Getting Back on Track After Holiday Break

Hi Everyone!  It's Lyndsey from Lit with Lyns!  Getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break can definitely be a challenge.  I keep counting down the days I have left and can't help but feel a little sad.  The thought of having to send my own kids back to school, wake up to an alarm at the crack of dawn, commute to work in Atlanta traffic...I'm beginning to cringe just thinking about it.

In trying to keep it positive, I decided the best way to deal with the inevitable is to plan activities that I know my students (and myself) will enjoy.  First, I created a New Year's Student Reflection- Video Journal Responses &  Infographic.  This product includes video journal responses where students watch a short video related to the response topic, and then students write a response.  Using the information they include in the journal responses, students will complete a New Year’s Infographic.

Included are:
• 6 video journal responses that address various areas included in the infographic (goal setting, SMART Goals, resolutions, making positive changes, symbolism, etc.).
• 2 page infographic

Another product I use is a New Year's Character Reflection & Infographic.  This activity is a great
way to analyze a character, while also putting the New Year's spin on it.

The activities in this product will require students to:
• Develop a New Year’s resolution for the character
• Determine character’s most cherished memories
• Establish the character’s favorite “things”
• Symbolization- 5 symbols that represent the character
• Goals for the New Year

Similar to the topics discussed in the Infographic are these New Year's Character Reflection Task Cards!  This Common Core aligned product includes 20 task cards that require students to think critically about the character(s) being addressed, as well as to support their answers with evidence.  Approximately half of the cards require students to reflect on the character’s
past year or the year to come; however, the tasks do not have to be used as a New Year’s activity. The other half focuses more on characterization, in general (types of conflict the character has been involved in, internal and external traits, etc.). Therefore, these task cards can be used at any point throughout the year with ANY novel or short story.  Want to try out a free sample of this product?  Download this FREEBIE here!

I'd love to here what you're planning for your students when you return to school.  It would be great to have a variety of activities on hand to be ready to go!

New Year's Activities

We can't believe it's already the new year! Some of the ladies from the Middle School Mob have gotten together to share not only their great New Year's activities for the middle school classroom, but also to share a great GIVEAWAY.

Make sure to stop by the blogs below to read through our ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up

And enter to win this great giveaway using the rafflecopter below! In addition to our linky, we're giving away 12 of our best-selling resources. We've even included some products that are perfect for bringing in the New Year with your students! Make sure to enter using the Rafflecopter below.

Lit with Lyns - Argumentative Writing Process & Task Cards
EB Academic Camps - New Year's Unit & Activities for Middle School
Caffeine and Lesson Plans - PROBE Notebook: A Creative Yearlong ELA Research Project
Just Add Students - Poetry Analysis - "A Day" by Emily Dickinson
Raising Rigor and Readers - Winter Reading and Writing Activities
Anchored in Reading - ELA Text Dependent Analysis Questions - Author's Craft Task Cards
Teach Inspire Change - Student Behavior & Parent Communications Binder
Mrs. Spangler in the Middle - The Giver Reading Comprehension Games - Four in All!
Tori Gorosave: A Middle School English Teacher's Journey - Expository Close Reading: The History of New Year's
Edison Education - Multiplying and Dividing Integers
Koch's Odds 'N Ends - Student Worksheet for Self-Review / Analysis of Test Results
The Marvelous Middle - Looking Back Looking Forward New Year's Activity

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Year New You!

I bet I can predict what you are doing right now:

• You are in your pajamas.
• You are on your couch. 
• You are watching Netflix. 
• You are relaxing. (Maybe working :) Let's be real--what teachers can really take a break?)

  As teachers, we deserve our winter break. We work extra hours at night and on the weekends and do everything for our students. Also, we survived the craziness before winter break. How many of you were feeling like this?

BECAUSE I WAS!!!

We should all use winter break as a time to relax, but also a time to reflect. We want to have a new year and make a new you! This is an amazing opportunity to start over or to think about how you want to change. 

