Become a Prepositional Phrase Detective!

Need an exciting, non-time consuming activity to help students master prepositional phrases? This is the activity for you! Students use their personal books to gather prepositional phrases instead of using the boring, dry sentences from grammar textbooks!


This is a two part lesson where students play the role of detective. First, they must find examples of phrases in their books. Then, they need to analyze their peers’ index cards.

This activity is CCSS aligned and ready for your 4-8th grade classroom!


Please check out this activity on teacherspayteachers!

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MClaSSy's Prepositional Phrase Detective Activity

Beginning of the Year 2013-2014: Classroom set up

My desk and teacher/student writing conference table

Grammar Info/Common Misuses of Words charts

Assignment board on the left, we have chalk boards and I despise chalk! Good thing Expo markers work :) 

Not sure what to do with the green board yet!

I still have so much to do but I figured I would snap this photo to remind myself that this room was once clean!

Check out my new TpT store :)

My Teachers Pay Teachers Store

Customized Assessment Die

Hello! I cannot take credit for this idea, I saw this in another classroom, she uses this to determine "how" to grade certain assignments.

This helps to keep the kiddos on their toes, you never know which way it will roll!

Will it land on the accuracy side? Trade and Grade? Completion? Student Choice? Teacher's choice?!

I used this during my first year in the classroom and I found that students worked hard on their assignments (especially if they knew the die was involved!) just in case it was graded for accuracy...or...da da dummmmm...in case in landed on teacher's choice!

I used old cardboard boxes to make this die. I cut out 6 square pieces of cardboard, taped them together with packing tape, then wrapped it with duct tape :)

Puzzle Piece Project for Literature Circles

This Fall we finished our first literature circles. I'd say it was fairly successful! This year was trial and error considering it was the first time for everything! I took this idea from another teacher and made it my own to tie in with the unit. Each literature circle completed a puzzle poster that tied elements of the story together. This is a great project that doesn't require all of the project to be completed in class, students simply take their puzzle piece home with them to work on it!

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Requirements:

• title piece with author and group names
• plot diagram
• favorite quotes with explanation
• main character(s) bio
• essential vocabulary (works well with science fiction and fantasy)
• favorite scene with explanation
• figurative language
• student choice
• book critique

Paper Container

"Hall Pass" paper container

I never saw the purpose of buying paper just to scribble so and so to the library or please excuse so and so for being late to class...or for that matter to waste an entire sheet of paper to make a mini to-do list....so I made these containers with a 12-pack diet coke container and they work really well!

Supplies needed: 12x12 scrapbook paper(one sheet), diet coke 12 pack, mod podge, paintbrush, scissors, tape(optional)

First, take your cola 12-pack fridge friendly container and trim it down to about 3-4" tall..this is how tall your basket will be! I chose to use packing tape to reinforce the bottom.

Next, place your trimmed cola container in the center of your 12x12 scrapbook paper sheet (face down)

Use mod podge to glue that sucker :)

Draw a straight line from the corners of the box to the edge of your paper, just do this on two sides (opposite sides) and cut on the lines. Soak the side of the box and your scrap paper with glue...

Fold over the paper and tuck inside the box :) You can see my lines weren't "perfect" but oh well!

Now let's work on the other two sides of the box. I folded the corners over like so (above) so when I wrap them around the box it looks nice! Be sure to add a generous amount of glue to the box and scrapbook paper!

In this picture I have already folded one side and glued it to the box (the back side) notice that I have a little scrapbook paper leftover on top? I will trim it!

be sure to make small cuts in the corners so you can fold the paper over into the inside of the box!....THEN trim the extra paper!

Paper is trimmed and ready to be folded...it will sort of remind you of wrapping a present at this point...or maybe even a Chinese carryout container?

I use a paper-cutter to make scrap paper to fit into these containers...perfect size for a quick "note to self" or "to do list" or hall pass!

Pretty! Inexpensive :)