April 20, 2020
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Learning at Home with TeacherFileBox

Transitioning from school to home for distance learning can be filled with stress for parents, students, and teachers. How do you start? What resources should you choose? Which subjects should you focus on? For over 30 years, teachers and homeschoolers have used Evan-Moor in their classrooms because their lessons provide clear directions, teaching strategies, and practice pages to give children the best foundation for their studies—and so can you, with TeacherFileBox, Evan-Moor’s digital lesson library. Everything you need is in one place and just a click away.

With over 600 Evan-Moor book titles, TeacherFileBox provides an abundance of learning materials and resources. Listed below are curriculum recommendations to quickly and easily get your at-home learning curriculum up and running.Just use the “Browse by Title” feature to find each suggested titles in TeacherFileBox.

Homeschool Curriculum Guides – Start Here for a Full Curriculum to Teach Your Child at Home

Visit the Homeschool Curriculum Guides Section of TeacherFileBox for suggested books to use and short videos on many of the resources available by subject area.

These curriculum guides were created by an experienced homeschool parent and have been used by thousands of homeschool families to teach children at home.

Curriculum areas include:

REVIEW of Skills – Recommended Resources

Evan-Moor Daily Practice titles work great if you are looking for short review activities to help your child practice and remember what he or she has learned throughout the school year. The Evan-Moor Daily Practice series provide 10- to 15-minute lessons to help students practice skills to retain their learning throughout the school year. Lessons get progressively more difficult throughout the year to reflect what students are learning in the classroom.

There are 15 Daily Practice series available to you in TeacherFileBox. These three titles are great ones to start with to review fundamental skills in reading, math, and grammar and punctuation:

Daily Reading Comprehension (Grades 1–8)
Daily Math Practice (Grades 1–6)
Daily Language Review (Grades 1–8)

You can find additional subject areas under these titles: Daily Word Problems, Daily Science, Daily Geography Practice, Daily 6-Trait Writing, A Word a Day, Daily Academic Vocabulary, and Building Spelling Skills.

FUNDAMENTALS – Recommended Resources

If you are trying to build your own curriculum at home, it is best to start off with just a few subject areas and work into expanding them once you are settled into your routine. These resources provide a fundamental foundation for building an at-home learning curriculum. The units include teaching tips, examples, and practice pages to give you a simple and straightforward teaching approach.

Math Fundamentals (Grades 1–6)
Reading Comprehension Fundamentals (Grades 1–6)
Language Fundamentals (Grades 1–6)
Giant Write Every Day: Daily Writing Prompts (Grades 2–6)

COLORFUL ACTIVITIES – Hands-on Projects and Skill Practice

If you prefer colorful activities and hands-on crafts, these activity books are a great place to start. Keep in mind that these will print in color, but they can be printed in black and white or simply viewed on the screen if you don’t want to print in color.

Skill Sharpeners: Science (Grades PreK–6)
Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking (Grades PreK–6)
Skill Sharpeners: Geography (Grades PreK–6)
Never-Bored Activity Books (Ages 4–10)

Hands-on Projects, Arts & Crafts, and Puzzles and Games

Do you have children who love art and hands-on activities? The titles listed below are a great place to start!

How to Teach Art to Children
Crafts for Young Children (PreK-1)
Folded Paper Projects (Grades 1-6)
Folk Art Projects Around the World (Grades 1-6)
How to Make Puppets With Children (Grades 1-6)

If you are a parent trying to put together a learning-at-home curriculum, TeacherFileBox can provide your entire curriculum for as little as $8.33 a month with an annual subscription or $12.99 a month with a month-to-month subscription. Either way, your child will benefit from the fun, educationally sound lessons in TeacherFileBox.

Sign up for a free 30 day trial today!

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

April 15, 2020
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

How to Teach Grammar and Punctuation: Commas

When it comes to language conventions, it’s important to give students a strong foundation as their writing and reading becomes more complex. Memorizing comma rules seems daunting, but paired with helpful examples and practice, it will soon become second nature to students. Giving students a strong foundation in grammar and punctuation allows them to become their own editors, confident in their ability to spot details within their writing.

Below are some resources and tips for teaching students about commas. These resources are from Language Fundamentals (grade 4).

Using Commas with Words in a Series

They are shopping for clothes, shoes, and school supplies.

Begin your lessons with simple sentences and simple comma rules, like series.
Start by giving your students examples of series, so they can easily identify them in a sentence.
Have students practice adding commas to sentences with series in them.
Have students practice writing serial sentences with correct commas!

Using Commas Before Conjunctions in Sentences

Danilo is trying to eat better, and he wants to get more exercise.

Using Commas in a Complex Sentence

Unless Rachel practices her spelling, she will not improve her spelling skills.

This rule is easier to understand after regular conjunctions and compound sentences have been introduced.
If students are struggling to determine where commas go in a sentence, practice reading sentences aloud and exaggerating pauses.
- For example: Jana listens to music when she makes pottery. vs. Jana listens to music when (long pause) she makes pottery. The first one sounds better, so no comma is needed.
The subordinating conjunctions (e.g., when, although, since) act as separators, so if they’re in the middle of the sentence, there’s no need to add anything else. If they’re at the beginning of a sentence, the sentence needs a comma to separate the thoughts.

