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End-of-Year Reflection: Top Five Classroom Success Stories of 2019

One of the most important things we can do as teachers is reflect, and so that’s why I love this annual blog post. It’s been my new year tradition for the past several years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), and choosing only five memorable teaching moments is always so hard, but here goes: My top five classroom success stories of 2019!

This year in review…

Teaching Gatsby for the first time in forever and writing the unit plan for it. A little bit Disney Frozen on the brain here, but it works. In the past, I had taught The Great Gatsby mainly in parts or just as a movie-viewing experience. So this time around when I was able to teach the novel as a whole to my group of junior honors, I was very excited to unpack everything it has to offer. Most students love the idea of the 1920s and the mystery of Gatsby, so I just played off of that enthusiasm. I started the unit with problem-solving questions and station rotations that introduced the time period and the novel. Once we began reading, I loved having students track the colors, do guided close reading exercises, and analyze the characters. We closed with a “My American Dream” project, and it was really incredible to see what students aspire to become. I was very pleased with the way the unit turned out. Check out my complete unit, my movie-viewing guide, and my escape game here.

Island challenges for Lord of the Flies. I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun teaching The Lord of the Flies was after I decided to create the challenges. I had wanted to do something like this for a while with Flies, but never got up my nerve. Finally, I just dove in and did it. I am SO glad I did. Read more about all the challenges on this post. Get my entire unit plan here.

Vacation Bible School. It seems like VBS makes my greatest hits list every year, and that is fine with me. I enjoy the themes, the decorating, projects, crafts, and energy created by a week of studying the Word with kids. This year’s theme was The Incredible RACE. We traveled all around the world learning about different cultures and God’s love for us. We decorated our hallways like an airport and our classrooms like the inside of an airplane and the country we traveled to each night. What an awesome trip!

First Chapter Fridays. As soon as I saw this idea from my friend Lauralee over at The Language Arts Classroom, I knew I had to work it in somehow. Each Friday, I would start class with one chapter, or a piece of a chapter, from a book that I thought my students would be interested in. I related the books to holidays as well. See all the books I shared over on my Instagram, and I also took it up a notch by including pictures of our weekly destinations because my classroom library theme is “Books are an Adventure.” See the video of me explaining my weekly process here, my classroom library set up here, and get my classroom library materials free here.

Christmas Nativity bible escape games with the younger students. If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know how much I love escape games for the classroom. I create them every chance I get, and my high school students love them. This year, I was working with the PreK-4th grade students on Wednesday nights at church, and we were planning to study Paul’s escape from prison. I was in charge of the activity rotation, so of course, I thought – escape game! Since it was December, it only made perfect sense to do an escape game for the Christmas Nativity story. I ended up creating two games: one for the PreK-K level and one for the 1st-4th grade level. It was completely worth it. I always enjoy it when my high school students are playing, but I can’t even tell you how much fun it was playing the break out games with my “littles.” None of them had ever played one before, but they figured it out quickly and ran with it. Grab these two games here.

I would love to hear about your greatest teaching moments and classroom success stories this year. Share below!

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What Not to Miss When Teaching Fahrenheit 451

There is so much to teach and learn when reading Ray Bradbury’s magnum opus: Fahrenheit 451. I’m compiling this list of not-to-miss points when teaching Fahrenheit 451 after having taught it for years and years, but also with the disclaimer that every time I teach it, I see something new. However, these five aspects of the book surface each time through as the topics that spark the most learning and enjoyment.

1. The Language & Allusions: I suppose this wouldn’t be a proper English-teacher approved blog post, if I didn’t include the beautiful word choice, figurative language, and carefully chosen allusions throughout. One criticism or challenge students might face with this novel is Bradbury’s “overuse” of figurative language; it can often be difficult for readers to wade through. Thus, I provide students with a list of the figurative language from each section, and they identify what type of figurative language that is used. Sometimes students do that alone for a grade or in the form of my beautiful Fahrenheit 451 coloring sheets. Other times, we do it as a game in groups: I set a timer and they identify as many as they can before the timer goes off. (Use a song about fire as a timer for thematic fun!). Even though identifying the types of figurative language is not an “application” level task, it teaches students to notice the language as they read. In turn, that creates reading with a more critical eye and allows them to see patterns, themes, symbols, and more – which is a higher level skill. In this book, that is really important as Bradbury uses the figurative language to illuminate major themes and concepts such as in the way he describes the book pages as feathers early in the novel, which connects to the Phoenix allusion later on, for example. The allusions in the novel also add layers of meaning. Of all the books and mythology mentioned, Bradbury chose each one carefully, I believe. In my Complete Unit Guide for Fahrenheit 451, I provided tools for figurative language and allusions.

