Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Lucky 13! Starting the new year out with great ideas.

How are you planning to transition your students back into the classroom? Are you concerned they will be lethargic and sad after the holidays are over?

I can't wait to see those 27 cute faces next Monday and give each of my kids a big hug! I'm planning on an action-packed week of learning, complete with a brand-new novel study.

On Monday morning, I am going to start class with some friendship building and character education. We will have a morning meeting where students will greet one another and ask about their holiday breaks. We will review our New Year's Resolutions we wrote prior to winter break as part of our Steppin' Into the New Year writing.

We are also beginning our new novel study. Since we live in California, we study the history of our great state! The book is By the Great Horn Spoon, a hilarious adventure story about the gold rush in the 1800s. There are many awesome projects we'll be implementing with this book, so I can't wait to preview the vocabulary and a map of the journey with my students on Monday. 

How are you planning on starting your day?

After lunch, I'll begin my character education lesson, Pay It Forward, a lesson in kindness. This is a 2 or 3 day project that can easily start a movement of compassion in your classroom! I can't wait to see where my kids go with it.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pay-It-Forward-A-Character-Education-Lesson



After starting our kindness lesson, my students are going to brainstorm a new narrative. We have already written 3 narratives this year, but not in over five weeks. We will review story elements such as plot, character development, setting, conflict, and resolution. I am hoping each of my students has a great story to share after two weeks off of school! I will model a narrative first, about my "Polar Bear Plunge" in the ocean on New Year's Day. I can include lots of great sensory details about the excitement and thrill of the moment, coupled with the freezing cold ocean temperature as my body became submerged! 

Later in the week, I plan to begin another one of the lessons from my Valentine's Day bundle. There are 8 lessons total, so I'd like to do one or two lessons in the weeks leading up to this holiday! I know my students love any reason to celebrate, so they will be excited for these lessons plans. You can find my bundle for $3.95 at:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Writing-Language-Arts-Lesson-Bundle


Note: I used scrappindoodles for the adorable clipart in my lesson plans! They have an amazing selection at www.scrappindoodles.com

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