Using Commas with Quotation Marks

“Let’s go to the pet store,” I said.

If your class has done a book report recently, ask them to pay attention to the author’s use of commas and quotation marks in dialogue. You can also pull an excerpt from the class’s reading, so that the example provided is familiar to them.
Short story projects are a fun and creative technique to help students practice writing dialogue and using commas and quotation marks fluidly.

Using Commas with Proper Nouns

Nicole, look at this brochure about wellness.

Practice exaggerating pauses when reading these sentences aloud so students recognize the need for a comma when using a proper noun in a sentence.
This can also be applied to short story writing, when characters address each other.

Using Commas in Letter Writing

Dear Aunt Lillian,

Holidays are the perfect time to practice grammar and punctuation skills. For example, if Easter is coming up, have students write a letter to the Easter bunny using appropriate commas. At the end of the school year, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are great occasions to practice letter writing. And of course, students can write Christmas letters to Santa!
Start a pen-pal program at your school. Coordinate with another class at your school, schools across the country, schools around world, or even students within your very own classroom. Students can practice their letter writing skills and receive letters in return!
- Partnering with different grade levels benefits students tremendously. Assign each student a “buddy” for the year. (These buddies also work well to promote anti-bullying on campus by making older students conscious of and empathetic toward younger students.) These grade pairings work well:
  - Kindergarten and third grade
  - First grade and fourth grade
  - Second grade and fifth grade

Using Commas in Addresses

Karen Donovan
29 Crocker Lane
Northampton, MA 01060

Pair this lesson with your letter writing activities to complete students’ knowledge of proper letter writing and punctuation!
Students will be able to write and address letters by themselves and can start up a pen-pal friendship.

Using Commas in Dates

September 26, 2020

This lesson will become especially useful in history class; intertwine your two lessons by making note of how commas are used for important dates like the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Often, letters are dated by the author. When teaching letters and addresses, include writing dates to make students’ letter writing more advanced.

All of these lessons are included in Language Fundamentals (grade 4), an activity book that is available for grades 1–6. Each unit explains the concept and provides examples, practice problems, and review questions.

Additional Resources and Activities

Daily Language Review (grades 1–8):

These 10- to 15-minute exercises cover the fundamentals of language, like punctuation, conjunctions, verb tenses, and word meaning. Each activity book covers 36 weeks of everyday learning!

Schoolhouse Grammar Rock

These short and fun videos cover many different grammar topics, such as prepositions, sentence structure, adjectives, interjections, and more. The lyrics are catchy, and I still recall them 10 years after fourth grade!

Whiteboard Relays

Separate your class into two teams. Write a series of sentences on the board that are either missing a comma or have an incorrect placement of one. Have a few students at a time (one student per sentence) race to the board, correct the sentence with a marker, and then hand off the marker to the next in line. The first team to finish all the sentences correctly wins!

Hot and Cold Comma Placement

Write sentences on the board that need commas. With you or a student at the board, have the class call out “colder” or “warmer” and move your marker accordingly until they decide on the placement of the comma(s).

Comma Rules Jeopardy

This is a fun jeopardy-style template to practice comma placement and rules. Play it with your class, asking them to correct the sentence before you reveal the answers.

Laying these basic foundations of grammar and punctuation for your students will benefit them throughout their academic careers and leave them a step ahead as their writing advances.

For more teaching tips check out: How to Teach Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors for Grades 3-6

Be sure to subscribe to our e-newsletter for free lessons and teaching tips!

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

April 14, 2020
by Evan-Moor
1 Comment

Free Grammar, Math, and STEM Activities for Grades 4–8

These free downloadable learning activities are a great way to connect students’ learning at school with learning at home. Below you’ll find activities that span different curriculum subjects for grammar, math, STEM, and more!

Grammar and Punctuation Activities

Daily Language Review: Grade 4
This grade four at-home unit practices key fundamental skills such as recognizing fragments and run-ons, relating words to their synonyms and antonyms, progressive word tenses, and more! The unit incorporates fun games like playing catch, relay races, and Simon says to make learning fun!

Download this free unit from Evan-Moor here.

Daily Language Review: Grade 5
This unit focuses on fundamental skills like punctuation, using context to determine word meaning, correlative conjunctions, and others! Students will play games like battleship, Guess Who?, and dodgeball, all while learning and practicing vital language skills!

Download this Evan-Moor unit for free here!

Daily Language Review: Grade 6
This upper-level unit focuses on word relationships, multiple-meaning words, degrees in formality in grammar, and other key language skills. The unit uses simple but engaging activities that are hands-on in order to keep students interested in their material while at home! Students will partake in fun activities like word relationship crossword puzzles!

Download this unit for free here.

Daily Language Review: Grade 7
For your junior high students, this unit emphasizes words and phrases as misplaced modifiers, the function of clauses, the use of commas, and other punctuation and grammar concepts. The unit incorporates art activities, writing, card games, relay races, and more to provide a fun and engaging learning experience for your seventh grader!

Download this free unit here.

Daily Language Review: Grade 8
This eighth grade language unit provides practice for skills like passive vs. active voice, interpreting figures of speech, ellipses, and other advanced language skills. This unit includes fun and active games and activities to make the lessons fun for students; students will race to identify word meanings as their partner tries to eat a cookie (placed on their forehead) without using their hands!