2. The Predictions: In the early 1950s when Fahrenheit 451 was published, it was considered a science-fiction novel, and it typically still is considered as such. Bradbury stated in interviews that his primary motivation for writing Fahrenheit 451 was concern for “how television destroys interest in reading literature.” With that fear as the guiding conflict, he traced the implications of too much television on a society… but not just television. I picture him wondering “Where could this talking box take us? and What else could possibly be invented?” What we got was the picture of a dystopian society that is frighteningly all too familiar to us less than 100 years from then. These “predictions” of technological advancements and the state of humanity ultimately serve as warnings to our culture and our students’ generation. That’s not to be missed. In fact, it’s so important to me that I close my unit by having students investigate those predictions (earbuds, robot dogs, smart homes, etc.) to determine if they are really predictions or not. That short research project is included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451. By completing the project students note how the “predictions” really do come true and that they weren’t really all that far-fetched to begin with. We discuss, then, how that allows us to truly connect with the text, and it really does become the mirror that Bradbury intended.

3. The Motif of Fire: I am a fan of tracking while reading novels. Just ask my students — insert eye roll from them here. But now, every time we start a new text, they ask me “What are we tracking this time?” Truthfully, even though they may not enjoy the discipline of the tracking process, they do enjoy seeing how a motif, symbol, or character can be developed throughout the course of the novel. It keeps them tied to the novel in a meaningful way and keeps them alert while reading. I also like that it teaches the practice of annotation and since it’s so specific, it’s perfect for struggling readers. Advanced readers also excel with this type of practice because they begin to see the connections quickly. With Fahrenheit 451, we track the motif of fire, flames, burn, burning, heat, sparks, and the like. It may seem “typical” or “obvious” to track fire, but Bradbury is both implicit and explicit in his use of this motif, and I want my students to pick up what he is putting down. Throughout the course of the novel, students begin to see how the use of fire changes from something destructive in nature to an entity that provides warmth and new beginnings. Through tracking, students will also be able to see how each of the sections in the book end in fire, and in that, they’ll really begin to appreciate the writer’s craft. I also have students note Bradbury’s choice of section titles as part of this exercise. A fire tracker along with prompts about fire are included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451, or just have students grab a sheet of paper and make a list as they read.

4. The Themes of Emptiness and Happiness: A case could certainly be made for many more themes than just emptiness and happiness, but I think these two concepts bookend the novel. As a pre-reading exercise, I have students write in response to a quick journal prompt: The word empty is mentioned forty-three times in the text of the novel. It is safe to say that Bradbury intended this emptiness to be a theme throughout the text. So, how do we get to this place? How do we get so empty? Write about a time when you felt empty. What filled your bucket back up? Students make text-to-self connections right away as well as tuning into this theme right away and what causes this internal conflict in the characters. About half way through the novel, I have students do another prompt on happiness: When Montag first met Clarisse McClellan she asked Montag is he happy. Now that you’ve seen the plot and conflict develop, is it happiness that Montag needs or something else? Explain. (This prompt and others are included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451.) Despite the heavy warnings fused throughout the text, I don’t think Bradbury wanted to write a tragedy; I believe he wanted to show the causes and effects of darkness in order to inspire the light. It was Faber who gave us the recipe for happiness: choose quality books and take time to actually read them.

5. Censorship: I can’t imagine a world where people don’t want books, but I don’t live under a rock, either. As an English teacher, I regularly face resistance to reading from my students, and I see them moving further and further away from choosing to read. Books introduce ideas; they enable to us to travel to new places and meet new people; they give us education; they move us; they make us think; they make us look more closely at ourselves, which is what I think this book does so well. Bradbury’s gift was being able to look at the world around him and wonder… “what if?” and “why?” Ultimately, controlling books through censorship removes a sense of wonder from the world, and if nothing else, I want students to walk away from a unit on Fahrenheit thinking critically and knowing it’s ok – and encouraged – to wonder. After all, “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house.” I love doing my banned book project around Banned Book Week that asks students to research why certain books have been banned throughout history. This project is included in my Complete Literature Guide for teaching Fahrenheit 451.

