•  the Weekly | 12.7 & 14

     

  • For Your Hands: Activities for Students the Week Before Break

    1. Secret Santa of Kind Words: Spread some holiday kindness in your classes and throughout your school by holding a Secret Santa of Kind Words.  Have students draw names and make cards for their classmates or school staff. They can deliver them or share them right before break. The smiles are priceless as students or staff read the words of kindness on their cards.
    2. Holiday Topics Discussion & Public Speaking Practice: Get your students moving by hanging up four signs that indicate the following: strongly agree, agree, strongly disagree, disagree. Present your topics (the list here is simply to serve as an example) and let the discussion begin! Students should be prepared to share their reasons for their opinion selection, so they should choose their decision wisely.
      Discussion topic #1: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?
      Discussion topic #2: A real Christmas tree or an artificial tree?
      Discussion topic #3: Is re-gifting okay?
      Discussion topic #4: The angel or the star as the treetop?
      Discussion topic #5: Which is better, giving or getting? Why?
    3. 'Christmas Vacation' Newspaper Article Writing: Get ready because Cousin Eddie is on his way! Are your Christmas vacations Griswold-worthy? Have your students share their memories about their winter holiday vacations, while at the same time, learning the proper format of a newspaper article. An actual 'vacation’; however, is not required for this activity. Students can write about a past vacation or make up details about a vacation that could possibly occur over their winter holiday break.
    4. Positive "Presents": Prepare for this self-esteem-boosting activity by typing all the students' names on a sheet of paper. Include two lines next to each name. Give students a day to come up with a positive comment about each person on the list. Then collect the papers and type up one page for each student, listing all the positive things their peers said about them.
    5. Wonder Day / Week: This is a fun, easy way to get students engaged in non-fiction reading. Use it as a high-interest way to help students learn the research process. Students begin with the sentence stem, “I’m wondering why/what would/how/if __________” and from there they ask tons of questions. This ultimately leads to research and finally a place where they share what they learned. This idea comes from John Spencer. are more great ideas & resources from him on this topic. 

     

  • For Your Heart: American Hero (Jeremy Anderson)

  • For Your Head: 7 Teacher Tips for Surviving the Week Before Holiday Break
    From Angela Waterson: 

    1. Don't build anticipation: Provide access (physical and virtual) to any special event dates & times, or schedule changes for students but avoid talking at length about them, if possible; prior to a special activity, explain to the students what's happening in a calm voice and that afterwards you'll be returning to your regular work or routine.
    2. Resist the urge to ease up on your behavioral expectations: Easing up or becoming lackadaisical about expectations will definitely backfire & contribute to an environment of chaos that tends to creep into our classrooms as holiday breaks approach, and getting back on track will likely be doubly difficult.
    3. Review your procedures and expectations: There's a good chance it has been some time since you've felt the need to go back over your classroom expectations, but doing so now will likely not only benefit you in the next few days, but also in January when you return from break. You could make a little competition out of it or incorporate it into a discussion about how well the procedures have worked this semester and the purpose they serve.
    4. Integrate high-interest projects and group work into your regular routines: This is a great time to let students practice applying what they've learned, publish & share work, and complete group projects, allowing for greater interaction, higher noise levels, and more activity - they're still focused on work, but the shift is enough to help quell some of the squirrelyness.
    5. Don't feel pressure to do the elaborate holiday stuff that other teachers do: This isn't typically as much of an issue in the high school setting as it is in the K-8 environment, but if you still want to incorporate some festive spirit in your class or classroom, keep it simple - for your sake and your students'.
    6. Keep the last day before break low-key: Try to avoid planning elaborate activities or experiences for your last day of the semester. Give meaningful work assignments that the kids will enjoy but that aren't stressful for you or for them.
    7. Get prepared for January before you leave: Give yourself a head start on the new year so that when you walk into your classroom after break, you're ready to start fresh - take down first semester materials, change the calendar, set up your lessons and activities for the first few days of second semester, and tie up other loose ends. You'll be glad you did when January 4 rolls around!

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