 

Maybe you want to set a new goal? 

Maybe you want to add more engagement to your room? 

Maybe you want to not take work home? (Wouldn't that be amazing?)

Whatever you choose to do--use this opportunity to start over and start fresh with a new year and a new YOU. You are an incredible teacher and educator--KEEP GOING! Happy NEW YEAR!

Five Fun New Year's Activities

Hey everyone! It's Caitlin & Jessica here from EB Academic Camps. We spent some time perusing the TpT world to find you some of the best New Year's Activities (in our opinion). The best part, almost all of them are FREEBIES! Enjoy!

New Year's Resolution and Goals Mobile (which I used with my class last year and made for such cute decorations!)

2016 Watch, Think, Color Games (this is actually incredibly cute and looks awesome for math practice!)

New Year Writing & Goals Activities (you know anything from Tracee Orman is fabulous)

New Year's Resolution / Goals from Addie Williams (we just love Addie and everything she creates is definitely quality)

New Year's Activity for Middle School (this is our product and obviously we think it's great - freebie, too!)

What are some activities that you do with your middle school students to kick off the New Year? Share in the comments below!

Why You Should Never Yell at Your Students

There are very few things that I believe in more adamantly than I do as not yelling at your students. This is NEVER a good idea. These are my top 3 reasons why. And they're legitimate ones you should take into consideration, so keep on reading.

1. It doesn't help anyone. Not you. Not your students. Not anyone. Think about how well you react when someone yells at you. Do you really want to do anything to please them? NO. If anything, you want to do the opposite because they just berated and yelled at you. And as a teacher, your heart rate increases, you're incredibly upset, you've lost your cool. Yelling is really one of the worst things you could do to improve student behavior.

2. It doesn't show your students respect. Think about what it's like to receive respect from your principal (or boss). They trust that you're doing an excellent job in the classroom, they treat you with kindness and the kind of respect you deserve. And how do you respond to that? Positively, right? And if you've made a mistake, what is more likely to help you improve? Being brought into your principal's office and being yelled at? Or being brought into your principal's office where they calmly and kindly discuss with you the areas where you could use some improvement? If you don't prefer the latter, well then ... We should be showing our students the same respect that we expect from our principals. They're more likely to respect us in return. And as a result, they're more likely to behave better in our classrooms! Respecting our students is a win-win situation.

3. It doesn't portray you as a role model. As teachers, one of the most important things we can be for our students is a role model. If we stand in front of them yelling at them, showing them that we are completely out of control of our class, then we are not portraying ourselves as role models. We should always show ourselves to be some of the most upstanding citizens, who treat everyone with kindness and respect, and who are always in control of our emotions. If we are out of control and yelling, what are we teaching them? We're teaching our students that yelling is meant to get them what they want. When looking at interpersonal relationships, yelling is the furthest thing from helpful.

As a teacher, I remember yelling ONCE at a student. His name was Anthony, and I felt terrible about it. He had been pushing my buttons all day, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I yelled at him in front of the entire class and immediately regretted it. I'm sure we've all been there. 

But what I did after yelling at Anthony was probably the best lesson I could have taught my students that year. I apologized to him in front of the entire class. I said something to the effect of, "Wow. Anthony, I am so sorry for yelling at you just now. I lost my cool and should have never treated you like that. I hope you'll forgive me." And you know what Anthony said? He said, "I forgive you, Miss. Thank you." Talk about a profound experience not just for myself, but for my students as well.

If you tend to yell at your students, I hope you'll reconsider. And know that we've all been there. But with the New Year approaching, now is the time for change! Make it your resolution to not yell at your students for the rest of the semester. And sometimes, if I feel like I'm going to lose it, I'll step out into the hallway and take a moment to breathe, remind myself that this is just a moment, and allow myself some time to calm down.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2016!

