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Clifford Interactive Storybook: Clifford's Big Dig

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Phonics fun for early readers! In this lnteractive Storybook, 'Where's Emily?' kids determine the story (and illustrations!) through their choices.

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Out of Sight Words is a beautiful, quirky game that allows children to practice their knowledge of sight words! Kids have to read the sight word, and then find its corresponding image in the fun illustrations. Simply click on the word at the bottom of the screen and then find it in the picture! Abo…

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Take aim at the sight words could, that, by and now and with this game that challenges your kid to help Officer Ice Cream beat the heat. Kids must freeze suns by working on listening and recognition skills. Emerging readers will need to be quick though; the longer it takes to identify a word, the closer the suns get!

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Sight Words Sun Attack Game | Game | Education.com

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Take aim at the sight words could, that, by and now and with this game that challenges your kid to help Officer Ice Cream beat the heat. Kids must freeze suns by working on listening and recognition skills. Emerging readers will need to be quick though; the longer it takes to identify a word, the closer the suns get!

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Writing Topic Sentences Lesson Plan and Notes

A good topic sentence serves as a foundation for a good paragraph. A bad topic sentence serves as the foundation for most student writing. Let's change that now!

No, He Couldn't

Even linguistically gifted students struggle with self esteem. Barry's verbal and public speaking skills amazed, which was why I was so surprised the day I saw him at lunch, head in hands, unwilling to say anything. I sat beside him and asked what was the problem.

"I'm stupid," he said

"No, you're not," I countered, "I see you being a leader some day."

"But I can't even write a good topic sentence."

"We'll remedy that tomorrow." I stayed late that night, preparing the best writing a good topic sentence lesson I could come up with. I'm not sure what happened to that student. I'll have to look him up. His real name was Barrack or something like that.
Free Topic Sentence Sample Plan
Common Core Standards

Teaching topic sentences satisfies the following common core standards.

W.9-10.1a Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

W.9-10.3a Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

What is a Topic Sentence?

Start by discussing the following. You may want to have students copy this information before they do the assignment.

The topic sentence contains the central idea around which a paragraph is developed. A good one has the following six characteristics:

1. It introduces the topic of a paragraph without announcing it.

2. It hooks the reader.

3. It plants questions in the readers' mind.

4. It uses thought-provoking words.

5. It is usually the first sentence; however, it can occur anywhere in the paragraph or it can be implied.

6. It provides a transition from the previous paragraph.

Not all topic sentences will contain every single characteristic. A writer should strive for the ideal; the ideal, however, is not always ideal.

Topic Sentence Lesson Plan
Procedures

1. Have students read their rough draft or one of their previous essays.

2. Instruct them to highlight each topic sentence.

3. Identify which characteristics each topic sentence contains.

4. Revise topic sentence.

5. I find it best to practice some revising together first. You can come up with your own or steal mine:

Original: Columbus was an explorer in the 1400s.
Revision: Travel has changed since the days of Columbus.

Original: People waste time
Revision: Some pass time moving from one incomplete task to another, spending too little time with loved ones, investing too little time in physical and mental self-improvement, and treading water financially.

Original: I don't like diapers even though I love my children.
Revision: I love my children, but I hate changing their poopy diapers (especially when my dog runs off with it), but there's one diaper I didn't mind changing; ironically, it was the most difficult diaper-change ever, requiring 17 wipes and a blow torch.

Original: I had a very bright student long ago.
Revision: Even linguistically gifted leaders struggle with self esteem.

Lessons on Paragraph Writing

Here are some more lesson plans and lesson ideas for writing paragraphs. Each lesson plan contains discussion/notes information, lesson procedures, and a list of ELA Common Core Standards in case your administrator shows up.

1. Writing Topic Sentences

2. Teaching Paragraph Structure

3. Using Transitions Effectively

4. Paragraph Challenge

5. The Methods of Paragraph Development

6. Using Supporting Details Effectively

7. How to Revise and Grade an Essay

I've taken these lesson plans and added notes, graphic organizers, and more lesson options to create what I consider an invaluable resource for middle school and high school teachers.
It includes 10 lesson plans aligned to common core standards, notes, and over 15 assignments with answer keys. All you need to do is print out each assignment, make copies, and pass them out. Here's a Free Topic Sentence Sample Plan to give you an idea of what the paragraph teaching guide has to offer.
Of course, you're more than welcome to make your own handouts and assignments that took me weeks to make and years to perfect.

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Lesson Plan: How to Write a Good Topic Sentence Using the Elements of a Good Topic Sentence

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A good topic sentence serves as a foundation for a good paragraph. A bad topic sentence serves as the foundation for most student writing. Let's change that now! Even linguistically gifted students struggle with self esteem. Barry's verbal and public speaking skills amazed, which was why I was so surprised the day I saw him at lunch, head in hands, unwilling to say anything.

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Making inferences is a skill with which students often need much practice. If you've looked for resources in the same places that I have, you probably haven't been too happy with what you found. I believe that the inference worksheets that I've created are of a higher quality than the other available resources and, as usual, I'm giving them away for free. I hope that you'll appreciate these inference worksheets and that your students may better this valuable reading skills.

In each inference worksheet students are asked to do two things: answer questions where the solutions can only be provided by making logical inferences, and explain how they got their answers. Having students explain their answers helps to slow them down and cause them think about what they are doing, and open-ended questions make it easier for the teacher to identify when students are copying. These inference worksheets are now also available as ereading worksheets. If you have a question or need further clarification about any of these problems or worksheets, leave a comment.

Common Core State Standards Related to Inferences

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Expand to View All Common Core State Standards Related to Inferences

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1 -Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1 -Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1 -Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1 -Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 -Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 -Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 - Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Looking For More Reading Worksheets?
Story Structure Worksheets
Fact and Opinion Worksheets
All Reading Worksheets

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Inferences Worksheets | Ereading Worksheets

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Making inferences is a skill with which students often need much practice. If you've looked for resources in the same places that I have, you probably haven't been too happy with what you found. I believe that the inference worksheets that I've created are of a higher quality than the other available resources and, as usual, I'm giving them away for free.

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ABCya! * Time Travel Game - Learn to Tell Time

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Learn to Tell Time! This elementary activity is great fun for all children in the computer lab or at home! Kids practice setting the time on the clocks by selecting a type of clock and then dragging the hands of the analog clock or by clicking the up and down buttons of the digital clock.

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"Telling Time On The Hour and Half Hour" Fairy Godfather Show Episode 1 - Part 4 & 5

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Telling Time to the Half Hour - 1st Grade

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Learn how to tell time with clocks with this fun math arcade game.

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Set the hands on the clock

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One Time Level 1. Learn how to use a clock to tell time!