Adult Education Tools for Common Core Centers

Everything you need to begin a color-coding, peer workshopping approach to writing! 44 slides that take teachers from understanding why visual learning is important in a writing classroom to activities to implement peer workshopping. Includes: How students learn vs. taught Learning styles overview Memory activities Adaptable Weekly Progression of Skills list Daily Class Routine Three Kinds of Writing Multigenre Getting to Know Students activity with examples A Writer's Many Roles Understanding Punctuation (Road) signs/Writer as Reader Author's Style and Finding Patterns Types of Sentences Comma Rules Color-coded, Peer Workshopping student examples Grading and Conferencing Workshopping Guidelines and handouts Scoring Rubric Four resources slides with free audio/visual presentation Extra Handouts Section with grammar activities Visual writing is excellent for adult learners, ESL, and middle to high school students. Simple and easy to implement, and students will be able to find and correct errors easily.

Step-by-Step How-To for complete film writing analysis. This 36 page guide has two parts: Getting Started and Writing Your Essay. This easy-to-follow guide includes: What is film analysis? Literary Analysis and Film Concepts Getting Started How to Watch and Take Notes Audience Theme Emotions Writing Your Essay Introduction Plot Summary Body Paragraphs Setting Mood Characters Film Techniques Sound Lighting Symbolism Foreshadowing, Directors and Writers Using Film Quotes Conclusion Peer Workshopping Activity slides for: planning, writing theme and subject, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion Excellent for flipped classrooms, homeschooling, online learners, literacy centers, individual and group learning.

15 World War posters with ELA/SS/History writing activities or discussion starters for secondary students. Use as individual assignments or with small/whole group settings. Excellent graphics with 3 thought provoking prompts per each page.Includes: use: Propaganda (Definitions, Activity for defining, and application of) Critical thinking skills Analysis Explanation Illustrating Inferencing Designing Problem Solving Segregation and much more! Excellent for teaching fact-based, textual evidence with inferencing and critical thinking, as well as for standardized testing practice.

Do your students need help with analysis? Use these ten graphic organizers with images for analysis practice and writing a thesis. These exercises and graphic organizers help students springboard to analyzing more complex illustrations and essays for future coursework.

This easy to implement, step-by-step analysis guide for individual, small/whole group practice includes:

Full picture slides for whole group discussion and preview

10 Analysis Graphic Organizers with images

One Blank Analysis Graphic Organizer

Analysis categories include: Assumptions/Inferences, Year, Time, Season, Setting, Stereotypes, Characterization, Genre, Emotions, and Others

Writing a Thesis Statement

This step-by-step guide is simple to follow, great for test prep, and helps students uncover the process of analysis.

Are commas alien to your students? Are there not enough or too many commas? This 31 slide presentation uses a color-coded approach combined with peer workshopping and comprehension checks. The mini-lesson presentation addresses and includes: Research slide Extra Resources with practices Comma Comprehension Checks Commas in a List and Series FANBOYS Appositives Directly Speaking to a Person Dependent Clauses Adverbs and Transitions Parenthetical Expressions Adjectives Dates Cities/States Can be used as individual mini-lessons or as review. Provides peer workshopping component and comprehension checks to increase comma skills and usage. Interactive approach is easy to follow and is self-explanatory. Meets Common Core Standards.

What are readability levels, how do you turn on the function in MS Word, and how can knowing the information help student writers? These questions are answered in this interactive presentation that uses screenshots and step-by-step directions to turn on readability and check sentences and passages. Benefits of knowing and using readability levels include: Understanding Audience Understanding Computerized Testing Scoring Understanding and Using Types of Sentences Understanding and Using Syllable Counts Building and Using Higher Level Vocabulary Objectives are: Build vocabulary through synonyms Identify and use sentence clarity Identify and use sentence variety in writing Understand audience and their reading levels Understand computerized essay tests grading Understand syllable counts within words Easy to follow and assessment included! Excellent for anyone about to take a computerized standardized graded essay or who will be focused on addressing and writing to specific target audience grade levels. Great for AP students, flipped classes, GT, homeschool, Pre-Ap, and college level students.