Regaining Momentum

Hey, everyone! Mandy from Caffeine and Lesson Plans here to share some thoughts on regaining momentum after the holiday break.

It’s finally here…. Winter break! After a month of building suspense, the holiday has come and gone. As I relax and recharge, I’m already starting to look toward January. It’s business time when we get back. We have curriculum to learn, routines to reinforce, and state tests to prepare for. Crunch time is upon us! So, after a wonderful winter break, how do you regain momentum? I’ve got a few easy to implement ideas for you.

#1- Fresh Supplies

Ok, admittedly this one sounds silly but seriously- it works. After vacation I refresh my supplies. New pencils to replace the chewed up eraserless ones, fresh crayons and colored pencils with sharp tips, and new expo markers that make thick, dark lines. There is something about new supplies that just puts kiddos in the mood to learn. Heck, it even works on me! I work just a bit harder with some new supplies.

#2 – Go back to square one

When my kiddos return from break, I pretend it’s the beginning again. I re-teach the routines, my expectations, and our guidelines. It may not be the most academically productive few days of the year, but it sets us up for success down the road. I make sure that every routine is clear, and every expectation is understood before I move back into the curriculum. This time can’t be wasted, of course, so I teach interventions and enrichment during class time as we practice the routines.

#3- Assess and Set Goals

Coming back from break is the perfect time to do some formative assessment. Anything that has been retained over vacation has definitely been committed to permanent memory. Things that have not been retained as well can be retaught in small groups during intervention time. I am a generalist and teach all subjects so this can easily get overwhelming. So much to grade, and so little time to do it in! I recommend grading in conferences to cut back on out of class grading time. The kiddos get immediate feedback, I spend less time grading at home, and everyone wins! After the assessments are done, the kiddos reflect on their growth and set personal learning goals. I very rarely step in here to adjust their goals. I think that it’s incredibly important to allow kids to be accountable to themselves, and the best way to do that is to let them set the parameters for success. If a student decides that the best way to improve her mathematics performance is to practice her math facts with flash cards, then so be it. If another decides that the best way is to work on her studying skills, then great. The most important thing to me is that the kids are working toward improving themselves.

#4- Reconnect

It’s been a couple weeks since your students have been in front of you. Even before that, it’s been a month or so since they have been on their “A” game. We all know that holiday madness detracts from teaching starting just after Thanksgiving- December is basically a long game of “pin the student to the chair.” When you break it down, it’s been a good 6 weeks since you have really connected with your students. Talk to them! Walk next to them in the halls, chit chat while you wait for the bell to ring, or ask about their new shoes. Remember that relationships make learning happen. They have to know that you care before they care about what you know.

So, there you have it- what I do in my classroom to regain momentum after the holidays. What works for you?

How I Help Relieve My Students' Holiday Break Stress

Holiday Break Stress?

Yes!

So many of our students say they "hate" school but if the truth be told, school is the only place these same kids can count on for stability in their lives.  That's why many of them "act up" right before they break.  They are stressed about what it means to be away from school.

So, to help them, I try to send some school home with them.  

First,  throughout the week preceding the break, I try to point out any free events that I know about so that the students might choose to attend with friends.  I also ask a student or two each day what their plans are for the break.  In this way, I plant seeds of ideas for students who have no plans.  

Then, I write a letter to each student with some kind words that give them suggestions for things to do when they get "bored" (although I don't put it that way in the letter!  :)  )

Get a FREE template by Clicking HERE

Depending on how much "teacher money" I have, I try to purchase the students a book using Scholastic Book clubs that generally have $1 specials at this time of year.  But if I cannot buy the books, I make sure that my students have time to check out a book and even give them some "special paper" to write their stories or poems on.  

I pass out my letters on the last day before the break as my gift with a small candy cane.  

With the discussions that we have had throughout the week, capped off with the letter, it hopefully eases the transition from school to home.

What do you do to calm holiday stress in your classroom?  Join in the conversation in the comments below!