Best of 2016

Whew! 2016 has really been a fabulous year! It is hard to believe in a few short days we will ring in a New Year. In celebration of the wonderful year it has been, I am teaming up with many, many TpT friends to highlight our bestsellers of 2016. For you it means those bestsellers will be discounted 20% from December 28th to December 30th. 

To make things a little easier for you, this will be a hashtag sale. In the search bar on TpT, enter #bestof2016sale. You will see all of the bestsellers of the TpT sellers that are participating in this sale. 

Below, you will find my Top 10 Bestsellers of 2016. You will not find all of these by searching the hashtag sale, but all of these resources will be on sale. 

 

#1: Geography and Map Skills Interactive Notebook- This interactive notebook comes with 13 templates, plus a cover template and table of contents. This is a great way to teach geography and map skills. Students remain engaged through the hands-on portion of the interactive notebook. In addition to the hands-on activities, students produce a product that is useful to develop good study habits. For some of the templates there are a couple of versions to choose between for differentiation purposes. This has been my #1 bestseller this year.

#2: American Revolution Interactive Notebook Templates- If you are teaching the American Revolution, this is the perfect product for you! This resource comes with nine templates, individual template directions, pictures of templates in an interactive notebook, a unit cover page, a table of contents page, and possible answers and information for each template. Students love using interactive notebooks!

#3: Grammar: Parts of Speech Interactive Notebook- Grammar Interactive Notebook covers all parts the of speech you teach your students in your language arts classroom. Perfecting the parts of speech can be fun and engaging! In this bundled unit, you get eight separate interactive notebook units to use in your classroom. teaching nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, interjections, and conjunctions just got easier.

#4: Civil War Interactive Notebook Templates- If you are teaching the Civil War, this is the perfect product for you! This resource comes with eight templates, individual template directions, pictures of templates in an interactive notebook, and possible answers and information for each template. The templates included are: Terms to Know, Economies of the North and South, King Cotton, A Nation Divided, Causes of the Civil War, Civil War Leaders, Turning Points in the War, and Women of the Civil War.

#5: Reward Coupons and Incentives for Middle and High School Students- Reward coupons and incentives for Middle School and High School Students is a great behavioral management system. Students are able to earn reward incentives through their kind deeds, actions, and performance in class. This is great for those students who need a little incentive to get busy on an assignment or who need a little praise for effort. These are great for students in grades 5-12! My students love them!

I keep these reward incentives in an index card holder for easy access, and it takes up less space around my desk. The students are able to ‘cash-in’ their incentives at certain times that I set up in the classroom. I have found these reward incentives save me a lot of time correcting negative behavior, and we are able to focus more on positive behaviors and learning. The fabulous thing about these incentives is you can use them year after year!

#6: American Government Interactive Notebook Templates- If you are teaching a unit on American Government, this is the perfect product for you! This resource comes with 14 templates, individual template directions, pictures of templates in an interactive notebook, and possible answers and information for each template. Students love using interactive notebooks!

The templates include: Terms to Know, Articles of Confederation, History of Democracy, U.S. Constitution, Articles of Confederation vs Constitution, The Amendment Process, Bill of Rights, Rights vs Responsibilities, Levels of Government, Branches of Government, Individual Branches of Government, and Voting: Every Vote Counts!

#7: Stargirl Novel Study- If you teach the book Stargirl, this resource will help you greatly! It is 82 pages of material to use before, during, and after reading the novel. Included in this novel study are pre-reading lessons and activities, vocabulary, chapter questions and discussion, journal writing prompts, character analysis, literary analysis, and reading skills. Check out the preview to get a glimpse of how it is organized.

#8: Bill of Rights Match-Up- The Bill of Rights Match-Up is a great resource to use when teaching a unit on government. This resource contains ten badges with the amendment numbers, ten badges with what each amendment states, a recording sheet, and a handout for the students to illustrate the meaning of one amendment. 

Students will match the amendment number card with the card containing what the amendment states. Once the students have sorted and matched the cards, they record their answers on the recording sheet. In addition to the recording sheet and center cards, there is a printable for the students to choose one amendment and illustrate it so that others will be able to understand its meaning. 