Download this free Evan-Moor unit here.

Math and Science Activities

Color by Code Math Activity Grade 4
This grade four math activity practices identifying factors in a fun coloring activity! Students will have to identify the shapes that have numbers that are multiples of 7, and then color those shapes, and not the others, to reveal a secret code!

Download this fun math activity for free here.

Earth Science Unit: The Stars Grade 4
This earth science unit for grade 4 includes concept information pages to educate students, as well as investigation pages, which present students with a scientific question to investigate. Students then partake in a project and learn about the scientific method as they make observations, analyze, and ask more questions. The unit also includes reading and comprehension questions.

Download this free Evan-Moor unit here.

Critical Thinking Activity

Critical Thinking: Dragons Grade 4
This fun grade 4 dragon-themed critical thinking activity challenges students in the way they think about questions. The unit poses interesting questions for students to think about and activities to help them expand on their thoughts. The activities ask questions like
“What would people do if dragons were real?” to get students thinking. It also includes short drawing and writing activities.

Download this unit for free here.

Social Studies Activity

Ancient Egypt Activity: Grades 4–6
In this unit, students will read and partake in activities about ancient Egypt and the Great Pyramids. The unit offers a short reading excerpt about the Great Pyramids in Giza, then provides an activity for students to make their own Great Pyramid replica. The unit includes a template cut-out that includes fun facts on the Great Pyramids for the inside of the students’ pyramid.

Download this free unit here.

Mix and match these downloadable activities, along with other fun games and activities to keep children having fun learning at home or at school!

Subscribe to our e-newsletter for more free activities and teaching ideas!

For more free lessons for grades 1-3 check out: Free Language, Math, and STEM Science Activities for Grades 1–3

Check out Evan-Moor’s Learning at Home with Skill Sharpeners Bundles for grades PreK-6! These easy-to-use activity books provide valuable skill practice at home and include a parent guide with teaching tips and fun learning activities!

April 7, 2020
by Evan-Moor
4 Comments

Free Language, Math, and STEM Science Activities for Grades 1–3

These FREE downloadable activities are a great way to connect learning at school to learning at home! Check out these free grammar, reading, math word problems, and STEM projects below.

Hands-on Language Review and Practice

Daily Language Review: Fundamentals Grade 1
This unit is for grade 1 and practices language fundamentals such as conjunctions, pronouns, commas, and more! Students will practice these basic skills with fun hands-on activities like tic-tac-toe, guessing games, and sorting groceries based on food groups!

Download this free activity from Evan-Moor here.

Daily Language Review: Grammar Grade 2
These at-home workbook pages for grade 2 focus on skills like contractions, compound words, and irregular verbs and plurals. Students will partake in activities like writing thank-you notes, practicing proper nouns, practicing irregular plurals using hopscotch, and more!

Download this free Evan-Moor activity here.

Daily Language Review: Word Meaning and Grammar Grade 3
This 3rd grade language review practices parts of speech, literal and nonliteral meanings, multiple-meaning words, abstract nouns, and comparative and superlative adjectives! Students will participate in activities like coloring, charades, Pictionary, and other fun activities to practice these language fundamentals.

Download this activity from Evan-Moor here!

Reading and Phonics Activity

Family Word Bingo Grades 1–3
Using provided templates and cut-outs, your family can play bingo together and practice reading at the same time! This activity is great for grades 1–3, and can be used for younger grades with a little bit of help from Mom, Dad, or siblings! This board practices words with -ee, -y, and -ow endings.

Download this fun, free activity from Evan-Moor here.

Math Activities and Workbook Pages

Math Review Grade 2
This robot-themed math review supplies up to 20 pages of math practice for grade 2! Students will practice counting coins, identifying shapes, adding and subtracting bigger numbers, comparing numbers, and more! Mixed in with these activities are robot-themed word problems!

Download this Evan-Moor review here.

Multiplication: Factor Fun Grade 3
This game is for grade 3 and is a fun two-player game that practices multiplying factors to equal a certain number. Each equation earns points, and the first player to 50 wins! The unit comes with playing card cut-outs and instructions.

Download it for free here!

Multiplication: Color by Code Grades 2–4
This fun game includes coloring numbered patterns, but with a twist! Students only color squares that have a number value that is a multiple of seven! What will the code reveal

Download it for free here.

STEM and Science

STEM Challenge: Natural Homes Grade 1
This STEM unit for grade 1 includes concept pages, instruction, materials list, and a hands-on activity! Students will learn about homes built out of natural resources in native groups, and then will be challenged to build their own home large enough to fit two toys inside! The unit will walk your child through the design, planning, and building process to make sure he or she is successful!

Download it for free from Evan-Moor here.

STEM Challenge: Marble Roller Coaster Grade 1
In this grade 1 STEM unit, students will learn about the physics of roller coasters and how they work, and then get to design their own marble roller coaster! Students will use items like paper towel rolls, construction paper, pool noodles, and more to build their track. The unit guides your child through the scientific process and activity.

Download this from Evan-Moor here.

Spanish/English Science Activity Grades 1–3
This unit comes in both English and Spanish; using clues, students will guess what animal the activity is describing. They will also complete word searches about animals and complete charts about birds, frogs, and butterflies! The unit also comes with science center instructions for more fun activities.