There’s so much within the pages of this beautiful novel that it was really hard to narrow it down. One important thing to remember, though, when planning a novel unit is to ask yourself “Why?” What really do you want to accomplish with the novel, and go from there. It’s easy to want to include it all, but that is only frustrating for you and your students. While it was Bradbury that said, “Quantity produces quality,” it isn’t necessary to cover all the things with everything you read, it’s just necessary to cover everything with all the things you read. So, read all the things. 🙂

Title Photo by Fred Kearney on Unsplash

Interview with a Veteran Middle School Principal

As a classroom teacher, I often wonder “What is my principal really thinking?” So, I asked one, and I’m pleased she was open to discussion. Connie Dunn is the principal at the middle school in my district. She has been a principal for over ten years, and before that, she was a high school English teacher. I’m really excited to share with you her thoughts, advice, and experiences. I think you’ll enjoy her candor and transparency as well.

Meet veteran middle school principal, Connie Dunn:

1) Describe your journey to administration, including your position now.

My journey began to administration while I was working on my EDS. I had completed my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and did my EDS in Leadership. It was at that time that I was really interested in becoming a principal. During my teaching career, I had always taken leadership roles. When I had completed my degree, I continued to teach, but thought constantly about becoming an administrator. I began applying for positions and became the Assistant Principal at the newly formed middle school in our county. Three years later the current principal was moved to another position, and I became the principal and have been there since. Prior to being an administrator, I taught high school English for 30 years. I taught regular English classes, AP classes, remedial classes, Applied Communication, and mythology. I also taught summer school classes. I will begin my 43rd year in the educational field this August.

2) What does a typical day look like?

I usually arrive early each morning. I like to check the building and be there as teachers arrive. After morning announcements, I like to stroll through the building. From there, there is never a typical day. I may never have to deal with any issues and stay in my office to complete reports, etc. Or, I may never sit down after I arrive because there are people or situations that need attention. A typical day is that I never know what to expect.

3) How do you support teachers?

I support teachers first and foremost by listening to what they say. I want them to know that I am there for them and that I am hearing them. I make it a point each month to recognize teachers with some token of appreciation, from a Sonic drink to a full meal. But, the biggest support I give is to listen and follow through. I begin every school year conducting individual conferences with each teacher. The conversation is centered around, “What is your goal for the year, and how can I help you accomplish that?” It is a question that allows them think about what they want to accomplish and that I will be there every step with them. I also established an active Leadership Team. This team of teachers can bring things to the table that I sometimes miss. I like for the Leadership Team to meet with teachers for input on scheduling, events, etc., and bring their ideas to the table.

4) What are your biggest challenges?

My biggest challenges come from the lack of support from the community or negative comments about the school. Middle school is a difficult age level for students, and the changes taking place for students many times are projected as problems with the school community. We work consistently to support parents and students to change that perception.

5) How is being an admin different from being a teacher?

Being an administrator is different from being a teacher because I work with all stakeholders. I must always know what is occurring in and around the building and classrooms. I must know what it takes to be proactive in not only giving students the best education possible, but also to support teachers as they work with students. Additionally, I must be proactive in providing a safe environment for all. As a teacher I focused on the students in my class and what it took to provide them the best education I could give them. I didn’t have to think about the daily operations of the building.

6) What has been your most successful moment as an administrator?

My most successful moment as an administrator has been watching struggling students succeed with teachers who are caring and have helped them succeed. I have watched new teachers grow into strong leaders in the classroom. At the end of the day, success is measured by the level of those who are learning.

7) How do you conduct, manage, and encourage communication between you and your staff?

I grew up in a small rural community. I went to school in the same system in which I now work. I was able to return to my home and get a job teaching. I taught most of the teachers in the building where I am now the principal. I feel that this is an advantage I have as an administrator. My staff knows I will do what I say, and I listen to what they say. I have an open-door policy to encourage communication. Having a Leadership Team to serve as my liaison also helps keep an open line of communication.

8) What advice would you give to teachers who are selecting resources, curriculum, teaching tools, etc. for their classroom?

Many times, as is the case in my system, the money for resources is not always available. I encourage teachers to use other teachers, to communicate with other systems, to share what they can. The best advice I have for teachers selecting materials for the classroom is to know the standards. If they do, they will be able to select quality resources that strongly, adequately, and effectively support teaching and learning.

