Sports Of All Sorts and a Super Bowl Sunday FREEBIE

I don't know about you, but I LOVE sports.  I am not necessarily the biggest fan of WATCHING them on TV, but as an athlete myself, I have gained a new love for sports by watching my own children participate.  My oldest plays football, basketball, and baseball.  My daughter does cheerleading and plays soccer.  My littlest boy is in swimming lessons, but just chases the big kids around while they do what they do.  As their mom, I could watch them play all day! Here is a peek!

With this going on in my home, I realize this is what is taking place in so many homes ALL over.  Our children and students are engaged in all kinds of activities to keep them healthy, active, confident, competitive, and interacting positively with others.  My son seems to come home with a sports-related text from his school library each week, and he wants to talk sports...So I started doing my research and creating resources to match this enthusiasm for athletics.

With the Super Bowl this weekend, I know that my oldest couldn't be more excited.  He is a Patriots fan, and is really hoping that Tom Brady takes down cornerback Richard Sherman and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks.  If you have no idea who these two players are, your students do, so grab this FREEBIE!  They will think you are the best teacher ever...

If you are looking for more close reading passages or task cards for whole class work, literacy centers, intervention, enrichment, or morning starters, grab these...

Your students will wonder when you got so cool!  If you are wanting to grab these-my whole store is on sale TODAY!  I hope your team wins!

Teaching about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Upper Elementary to Middle School Resources

Every year the return to school in January is C-R-A-Z-Y!  Despite state testing not taking place until May, it seems like it is a time where we go into uber TEST PREP mode.  In addition to lots of test prep work, I begin a writing piece, start a novel unit, administer DRAs, students are DIBELed, and the list of goes on and on.

One thing I have struggled to focus on minus a You Tube video snippet or a showing of My Friend, Martin, is a true sharing with my students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  My lack of focus is unintentional, and with some writing time, this year I vowed to not ever let that happen with my instruction.  Because I don't want to slight my students from learning about a significant individual in our American history, I created two separate resources.

The first is a set of 20-informational text task cards spanning his life.  The task cards are common core aligned and cover grades 4-6 RI. 1 and RI 3.  They can be used in a literacy center, as a class scoot, or in small groups.  These are an ideal tool to share with students to learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. while helping students navigate informational text effectively.  Click the image to grab them from my TpT store!

Another resource I created is this reader's theater script.  The text focuses on a group of students doing research in order to present information to the class about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Your upper elementary to middle school students will love performing this script and will be able to complete reader response questions, context clue word work, journal writing, and an interactive notebook page based on information shared in the selection.  This resource is also common core aligned and covers both reading literature and writing standards-RL.1-4 and W.4 and L.5 for grades 4-8.  Click the image to grab it!

Both of these resources are on sale for $1 each!  I would love for you to incorporate them into your instruction.  Your students will LOVE them!

Keep me posted on any great resources you use when teaching about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.