Download it for free here.

For additional free activities and learning at home ideas, check out these articles below.

Free Grammar, Math, and STEM At-Home-Learning Activities for Grades 4–8

Subscribe to our e-newsletter for more free activities and teaching ideas!

April 7, 2020
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Guided Reading Lessons for Teaching Poetry (Grades 1-6)

Teaching poetry is a great way to introduce literary elements and test reading comprehension! Read and Understand Poetry provides all the materials you need to successfully teach poetry to your students! The units included in the book provide background information, vocabulary, elements of poetry, the poem itself, and comprehension activities. Keep reading for a free download of a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poetry unit from the book!

About the Poets
This unit from the book presents a short biography of each of the poets featured in the workbook. Poets like Lewis Carroll, Henry Livingston Jr., William Shakespeare, and Robert Louis Stevenson are all featured within their own units. This unit also includes a cover sheet, so students can create their own poetry anthology! The variety of poets provided in the book give a well-rounded view of different types of poems, like haikus, sonnets, and more!

Read and Understand Poetry grades 1-2

“Ladybug, Ladybug” by John Himmelman
This unit pairs the rhyming poem with poetry element lessons about innovation and personification. The unit encourages students to compare real and imaginary ladybugs, like the poem. Following the poem is comprehension questions about language used, content of the poem, and figurative language so students fully understand the poem!

“July” by Lana Krumwiede
“July” recalls the festivities of the fourth of July using imagery! Students will talk about their own favorite fourth of July memories before reading the poem, and learn about the involved literary devices, like onomatopoeia and internal rhyming. After reading the poem, students will practice comprehension questions and activities.

“Limerick Collection” by Edward Lear
Teach your students about limericks, a different type of poetry, with this unit! Students will learn new vocabulary before they read the poem, and then learn about the limerick form of poetry and its elements, like hyperbole! Students will also get a chance to write their own limerick as part of the unit comprehension!

“The Swing” by Robert Louis Stevenson
This poem is written by famous poet, RLS! Students will learn about rhyme scheme and hyperbole in this unit, and will practice using imagery by describing with great detail the experience of swinging.

“Concrete Poem” by Beverly McLoughland
Concrete poems are another type of new poem for students to learn about! This concrete poem, which describes a child going down a slide, is written in an illustration. Students will learn about concrete poems, diction, and alliteration in this unit, and then will get to practice writing their own concrete shape poems!

Read and Understand Poetry grades 3-4

“A Visit from St. Nicholas”
This unit focuses on the classic Christmas poem, whose authorship has been contested for years. This unit focuses on the use of similes in poetry, and includes comprehension activities like multiple choice, sequencing, and a simile writing activity. The unit also teaches about ballad poetry, this poem being a great example of a ballad!

“The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll
This poem, written by the famous author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is paired with teaching about rhyming verse, dialogue used in poems, and Carroll’s use of nonsensical poetry. The unit provides the background, poem, and comprehension questions and short answer questions.

FREE Download of “Hiawatha’s Childhood” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This narrative poem tells the story of a Native American tribal leader, and also teaches about using contractions to obtain the correct syllables. It also includes lots of vocabulary to help students understand the poem better. The reading comprehension section asks questions about the poem and then asks students to identify what happened in each stanza. Get the free download here!

“My Father’s Eyes” by Sonia Sanchez
This haiku poem features a connection with heritage, and is the center of this unit that teaches about haiku and the use of capitalization in poetry. The haiku also features a fantastic illustration, to aid with understanding the poem, and reading comprehension questions about ancestry.

“Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina Rosettei
This poem about nature’s mysteries teaches students about personification and repetition, two essential literary devices used in poetry. This unit features the short poem, background information, teaching materials, and reading comprehension questions. It also features an activity where students can write their own poem using repetition and personification.

Read and Understand Poetry grades 5-6

“Seeds” by Javaka Steptoe
This metaphorical poem introduces students to new vocabulary and new poetry elements, like metaphors, similes, and enjambment. After, students will answer comprehension questions, practice identifying similes and metaphors, matching idioms with their meaning, and identifying enjambment in the poem.

“Youth, do I adore thee” by William Shakespeare
Challenge students with a classic Shakespeare lyric poem, which introduces new vocabulary words to students and reinforces metaphors and similes. As part of comprehension, students will practice matching antonyms, writing synonyms, and identifying similes and metaphors.

“Haiku Collection” by assorted authors
Introduce the haiku form to your students with this unit! The unit gives students four nature-based haikus to read, paired with activities to help students understand the haiku form and the importance of detail in poetry. Along with reading comprehension questions, students will practice splitting up syllables in lines of poetry.

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Before reading this famous poem, students will read background information about Tennyson’s inspiration for this work. Then they will learn new vocabulary from the poem before reading it. After, students will learn about dactylic meter and practice identifying the meter pattern along with other comprehension questions.

“You Are Old, Father William” by Lewis Carroll
In this unit, students will be introduced to dialogue used in poetry. They’ll learn some unfamiliar vocabulary used in the poem before reading it, and after they’ll learn about dialogue and parody as poetic elements. Paired with reading comprehension questions, students will practice matching synonyms, rhyming words, and identifying elements from the poem.

