed STEM/STEAM package is perfect to engage your elementary engineers in January! Three STEM challenges and one Bonus Brainbuilder are provided and can be completed as stations or in isolation.

Includes the following LOW PREP STEM Challenges:

• Sledding Ramp
• Hibernation Station
• Snowball Structure
• Bonus Brainbuilder: Snowflake Symmetry

Freebie: New Years 2021 Resolution Activity- January Positive Growth Mindset

My New Year's Resolution Bingo Activity is easy to use, editable and ready to go either virtually or digitally! This product is COMPLETELY EDITABLE and FREE!! Start the new calendar year off right by developing a positive growth mindset with my list of new year's resolutions or create/add/modify with your students! Download my product and choose how you want to use the presentation: Google slides or PowerPoint. Have students create a 4 x 4 bingo card, write out the number and resolution. Call out on students, read out the statement and have fun! 

Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Reading Comprehension Black History January

This passage gives an overview of Martin Luther King Jr's role in the African American Civil Rights Movement. 26 questions (identify, multiple choice, short answer) assess students' understanding.

Thanks or looking!

#teaching #freebies

Non-Fiction Ready Readers - High Interest Low Level AND On Level

Ready Reader Informational Text Packets/Units. These are non-fiction/ informational Text, print-and-go Ready Readers at two levels for turnkey differentiation.

Each reader has approximately FIVE reading passages and 25 pages of activities that include close reading, fluency, comprehension, word work, conventions, informational text skills, writing and more.

The readers are standards-based, engaging and may be used for classroom, take-home packets, online, or a hybrid of any and all combinations. They perfect for whole class, early finishers, centers and more. The "Below Level Readers" may be used for intervention, ESL or coupled with the "At Level Reader" - for all students in your class to access important standards-based activities at their level.Ready Readers are written at two levels – grade level and below grade level. Each reading passage, article, or story in Ready Readers is leveled - so you know exactly which reader to assign to each student. Be sure to check out the preview.

EXAMPLE: In the Kamala Harris Edition, you will find:

25-page Form Fillable PDFs of the Kamala Harris Reader Reader at two levels

• 25-page PDF of the Kamala Harris Reader Reader at two levels for packets

• 2 - 25-page PowerPoints of the Kamala Harris Reader Reader at two levels

• Instructions and Information

• Standards Alignment Chart

• Passage 1: Fluency – page 2 – 1010L - 1200L

• Passage 2: Pages 5-6 – Lexile Level 610L – 800L

• Passage 3: page 9-11 – Lexile Level 1010L-1200L

• Passage 4: page 16 – Lexile Level 1010L-1200L

• Passage 5: page 22 - Lexile Level 810L- 1000L

• Passage 1: Fluency – page 2 – 410L - 600L

• Passage 2: Pages 5 and 6 – Lexile Level 410L to 600L

• Passage 3: page 9 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

• Passage 4: page 14 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

• Passage 5: page 20 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

Tik Tok Famous Ready Reader LevelsReadings:

• Passage 1: page 2 – Lexile 410L-600L

• Passage 2: page 5 - Lexile Level 410L-600L

• Passage 3: page 7 – Lexile Level 610L-800L

• Passage 4: page 9 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

• Passage 5: page 14 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

• Passage 6: page 15 – Lexile Level 410L-600L

Readers - Non-Fiction Units Under $3.00 - GRADES 4-12

Also Available:

FREE: Chadwick Boseman At Level Ready Reader Hybrid, Distance and Packet

FREE: Chadwick Boseman At Level Ready Reader GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION

Kamala Harris High-Low Reader Reader & Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris High Low Ready Reader & Kamala Harris GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION

Tulsa Race Riots - At Level and High - Low Ready Readers

Tulsa Race Riots - At Level & High Low Ready Readers GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION

Frederick Douglas - At Level & High-Low Ready Reader

Frederick Douglas - At Level & High-Low Ready Reader GOOGLE SLIDE VERSION

Marvel Universe High Low Ready Reader - Informational Text for Grades 5-12 - GOOGLE SLIDE

Marvel High Low Ready Reader Informational Text for Grades 5-12

Tuskegee Airmen - Low Level

Maya Angelou High Low Ready Reader

GOOGLE Maya Angelou High Low Ready Reader

And the list keeps growing.

