Six Confusing Words to Master

Here are 6 confusing words to master when you write. Although they sound very much alike, they have different meanings.

Dying – means that a living being is no longer alive. Dying is the present participle of the verb die.
Examples: I am just dying to see your new car. The poor man is dying of a horrible disease.
Dyeing - means to change the color of something by using a dye.
Examples:  Mother is dyeing her hair brown to hide the gray hairs. Jane is dyeing her shoes to match her dress.

Weather – means changes in the atmospheric condition.
Examples: We need to check the weather before we set sail. The weather is warm and dry today.
Whether – is used to indicate possibilities or choices.
Example: He was not sure whether or not to eat the sushi.
Whether - also means if something is or was true.
Example: Will you find out whether or not they want to go with us to the movie?
HINT: When choosing between weather and whether be sure to pronounce the “h” in whether. If you are talking about clouds, rain, etc, choose weather. There is no “h” sound in weather.

Advice – is a noun that means an opinion or suggestion that one gives to another.
Advise – is a verb that means to give an opinion or suggestion.
HINT: Try substituting the word opinion into the sentence. If it makes sense, choose the noun advice.
Example A: I need your (advice, advise) on how long my speech should be.
I need your (opinion) on how long my speech should be.
Since you could substitute the word opinion in this sentence, choose advice.
Example B:  You need to (advice, advise) me on how long my speech should be.
You need to (opinion) me on how long my speech should be.
Since you could not substitute the word opinion in this sentence, choose advise.

Here's a free exercise on the use of more confusing words. Confusing Words Grammar Worksheets.

Here's another exercise your students will enjoy. Confusing Words Task Cards.

This set includes task cards to practice the correct use of die or dye; weather or whether; advice or advise; anxious or eager. TASK CARDS can be more fun than worksheets, and they are a perfect way to reinforce lessons and improve proofreading skills.

Be sure to visit my store for more free lessons and take a look at my Simple Steps to Sentence books. Help your students learn grammar and usage the easy way.

Thanks for reading. You will find interesting articles below written by my friends from The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative. You can join this group and participate in several effective marketing promotions.

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Create a Lesson Plan Your Students Will Love

How to Create A Lesson Plan Your Students Will Love

Here are 5 ways to create a lesson plan your students will love:

1. Make them laugh.
2. Promise they will make a good grade.
3. Tie the lesson into modern culture.
4. Let them talk to each other.
5. Let them move around the room.

       

Here's a chance for your students to do something they will really enjoy while practicing several valuable skills such as critical reading, critical writing, editing, proofreading, and cooperative learning. Students will work in groups to create newspapers based on nursery rhymes. They will have so much fun being creative and clever and it will not seem like work at all.

You can find it here 

Here's a FREE activity your students will enjoy.

I hope you have a Happy New Year in 2022.

Thanks for reading. Take a look at some of the interesting blog posts below from my teacher friends at The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative.

Best regards,

Charlene

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Advance Preparation for a Substitute Is a Must

Dear Teacher Friends,

It's finally the end of a long and stressful school year. You deserve a restful and fun vacation. This tip is one that will help make your next school year get off to a great start. Preparing this now, before you need it, will be so reassuring.

One of the biggest worries for teachers is what to do if you have an unexpected need to be absent. Sometimes you just don't feel like writing out a lesson plan that incorporates the lessons you have been working on in class. At other times, during a family crisis, you don't have time to think about a lesson plan at all. You have to pack, or go to the hospital, or rush in to help a family member who needs you. 

At such times, I always relied on a folder that I kept in the drawer of my desk. 

I would call a teacher friend at my school and ask them to get the folder out of my drawer and put it on my desktop. In addition to the lessons I had prepared, the folder contained my schedule, my seating charts, notes about my class rules, information about the teachers' lunchroom and break room, fire drill information, and any other helpful information I thought a substitute might need.

My go-to lesson was a short story that students would read in class and worksheets they would use to analyze the story. In the folder, I included printed copies of the story and the worksheets. You will find that lesson here.