All of these units and more are featured in Read and Understand, available here on Evan-Moor.com. This workbook is also made for other grade levels, and all feature a similar format that encourages students to not just read poetry, but understand the elements that make a great poem!

April 7, 2020
by Evan-Moor
1 Comment

100 Sample Report Card Comments and 5 Strategies for Simplifying Report Cards

I don’t know any teacher who looks forward to doing report cards. This time always seems to be packed to the max with additional testing days and long to-do lists. Despite this, report cards are an important tool that schools employ to show parents how their child is progressing in school and should be completed with careful consideration.

Report card comments should be personalized for each student and provide meaningful feedback to help parents understand their child’s progress. The most important concept to remember when writing report card comments is to frame each statement in encouraging and positive language.

Here are a few tips to help you provide honest and valuable feedback while being encouraging and professional, including 100 sample report card comments that you can use today.

Download a free PDF of 100 Report Card Comments here!

5 Strategies for Simplifying Report Cards

1. Employ the sandwich feedback technique:

Always begin with a positive comment and end with a positive comment. This approach can help parents receive any negative feedback with the understanding that you “see” their child and are approaching his or her learning with a “growth mindset” and not criticism.

2. Highlight areas of growth

Every student has areas of growth throughout the school year. Find an area he or she has improved on and mention it. It could be in a field of study such as reading comprehension, fluency, math facts, handwriting, asking important questions or a personal attribute such as persevering, helping others, leadership in the classroom, etc.

3. Expand on areas of improvement

Highlight important areas for improvement and provide practical advice/examples of how to work on this at home. Provide simple strategies that parents can implement that will give them a tangible tool to help their child at home. Even if you think the parent won’t or isn’t interested, it is a good idea to provide documented options for your school files.

4. Be transparent

Being honest about students’ progress takes careful consideration. Be tactful in your comments and back up your observations with specific examples. (I recommend taking notes on students’ progress throughout the semester and using this documentation during report card time.) This is also a great time to include helpful strategies/ resources and offer advice on how parents can support their student at home.

5. Proofread

Always proofread your reports before sending them. Report cards reflect you as a teacher and should be treated with the same consideration you show your students in the classroom.

100 Report Card Comments

Participation/Behavior/Attitude

Positive

Takes an active role in discussions.
Consistently cooperates with the teacher and other students.
Listens well and shares ideas frequently.
Works democratically with peers.
Shows self-confidence in…
Works well in groups, planning and carrying out activities.
Follows directions well.
An enthusiastic learner who enjoys school.
Tackles new challenges with a positive attitude.
Has a positive attitude about school.
Consistently makes good choices during the school day.
Shows respect for peers and teachers.
Transitions easily between classroom activities and is not a distraction to others.
Is sensitive to the thoughts and opinions of others.
Is a leader and positive role model for students.
Is enthusiastic about participating.
Takes an active part in discussions about (topic).
Speaks with confidence.
Volunteers often.
Has a great sense of humor and enjoys our class assignments.

Needs Improvement

Has difficulty staying focused and on task. · Needs to actively participate in classroom discussion.
Needs to work on not distracting others during class.
Is learning to be careful, cooperative, and fair.
I would like to see him/her work on…
One area for improvement is…
Eager to participate in class but needs to raise his/her hand.
Is becoming more independent when completing class assignments.
Needs frequent reminders to stay focused throughout the day.
When motivated, does well on class assignments.
Needs to work on following written and oral directions.
Needs to actively participate in classroom discussions.
Frequent absences are affecting (name’s) schoolwork.
Needs to work on treating others with respect.
Needs to work on completing homework assignments on time.
Frequently comes to class unprepared.
Often seems tired at school.
Gets upset easily when (topic).
Although _____________’s growth in social skills and maturity is continuing, it is not consistent.
_______ continues to make nice progress this year concerning his/her attitude in the classroom and on the playground.

Time Management/Work Habits

Positive

Uses class time wisely.
Is a self-motivated student.
Completes work on time.
Is very organized.
Demonstrates problem-solving skills and is persistent.
Has done a great job facing and overcoming big challenges this year.
Is very responsible and turns in work on time.
Is a flexible learner and adapts to changes easily.
Has made improvements in the area of…
Has strengthened his/her skills in…

Needs Improvement

Does not complete assignments on time. Seems unable to finish.
Is encouraged to use time wisely to finish tasks in the time required.
Struggles to stay organized and find appropriate materials (paper/pencil).
Needs to slow down to improve the quality of his/her work.
Is not working to full potential.
Is easily distracted.
Needs to listen and follow directions more carefully.
Needs more opportunities to…
Grades are suffering because of missed assignments.
Would benefit from…

Growth Mindset

Has demonstrated very good progress this year.
Is learning how to be a better listener and takes direction well.
Has worked very hard this year and has made strong gains in the area of ______.
Has shown great improvement with ______.
Is progressing nicely and shows consistent improvement in many areas of schoolwork, including ______.
Is learning to be cooperative when working in groups.
Is developing more positive ways to interact with others.
Is listening to directions more carefully.
Has continued to make steady progress with…
Has shown noticeable improvement in…

General Subject Area Comments

Reading

Has good reading and decoding skills.
Is reading well at level…
Uses reading strategies to increase his/her reading comprehension.
Is reading smoothly and with good expression.
Struggles with reading comprehension.
I would like to see (name) read for 15 minutes each night.
Is choosing books that are too simple for his/her level.
Has difficulty using reading strategies to decode new words.
Needs to learn basic sight words to improve decoding skills.
Needs to build reading vocabulary.