This list will continue to grow as I vet units - and freebies!
On Level Ready Reader:
Below Level Ready Reader:

FREEBIE An Old West Cinderella Story, Book Unit and Classroom Game

49er CinderMiner - ebook 

49er_cinderminer_book_unit.pdf Novel Unit

Mystery Game - Classroom and Home Versions Directions

An old west take on the classic Cinderella story for children off all ages! Entire ebook and Book  Unit FREE!

Book Unit includes engaging standards-aligned activities and the Mystery Game fosters critical thinking and problem solving.

The gold rush is on and hoards of people are heading to California seeking their fortune - unfortunately for the people of Plymouth, California - most of those heading west are men, so when the new town's richest resident, Oliver Keyes, announces he's planning a huge shindig for his beautiful daughter to choose a husband - the mining town turns upside down.
Kindhearted, hardworking Luke wants a chance at her hand, but his nasty step-brothers and rattlesnake of a step-mother will stop at nothing to keep him from the party. With the help of a very special "godmother" - kindness may very well win in the end.
​
This fun take on the classic Cinderella story written and illustrated by Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti - begs to be read over and over and over again.

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Classroom Games for the End of the Year

Classroom Games for Maximum Achievement

Games are a great way to introduce concepts, reinforce standards and engage students in learning. There are whole class games, quiz games, projectable PowerPoint games, board games and so many more.

Games can be excellent informal assessments, project culminations, and center activities. 

There are 100s of studies regarding the benefits of games in the classroom.These studies showed that, on average, using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student achievement. This is a relatively strong finding (Robert Marzano, 2008).

How to get the most out of games:  

• Don't make the stakes too high. Students like to compete but don't like to be embarrassed. Create teams to ensure equality in answers. 
• Switch teams up during the year so that everyone experiences their share of winning and losing.
• Target academic content - like the games below - from literacy to social studies to math - make sure the games you use are learning opportunities.
• Debrief after play. Since the whole point of games in the classroom is to provide students the opportunity to examine content in an engaging environment - don't forget to recap - allowing students to highlight what they've learned. Take the time to reinforce important elements.
• Have students journal after gameplay. This provides them with meaningful opportunities to reexamine knowledge.

Games are a powerful tool to examine difficult content - any content - while engaging students and raising achievement.

Know more great classroom games - share them in the comments below.

10 Answers - 20 Questions Only Better US Colonial History - Board and PowerPoint

Fast-paced quiz game - 2 versions: paper "board game" for groups, center or whole class play.

Students are given 10 answers - one at a time. With each clue students have the opportunity to guess the person, place or thing related to the topic. Gameplay generates maximum participation for students at all levels. 10 Answers is engaging and super fun with learning happening almost by accident.

The Clickable PowerPoint version is great for assessment or to team up your students and have a fast-paced quiz round. Perfect for bell-ringers, filler, assessments, to learn facts, to reinforce content, as a center activity, for distance learning practice and more.

This unique game is ideal for any age students who study US History – from 5th to 12th grade.

It is fun, engaging, provides fact-testing and reading practice. Critical thinking is a must as students use clues to determine answers.

Group play and individual play instructions are included.

End of the Year Activity Mystery Game for the Whole Class

The end of the year is the perfect time to pull out this mystery activity game. Students use the detective skills of listening and the process of elimination to solve the mystery of who took the test. Perfect whole class game, let the fun begin.

Games 4 Learning

Games 4 Learning has 100s of games for all ages - from math to brain teasers to puzzles to board games  - there is something for everyone.

Multiplication Freebie

Free End of Year Math and Literacy Games: Summer Activities Packet

Summer Freebies 

1  Haystead, M. W., & Marzano, R. J. (2009). Meta-Analytic Synthesis of Studies Conducted at Marzano Research Laboratory on Instructional Strategies. Englewood, CO: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Book Unit

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland InterActive Reader

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Interactive Reader" was designed specifically with 21st Century Learning and the tenants of higher order thinking in mind. The activity infused unit study

offers built-in differentiation, is jam-packed with black-line masters that foster student engagement and higher order thinking and is easily adjustable to remedial, gifted and every student in between.

