3rd Grade Short Stories Literature Circles

"The Naughty Ant and the Anteater" can be a valuable addition to an educator's classroom for several reasons:

Moral Lesson: The fable offers a clear moral lesson about the importance of honesty and trust. By exploring the consequences of the naughty ant's deceit, students learn that dishonesty can lead to dire outcomes and the loss of trust among peers. This lesson encourages discussions about the significance of integrity and the impact of our actions on others.

Relatable Characters: The fable features relatable characters, such as the hardworking ants and the mischievous naughty ant. Students can easily connect with these characters, enabling them to engage more deeply with the story and its moral message. This relatability allows for meaningful discussions and reflections on personal experiences.

Critical Thinking: The fable presents a dilemma for the ants in the story. Students are prompted to consider how they would react in a similar situation and whether they would trust the naughty ant's warning when the real danger appears. This encourages critical thinking skills and promotes discussions on judgment, discernment, and the consequences of making hasty assumptions.

Empathy and Perspective-Taking: As the story progresses, students witness the impact of the naughty ant's prank on the colony. By exploring the emotions of the deceived ants, students develop empathy and understanding of the consequences of their own actions. This fosters a sense of compassion and consideration for others' feelings.

Classroom Discussions: The fable serves as a springboard for meaningful classroom discussions. Educators can facilitate conversations about honesty, trustworthiness, and the importance of open communication. Students can share their thoughts, opinions, and personal experiences related to the moral lesson, promoting a collaborative and respectful learning environment.

Writing and Creative Activities: Following the reading of the fable, educators can engage students in writing activities such as rewriting the story with an alternative ending or creating their own fables with different moral lessons. These activities encourage creativity, critical thinking, and reinforce the understanding of moral values.

Overall, "The Naughty Ant and the Anteater" offers an engaging and relatable story that can stimulate meaningful discussions, develop moral reasoning, and promote character development within the classroom.

Welcome to the ultimate Earth Poetree Education 2023 - 2024 Academic Bundle! This comprehensive bundle includes everything we've created and discussed, tailored for a variety of educational needs. As a Grade 2 teacher and with the collaboration of my partner, a kindergarten teacher, we have crafted resources that cater to elementary students, extra-curricular activities (ECAs), and younger learners. Enjoy a 20% discount on this extensive collection designed to enhance teaching and learning throughout the academic year.

Bundle Highlights:

1. SMART Goals Worksheet:

• Three-page worksheet guiding students to understand and set SMART goals in overall school life, math, and ELA.

1. First Day | Soft Start | Get To Know Your Class | Welcome Packet | Bundle:

• Includes baseline tests, Euro 2024 football worksheet, "Walk Me Through the Life of You" worksheet, getting to know you workpacket, welcome packet template, magical meet the teacher template, design your own planet activity, getting to know the class bingo, and a space-themed registration guide.

1. Magical Meet The Teacher Template Editable | Meet the Teacher Co-teacher Letter:

• Enchanting editable template to introduce teachers and co-teachers with a cover page, introduction, and fun facts.

1. Get To Know You Bingo | Meet the Class | Ice Breakers | Back to School | Summer:

• Interactive 5x5 bingo grid to encourage students to find classmates who match specific prompts.

1. Doctor Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Doctor Pretend Play | My Pretend Hospital Bundle:

• Includes play doctor checklist, tray labels, poster and printables, DIY first aid box, and doctor/nurse ID cards with a fake credit card.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Play | My Pretend Restaurant Bundle:

• Features station posters, DIY pizza kit, pizza order checklist, pizza shop tray labels, chef/waiter ID cards, and a comprehensive menu with interactive check marks.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Restaurant Bunting Italian:

• Vibrant bunting spelling "RISTORANTE" with Italian restaurant symbols.

1. Earth Day Activities:

• Includes a speaking and listening activity where students design their own planet, Earth Day bunting craftivity, and Earth Day escape room.

1. Morning Book:

• A 20-page (one month) morning book with weekly check-in pages, mindful coloring, community activities, word boggle pages, and more.

1. Writing Portfolio Workbook:

• Focused on fable writing, covering narrative standards with activities like idea development, mindmapping, fable structure analysis, and more.

