Gratitude

I just want to take a moment to say thank you for all your support. I am beyond grateful for your inspiration. Instead of offering a teaching tip this week, I want to step aside and show you some beautiful pictures.  I took some time out of my day recently, and this is what I captured.  I hope that all of you take a moment to reflect, enjoy, and feel grateful.

I'm grateful for my family and my beautiful surroundings.  I truly feel blessed each and every day.  What are you grateful for?

Thanksgiving Resources

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I wanted to tell you about a few of my holiday resources.  I use these in my own classroom and the students seem to enjoy the activities.

I hope you have safe travels and enjoy your holiday!

Fall Holiday Figurative Language Pack

Thanksgiving Figurative Language Pack

Thanksgiving Oxymoron Hunt

17 Sentence Starters

Opening sentences have many labels such as topic, thesis, lead, hook, introduction, or the beginning.  Whatever we call them, we want our students to be exposed to a variety of sentence starters.  Using different starters can engage the audience and make them want to continue reading.

These are some suggestions from other educators as well as myself to vary sentence beginnings:

1. Ask an interesting question.
2. Start with a location.
3. Use an appositive.
4. Embed figurative language (simile, metaphor, etc.).
5. Begin with a prepositional phrase.
6. Start with an interesting thought.
7. Capture your surroundings.
8. Begin with a riddle.
9. Start with a strong statement.
10. Describe a sound.
11. State a belief.
12. Use a single word.
13. Start with a fact.
14. Use a string of adjectives.
15. Start with a 4 or 5 word sentence.
16. Combine two sentences.
17. Start with an emotion.

Click here for a freebie that can be turned into posters for your classroom.