If I had to be absent for more than one day, I had my teacher friend pull out a second folder in which I had placed a different lesson that could take up to a week to complete. You will find that FREE lesson here.

If you prefer lessons for distance learning, I have many resources that you could use. My Google Drive resources are here, and my BOOM Cards are here.

I learned that if you take the time to prepare these two folders before you need them, they can be a lifesaver later on. 

Take a look at all of the fantastic lessons you could use as substitute plans that were written by teachers who write for TeachersPayTeachers.com. These lessons are classroom-tested and ready to print and use. Why not download them and get your folders ready? Enjoy!

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a fun and restful summer break.

Here are some interesting blog posts my teacher friends in The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative wrote. 

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Tips for Sequencing When Reading and Writing

One good thing about using a computer when you're writing is that you can cut and paste sentences and paragraphs to move them to different locations in your manuscripts. 

Even though a writer may have outlined the plot of the story, the sequence of events can rearrange themselves when you least expect it. That usually happens to me when one of my characters takes over the novel and leads me down a path I did not expect to follow.

I have found that a stack of 3x5 cards comes in handy when I am writing fiction. I name the day and time that the action occurs at the top of the card and write a sentence describing the key action that occurs in each scene. 

Later, after I am well into the novel, if I need to rearrange the sequence of events, I can do so by shuffling the cards into the proper order. When I am sure that I have the sequence exactly as I want it to be, I can begin to cut and paste on the computer and move chapters or scenes around without the risk of becoming confused.

If your students need help with sequencing when they read or write, have them use 3x5 cards as an easy way to arrange the order of events. I found this method especially helpful while students are reading difficult material. 

While reading fiction, they could write the plot points on cards and then arrange them in order to see the exposition and rising action, and more easily determine the climax, the falling action, and the denouement.

When reading nonfiction, students could begin with the author and the title on the first 3x5 card. Then on separate cards, they can write the chapter titles and notes on the content of that chapter. Let them find a direct quotation in each chapter that they might choose to use later in a speech or report.

In my creative writing classes, I had students keep a stack of cards beside them while they were writing. Here's a FREE lesson that would help students when they are doing narrative writing. Click here to grab it.

Students may enjoy another creative writing lesson with which they'll have fun choosing a scenario to plot a mystery story. Click here to read the description in my store.

I spent the summer months creating new distance learning lessons and updating the Middle School and Elementary and ESL editions of Simple Steps to Sentence Sense. Now, they can be used in GOOGLE Drive™. I finished just in time for the back to school shopping.

Whether you are in the classroom or teaching virtually, I know that you will be as awesome as ever because that's just what teachers are. Stay safe and well this year.

Thanks for reading,

  Charlene

Please read some great blog posts from my friends in  The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative.

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Be My Valentine Treats

First, I would like to wish all of you a very happy 2019. I hope your plans, hopes, and dreams all happen just as you wish.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and not everyone has a significant other. This is especially true of young students. Making cards that imply a romantic message sometimes does not appeal; however, almost everyone has a good friend or a relative they admire.

The days before Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity for students to write a friendly letter or thank you note to someone they appreciate.

Even in the era of texts and IM’s, the lost art of a handwritten note or letter is something they will need to learn how to do.

After modeling a well written friendly letter and thank you note, I would have each student write one of his/her own. I would visit the Dollar Store to find appropriate sheets of stationery and give one to each student on which he/she would write a final draft.

The emphasis, of course, was on friendship and/or admiration and not romantic love. My students loved the idea, and the project was very successful.

If you want to skip the trip to the store, you can download a sheet of Valentine’s Day stationery here and print it.

Some students have a problem with writing run-on sentences. It is hard to avoid them, when they don't really understand what they are. 

This is a free resource I created to help students practice avoiding run-ons in their writing. All the sentences in the exercise are associated with Valentine's Day. Get yours here.

Thanks for reading,

A group of talented teacher/authors who write for TpT have written blog posts with teaching ideas and resources just for you. 

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