1. Reading Workbook:

• Eight-week workpack covering RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3, RL.2.6, and RL.2.9 standards with diverse fables and folktales.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras Resources:

• Includes the Student's Handbook, Chimera Compendium, Classroom Master Guide, interactive presentation for the Portals of Possibilities campaign, character creation templates, premades, and bonus Gorbhash the Feathered Fury card.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras - Monster Card Probability Games:

• Probability dice game trial with 8 monster cards and engaging attributes.

1. Teacher Toolbox Labels:

• Boho pastel and vibrant color labels for organizing classroom supplies.

1. 4th of July Crafts:

• Includes toilet roll streamers, collaborative flag poster, butterfly puppets, and patriotic wind catchers.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Features a lively street festival scene with space for students to draw their own interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Interactive Reading Story Game:

• A Twine-based story game where students solve puzzles to escape a hotel room, promoting reading comprehension and problem-solving skills.

1. Alphabet Flashcards:

• A-Z flashcards with letters on one side and pictures, phrases, and words on the other, including an American 'k' option.

1. Jolly Phonics Roll and Write Printout Centers:

• Worksheets for Groups 1-7, helping students practice phonics through engaging roll and write activities.

1. Create Your Own Pokémon Activity:

• A four-step process for students to design their own Pokémon, including quizzes, drawing, and writing activities.

1. Zones of Regulation Inside Out & Inside Out 2 Poster:

• Teaches emotions through mood monsters, an emotions rollercoaster, and a volcano-themed zones of regulation chart.

1. Earth Poetree Education Blogpost:

• Provides an overview of the resources and their benefits for teachers, parents, and students.

1. Doctor Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Doctor Pretend Play | Hospital Bunting:

• Includes 8 letters spelling out "HOSPITAL" and 2 hospital symbols to enhance the dramatic play environment.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Play | My Restaurant Menu:

• Comprehensive menu with drinks, food items, and desserts, each with a picture, flavor text, and check mark circles for interactive play.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Play | My Chef Waiter ID Card:

• Includes male and female chef ID cards, waiter and waitress ID cards, and a fake credit card for roleplay transactions.

1. Thank You Tags:

• Black and white and color tags with customizable spaces for teachers to write personalized messages.

1. St. Patrick's Day Crafts:

• Includes four festive crafts: toilet roll streamers, collaborative flag poster, butterfly puppets, and patriotic wind catchers.

1. April Fools Test:

• Fun and engaging test where the answers spell out "HAPPY APRIL FOOLS," with a trick to only complete the first question and then draw on the back.

1. Aquarium | Terrarium Design Planning Template:

• Planning template for students to design their own aquarium or terrarium, fostering creativity and environmental awareness.

1. Radio Workpack for ECAs:

• Comprehensive workpack for setting up and running a classroom radio station, perfect for ECAs and enhancing speaking and listening skills.

1. Noun Hunt Scavenger Activity:

• Follow-up activity to a 60-second grammar YouTube video, where students hunt for and identify nouns in their environment.

1. Report Card Comment Cheat Sheet:

• Uses ChatGPT 3.5 to generate whole class comments in minutes, covering homeroom, ELA, math, health, science, and social studies.

1. Geometric Maths Sprints:

• Fast-paced and engaging math sprints focusing on geometric concepts to boost students' math skills.

1. Homophone Heartbreaks:

• Match the hearts with the correct homophones in this fun and educational activity with 14 different pairs.

1. Whole Class Human-Sized Monopoly:

• Based on America for International Day, with poster templates for various states and research pages to help students learn about each state.

1. Fallout 4 - Create Your Own Vault Dweller Character:

• Creative writing workbook where students build their character with SPECIAL attributes and write their backstory and adventure.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras Daily Planner:

• Themed daily planner with reminders for meals and water, a lesson plan page with sections for objectives, vocabulary, activities, and assessments.

1. Parts of Speech Posters | Adventure Classroom Decor:

• Includes Article Airport, Adjective Energy, Noun Town, Verb Suburb, Adverb Attractions, and Conjunction Junction, with a map theme to aid in teaching grammar.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Lively street festival scene with musical performances, a barbecue area, and flags, with space for students to draw their interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Get to Know You Football:

• Euro 2024-themed activity where students draw their favorite color, animal, food, football team, film/TV show, game, subject, and their name inside a football.