9) What do you want to see in classrooms regarding discipline? What works? What doesn’t?

What I seek in classrooms for strong discipline is a teacher who is confident in the content being taught and conducts himself/herself as a leader. Students perceive a teacher who is not confident or not a good leader. Teachers need to show students that you want them to succeed. When students are engaged in learning, discipline will take care of itself. What doesn’t work is trying to be a friend. Being a friend and being friendly are not the same thing. You can earn respect from students if you show you care about their education. Never give “free time.” Even reward time can be a learning experience. My advice is to ask yourself this: “What do you want for these students, and how are you going to help them accomplishments that?”

10) What else would you want teachers to know?

I would like for teachers to know that “Teachers do hold the success for our future in their classrooms.” Challenge those minds. Teach students to think and seek not only answers, but also to ask questions that lead to further thinking.

After the interview, Ms. Dunn said it was a bit difficult answering questions about herself. I get that. Principals and teachers aren’t typically focused on themselves, and we don’t often stop to think about why we do what we do. We chatted about how reflection, though, is such a huge part of growth for the person who is reflecting and those who benefit from the ideas shared out. The veterans in the profession have so much experience and knowledge to share; I encourage you to see those people out in your building and district. Thank you, Ms. Dunn, for being willing to reflect and share this point of view.

Written 8/2019, Cover photo © Julie Faulkner

Interview with a First-Year High School English Teacher

This past semester I had the honor of meeting Megan Ryan, who began her teaching journey in the school where I teach. My first year was a long time ago 😉 — another place and another time. So, when the year came to a close, I really wanted to pick her brain. Learning from each other’s experiences — successes and struggles — is what makes us grow as teachers. For this blog post, I’m breaking my traditional “fast five” format to bring you Ms. Ryan’s responses in her own words; I loved her candor and detail.

Meet Ms. Ryan:

1) Describe your teacher-education experience.

I went to a private Christian school (Lee University). They have a fantastic education department, although there are many things I wish they had better explained to me before becoming a teacher. For example, I began teaching with very little knowledge concerning practical things that may come up in the classroom. I think a lot of things you just have learn from experience, though. Student teaching was very helpful, as it gave me a better idea of what to expect as a licensed teacher. By “practical things” I just mean things like how much contact I should have with parents, how differently (if any) I should grade work that is turned in by students with learning needs/disabilities, how harsh consequences should be depending on the rules broken… smaller things of that nature. Most of those things are up to me to decide about, but I didn’t think about many of these smaller details until the time came where I was faced with making a decision about them.

2) What are your thoughts about teaching in a rural school district?

I attended a relatively large suburban high school, but I really enjoyed my experience teaching in a rural school. There are, of course, pros and cons to teaching in a rural school. A rural school district means less funding, and that can be difficult. I loved having smaller class sizes because I felt that I was able to better get to know my students. I think that teaching in a rural school my very first semester of teaching was a bit less intimidating than a city school would have been, mainly because of the smaller setting.

3) Were there things you needed/wanted and didn’t have?

For the most part, I had everything I needed. There were several times when the copy room was out of paper, or something of that nature, but it was always a situation where I could just improvise my instruction. I did an independent reading unit with my students, and this was a little difficult because the library didn’t have as wide a variety as I would have liked. I ended up bringing all of the young adult books I own so that my students had a wider selection to choose from.

4) Most useful “teaching tools” to you as a first-year teacher.

A few resources I found useful were the Remind app and Google Classroom.

5) What did you feel prepared for… and not prepared for?

I felt prepared for the amount of grading and lesson planning–student teaching prepared me for that. I felt less prepared for managing my classroom. As a student teacher, my cooperating teachers handled most of the management because they chose the rules, procedures, and consequences.

6) Describe and explain one lesson that worked… and one that didn’t.

One lesson that worked: poetry stations! First, I modeled how to annotate and analyze a poem. Then, I had stations set up for students to annotate and analyze a poem that was inspired by the poem that we had read together. Each station had thorough instructions. Each student had a poetry packet with one page for each station. I had 5 stations: reading and analyzing, rhyme scheme and format, figurative language, vocab and word choice, and poetry comparisons (comparing the poem we read as a class to the poem they read that day). I was amazed at how engaged the students were during each station. I think they were able to make sense of the poem because of the way it was broken down into smaller tasks.