Introduce Semi-Colons, Colons, Dashes, and Hyphens with this 14 slide presentation. Includes: definitions examples practice sentences peer workshopping component comprehension checkpoint & answers extra resources This PowerPoint gives students everything they need to successfully use each of the "Other Punctuation Marks" within their essays! Easy to read and follow with color-coded examples. Can be used for ELL/GT/AP and flipped classrooms. Meets CCSS guidelines.

An interactive introduction to writing beginnings/endings and conclusions/introductions. The presentation uses a peer workshopping approach to writing beginnings and endings. Includes: Techniques to "hook" readers: Action Description Dialog Emotion Quotation Setting Examples of each Techniques to write successful conclusions. Ambiguous Circular Humor Moral Quote Restate thesis: Examples of all techniques Word Search that includes all terminologies (project and solve as a group or use as individual handouts) Uses peer workshopping and group read-arounds to complete the activites. Easy for students to follow and easy to implement in the classroom.

Become a news reporter and write your own daily column with these 22 inferencing, journalism writing activities. Newspaper format and great graphics are easy for students to work with. Uses writing process and peer workshopping strategies. Comes with two blank templates for creative fun and one lined page for extra writing space. Includes optional media and technology projects for differentiated classrooms. Excellent for use with relationship words, time order, fact vs. opinion, and more...Meets CCSS.

15 Commonly Confused Words A-I with engaging activities for students to learn. Includes:

A-I game with fill-in-the-blank, definitions, make your own

sentences/slides (individual/groups & competitive play)

2 Crossword puzzles with Commonly Confused Words

2 Word Searches with Commonly Confused Words

All answer sheets included

Directions and Suggestions with Extensions

Words used are:

1. accept except

2. aloud allowed

3. bare bear4. brake break

5. coarse course6. council counsel

7. desert dessert

8. dose doze

9. envelope envelop

10. forbear forebear

11. grisly grizzly

12. glance glimpse

13. hair hare

14. hole whole

15. ingenious ingenuous

Students will have fun learning these Commonly Confused Words.

16 page presentation to help students define and understand what a ballad is, how it changed over time, its historical importance, Dand how to write a ballad. Includes: Definition with individual/group activity Examples of ballads throughout time periods Patterns/Rhyme scheme with example Critical thinking & fact based Individual/group activities Write your own ballad individual/group activity Research project with scoring rubric Extra Resources Complete interactive unit for defining, recognizing, teaching and writing ballads. Meets Common Core State Standards.

Have you ever wondered how fake news makes such big headlines? Circular reporting, or false confirmation, is the term used to show how information spreads and becomes truth. This active learning, critical thinking, visual lesson plan and presentation introduces students to how we believe, and how false news spreads, as well as introduces how to define research sources. Students learn about primary, secondary, and tertiary sources for research and writing. Contains upper level current events content; use with appropriate ages and grades. Activities and Lesson Plan Includes: Teacher Lesson Plans with Step-by-Step Discussion Guide Evaluating Valid Information (Dr. Jeremy Dean) Class Poll: Gullible or Skeptical? False Advertisement by April Uno about Phillip Morris (Marijuana) Descartes and Spinoza 17th Century Debate on How We Believe Daniel Gilbert's 1993 Robbery Study Define: Circular Reporting and False Confirmation How False Information is Circulated 1994 Microsoft Hoax Benghazi and False Reporting Examples of False Information Reported as Truth How to Avoid Circular Reporting Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources (with labeling activity) Re-evaluating Beliefs and Class Poll Discussion Questions on Citing Sources and Social Media Optional Activities: Classic Telephone Game, Class Debate and Jury Trial, Evaluating Websites Excellent for teaching fact-based information, citing sources, propaganda in the news, journalism reporting, beliefs/ethics/morals, AP courses, Dual Credit, Philosophy. Lots of engaging, critical thinking activities for debates and discussions. Meets CCSS ELA.

High interest, critical thinking, on-demand writing prompts that include research based facts and references for citations. Great for college and career rigor standards with fact-based, textual evidence writings. Use as individual handouts or for whole group prompts. Includes: Aliens Bigfoot Chupacabra Ghosts Lochness Monster Mermaids Mothman Vampires Werewolves Zombies Fun, on-demand expository, informational, or persuasive prompts that stimulate creative, critical thinking writings! Great for discussions and debates, too. Meets CCSS.