1. Meditation Video and Rainbow Breathing Activity:

• 2-minute 28-second video with a calm soundtrack, square breathing exercise, and rainbow coloring activity to help students focus and calm down.

1. Create Your Own Fable Project:

• Guides students through crafting their own fables with embedded morals and rules, including a wanted poster in Chinese for their animal character.

1. Quarter 1 Writing Portfolio Workbook:

• Focused on fable writing, covering narrative standards with activities like idea development, mindmapping, fable structure analysis, and more.

1. Blank Fable Template:

• Ready-to-use template for students to plan and write their own fables.

1. Triphase Fable Assessment Rubric:

• A standards-based rubric for assessing students' fable writing at three critical stages: emergence, development, and performance.

1. Earth Day Acrostic Poem Worksheet:

• Features examples of summer acrostic poems and space for students to write and illustrate their own poems.

1. Design Your Own Pokémon Activity:

• A four-step process for students to design their own Pokémon, including quizzes, drawing, and writing activities.

1. Meditation Video and Rainbow Breathing Activity:

• 2-minute 28-second video with a calm soundtrack, square breathing exercise, and rainbow coloring activity to help students focus and calm down.

1. Zones of Regulation Inside Out & Inside Out 2 Poster:

• Teaches emotions through mood monsters, an emotions rollercoaster, and a volcano-themed zones of regulation chart.

1. Alphabet Flashcards:

• A-Z flashcards with letters on one side and pictures, phrases, and words on the other, including an American 'k' option.

1. Get to Know You Football:

• Euro 2024-themed activity where students draw their favorite color, animal, food, football team, film/TV show, game, subject, and their name inside a football.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Lively street festival scene with musical performances, a barbecue area, and flags, with space for students to draw their interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Pizza Checklist Worksheet:

• Students ask customers about their preferred pizza base and toppings, and rate their pizza.

1. Pizza Shop Tray Labels:

• Eight different labels for pizza toppings: peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, bacon, pepperoni, basil, and pineapple.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Play | My Chef Waiter ID Card:

• Includes male and female chef ID cards, waiter and waitress ID cards, and a fake credit card for roleplay transactions.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Play | My Pretend Restaurant Bundle:

• Comprehensive bundle of all restaurant-related roleplay items, including station posters, DIY pizza kit, pizza order checklist, tray labels, and a menu.

1. Restaurant Dramatic Play | Roleplay - Waiter Pretend Restaurant Bunting Italian:

• Vibrant bunting spelling "RISTORANTE" with Italian restaurant symbols.

1. Earth Day Escape Room:

• Interactive escape room where students solve riddles and puzzles related to the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

1. Earth Day Speaking and Listening Activity:

• Students design their own planet and present it to the class, enhancing creativity and public speaking skills.

1. Earth Day Bunting Craftivity:

• Printable craft where students write "Recycle, Reduce, Reuse" on a stem with leaves and create a bunting for classroom decoration.

1. St. Patrick's Day Crafts:

• Includes four festive crafts: toilet roll streamers, collaborative flag poster, butterfly puppets, and patriotic wind catchers.

1. St. Patrick's Day Wordsearch:

• Engaging word search activity featuring words related to St. Patrick's Day.

1. St. Patrick's Day Pot of Gold Counting Activity:

• Printable activity where students count coins and place them in a pot of gold.

1. St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt:

• Fun scavenger hunt with six icons related to St. Patrick's Day.

1. Meditation Video and Rainbow Breathing Activity:

• 2-minute 28-second video with a calm soundtrack, square breathing exercise, and rainbow coloring activity to help students focus and calm down.

1. Zones of Regulation Inside Out & Inside Out 2 Poster:

• Teaches emotions through mood monsters, an emotions rollercoaster, and a volcano-themed zones of regulation chart.

1. Alphabet Flashcards:

• A-Z flashcards with letters on one side and pictures, phrases, and words on the other, including an American 'k' option.