Math

Uses various strategies to solve one- and two-step word problems.
Demonstrates a good understanding of math concepts.
Demonstrates strong problem-solving skills.
Has strengthened his/her critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Has difficulty understanding/solving word problems.
Understands skills and strategies but has a difficult time explaining processes.
Would benefit from memorizing math facts.
Has difficulty solving multi-step problems.
Needs to slow down and check work.
Memorizing basic math facts would be helpful to…

Writing

Is willing to learn new writing skills and quickly applies these skills within his/her writing.
Understands and applies the correct use of punctuation within writing.
Writing is clear and follows grammar and punctuation rules.
Enjoys writing stories and can construct unique and interesting sentences.
Is able to create clear and effective writing that is interesting to read and easy to comprehend.
Has shown great improvement with his/her writing skills and is consistently increasing his or her writing comprehension and techniques.
Has difficulty writing clear and understandable sentences.
Words are often misplaced throughout his/her writing.
Frequently displays grammatical errors within his/her writing.
(Name) needs to slow down and review his/her writing.

Report cards are used to show parents what students have learned, areas they excel in, and areas for improvement. Although report card grades reflect how well a student is performing against a set of standards, I would refrain from any comparisons on report cards. Every student matures and develops at a different rate, and it is important not to focus on how well children compare to their classmates, but rather to highlight how they are excelling in their personal goals/growth.

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Visit www.evan-moor.com for resources to support your classroom!

April 3, 2020
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Boredom Busters and Learning Activities for Home

How do you keep your children engaged during school breaks? With a balance of activity books and hands-on activities, you can keep your kids mentally active and send them back to school ahead of the curve. These educational activity books and outdoor learning activities will provide a healthy learning balance for your children.

Hands-on Activity Ideas

Balance your workbook activities with some outdoor hands-on activities! For a fun science experiment, make a moving glacier and a mini glacier to understand how glaciers move and float in the world. Click here for your free science activities. (From the book Skill Sharpeners: Science grade 2)

Making a Moving Glacier

Across the world, glaciers move extremely slowly, and this experiment will help you understand how! You will need:

Resealable plastic bag
3 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon white glue
2 tablespoons borax
Drop of blue food coloring
Mixing bowl

Directions:

Mix the water and glue in the plastic bag.
Add the borax and close the bag. Knead the mixture until it comes together.
Open the bag and add a drop of food coloring. Mix until it is blue.
Set the bowl upside down. This is a mountain. Empty the mixture on the mountaintop, and watch as it creeps downhill, like a glacier would move.

Making a Mini Glacier

Do glaciers float on water? Follow the steps to this experiment and find out! You will need:

Resealable plastic sandwich bag
Water
Jar with lid
Clear bowl

Directions:

Fill the sandwich bag halfway with water.
Hold the bag so all the water is in the corner. Seal the bag shut.
Place the bag inside the jar. Let the end of the bag hang over the top of the jar.
Screw the lid on the jar, trapping the end of the bag.
Place the jar in the freezer overnight.
The next day, remove the mini iceberg from the bag.
Fill a bowl with water. Place the mini iceberg in the water.
How much of the iceberg is above water? How much is below?

Homemade Lava Lamps

This project is fun and simple and will wow your kids! Making a homemade lava lamp is perfect for boredom prevention. You will need an empty water bottle (for each lava lamp), vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and Alka Seltzer tablets.

Fill the water bottle a little more than halfway with vegetable oil.
Fill the rest with water, leaving space about an inch from the top.
Add 10 drops of food coloring (color of your choice).
Break your Alka Seltzer tablet into four pieces.
Drop them in one at a time, waiting for the first piece to stop bubbling before you drop in the next one (otherwise the mixture will become cloudy).
Watch the magic happen!

Additional Activity Books for Learning at Home

Looking for a workbook that will last the whole summer? The Top Student activity book (available for grades PreK–6) is a jumbo activity book that spans many core subjects, including SEL (social and emotional learning), handwriting, STEM, and mindful moments. With perforated pages, you can choose from hundreds of activities to take on a day out or bring the whole book with you on a road trip.

Mindful moments activities include an audio component within the workbook. Each mindful moment activity includes a QR code for easy listening. These exercises practice relaxation and reflection activities to support social and emotional learning.

Social and emotional learning is an important part of children’s development. These activities are meant to help children recognize social cues and practice empathy, allowing them to play and engage in healthy social behaviors with their peers.

This jumbo book puts an emphasis on phonics, grammar, spelling, reading, and writing. Including a daily learning routine every day or every week, students can retain their learning over the summer, as well as learn and discover new topics that interest them.

Top Student activity books also include STEM and computer science units. The computer science lessons teach children about code, algorithms, and patterns so their screen time becomes more mindful and engaging! The STEM units provide lessons on everyday science concepts and hands-on experiments to help children apply their learning in real-life situations.

