Less than $5 Higher Education Tools for Common Core Activities (by date, latest first)

22 story maps for illustrating storytelling to writing activities. These hobby and life maps are excellent as first week icebreakers, using oral narratives to start the writing process, and learning more about students. Use as individual/small/whole group activities. Meets CCSS. Includes: Directions Example 2 Teacher Maps Singer Traveler (Local, State, US, World) Artist Baseball Softball Basketball Soccer Football Reader Writer Technology Music Dancers (Male & Female) Science My Life Story 3 Blank Story Map Templates Students will have fun while being engaged as they learn about their classmates, draw symbols for life events, write captions, and use storytelling as part of their writing process.

Have you ever wondered how fake news makes such big headlines? Circular reporting, or false confirmation, is the term used to show how information spreads and becomes truth. This active learning, critical thinking, visual lesson plan and presentation introduces students to how we believe, and how false news spreads, as well as introduces how to define research sources. Students learn about primary, secondary, and tertiary sources for research and writing. Contains upper level current events content; use with appropriate ages and grades. Activities and Lesson Plan Includes: Teacher Lesson Plans with Step-by-Step Discussion Guide Evaluating Valid Information (Dr. Jeremy Dean) Class Poll: Gullible or Skeptical? False Advertisement by April Uno about Phillip Morris (Marijuana) Descartes and Spinoza 17th Century Debate on How We Believe Daniel Gilbert's 1993 Robbery Study Define: Circular Reporting and False Confirmation How False Information is Circulated 1994 Microsoft Hoax Benghazi and False Reporting Examples of False Information Reported as Truth How to Avoid Circular Reporting Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources (with labeling activity) Re-evaluating Beliefs and Class Poll Discussion Questions on Citing Sources and Social Media Optional Activities: Classic Telephone Game, Class Debate and Jury Trial, Evaluating Websites Excellent for teaching fact-based information, citing sources, propaganda in the news, journalism reporting, beliefs/ethics/morals, AP courses, Dual Credit, Philosophy. Lots of engaging, critical thinking activities for debates and discussions. Meets CCSS ELA.

A simple introduction to parallelism and how to use it in writing. Includes: Explanation Color-coded slides Why writers use parallelism Three activities: Define "parallel" and how it is used in writing, Finding Parallelism, Using Parallelism Peer workshopping component Excellent for mini-lessons, assessment writing, learning basic skills, enhancing writing, and progression of skills. Can be used individually or small/whole group.

Teach plagiarism in fun, interactive ways! Includes:

Group or individual activities with critical thinking component

YouTube videos

Discussion examples

Plagiarism game

Plenty of Extra resources

Defines plagiarism

Famous people and plagiarism

Citations

Examples of famous people who plagiarized

Myths of Plagiarism

Make a KWL chart of plagiarism

Time for Students' examples

and more...

Uses social interaction to understand proper citations. Great research tool! Easy-to-use, educational, and enjoyable. Guided instruction only is needed.

Reinforce word origins by having students come up with their own made-up words! Use compound words, foreign words, prefixes/suffixes, shortened words, sound words, rhyming words, etc...for this fun, visual activity. Includes: Directions Definition Example from Classic Poem Student Examples Application Activity Publishing Activities Meets CCSS, improves vocabulary, uses decoding skills, and visualization. Use for individual or group activity.

Why do authors' write specific texts? This 12 slide interactive presentation helps students make connections between authors' personal lives, historical contexts, and written works.

Includes:

Examples (Emily Dickinson, Abe Lincoln, Jamaica Kincaid, Ray Bradbury, Harper Lee, Stephanie Meyer, Stephen King, James Patterson and Ann Rule)

How To Guide

Worksheets for Building Connections

Activities: Text and Author Passages; Build an Author and Text Connections

Great for understanding why authors' use specific elements when writing for readers. Provides practice and guided research elements. Can be used for assessment of concepts and skills. Meets CCSS.

16 page presentation to help students define and understand what a ballad is, how it changed over time, its historical importance, Dand how to write a ballad. Includes: Definition with individual/group activity Examples of ballads throughout time periods Patterns/Rhyme scheme with example Critical thinking & fact based Individual/group activities Write your own ballad individual/group activity Research project with scoring rubric Extra Resources Complete interactive unit for defining, recognizing, teaching and writing ballads. Meets Common Core State Standards.

Introduce Semi-Colons, Colons, Dashes, and Hyphens with this 14 slide presentation. Includes: definitions examples practice sentences peer workshopping component comprehension checkpoint & answers extra resources This PowerPoint gives students everything they need to successfully use each of the "Other Punctuation Marks" within their essays! Easy to read and follow with color-coded examples. Can be used for ELL/GT/AP and flipped classrooms. Meets CCSS guidelines.

Make end mark punctuation easy to use for students! 13 slide pdf has student examples, peer workshopping activities, tips for writer as reader, reading with emotion, clarity, and meaning, as well as dangling and misplaced modifiers.Includes "Dear Jack" letter as a fun punctuation piece and "That Is" to get students to think about how punctuation affects meaning.Also, comes with Peer Workshopping End Punctuation Mark Check List handout.Great for introducing basic skills for emergent writers or for reviewing basic skills for test prep. Meets CCSS ELA.

Students learn to write a thesis statement with this interactive presentation. Comes with: Handouts Examples Individual and group writing activities Peer Workshopping Answer Key Supplemental Resources Easy to understand, implement, and use as introduction, reinforcement, or assessment. Meets CCSS.

