Hi Reader,

I don't know about you, but the week after winter break is always such an awkward time. I want to hit the ground running, but I don't want to overwhelm the kids with new idea after new idea. Because of this, I have found that easing into content and curriculum with high-skill, standards-based activities, but still having a bit of fun is the way to go. Here are three tried and true weeklong activities that I do year after year that pay off big time for my students.

Winter and Hot Chocolate...the perfect pairing! What do kids love more than sipping hot chocolate on a cold winter's day? Nothing! So I have taken that love and turned it into a set of reading, writing, math, and science activities that the kids beg for! From experimenting with hot chocolate temperatures to conducting data surveys on favorite toppings, these ready-made lessons always get the kids back into the swing of things. All while having a little fun too! Get Full Resource Here

New Year Writing: Wish Poet-Tree This cool POET-TREE is a creative poetry and craft project that sparks student reflection and writing skills. I use this to ease back into writing in a fun, yet rigorous way. The students learn about haiku, lune, and tankas. They then use the poetry forms to help the students set goals, make resolutions, and think into the new year. This makes a stunning bulletin board when done that can last the entire winter! New Year Writing Lessons Here!

Writing Boot Camp Anyone? Get your students back into the swing of writing with the POTW Boot Camp! It is the perfect way to remind them what makes a great paragraph and hit the ground running. January is such a good time to start fresh and set the standard for what you want writing to look like, and POTW Boot Camp is the way to go. I use this every year and it just works wonders. Grab the BOOT CAMP here

💡 STATE TESTING FREEBIE FOR YOU: Coming back from break is a great time to work on lessons designed to get the kids more familiar with the prompts in the style of the state tests. I find that teaching them all about dissecting prompts, reading sources, and including that source information in their own writing as we get back from break really helps to lay the groundwork for when they have to do it on their own in a few month. It is long process but is SO worth it! I put some extended writing passages together for narrative writing (in the style of POTW) that I am using in my classroom. Here are a few of them for you in this EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER FREEBIE Hopefully they will help you to get your students started with writing prompts.

Here's to a great week ahead for you and your students! Happy Teaching!

Stephanie