#9: Civil War: Major Battles PowerPoint and Organizers- Civil War {Major Battle PowerPoint Presentation and Organizers} contains 50 pages total. There is a 25 page ppt covering major Civil War battles. There is a 25 page document with organizers to help your students organize the information for the major battles. 

The battles included are: Fort Sumter, First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), Shiloh, Fredericksburg, 
Antietam, Siege of Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chattanooga, Spotsylvania, and Appomattox Court House.

#10: Prepositional Phrase Task Cards- Prepositional Phrase Task Cards are great to use in your classroom as a center activity, as skill reinforcement, and as practice for upcoming assessments. Your students will read each task card, identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence, and record the answer on the Prepositional Phrase Recording Sheet. There are 30 Prepositional Phrase Task Cards. The answer key is included.

Remember these bestsellers will only be on sale from December 28th-December 30th. So hurry on over to Right Down the Middle with Andrea to check out the resources. Remember to use the search bar and hashtag #bestof2016sale to find all of the resources on sale. 

I have a couple of fun giveaways coming up very soon! Make sure you like and follow me on Facebook and Instagram (rightdownthemiddle). You will not want to miss these upcoming giveaways! 

What Rights Do You Have?

In the United States, citizens are guaranteed certain rights many people in other countries dream of having. What better way to show mastery of these basic rights than with a fun, engaging, hands-on activity! The Bill of Rights Match-Up is just the right center activity to add to your treasure chest of resources. 

The Bill of Rights Match-Up is a great resource to use when teaching a unit on government. This resource contains ten badges with the amendment numbers, ten badges with what each amendment states, a recording sheet, and a handout for the students to illustrate the meaning of one amendment. 

Students will match the amendment number card with the card containing what the amendment states. Once the students have sorted and matched the cards, they record their answers on the recording sheet. In addition to the recording sheet and center cards, there is a printable for the students to choose one amendment and illustrate it so that others will be able to understand its meaning. 

How do I set up centers in the social studies classroom? 

Incorporating center activities in the social studies classroom is really not a hard task. Here are some helpful tips to get you started on setting up centers in your classroom. 

• Designate a specific place in your classroom that will work for your center activities. I always found my centers worked better on a table in the back of the room. It allowed the students an opportunity to transition to the center, work independently, have enough space to spread the activity out on the table, and it was free of other distractions. 
• Choose a hands-on activity that goes along with the unit of study you are going to teach. 
• Print the needed activity pages. If the activity requires pieces that will be used over and over by students, I recommend laminating the pieces for durability. 
• Place everything for the particular activity in one spot, such as an envelop, an accordion file, or a tupperware container. 
• If you have more than one center activity per unit, make sure you label the center pieces so students know which pieces go with each center activity.

What are the benefits of using centers in my social studies class? 

• Students are able to be independent learners. 
• Students are able to explore and learn at their own pace. 
• Students are able to take risks without the fear of failure or not having the correct answer. 
• Students become confident in their learning. 
• Students can express themselves freely in the center. 

What do I do when the students complete their center activity? 

Because students are able to work independently and at their own pace, students will complete the center activity at different times. Always have enrichment work or assignments handy for those early finishers. When all students have rotated through the center, take an inventory of the center activity and make sure you still have all of the parts of the center activity. If you are missing a piece of the center activity, make a note of it so you can replace the missing piece before filing the center activity away to use the next time you teach the unit. This will help you be organized and prepared for the next time you pull out the center activity. Clean the center area. Next, get ready for your next center activity. 

If you teach social studies and do not use center activities on a regular basis, I hope you will consider giving centers in the social studies classroom a try! You will not be sorry you tried!

If you teach social studies, check out the Bill of Rights Match-Up. You students are sure to love it!

Happy Teaching! 

Unlocking the Secrets of Interactive Notebooks

Interactive Notebooks seem to be the rage in classrooms across America right now. In fact, there are resources for them for all subject areas, grade levels, and they are in designed for differentiation. Every teacher I speak to who uses them absolutely loves them! But there may be someone out there who is still on the fence, so why would I choose to use it in my classroom?

Here are some reasons every teacher would want to use Interactive Notebooks.