Ten individual and group interactive quizzes and scenarios for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students on plagiarism. Includes: Defining, working with, and understanding plagiarism Youtube presentation link Short answer traditional quiz Student Images with questions & short answers in speech bubbles Guilty of Plagiarism: You be the Judge Plagiarism Court: Defender; Prosecutor with Jury Guilty/Not Guilty Plagiarism Scenarios Age differentiated images and activities Great for introduction to plagiarism or as assessment tools.

Help students understand and find dangling and misplaced modifiers with this easy to follow and use presentation:

Includes:

definitions

examples

group activities

peer workshopping

students' examples of project

media links

Everything needed to teach, understand, practice, and master dangling and misplaced modifiers. Great for homeschool, flipped classes, independent study, writing centers, GT, AP, adult learners, ESL/ELL, and simple grammar brush up. Students will enjoy illustrating the wacky sentences!

Homographs can be confusing, so try this interactive 26 slide presentation that comes with:

Introduction to homographs

Definition

Examples

32 homograph sentences with visuals for group learning activities

30 Homograph Bingo sheets with Definitions sheet and Sentences

Homograph passage practice

Writing activity

Peer Workshopping component

Media Resources

Meets ELA CCSS and state guidelines. Great fun for ELL/ESL, introduction or assessment, mini-lesson, flipped classrooms, and active learning, project based classes.

Students are headed to college, but do they understand what college level writing is and how it is different from middle/high school writing? This 20 page presentation is just what is needed to reinforce what teachers have been explaining to college bound students--that expectations for college level writing are high! Includes: Activities for interactive learning throughout the presentation List of college level writing expectations Chart of middle/high school writing vs. college level writing Example of thesis from middle to high school to college level Compare/contrast of middle/high school vs. college writing Fill-in-the-blank format for analysis college level writing Tips from professors and students on how to be successful Where to find help with college level writing on campus Activities include: Individual/group define college level writing Compare/contrast middle/high school writing vs. college level writing Writing thesis for different levels of writers Fill-in-the-blank analysis template Give a writer's tip

Students produce personal narratives from memories with this 21 page guide that used the writing process. Includes: Attributes/Characteristics of Narrative Essay Overview of Writing Process Creating life maps (with student examples) Narrowing topics--prewriting stage with examples Narrative writing examples Online Reading: Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge Peer workshopping with guided questions: Revision and Editing Final Essay Stage Publishing/Sharing Scoring Rubric Extra Resources The 21 page guide is self-explanatory. It includes interactive writing activities along with using the writing process and peer workshopping strategies to teach narrative writing. Weblink to the online narrative book Gordon Wilfred McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox (by Screen Actors Guild) is excellent! Engaging and fun lesson that meets CCSS.

What is a rough draft? How do you find a topic? How do you get started? How does it work in the writing process? All this is more answered as students work through the rough draft process for writing. Includes: "The first draft of anything is shit!" by Ernest Hemingway (Please review before showing this caption/image) Writers compose in different ways Writing process and overview Reflection activity Methods for starting: Chunk writing,Cluster/Map, Free writing, Outline Let's Practice activity Taking a risk with rough drafts Tips: Using your writing toolbox, taking a break between drafts, and Can you read this? Rough draft strategy slide and begin your rough draft Reminder of writing process for peer workshopping Everything needed to help students understand and begin their first rough drafts!

What are readability levels, how do you turn on the function in MS Word, and how can knowing the information help student writers? These questions are answered in this interactive presentation that uses screenshots and step-by-step directions to turn on readability and check sentences and passages. Benefits of knowing and using readability levels include: Understanding Audience Understanding Computerized Testing Scoring Understanding and Using Types of Sentences Understanding and Using Syllable Counts Building and Using Higher Level Vocabulary Objectives are: Build vocabulary through synonyms Identify and use sentence clarity Identify and use sentence variety in writing Understand audience and their reading levels Understand computerized essay tests grading Understand syllable counts within words Easy to follow and assessment included! Excellent for anyone about to take a computerized standardized graded essay or who will be focused on addressing and writing to specific target audience grade levels. Great for AP students, flipped classes, GT, homeschool, Pre-Ap, and college level students.

15 World War posters with ELA/SS/History writing activities or discussion starters for secondary students. Use as individual assignments or with small/whole group settings. Excellent graphics with 3 thought provoking prompts per each page.Includes: use: Propaganda (Definitions, Activity for defining, and application of) Critical thinking skills Analysis Explanation Illustrating Inferencing Designing Problem Solving Segregation and much more! Excellent for teaching fact-based, textual evidence with inferencing and critical thinking, as well as for standardized testing practice.

Free checklist of parts of an introductory literary analysis for AP, Pre-AP, G/T, college level writers. Students are asked to locate: Hook--different kinds list Author's name Title of text Summary Area of literary analysis list Thesis, and write down your thesis Makes writing an introduction for a literary analysis easier to understand. Great for ELA test prep! Meets CCSS.

15 Commonly Confused Words A-I with engaging activities for students to learn. Includes:

A-I game with fill-in-the-blank, definitions, make your own

sentences/slides (individual/groups & competitive play)

2 Crossword puzzles with Commonly Confused Words

2 Word Searches with Commonly Confused Words

All answer sheets included

Directions and Suggestions with Extensions

Words used are:

1. accept except

2. aloud allowed

3. bare bear4. brake break

5. coarse course6. council counsel

7. desert dessert

8. dose doze

9. envelope envelop

10. forbear forebear

11. grisly grizzly

12. glance glimpse

13. hair hare

14. hole whole

15. ingenious ingenuous

Students will have fun learning these Commonly Confused Words.