Two Day Sale on TpT

Click here to visit the sale and save up to 28%.

TeachersPayTeachers.com does not have sales very often, 

but when they do, it's a good one.

Visit the web site on January 20 and 21st and enter the code START16 at checkout. Everything in my store is 28% off including my Simple Steps to Sentence Sense books and bundles. It's a great time to clear out your wish list and save lots of money.

The spring semester is the perfect time to teach grammar. You can easily go through the entire book in a semester, and your students will be involved, make good grades, and enjoy learning grammar. Everything you need is in my books. You will not need to do any advance preparation. Click here to see what teachers are saying about my books.

Hurry! Don't miss this sale.

I hope you have a very successful teaching year in 2016. Let me know if I can help with any grammar or usage questions. You can always email me at charlenetess@yahoo.com or leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

HOTS HIgher Order Thinking Skills Are Important

Whenever possible, find a way to promote Higher Order Thinking Skills into your daily lessons.

Students must do more than just memorize and retell information. They have to think about what they have learned and not just play back information like a tape recorder does. 

They will more easily retain the information they learn if they have to use those facts or manipulate them.

Examples of the ways they can reach higher thinking levels are to predict, estimate, define, evaluate, diagram, construct, order, classify, identify, etc.

Encourage your students to think!

Click here to purchase a HOTS Classification Exercise from my store.  

Thanks for reading,

Useful Tools for Readers

Click Here To View This Lesson in My Store

Identifying the elements of a novel is a skill that will help your student gain appreciation for the books that they read. Once they are proficient in identifying the elements in this lesson, it will be easy for them to discuss and write about the novels they are assigned or those they choose to read. 

After your students finish reading a novel, this guide will help them identify the following elements:

Plot (Exposition, Complications, Climax, Resolution)

Setting

Conflict (s)

Protagonist

Antagonist

Major Characters

Point of View

Tone

Theme(s)

Narrative Techniques

Frame Story

Flashback

Letters of a Diary

Dialect

Symbolism

Parable

Satire or Parody

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony

Foreshadowing

Reading a novel is a rewarding experience, and especially so if one knows what literary techniques the author used to enrich his or her writing. As the student reads, it is helpful to keep a reading reaction journal in which they can take notes to use for future reference.

Click here for a lesson that shows students how to keep a Reading Reaction Journal that will help them remember and analyze what they have read. Teachers can use the journal to evaluate whether or not students are doing a close reading of assigned literary works. 

This is a valuable tool for you and your students, and it is especially useful as a study tool for AP students while reading advanced literary selections. 

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Gluten Be Gone

Hints for Newly Diagnosed Celiacs

Although it can take years to become fully familiar with the task of living gluten free, it is possible to quickly learn how to be safe and still eat and live well. I am not a doctor or a medical practitioner of any kind. I am not an expert. I am not a pharmacist. I am not a nutritionist. Always check with a professional if you have a question of any kind.

 The information and resources presented in this book are not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your doctor for professional medical advice.

 This book is in no way a scientific document. It is a summary of the steps my family took to go gluten free when my grandson was diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of six. I am happy to say, so far we have not had one incident in which he ingested gluten.

 We rarely eat at restaurants, and do not trust them, but we have learned how to eat well at home. It has become second nature to us. I hope this information will help you get started. After a while you will have a system of your own, and this way of life will become second nature to you as well. It is not easy, but it is possible to stay safe, live gluten free, and have a great life.

Click here to find Gluten Be Gone in the Kindle Book Store.. You can read the eBook on any tablet, smart phone, or computer.

I also invite you to take a look at my other books in the Kindle Store and to sign up for my free newsletter here.

Thanks for reading,

Practice with Sentence Patterns for Christmas

Good writers vary their sentence patterns by sometimes placing phrases or clauses at the beginning of their sentences. The twenty Christmas-themed sentences in this exercise all begin with the subject and the verb.

Learning to rewrite the sentences without changing their meaning is good practice for students to achieve sentence variety. At the same time, they will be reminded of things that are associated with the Christmas season. Enjoy!

If your students need more help with recognizing and using phrases and clauses correctly, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense explains everything clearly and provides notes, practice exercises, tests, and writing connection exercises.

Click here for more information about Simple Steps to Sentence Sense. You may wish to purchase the book, or just the individual steps on phrases and clauses.

Click here for Step 6 Phrases

Click here for Step 7 Clauses

Have a blessed Christmas and Holiday Season!

Thanks for reading,