Tag Archives: reading activity

Jan15

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activity: Close Reading Activity for Distance Learning and Home School

Posted on by
Standard
Photo by LeeAnn Cline on Unsplash

With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday fast approaching, I thought I’d let all my readers know about the FREE close reading lesson available to download. I’ve had it on my teacher store on Teacherspayteachers for a couple years now, but would like to make it available for families and people teaching at home for this weekend. I know people like to do activities on MLKjr. Day, and it may be hard to go out and do community service this year due to the pandemic. But you can still participate by doing an activity at home to help your child understand why this holiday is important.

I developed this lesson in my classroom to specifically be taught around this time. I had noticed children were coming up from the grade before, 2nd or 3rd grade, without clearly understanding what his dream was. When asked about Martin Luther King Jr, they would respond that “He had a dream.” It was mostly due to the fact they were concrete thinkers and didn’t understand the abstract notion of what MLKjr’s Dream symbolized. I also would have a week of reading material on the civil rights movement using my district’s available reading books. So, this is a great lead into civil rights studies.

I would read the speech as a guided reading/read-aloud in my classroom. I’ve included a link to one book that is available like this. There are others, or you may already have one in your class or home library. Reading it before this downloadable lesson is recommended. It’s to show where the context is for the “I Have a Dream” references. Plus, focus on why he repeats the phrase, “I Have A Dream”, and discuss why he may have done that.

“I Have A Dream (Book & CD)” Link to purchase. There are other books like this available, but this is one that can be used with the downloadable lesson or another similar book with the speech text illustrated.

So, that is how I used this lesson in my classroom. I offer it now for use for other classrooms, online studies and of course, at home for families to discuss what Martin Luther King’s Dream actually was. And of course, talking or reading material about the civil right movements will help with this. I’ve included some links below.

All this will help children understand what is currently going on in our own country right now, with the current protests and BLM protests. Please let me know if you found this useful or general feedback in the comments below.

Download FREE Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Speech PDF Below!

22i-have-a-dream22-speech-close-reading-acitivtyDownload

Other Reading Material links for Children on the Civil Rights Movement:

“If You Were A Kid During the Civil Rights Movement”

“The Civil Rights Movement for Kids”

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend! Stay safe out there, and please, wear a mask!

-Tiffany Turner

Tiffany Turner is a children’s fantasy writer of the Crystal Keeper Chronicle series. She is the head writer and editor of the Indie Children’s Authors Connection blog.

Apr4

Parent Support for Homeschool: Free Ebook & Online Novel Study

Posted on by
Standard

imgres

The Lost Secret of Fairies is FREE on Smashwords for a limited time!

So folks, some of you have been following along with a two week, free novel study. I thank you for that, and am warmed by the feedback I’ve been hearing. Because of this, I wanted to help you out even further.

I have managed to find a way to get the ebook for the novel study, FREE, for a limited time. From now until the end of the month, The Lost Secret of Fairies ebook is FREE. Yes, you heard that right. I’m giving it to you as a gift, along with the entire free online novel study, to help promote reading and learning during these hard times for the world. It is my gift to the world to hopefully help us all get through together. I’m sure fairies are something we all need right now.

Link to Smashwords Free Ebook

Offer extended until May 31, 2020.

I hope you enjoy the story, and for those of you just finding my blog, here is a link to the entire online novel study in order. It takes about 2 weeks to go through the whole novel study. Please leave any comments or feedback on how you are enjoying it. Plus, feel free to add any questions too. I love talking to people and finding out how they enjoyed my book.

summer1The Free Online Lost Secret of Fairies Novel Study

Day 1: Beginning of The Novel Study/Journal Entry Set Up

Day 2: Spooky Writing Online Unit

Day 3: Chapter 1-3 Study Questions

Day 4: Chapter 4-6 Study Questions/Blog Reading Activity

Day 5: Chapter 7-8 Study Questions/Definitions Activity Worksheet

Day 6: Chapter 9-10 Study Questions/Using Fairy Tales & Legends in Lit Paragraph Response Reading Activity

Day 7: Chapter 11-12 Study Questions/ PE Activity

Day 8: End of Book Study Questions/ Summary & Character Change Response Worksheets

Day 9: Theme/Author Message Response Worksheet/Video Lesson

Day 10: Final Essay Test & Grading Rubric with Completion Certificate

Bonus Posts:

Tips for Helping to Create Structure & Schedule For Distance Learning/Homeschooling 

Reflection on the Emotional Impact of the Corona Virus Lockdown: Poem and Journal Response Activity

Just remember, wash your hands, stay safe, and be kind to everyone, because the world needs that right now. Oh, and fairies. We need the World of Fairies too.

So, enjoy, read and write!

Until next time,

Tiffany Turner

***Tiffany Turner is the author of the children’s fantasy series, the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. She has had 18 years teaching experience in California as a public elementary teacher. She is currently tutoring in the private sector and continuing to write full time. 