1. Get to Know You Football:

• Euro 2024-themed activity where students draw their favorite color, animal, food, football team, film/TV show, game, subject, and their name inside a football.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Lively street festival scene with musical performances, a barbecue area, and flags, with space for students to draw their interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Teacher Toolbox Labels:

• Boho pastel and vibrant color labels for organizing classroom supplies.

1. April Fools Test:

• Fun and engaging test where the answers spell out "HAPPY APRIL FOOLS," with a trick to only complete the first question and then draw on the back.

1. Aquarium | Terrarium Design Planning Template:

• Planning template for students to design their own aquarium or terrarium, fostering creativity and environmental awareness.

1. Radio Workpack for ECAs:

• Comprehensive workpack for setting up and running a classroom radio station, perfect for ECAs and enhancing speaking and listening skills.

1. Noun Hunt Scavenger Activity:

• Follow-up activity to a 60-second grammar YouTube video, where students hunt for and identify nouns in their environment.

1. Report Card Comment Cheat Sheet:

• Uses ChatGPT 3.5 to generate whole class comments in minutes, covering homeroom, ELA, math, health, science, and social studies.

1. Geometric Maths Sprints:

• Fast-paced and engaging math sprints focusing on geometric concepts to boost students' math skills.

1. Homophone Heartbreaks:

• Match the hearts with the correct homophones in this fun and educational activity with 14 different pairs.

1. Whole Class Human-Sized Monopoly:

• Based on America for International Day, with poster templates for various states and research pages to help students learn about each state.

1. Fallout 4 - Create Your Own Vault Dweller Character:

• Creative writing workbook where students build their character with SPECIAL attributes and write their backstory and adventure.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras Daily Planner:

• Themed daily planner with reminders for meals and water, a lesson plan page with sections for objectives, vocabulary, activities, and assessments.

1. Parts of Speech Posters | Adventure Classroom Decor:

• Includes Article Airport, Adjective Energy, Noun Town, Verb Suburb, Adverb Attractions, and Conjunction Junction, with a map theme to aid in teaching grammar.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Lively street festival scene with musical performances, a barbecue area, and flags, with space for students to draw their interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Get to Know You Football:

• Euro 2024-themed activity where students draw their favorite color, animal, food, football team, film/TV show, game, subject, and their name inside a football.

1. Create Your Own Fable Project:

• Guides students through crafting their own fables with embedded morals and rules, including a wanted poster in Chinese for their animal character.

1. Earth Poetree Education Blogpost:

• Provides an overview of the resources and their benefits for teachers, parents, and students.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras - Monster Card Probability Games:

• Probability dice game trial with 8 monster cards and engaging attributes.

1. Teacher Toolbox Labels:

• Boho pastel and vibrant color labels for organizing classroom supplies.

1. Geometric Maths Sprints:

• Fast-paced and engaging math sprints focusing on geometric concepts to boost students' math skills.

1. Jolly Phonics Roll and Write Printout Centers:

• Worksheets for Groups 1-7, helping students practice phonics through engaging roll and write activities.

1. St. Patrick's Day Pot of Gold Counting Activity:

• Printable activity where students count coins and place them in a pot of gold.

1. St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt:

• Fun scavenger hunt with six icons related to St. Patrick's Day.

1. SMART Goals Worksheet:

• Three-page worksheet guiding students to understand and set SMART goals in overall school life, math, and ELA.

1. Create Your Own Pokémon Activity:

• A four-step process for students to design their own Pokémon, including quizzes, drawing, and writing activities.

1. Thank You Tags:

• Black and white and color tags with customizable spaces for teachers to write personalized messages.

1. Fallout 4 - Create Your Own Vault Dweller Character:

• Creative writing workbook where students build their character with SPECIAL attributes and write their backstory and adventure.

1. Interactive Reading Story Game:

• A Twine-based story game where students solve puzzles to escape a hotel room, promoting reading comprehension and problem-solving skills.

1. Juneteenth Coloring Page:

• Lively street festival scene with musical performances, a barbecue area, and flags, with space for students to draw their interpretation of Juneteenth.

1. Homophone Heartbreaks:

• Match the hearts with the correct homophones in this fun and educational activity with 14 different pairs.