A lesson that didn’t work: argumentative speed debating (on Valentine’s Day). I was so excited about this lesson during our argumentative writing unit, but it just… flopped. I had two rows of desks set up so that students would be paired with a partner who was sitting across from them. I read a topic out and they had one minute to “argue.” They would then rotate so that they were with a different partner for each topic. During my first class, I realized that students were NOT as excited as I was about moving around and arguing their opinions. No matter how enthusiastic I was, they just would not debate with each other.

7) What did you learn about classroom management?

I learned–quickly–that in order to successfully manage a classroom, there must be specific rules and consequences. I’m an easygoing person, but this will not always work as a teacher. Once I realized that I was having problems because of the lack of specific rules and consequences, I went over more specific regulations with my classes. I saw a drastic change in behavior.

8) What did you teach?

I taught three regular English 9 classes. My largest class was 26 students.

9) What will you change…. not change next year?

I would like to continue having at least one unit where students are able to choose their own reading material. I believe that giving them a choice about what they read is the best way to plant a love of reading in students. I had several students who claimed to hate reading find books that they fell in love with. This only happened because I allowed them to choose their own books. I definitely want to change the way I handled classroom management. I learned that it is crucial to set clear rules and consequences the very first week. Kids need structure and guidelines just as much, if not more, than we do.

10) What else can you add to help new (and other) teachers?

My advice for other new teachers is to ask for help and advice from experienced teachers. I wish that I had asked more questions in the beginning because it would have saved me from making a few mistakes. However, know that it is okay to make mistakes. There is much knowledge in the world of teaching that you’ll only gain from experience. I still have so much to learn!

It is my hope that first-year teachers and veteran teachers alike will enjoy reading about this experience. As I reflect on what Ms. Ryan said, it helped me realize a few things about my own experience as an educator. It’s not always easy to say what doesn’t work, but admitting it is the only way to repair it. On the flip side, we often don’t give ourselves much credit either when things go well. Last, teachers need to work together: I have so much to learn from new teachers coming into the profession, and we veteran teachers need to do more to ensure first-year teachers are mentored, encouraged, and supported. Thanks again, Megan, for sharing your experience. Best of luck to you and all first-year teachers!

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Written June 2019

End-of-Year Reflection: Top Five Classroom Success Stories of 2018

It seems to me that 2018 has been quite the long year… but then again it does feel like I was just rounding the corner of 2018 not too long ago, and here we are already at 2019. One of the most important things we can do as teachers is reflect, and so that’s why I love this annual blog post. It’s been my new year tradition for the past several years (2015, 2016, 2017), and choosing only five moments is always so hard, but here goes: My top five classroom success stories of 2018! This year in review…

1) Read-o-Lution: Reading is the hallmark – the cornerstone – of any English classroom, but let’s face it: In today’s time, even reading can sometimes take a backseat to everything else we cover. And with our teens walking around with tiny TVs in their hands at all times streaming the latest Netflix Original or watching the newest Youtube sensation, there isn’t much reading going on. I started the second semester (Jan 2018) with a focus on reading and having my juniors make a reading resolution or “read-o-lution” after studying an article about the importance of reading. If you are a Common Core state, you can use the reading passage from Appendix A to discuss the importance and value of reading. If not or if you just want something ready-to-go for the new year, I have this super simple informational hot topics lesson on how Reading Is Good For Your Brain. Throughout the year, I implemented my Article of the Week program, too (another blog post to come on that this year but you can get the materials for it here now). We also read more full-length short fiction texts in class, and my honors students read an out-of-class novel for book clubs. (See more about my book clubs here). I also set up a mini classroom library, and students checked out books all year long that way. I left their poster up the rest of the semester, and many students truly did make efforts to take reading more seriously and achieve their reading resolution.

2) Podcasts: I love introducing students to something new, and surprisingly Podcasts were actually kinda new to my students. They had, of course, heard of them, but they never really listened to them. Again… why would they when they could just watch something on the tube? I actually used Podcasts two ways this year. First, with my yearbook staff, we listened to a Podcast crime series when we finished our book. Up and Vanished (Season 1 carefully edited) was the perfect way to get my staff engaged. They completed a casebook to keep track of their listening and crime solving. That casebook is free in my TeachersPayTeachers store. Second, in my English class, we did some spooky Podcasts from Lore during Halloween, and students took notes on a podcast worksheet I created. (Get those here.) Then, they wrote their own spooky stories. My students wrote some really amazing stories: We had many laughs and many spooky cold chills, too! Readers of my email newsletter Teaching Tidbits with Julie Faulkner got that activity for free back in October. Be sure to sign up for that email at the bottom of the page, so you don’t miss anymore goodies. You can also see some of my Podcast suggestions via this link over to my Facebook page at Julie’s Classroom Stories.