 

Apr1

Day 10: Last Day of The Lost Secret of Fairies FREE online Novel Study w/ essay test

Posted on by
Standard

imgres

Final Day of The Lost Secret of Fairies Novel Study: Final Exam Day!

Welcome to the final day of The Lost Secret of Fairies free online novel study. As of just an hour ago, as I’m writing this, the California governor has announced that California schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year, and maybe some changes will happen in the fall in regards to reopening schools. I could tell this was going to be for the long haul, and I am happy to be completing the support for parents in my home state, throughout the US and from my statistics, throughout the world.

I wrote my books for children and used the writing of them as instruction when I was in the classroom. To include them for novel study instruction to help teach reading seems to complete the circle of learning they were created for. I’m happy to have brought you this online novel study for my first book, and I would love to hear any feedback you have about using it.

summer1The Lost Secret of Fairies Novel Study Essay Test

So, with that said, here is the final activity to go with the novel study, the final essay test. If your child or student has been completing all the activities, including the summary, character change response worksheet and the theme/message worksheet, your little one is all ready for the essay test. They should have all the time they need to complete it, and they can use the book and their journal notes to help find examples and support.

LSOF Essay Test

Grading Criteria

I’ve included a rubric for you to help grade their answers. They should include examples and details of support from the story, their own ideas, and language from the worksheets they used during the novel study. Other words, they need complete sentence answers, topic sentences and closing sentences. The essay test and all the responses this week have been teaching basic essay response language and structure for your child. These are all standards in most school systems in the US and the world.

Below is a Grading Rubric for you to use. Traditional, 1-4 grading is used on these rubrics. If you want to change that from D grade to A Grade, you can. 1=D, 2=C, 3=B, 4=A. But I feel if your child has made an effort, worked hard, includes the language in a complete sentence and uses supporting details, they should get a high grade. It is up to you. As the parent, high praise from you will mean a lot. 😉

For those wondering minds, a passing grade in school that children would be working toward is the 3 on the rubric. It can also be helpful to show your child the rubric so they know what is expected of them before the essay test.

Rubric for Lost Secret of Fairies Novel Study Essay Test

When your child/student has finished the test, and you’ve looked it over and graded it, I’ve included a link to a completion certificate below. You can sign it and give it to your child.

LostSecretNovelStudyCertificate

Congratulations! You’ve completed a reading novel study unit with your child, and they’ve become a better reader and writer!

And that’s about it, folks! I want to thank you and your child for continuing with the novel study, and I hope they enjoyed reading the book. If they would like to continue the series, here are the links below for the three books that continue Wanda’s journey and adventures in the World of Fairy.

grmancover2

Book 2

The Lost Secret of the Green Man (Book 2)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LL3MQE

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-the-green-man-tiffany-turner/1112041152

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-secret-of-the-green-man-the-crystal-keeper-chronicles-book-2

iApple/iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lost-secret-green-man-crystal-keeper-chronicles-book/id543028109

dragoncoverlrg

Book 3 

The Lost Secret of Dragonfire (Book 3)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Secret-Dragonfire-Crystal-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B079J4R22D

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-dragonfire-tiffany-turner/1114782699

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-secret-of-dragonfire-1

iApple/iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-lost-secret-of-dragonfire/id616637319

Lost Secret - High Resolution (1)

Book 4

The Lost Secret of Time (Book 4)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Secret-Time-Crystal-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B07GJZBPPY

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-time-tiffany-turner/1129320107

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-secret-of-time

iApple/iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-lost-secret-of-time/id1428309465

Thank you to everyone that have participated in the novel study! I welcome all the feedback and invite you to follow my blog as I continue to post more learning activities and homeschooling support for parents in the future weeks.

Take care, stay safe, wash your hands, and we’ll get through this together!

-Mrs. Turner

***Tiffany Turner is the author of the children’s fantasy series, the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. She has had 18 years experience teaching in California as a public elementary teacher. She is currently tutoring in the private sector and continuing to write full time. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar30

Day 8: The Lost Secret of Fairies Online Novel Study with Summary & Character Handouts

Posted on by
Standard

imgres

Chapter 13 and End of Book Questions today!

Greetings everyone! It has been a challenging couple of weeks, but I hope you and your child have enjoyed reading my book, The Lost Secret of Fairies. Today, on Day 8, I’ll be helping to wrap up the story and novel study. I’ll be including some downloadable worksheets to be used in response to finishing the book, and tomorrow, will include an essay test that your child should be able to complete on their own from doing the activities. The activities can be done over the next few days with the essay test given at the end of the week.

Let’s start today with the final journal response questions:

Chapter 13 & End of the Book Questions:summer1

  1. Summarize in a paragraph the book The Lost Secret of Fairies. Use a topic sentence, list the events, and use a closing sentence.
  2. How did you like the Lost Secret of Fairies? What was your opinion of the book? Describe your opinion with supporting details and examples from the book.
  3. What is the theme or message from the author of The Lost Secret of Fairies? Name examples from the text that are clues.

Bonus: Do you want to read the next book? Why or why not?

