Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!


SHARON’S BLOG

Happy Mother’s Day to you. You are so special and are doing such important work!

To honor you, I’m making available to you a free lesson from our grammar eBook Let’s Eat Fifi. There are 23 lessons in the eBook, and this is lesson 3; it’s on commas and compound sentences. The lesson includes a colorful infographic and ANSWERS. You can download it here. For free!

In addition to the free download, I’ve included four mother-related writing prompts for your students. These are appropriate for grades 5 – 12.

True story: The lily at the top of this page is from my daughter. She gave it to me for Mother’s Day about 11 years ago, and it blooms every August. In fact, it’s now an annual tradition to take my granddaughters’ pictures next to it. 

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3 Types of Poems for Poetry Month

3 Types of Poems for Poetry Month


SHARON’S BLOG

Would you like to give your students some practice in writing poetry?

With these guided prompts, your students do not have to “sit down and write a poem” but will surprise you by creating something fun and maybe even memorable. Here goes . . . (more…)

Signs of Spring

Signs of Spring


MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS

People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby (former Major League baseball player)

A sure sign of spring is baseball.

No, sure signs of spring are crocuses and violets popping up. And don’t forget spring peepers and sighting the first robin.

Or how about that first (more…)

Brrr! Writing Prompts for Winter

Brrr! Writing Prompts for Winter


SHARON’S BLOG
Snow-softened landscape. Frozen lakes. Sledding. Hot chocolate.

Blizzards. Ice-slick streets. Cancellations.

Winter—it’s all in there. Here are a few prompts about winter that your students will enjoy, giving them a chance to write their opinions, a short story, a TV script, and more.

Just right for your 5th – 12th graders.

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Motif: Don’t Say Goodbye to Winter Yet

Motif: Don’t Say Goodbye to Winter Yet


HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Let’s celebrate one of literature’s coldest motifs: ice queens.

What is a motif?

A motif (mow TEEF) is like a symbol on steroids. It not only appears in one story but in many stories through the ages and often in stories from many countries.

A deep, dark woods is a good example of a motif. The blackened forest can be symbolic of confusion or a time of testing. What stories can you think of that include a patch of dark woods? (I’ve listed a few at the end of this prompt, but try your hand at listing some before you read mine.)

A motif can be an item (like dark woods or a magic ring), a recurring event (like being sent on a quest or conducting a contest to find a spouse), or a (more…)