1. Student-Centered

The focus of using Interactive Notebooks in a classroom is because it is student-centered. Interactive Notebooks do not take the place of teaching, but rather they reinforce the skills and content taught by providing students an opportunity to record information learned and research additional content to include. The student decides what information is recorded in the notebooks.

2. Hands-on Learning

How many students do you know who need movement incorporated into their classroom schedule? For this reason, Interactive Notebooks provide a good balance of hands-on learning as they allow for movement instead of just sitting and listening to a lecture. Students actually enjoy cutting and assembling the notebooks.

A few years ago, I shared one of my Interactive Notebooks I created with a co-worker. At first, the co-worker was unsure if the students were going to be receptive to the idea because they were 8th graders. The students loved it so much, she decided to use Interactive Notebooks with every content area she taught.

3. Provide a Working Product

An Interactive Notebook is not completed in one day; it is a work in progress. The students can add to it daily or once a week. They are designed to meet the needs of your classroom and can be tailored to meet the needs of your students. By providing a means to look at work from the beginning of the year to the end of the year in a single notebook, the teacher and students are able to look at student growth. It is amazing how differently a student responds to some questions at the beginning of the year compared to similar questions at the end of the year.

4. Built-in Study Guide

One of my favorite reasons for using Interactive Notebooks is because it provides a built-in student guide for the students. This study guide is ready for test prep at any time of the year for quizzes, chapter tests, unit tests, and even standardized tests. I always have the students leave the first several pages in the notebook blank to use as an on-going 'Table of Contents' to help make it easier to find certain topics when students are reviewing or studying.

5. Ownership

Students are proud of their Interactive Notebooks. They spend a tremendous amount of time working on them, and I have found that even students who have a hard time staying organized are able to keep an Interactive Notebook. I believe this is because it is THEIR personal INB. I always smile when I see students paying close attention to detail in their drawings and illustrations, because I know this is when it has clicked with them the notebooks is theirs.

If you are looking for Interactive Notebook Resources click HERE!

            

Thank you to Graphics from the Pond and KG Fonts for the use of their talents in the title image!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the month of January, we celebrate the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year, the students enjoy learning about him, and it occurred to me one day they may like a more hands-on approach. And it worked! 

Every year when it gets time for planning resources for January, I always pull out this Martin Luther King, Jr. resource.  I added a flip-book activity (hands-on approach) that already includes biographical information about Dr. King. There are writing activities included in flip-book for students to complete after reading the information. 

The picture above shows the front of three pages. The other three pages are on the back. I included directions on how to print and copy the flip-book. You can choose to staple or not to staple the book...your choice. 

I printed my pages on white paper because I wanted to use colored pencils; however, you can use colored paper if you prefer. Either look great! 

This is a great way for students to interact with their reading. They will read a section (Early Life, Eduction, Civil Rights, Contribution, and His Legacy), and then they will have an opportunity to respond to a question. There are places throughout the flip-book for students to color the images. 

There are tons of other resources to use in this unit. There are two reading passages. One passage has comprehension questions, and one passages has open-ended response questions. There is an informational writing prompt complete with drafting pages, student writing checklist, and rubric. If your students need practice with ABC order, there is a page for that, too. There is an acrostic poem, a classroom activity, and a word search puzzle in this unit. 

If you are searching for something to add to your resources, check it out HERE. 

How do you teach about Martin Luther King, Jr. in your classes? 

Teacher Blogger Meet-Up

Calling all teachers, bloggers, and TpT authors who live in Georgia or Florida. Kayse Morris (Teaching on Less with Kayse Morris) and I are hosting a fabulous meet-up, and we want YOU to join us! We are thankful for the friendships we have made and thankful for TpT!

Here's the plan...We will meet on Saturday, November 21st in Valdosta at a restaurant right off I-75 and HWY 84 so it is easy to locate no matter which direction you are coming from. It is casual. We plan to meet around 11:30 and we can stay as long as we wish. We will eat (of course), chat, make new friends, share stories, share helpful hints, make new friends, maybe eat some more, take pics with our new friends, and leave feeling blessed. 