Now, for the end of book activities. These can be done over the next few days, with one a day, as a lead up to the final essay test. I’d suggest the summary first, followed by the Character trait essay answer, and then going through the journal response questions to get an idea of what the book was about in their minds. Then, in a few days, have them do the essay test. I will post the test tomorrow. They will be able to use their journal response pages to take the essay test. Of course, they should use the book to find examples and details.

Downloads for End of Book Activities:

Summary Fill In Handout for The Lost Secret of Fairies

Character Change Writing Response WS

The Lost Secret of Fairies- Webbing Graphic Organizer

Paragraph Writing Lesson Support

(Through my online store on TeachersPayTeachers)

Free Book Review Handout: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Real-World-Book-Report-Book-Review-971473

Writing Opinion Packet: (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Paragraph-Individual-Packet-3029120

Paragraph Parts Review Packet (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paragraph-Parts-Individual-Packet-3028939

Diorama Book Report/Home Project Extension (Only $0.99)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Diorama-Book-Report-3074161

 

I hope that helps set the rest of the week for reading response and writing for your child. I’ll post the final test tomorrow that can be the wrap up for this novel study. The other activities included above are great follow ups for the book and extension activities.

Thank you for following along with this novel study. I hope it has helped bring reading and learning to your little ones during these strange times. I’ll be posting the last day of the novel study tomorrow, and I welcome all of your feedback and comments below. It will help me plan for future instruction to help out during the pandemic.

Until then, keep reading and writing,

-Mrs. Turner

***Tiffany Turner is the author of the children’s fantasy series, the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. She has had 18 years experience teaching in California as a public elementary teacher. She is currently tutoring in the private sector and continuing to write full time. 

UPDATED March 31, 2020:

The essay test will be posted on Wednesday, April 1 now. I’ve added a lesson on theme and message, and posted it today. It is on the essay test, so I wanted to make sure I included a lesson on themes. Thanks for following along with the novel study. Please let me know how I’m doing in the comments below.

March 31, 2020 Post on Theme/Messages

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar14

Interview with Mark Even

Posted on by
Standard

Mark Even PIC

Mark Even is the author of the children’s book, “The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol”.

As we move into a time where many schools are taking early Spring breaks or closing for 3 weeks for protection against spreading the corona virus, I’ll be helping out with recommendations, interviews, and my own lesson plans for parents during this time. I know it’s hard to find activities and lessons for your child. So, I’ll be featuring author interviews, book deals, and other ideas to help with this interim.

I’m starting out with an interview with a fabulous children’s fantasy author, Mark Even. Mr. Even lives in Minnesota, and worked for IBM for thirty-seven years. After he retired, he got the idea to write a children’s book from a local children’s book fair. Combining his love of comic books, superheroes, science fiction and Harry Potter, he created the book “The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol”. Written for his granddaughter’s and all children’s enjoyment, it’s a children’s fantasy with dragons, wizards and a magical parasol with special powers. I got a chance to talk to Mark Even about his childhood reading memories, writing routine, and what he plans for future projects.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
Mark Even: The first real book that I read was a biography about Babe Ruth. I was really into baseball as a kid (still am) and played through college and even after college. And I was also a big fan of baseball. But as a kid, I also remember how the nuns at the school would bring TVs into the classroom for the World Series since there were very few night games back then. Baseball was a big part of my life and that book sticks in my mind as part of that whole passion.

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?
Mark Even: To be totally honest, Stan Lee is my favorite author. During my teens (even through college), about all I could afford for entertainment were comic books. I found the whole Marvel Comics Universe so interesting and creative. And now, technology has caught up and these stories can be told in films. But I think the whole creativity of making impossible things seem real and natural while working in stories of family and relationships along with the battles of good vs evil — this is what I strive to portray in my stories as well.

3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
Mark Even: First I start forming a plot in my head and then even “write” chapters or sections in my head as well. This will go on for weeks — keeps me awake most of the nights thinking through plot lines and dialogue. Next, I jot down the major plot points in a notebook and various particular items, like a name of a character or the distance between Earth and Mars, so I don’t forget these or have to look them up again. Finally, I’ll sit down and just start writing on the computer. Probably just a chapter at a time, but I often go back and rewrite or enhance the writing with new items or plot points that tie to the next chapter.

4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?
Mark Even: I’m pretty much set on developing more stories about magical persons and creatures.

5) What is writing to you in one sentence?
Mark Even: Being retired, writing (or more accurately, making up stories), is one of my favorite pastimes!

WPP pic (2)“The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol” is a children’s fantasy adventure that brings to mind Harry Potter, superheroes and every day kids with a magical purpose. Two cousins find a magical parasol that unlocks a world to discover their magical heritage. Mistakenly releasing an evil magician leads to the cousins working together to save their wizard ancestor, the parasol, and their families. This is a magical adventure that children from upper grade elementary to middle school will enjoy.

“The Wonders of the Peculiar Parasol” is available at: Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

For more information, visit Mark Even’s Amazon Author Page at: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mark-M-Even/e/B082HYFKXP.