Pick and choose from this jumbo activity book to make the most of your children’s summer and make the transition back to school in the fall easier.

Daily Summer Activities is another excellent summer resource; with 10 weeks’ worth of short daily lessons and activities, Daily Summer Activities will help prepare your child for his or her upcoming school year without getting in the way of summer fun! The activity books (available for grades PreK–8) help students practice language arts, math, geography, creative writing, and more! The daily activities will help keep your child’s skills sharp without feeling like summer school!

If your child is particularly interested in a certain subject, try Skill Sharpeners activity books, available for Grades PreK–6. This series is available in different areas of study, such as critical thinking, geography, reading, science, spelling, language, and math. These activity books provide concept reading, real-life examples, and activities to reinforce the student’s new knowledge!

This unit from Skill Sharpeners: Geography grade 3 teaches students about physical systems such as super volcanoes! Using Yellowstone National Park as an example, students will learn about super volcanoes and hot springs, practice using new vocabulary, and make their very own erupting volcano!

Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking has students read a selection about animals, plants, and places in the world and then connects what they read to what they already know. Guided by the workbook, students will engage in critical thinking activities such as analyzing, application, and evaluation. Each unit also provides a hands-on or art activity to pair with the reading.

Find your students’ favorite subject in their grade level on the Evan-Moor website:

Combined with the Top Student activity book and these fun outdoor activities and workbooks, your children will never get tired of learning! Keeping your children engaged and learning at home will leave them a step ahead come fall.

March 17, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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35 Spring Writing Prompts and Story Starters

Freshen up your writing activities with some fun spring writing prompts, such as story starters, letters to Mother Nature, and free writing prompts. This time of year makes everyone antsy as summer gets closer, but there’s still plenty of school left, and plenty of time to include writing in your lesson plans!

Spring Writing Prompts

Pretend you’re a bee flying over a flower field. Describe the feeling of springtime and why it is so important to bees.
Write a poem about spring.
Dear Mother Nature: Write a letter thanking Mother Nature for spring and describe your favorite things about the season.
Write a persuasive letter to your teacher about having class outside more.
Plan a springtime picnic. Plan out the place, time, food, and games! Make a list of what you’ll need.
Imagine you find a large Easter egg at the park. Where did it come from? Who does it belong to? What’s inside of it?
Pretend you are one of the Easter Bunny’s helpers. What do you have to do to prepare for Easter? Do you deliver eggs?
Invent a new ice cream flavor.
Write about April showers. What do you like about the rain? What don’t you like?
It’s the Great Egg Hunt—kids from all different schools gather for this event once a year. The countdown starts: 3…2…1…GO!
Pretend you have to create a bouquet, but it can’t be made out of flowers. What do you make it out of? Who is it for?
Write about your favorite flower.

Story Starters

I planted a little seedling yesterday. When I looked out the window this morning, I saw…
Find a beautiful or interesting tree. Write a description of the tree so someone else can imagine what it looks like.
We played the funniest April Fools’ trick on my parents…
If you could change anything about our world to save the Earth, what would it be?
I woke up on Easter morning to discover I had been turned into…
I knew there were leprechauns in Ireland, but I never expected to see one in…
My dad always gardens in the spring. This year he planted some unusual plants…
I caught a leprechaun! Now what?
This time I decided to follow the rainbow, and I found the treasure…
Pretend you’re a baby bird about to take your first flight! Describe the experience.

It’s important to keep students writing; even short writing activities each day can greatly improve their writing fluency! Keep prompts open-ended so students can use their imagination and engage in the activities. Encourage freewriting where students don’t have to worry about self-editing or spelling as they go, but instead just develop their narrative and persuasive writing fluency.

Check out Write Every Day: April and Write Every Day: March units from the Giant Write Every Day activity book. These units come with 25 quick-write prompts, reproducibles, and 15 story starters to provide your classroom with enough material to keep students busy during those rainy days. Giant Write Every Day provides writing lessons and creative prompts for each month of the year.

March 16, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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If Your School Is Closed: Ideas to Continue Students’ Learning at Home

With schools closed for distance learning or only partially open, Evan-Moor Educational Publishers has solutions to provide children with quality practice and review of grade-level skills, as well as sanity-saving ideas for parents!

School closures can be a challenge for parents and students alike. Keep reading below for fun ideas to keep kids engaged at home, free downloadable activities, and suggested resources for learning at home.

Hands-on Math Activities for Learning at Home

Free Download: Hands-on activities help to keep children engaged and learning at home. These Home–School Connection Activity Pages are from Evan-Moor’s Daily Math Practice series. Each grade level includes five activities that students can do at home with their parents to apply math skills.

*Teachers and parents: these pages are not for re-sell but may be shared with a single classroom (printed or shared via a school’s secure network).

Grade 1 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages	Grade 2 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages	Grade 3 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages
Grade 4 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages	Grade 5 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages	Grade 6 Math Home–School Connection Activity Pages

Art Projects Using Items from Around the House

Art projects using items you actually have around the house: includes simple paper crafts and a template for making paper tube zoo animals out of toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls.

Pop Art Posters – How to Teach Pop Art: includes a free download with steps for making pop art from Evan-Moor’s How to Teach Art to Children book.

