Quotes for Kindness - Free Writing Prompts for Your Classroom

I teach middle and high school age students and they're great.  They're really great. BUT sometimes they can be downright awful to each other. The drama we see in middle school students can be out of control!!

I value the classroom community I create throughout the year - I value the open communication, the easy joking, the laughter and the fun.  But... I know my students need reminders.  Reminders to be respectful, reminders to be kind, reminders to show empathy...

Here's an easy and FREE set of writing prompts to help remind your students of the value of kindness, the value of friendship and the value of respect.   It's amazing how far a little reminder can go with my students.... and I hope with yours.

Click HERE to grab your copy of the writing prompts that have been inspired by quotes from famous literature. Use these quotes as bell ringers, inspiration for a longer essay, paragraph practice, an anti-bullying unit or a class discussion!

As an extension activity I have includesd a blank version of the writing paper so that you or your students can add your own writing prompt.  Why not ask them to find a quote about kindness or empathy from their favourite book, a famous movie or from a well-known historical figure.

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Halloween Tricks and Treats - A FREEBIE for you!

Happy Halloween from Secondary Smorgasbord!! Check out the Tricks and Treats we've put together for you by following the blog hop below!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Halloween?  Like... really LOVE Halloween!!  The colours, the pumpkins, the chance to dress up and the fabulously fun family night our neighbourhood organizes.  We get together for a big wiener roast and fireworks - I think the fireworks are a uniquely Canadian tradition for Halloween.  It's our biggest firework night of the year! (Our poor dog is a disaster by the end of the night - between the trick-or-treaters and the fireworks it's a stressful night!)

I know it can be a challenge to bring the holidays into a middle or high school classroom, but I've learned over the years that the older kids still like a little holiday fun too.  The key is to combine the fun with some valuable learning.

As an ELA teacher I really think it's important to have my students practice their writing as much as possible.  So I try to combine writing with some holiday fun whenever I can.

Here's a FREE Halloween TREAT for you and your students to enjoy.  Use this Halloween subway art as a writing prompt. 

Challenge students to use a word from each colour in their first sentence. To include 5 words, to include all of the words, to write a poem, to create a haiku, a spooky Halloween headline, a Halloween song...

Click the image to download a FREE copy from my TPT Store! Be sure to check out my other Halloween and Fall themed resources HERE.

Be sure to hop over to the other blogs below for more tricks and treats!

Happy Halloween!

An InLinkz Link-up

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New Year, New Goals, New Teaching Activity!

Looking for something to start off the new year with your students?  Here's an easy and fun activity to do with students from 4th-10th grade!

I use these graphic organizers as a way to get students thinking about their goals for the new year!  I've included two organizers in the download - one with 10 questions for the new year and another one that is blank.  Use the blank one to reflect back on the Top 10 events of 2014, the Top 10 books they read... lots of ideas to get students reflecting on their past or thinking forward to their future.  Click the image to grab a FREE copy from my TpT Store.

I like to do the activity too and share my goals and dreams with the class - it helps them to connect with me and see me as a real person.  These make a nice bulletin board or classroom display - students love to read and share their goals with each other.

Happy New Year!

~ Addie ~

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Winter Writing Prompt

I love to help students develop their creative writing skills as it's something I used to enjoy so much as as a student.  So many of my students over the years have told me the most difficult part of writing is often coming up with a "Good Idea".  So to help my students I try to develop unique and engaging writing prompts to help them get over the hurdle of "writer's block". 

I often find inspiration for writing prompts in artwork that I see, I guess it's the visual learner in me... so when I started seeing so many wonderful examples of Subway Art I thought I could turn it into a writing prompt.  Here's a fun example for you to use with your students over the next few winter months.  Click the image below to grab a copy from my TpT Store.

A fun way to use this is your classroom is to display it on a document camera / projector so that students can see the different colors.  Full download includes color version, black/white version and two sheets of winter themed writing paper.

Challenge your students to: 

- use a word to start a paragraph

- write a haiku using just dark blue words as inspiration

- use three words in the first paragraph of a story

- write dialogue using the light blue words

- identify the parts of speech

- use a picture and a word from each color in a poem

- make their own Subway Art with a winter theme

- I'm sure there are many more ideas that I would love to hear about in the comments below

If you like this subway art writing prompt, you can check out similar activities at previous blog posts by clicking the links below.

Valentine's Day Subway Art Freebie

Halloween Subway Art Freebie

Enjoy!

Addie

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Halloween Freebie

Halloween is one of my favorite "holidays" of the year!  I love to dress up in a silly costume for school and really enjoy seeing the creativity of the students - some of their ideas are incredible. (Last year, we had 5 students come as different Tetris pieces that all fit together!)

Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year... smack in the middle of the school week!  I know that my students will have the "Halloween Wiggles" so I like to have some activities that I can do with them to help them focus and get back on track!

Here's a fun freebie for you to use as a writing prompt, poetry prompt, art prompt or simply as classroom decor!  You can download it at my TpT store OR by clicking the image below. 

I like to display the poster (or project it with a document camera) and have the students use the words or images as prompts for a story or poem.  Perhaps they have to include the purple words in their first paragraph, or put 2 orange words in their first sentence.... Why not write a haiku using a word from each color?? Or write a poem using the images as a starting point? 

Students could also use the poster as an inspiration to create their own "word art" or "subway art". (You can find lots of other examples of "subway art" online.)

I'm sure you can think of even more ways to use the poster!  Please share your ideas... I'd love to hear more!

The full download includes a copy of the poster in color, a copy in black/white and a sheet of b/w pumpkin writing paper!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Addie 

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Valentine's Day Freebie

Well... love it or hate, Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  Strange things happen in a middle-school on Valentine's Day.... and it seems that at some point in the day I find someone in tears. (Usually a girl... upset with a boy, who has quite likely forgotten or didn't understand that he should have done something to mark the occasion.)  Ah.... young love!!

Here's a Valentine's Day Freebie to start off the Valentine's Day Season.  A fun writing prompt, poetry starter, art project or just as classroom decor!  Click the image below to download a FREE copy!   

The FREE download includes a color version, a black/white version, lesson ideas and Valentine themed writing paper.

Ask students to write a haiku using just the pink words as inspiration, or start their story with a red word, identify the parts of speech for the black words, include a word in each color in their first sentence...  I've even asked students to create their own subway art with Valentine words that are important to them.

Have fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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