Students produce personal narratives from memories with this 21 page guide that used the writing process. Includes: Attributes/Characteristics of Narrative Essay Overview of Writing Process Creating life maps (with student examples) Narrowing topics--prewriting stage with examples Narrative writing examples Online Reading: Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge Peer workshopping with guided questions: Revision and Editing Final Essay Stage Publishing/Sharing Scoring Rubric Extra Resources The 21 page guide is self-explanatory. It includes interactive writing activities along with using the writing process and peer workshopping strategies to teach narrative writing. Weblink to the online narrative book Gordon Wilfred McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox (by Screen Actors Guild) is excellent! Engaging and fun lesson that meets CCSS.

Do your students need help defining,understanding, and identifying academic, scholarly research sources? This 16 page easy-to-follow lesson includes:

Discussion/Reflection on where students search for sources

What is scholarly research? (An Overview)

Table of Other Kinds of Sources: Popular, Trade, News & Opinion

Activity for Kinds of Resources

Types of Research Resources: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary

Activity for Types of Research Resources

Where to Locate Scholarly Research

How to Know if Your Research can be Used

Using Wikipedia--Yes or No?

Evaluating Wikipedia Bibliographies

Research Sources Checklist

Great for learning how to categorize and define scholarly research sources! Use with upper level, AP, dual credit, homeschool, college level students, and flipped classrooms.

An easy-to-follow guide to using and writing effective titles: what to capitalize, what to italicize, plus includes examples of effective titles, and discussion slides of famous novels and their alternate titles: 1984 Gone With the Wind The Great Gatsby Treasure Island Vanity Fair Also, includes an activity slide for writing titles with articles, pictures, and essays. There are 12 slides.

Every April, students can celebrate Tell-a-Story Day, which occurs at the end of the month. This 16 page handout will help students with organizing and telling fact-based stories. Great for building oral communication, evidence/proof, and re-telling memories. Includes: Finding storytelling topics Graphic Organizers for planning stories in chronological order Setting up a storytelling event Designing advertisements/invitations Peer workshopping stories Links to multicultural, professional, international/national storytelling centers, storytelling videos and websites Can be used any time of the year! Students will enjoy sharing stories while learning how to use fact-based information. Fun and educational!

Revised to include social media rules along with academic, creative, journalism. Help students categorize essays to determine what kind of guidelines to use. The 10 slide handout/presentation includes: Breakdown of 4 kinds of writing: academic, creative, journalism, and Texting When and How to use specific guidelines Easy Categorizing of essays Comparison of rules Printable Handout of Categories and Rules Activities Peer Workshopping Component Easy to understand and follow, great for standardized assessment strategies, and perfect for upper level/college bound students.

Make using and working with symbolism collaborative, fun and educational (Meets CCSS) with this interactive writing project that focuses on 850 B.C. and the discovery of the Snake Circle: Includes: 1. KWL Chart 2. Extra Resources: Take a tour of Ancient Greece, learn about the lives of adults and children, and watch videos to understand the time period of 850 B.C. 3. Uncover its origin: The Snake Circle object came from the days of Homer, so explore its meaning with the use of two symbolism sheets. 4. Discuss and interpret the Snake Circle shield handout. 5. Write stories: choose a genre; then Peer Workshop essays 6. Color the shields--review students' colorful examples 7. Display for all to enjoy! Comes with: handouts to complete writings, students' samples, and class project photos. Everything needed for writing fun! Excellent for teaching how to interpret and use symbolism, reinforce concepts and skills, and working with multigenres. Combination of historical technology resources with writing and using literal concepts.

Interactive, peer workshopping approach to teaching Descriptive Writing. The PowerPoint has 21 slides and includes: Includes: Interactive Activities Descriptive Assignments Frequent checks for comprehension Crossword Puzzle Examples Figurative Language/Senses Peer Workshopping Resources Slide It defines, explains, introduces, and encourages descriptive writing through figurative language, five senses, tone, mood, show not tell, and visualization. Writing activities and handouts for scaffodling, assessment and comprehension of descriptive writing are included.