Reading, Book Report Projects, and Vocabulary Journals

Reading during a school closure is ideal for keeping students in the learning mindset. Students can stay engaged in their reading by keeping a vocabulary journal and completing creative book reports at home.

Ask students to keep a Vocabulary Journal. This can be on lined paper stapled together, in a notebook, or in a composition book. Provide guidelines for students, such as:
- Introduce a word: Write it.
- Define the word: Give the definition.
- Discuss the word: Is it an adjective, verb, or noun?
- Apply it: Use the word in a sentence or draw a picture.
Provide students a Book Report Project(s) based on a novel or story of their choice. Here are a few ideas for creative book reports:

Book Report Project Ideas: includes downloadable book report forms for a character trading card project, a book mobile, and a pop-up book.

How to Make Books with Kids: includes a free download for The BFG book report.

Greek Myths and Percy Jackson Lessons and Activities: includes ideas for making a cereal box book report on Percy Jackson.

Recommended Daily Practice Activities That Connect School and Home

Evan-Moor’s Daily Practice series provide short, daily learning activities that are already formatted to use Monday through Friday. Each Daily Practice resource reviews skills that children are expected to know for each grade level.

For review, students can begin with Week 1, or a teacher can direct students which weeks to complete. (Daily Practice resources are paced for 36 weeks.) Each week will progress in difficulty, mixing in the appropriate grade-level skills and concepts.

Here are suggested resources for each grade level. Purchasing the e-book version gives a teacher a license for single classroom use, meaning teachers can print pages for a packet or share the pages on a secure network with students.

Grade 1
Daily Phonics
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 2
Daily Phonics
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 3
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 4
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 5
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 6
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Math Practice
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 7
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Grade 8
Daily 6-Trait Writing
Daily Language Review
Daily Reading Comprehension

Other recommendations:

Daily Science e-book – provides inquiry-based daily activities that get students thinking about the world around them. Each daily activity is tied a “big idea” question and science standard.

Another resource for learning at home

TeacherFileBox.com is Evan-Moor’s online library, with lessons and activities from over 600 Evan-Moor books. Teachers or parents can subscribe for a low monthly rate, which includes a 30-day free trial. It’s a treasure of learning activities that includes hands-on activities, skill practice, science experiments, art projects, and much more!

Additional Ideas to Help Parents and Children Cope

Going Stir Crazy? 5 Fun Ideas to do with Your Kids at Home

Let’s face it: we all need some inspiration to avoid going stir crazy with children at home over an extended period. Share this article for simple and fun activities to do at home – perfect for unexpected school closures, spring breaks, and summertime, too.

5 Social and Emotional Strategies to Help Your Child Cope with Stress

Are your students or children stressed by recent events? Read this article for tips.

Please leave a comment if you have other ideas to share with our readers, or follow Evan-Moor on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more ideas and free resources.

Theresa Wooler has more than 10 years’ experience in K–6 classrooms as a parent volunteer and homeschool educator, has taught high school English, and is currently involved in education through Evan-Moor’s marketing communications team.

March 16, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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5 Social and Emotional Strategies to Help Your Child Cope with Stress

Help children learn important skills for coping with anxiety, stress with these social and emotional learning strategies. These activities are a great way to help children cope with new situations, experiences and friendships.

1. Put aside time in the morning to start your day with positive statements. Model for your child how to identify everyday things to be grateful for. Focusing on the positive can help you and your child alleviate stress.

Name what you are grateful for.
We are so lucky to have…
How can we help someone today?

2. Incorporate breathing and movement into your day. Mindfulness exercises such as deep breathing and movement such as yoga can help you and your child feel centered and calm. Download this free mindfulness exercise here. Find a quiet place to do this. Model how to breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth, infusing your body with oxygen. Make this a special time that is dedicated to self-care and mindfulness.

3. Create a safe space for your family to share their feelings about a situation that may cause concern or anxiety. Go to a comfortable space such as the living room sofa, a child’s bedroom, or a cozy nook in your house. Open the conversation by sharing your own feelings. “I know this seems scary, but I’m so glad that we can talk about it in a safe place.” If your child does not know how to or cannot easily express his or her feelings, provide sentence frames for family members to finish.

I feel worried because _______________________.

I don’t know what will happen when/if _______________________.

I feel safe here because _________________________.

I like when we _________________________________.

4. Encourage your child to write about his or her feelings. Journaling can help children express their feelings. Providing time to reflect and write about how they feel may reduce their anxiety. It can also give them an opportunity to self-soothe and recognize that they can let go of some of their fears.

5. Calming activities such as coloring, painting, or knitting can help manage stress. Having a quiet space to color or paint soothes the soul. Our busy minds slow down and focus on the creative task at hand. Knitting can also have a soothing effect and produce a feeling of satisfaction in what has been accomplished.

Additional Resources:

Heart and Mind Activities for Today’s Kids is also a great activity book to help children learn important coping skills and relationship strategies. Each book includes 100 fun activities to support children’s well-being and help them learn to manage emotions, reduce anxiety, and navigate social situations.

Lisa Vitarisi Mathews is Evan-Moor’s executive editor. She has over 20 years’ experience in PreK–8 education, and has worked closely with teachers across the United States through Evan-Moor product training and workshops.