1. Classrooms & Chimeras Resources:

• Includes the Student's Handbook, Chimera Compendium, Classroom Master Guide, interactive presentation for the Portals of Possibilities campaign, character creation templates, premades, and bonus Gorbhash the Feathered Fury card.

1. Morning Book: - A 20-page (one month) morning book with weekly check-in pages, mindful coloring, community activities, word boggle pages, and more.

Why This Bundle Is Essential:

• Comprehensive Coverage: Includes a wide range of activities and assessments to start the school year on a strong note.
• Builds Community: Encourages students to get to know each other and their teachers, fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment.
• Engages Students: Offers fun and interactive activities that capture students' interest and make the first days of school enjoyable.
• Supports Assessment: Baseline tests help you understand each student's starting point, allowing for tailored instruction from the outset.
• Easy to Use: Ready-to-print and editable resources save you time and effort in preparing for the new school year.
• Valuable Bonus: The Pokémon Go workpack adds extra value and excitement, providing engaging content for a whole week's worth of activities.

Ideal For:

• Teachers looking for a diverse collection of educational resources.
• Educators aiming to create engaging and interactive learning experiences.
• Parents and caregivers wanting to support their children's learning at home.

Enjoy a 20% discount on this extensive bundle and equip your classroom with the ultimate set of educational resources from Earth Poetree Education! This comprehensive resource ensures you have everything you need to make the first days of school productive, engaging, and fun, setting the stage for a successful year ahead.

All the Kickstarter academic content is included in this bundle. Explore the full range of resources from our Kickstarter campaign, "Classrooms & Chimeras," which you can view here. This ensures you have access to all the innovative educational tools and materials we've developed to create engaging and dynamic classroom experiences.

Using an example fable mini-book, such as "The Ant Who Called Anteater," along with a template empty fable mini-book, can be highly advantageous for educators in several ways:

1. Modeling Fable Structure: The example fable mini-book provides a clear model of the structure and elements of a fable, including the introduction, plot development, characters, moral lesson, and conclusion. By analyzing the example fable, students gain a better understanding of how to structure their own fables effectively.
2. Comprehension of Fable Genre: Reading the example fable mini-book helps students comprehend the unique characteristics of fables as a genre. They learn to recognize the moral lesson, identify animal characters symbolizing human traits, and appreciate the allegorical nature of fables. This comprehension supports their engagement and understanding when reading and writing fables.
3. Vocabulary and Language Development: Fables often utilize rich vocabulary and figurative language. The example fable mini-book exposes students to new words, phrases, and literary devices used within the context of the fable. It expands their vocabulary and encourages them to incorporate descriptive language and idioms in their own fable writing.
4. Guided Writing Practice: The template empty fable mini-book serves as a valuable tool for guided writing practice. Students can use the template to plan and organize their own fable stories, ensuring they include essential elements such as a moral lesson, character development, and a well-structured plot. The template provides a scaffolded approach to support students' fable writing process.
5. Creativity and Imagination: The example fable mini-book sparks students' creativity and imagination by showcasing an engaging story with animal characters and a moral lesson. It inspires students to think critically and creatively as they craft their own fables, exploring different animal protagonists, settings, and moral themes.
6. Classroom Collaboration: The use of example fable mini-books and template empty fable mini-books encourages collaboration and peer learning. Students can share their ideas, provide feedback on each other's fables, and engage in discussions about the moral lessons conveyed in different fables. This collaborative process fosters a supportive and interactive classroom community.
7. Differentiation and Personalization: The example fable mini-book and template empty fable mini-book can be adapted to cater to diverse student needs. Educators can modify the level of complexity, provide additional guidance, or offer alternative templates to accommodate students with varying abilities. This personalization supports individualized learning and ensures all students can actively participate in fable reading and writing activities.

In summary, using an example fable mini-book and a template empty fable mini-book provides educators with powerful resources to support students' understanding of fables as a genre, develop their fable writing skills, foster creativity, encourage collaboration, and cater to individual learning needs. These tools create a comprehensive learning experience that enhances students' literary comprehension, language proficiency, and critical thinking abilities.