Carroll's beloved novel is laid out, chapter-by-chapter, with questions, literary study, writing activities, source document analysis, links to other resources, Socratic Seminar templates, vocabulary activities, games, interactive notebook pages and a whole lot more! There are also end of book questions and activities as well as in-depth character explanations and information on themes and other literature nuances.

A must-have for any teacher embarking on an "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" unit study.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Plot Diagram

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Plot Diagram PowerPoint and Template: A perfect companion to any Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland book study is this Plot Diagram Teaching PowerPoint and student template.

This plot diagram is an organizational tool focusing on a pyramid or triangular shape, used to map the events of a story. This mapping of the plot structure of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland helps students visualize the key features of the story and serves as an engaging, interactive tool.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Guided Paragraph PowerPoint and Template

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Guided Paragraph Teaching PowerPoint and Student Template: Perfect for student differentiation and intervention – this PowerPoint helps you walk students through writing a paragraph – that transitions into an essay.

Themes and Motifs Guided Instructional PowerPoint

Perfect for student differentiation and intervention – this PowerPoint helps you walk students the

themes and motifs of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Formative Assessment based on Tenniel’s Pictures.

Chapin-Pinotti, Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti, Restitution

Active Participation and Student Engagement Techniques Plus Freebie!

Engaged Students

Engaged students are actively participating in relevant classroom lessons and activities. An expert teacher knows that most of their students should be engaged - most of the time. The alternative - disengagement - has extreme consequences on student learning.

Think about your average question and answer session - a teacher asks a question and then cherry-picks for the answer - only engaging one or two students at most. For students: this is a ticket to let their minds wander - either actively or passively disengaged. 

Don't Be a Plucker

This plucking answers from a group of students does not require students to actively participate and does not allow teachers to know who is learning, who has mastered a topic and who needs more help. An engaged classroom is one where every class session is used as a chance for formative assessment. Where most of the students are participating most of the time.

So, how does one demand active participation and cognitive engagement? -- by eliciting feedback and requiring higher order thinking. It is imperative for us all to plan our pedagogy with the goal of including at least three or four opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding and to actively participate in each lesson. By doing this, we will be able to better analyze, synthesize and evaluation what our students know and how we need to proceed - each step of the way.

Yes, that sounds good, but how can you make this easy? Start with the end in mind - give students - whether in kindergarten or high school - the tools they need to engage.

Student Engagement Techniques and Templates

1. Individual white boards and white board markers - if you don't have white boards - laminate a piece of card stock.

2. Have on hand: glue, markers, crayons, construction paper, scissors, paperclips, clay and highlighters. It is helpful to have one resource box for every four or five people - shoe boxes work great, as do dollar store plastic containers. Make sure they are easily accessible.

3. Use simple strategies and Ready-Made Templates. For example:

• When you pose a question ask students to think about the question, turn to their neighbor, partner, etc., and discuss an answer, then tell them they will have one, three, five minutes to
  
  come up with an answer - also tell them to make sure one person is prepared to report out their answer - this is a take on the basic think-pair-share.
• Quick Writes: A quick write can be done at any time - plan ahead by using prepared prompts or think on your feet as questions come up. Say, take the next two, five minutes to write down your thoughts on "the reasons John Adams and Thomas Jefferson's friendship suffered and what, if any, effect did that have on the government?" The process of journaling provides valuable information to form further instruction.
• Have interactive notebook templates on-hand - Interactive Notebook Pages for RL and RI - yes that means literation and information, so they are perfect for any subject.
• Quick Draws: Use a word back or a passage for your quick draw. Quick draws can be used for any subject and any topic - K through college. Pick a big idea from your lesson. Pose a question asking students the meaning of the concept and tell them to create a visual representation. Have students explain their drawings to a partner. 

• Use a pocket fillable. Print out the pocket Interactive Notebook template, pose the question and tell students to work alone or in pairs to come up with - the best four answers to... - write three themes to Frankenstein on the front of a key, write how each theme is reflected in part 1 - put your keys into pocket.

By writing, discussing and drawing classroom concepts and topics students are better able to analyze various sides of a concept, as well as to visualize, explain and synthesize - thus realizing both the goal of active engagement and student access to higher order learning.  

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Thanks,
Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti
#ChapinPinotti