Seriously, we want you to join us in our first-ever Georgia/Florida meet-up. Email me at a_m_bentley@yahoo.com or leave your email address in the "comments" section below, and I will send you the detailed information. If you have any questions, send those to me, too. Also, please share with your friends. We cannot wait! 

You can also follow my Facebook page for updates. 

Ghostly Nouns

In an effort to get the kiddos excited about this week, check out GHOSTLY NOUNS to assess your students' knowledge and mastery of common nouns and proper nouns.  

In this activity, students sort the ghost cards into two separate stacks: common nouns and proper nouns. After all cards have been sorted, the students use the recording sheet to record the common nouns in one column and the proper nouns in the other column.  There is an answer sheet the students can use to check their own answers, or they can turn it in to be graded. 

This is great as a center activity, as independent work, or as collaborative pair work. For additional practice, there is a sheet for students to sort the common nouns and proper nouns on their own paper.

This is a quick, easy setup activity your students are sure to love! 

Check it out HERE!

Descriptive Writing with Legos

When you think of writing, what stands out in your mind? Is it the words you weave together to create the perfect prose? Is it the revision process that seems to never end? Is it the teeth grinding type of memory? Or is it the wonderful feeling you get when you complete something that was completely fun? 

Teaching writing can be difficult at times. Motivating students to write can seem even harder. So, how do you get the students motivated to write? 

One tried and true writing lesson I have used is the Lego writing activity. The students absolutely love it, and they generate lots of talk in the hallway. If you have not used Legos or blocks in your classroom, read on. 

This activity is a collaborative group activity; students are divided into groups of three and assigned a job title/task to complete during the assignment. This keeps all students actively engaged and contributing to the overall product. The three jobs are recorder, designer, and contractor. 

After all jobs are chosen or assigned, I tell the students they have a super task to complete. They have to design and construct a functional item with the materials found in their group container. Not only will they just design and construct a functional item, but they will also have to write detailed instructions for other groups to be able to complete the construction of their item. Writing assignment sheets are passed out, and the students' eyes get bigger as they learn the materials are Legos (or building blocks, whatever you have on hand). 

Soon, it looks like an explosion of colors as the Legos go all over the floor and desks. I usually have to take a deep breath to regain my composure (I like order, structure, and neatness.), but it is definitely worth all of the mini-anxiety attacks I go through for them to really love the activity. 

Here is glimpse into the beginning of the assignment. 

Here, the students are making lots of progress, and the recorder is jotting down detailed instructions. 

This is a finished product from one group. It is a garage that houses a utility vehicle. 

If you are interested in implementing this activity in your classroom, click HERE. This resource provides teaching tips, writing assignment sheet, writing papers, rubric, and job titles. It is a lesson your students will remember for a lifetime!

Five for Friday

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the fabulous Five for Friday! Whew, it's been a week! It has been a good week, but it has definitely been a busy one! 

We just returned home from our little beach vacay! The weather was perfect and the company was even better. It was nice to get away and relax a bit. At one point I did think I was going to lose my mind...there was no WiFi! What? I know! I had to drive down the street just to be able to answer a few pressing emails; however, it was nice not to be glued to a device the entire time. 

Upon returning from our trip, we stopped by the house we are renovating. I was so happy to see my dad had surprised us with reclaimed wood for our sunroom. Prior to leaving for our trip, we had discussed options. Part of the wall would be sheetrock, but we really wanted something different on the bottom. Well, he found some over 100 years old, and it was up (not finished, of course) when we returned. It is going to look so pretty when we finish this room. I think it might just wind up being my favorite room of the house. 

This is just a pic of a pretty rainbow from our back yard. It has been raining at home off and on for the past several weeks. This pic does not do the rainbow justice. 

I had a new logo designed by RebeccaB Designs. I love it! She was so easy to work with, and I highly recommend her! She also designed these business cards to incorporate the new logo. I love them, too! The UPS man just delivered them last night. 

 

There is a conference coming up in a few weeks that Michele Luck and her hubby Steve will attend. While they are there, they will hand out goody bags to administrators and teachers trying to spread the word about TpT. I put together this little mini-book to go in the goody bags. I am impressed with myself because I am usually late getting promotional items together and mailed. 

I hope you have a wonderful, safe weekend!

Happy Teaching!