Lesson Plans and Activities for Teaching about New Year's!

Upon returning from winter break talking about the New Year is always a great experience.

Here are ideas I use to engage and excite students while meeting curriculum demands.

These cute little kiddos are easy to make and ideal for the perfect bulletin board, hanging on a wall, or clothesline.

Happy New Year

Welcome 20__

I then copy and post the 12 vocabulary cards with my New Year book collection.

They are also cute in your writing center.

The word work is ideal for your literacy center.

I use the word search for their morning eye opener and then later that day divide the students into groups and have them Let's Make Words.  I create a challenge and see which group creates the most words.  Encourage them to work quietly so other groups to not hear their creative creations.  If they need more room they can use the back. Pick a secretary to write.

This is an extra book I leave in my reading center with the recall sheet which focuses on story elements and text to self.

My lesson begins by reading this story to the group.  It is OUTSTANDING,

Before we read the class fills out one thing they know and one thing they wonder about.

After the story and discussion they return to their seats and write one thing they learned on the back.

I then move to independent reading.

This can be done in reading groups or independently.

There are two forms of informational text...a mini book and one page fact sheet.

As they read we highlight key facts.

If doing as a whole group have students volunteer to read and others follow along.

The final part is students reviewing highlighted text and putting that information on the graphic organizer.

Our writing lesson is then related to informative writing.

The second day I focus on resolutions. (This can also be done on the same day)

I love this story Squirrel's New Year Resolution.

After reading as a group we order the parts of the story by writing the sequential numbers on the sentence strips.  Students then cut and paste them in order.

Older students may be able to complete this on their own.

We then write a CLASS resolution.

Our class resolution is ______________________.

We will do this because ______________________.

Students then return to their desks and I choose one of these three activities for students to write their own resolutions.

Their are boys pictures as well to choose from for the writing pages.

Find it here.