3) Victorian Tea Party: Another focus I had this past year was on careers. Whether students were going straight to a career or college after senior year, I still wanted them to be focused on their futures in terms of where will they work when it’s all said and done. I’ve found that this year especially, my students are so uncertain about what they want to do, and they don’t even really have any idea what’s out there. I’m going to be adding a few more career-based lessons in the new year to possibly help students get a better idea of what their options are and what might be a good fit for them. But this project was an interesting way for students to really think about who they are as a person and what they’d like to become — just like our gal pal Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. Hats are a huge symbol in this text, and I wanted students to not only understand and recognize that symbol and it’s role in the characterization, but I also wanted them to make text-to-self connections as well. I loved seeing how their hats turned out, and it was a fun way to make a class party text-based. See this activity and all the instructions here in my TpT store.

4) Sieve and the Sand Experiment: I’ve lost count how many times I’ve taught Fahrenheit 451 over the years, but this year I did something new that I’d never done before: a science experiment. No we didn’t burn anything… though it alarms me how many people want to burn books as part of teaching this unit. (Insert “I dunno” emoji here.) This was actually an experiment that brought the text to life and helped students get hands-on with Bradbury’s choices. I hid a few “surprises” in the sand for students to find, but ultimately, my goal of them being able to use the experiment as a jumping off point for discussion during book club meeting was super successful. I was really proud of how they went back to the text to see what Bradbury said and truly analyzed Montag’s memory. Get my 451 unit here.

5) Character Stockings: About once a year I can get it together to make a huge reading display outside my classroom door. I wish I could do it more often, but quality over quantity, right? This year, we were inspired by Fahrenheit 451 to design a hearth and decorate it for Christmas. I drew the outline for the hearth and printed up the stockings using clip art. Several of my students drew the fire and bricks and put on the finishing touches with paint. Each student then chose one character from the novel and designed a stocking for that character using text-based details. I LOVE the way it turned out!! I’m so proud of it, I’ll probably be “one of those people” who leave their Christmas decorations up year-round. LOL!

As you can probably see, this year was about all about a focus on reading — fiction and nonfiction. I wanted students to see the value in reading and truly immerse themselves in it. Making text-to-text connections, text-to-world connections, and text-to-self connections really taught students to dig in and read closely. I think the reading focus paid off: Just seeing students doing more guided reading in class and independent reading out was fulfillment enough, but we also saw major improvements in ACT reading scores with students making gains of 5-6 points on the reading section and some students scoring 30+. That sounds like a great year to me! Share your best moments of 2018 below, and here’s to having your own classroom success stories in 2019!

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Top Christmas Holiday Lessons for Middle or High School Teens

The excitement is in the air, the carols are playing, the trees are going up: It’s Christmas! What a wonderful time of year for celebrations. If you are like me, though, you want to be sure that you are still keeping your class contained and working on something skills-based. Here are few Christmas holiday lesson and activity ideas I’ve found that I love for middle and high school teens for all subjects!

1) Teaching the Spirit of the Season: This is the time of year for giving, so I’m always looking for ways to inspire and warm my students’ hearts during the holiday season. It’s so easy for tweens and teens to get caught up in making their own lists and checking them twice that they quickly forget about others. My high school English students enjoy the activities in my Surviving the Christmas Bundle. These Christmas lessons and activities will inspire students to think beyond the hustle and bustle of receiving glittering gifts in order to focus on the moments and meaning of the season! Whether they are reading nonfiction about Toms shoes and analyzing poetry, watching the funny holiday film Skipping Christmas, or researching different symbols of the season from various holiday traditions around the world to present to their classmates, they will be focused and engaged. This pack includes various levels of texts with appropriate thematic pairings, so you can provide your students with the best materials for them.

Yearbook and journalism students can practice their headline writing skills and reach out to the student body with my Christmas headline writing activity. Students will read news articles about the holiday and write the missing headlines. Then they will organize an in-school service project. Your journalism students will love the Christmas-themed activity and service-learning project, and you will love that they are brushing up on crucial journalism skills.

2) Teaching Christmas Traditions Around the World: Many classrooms are blessed with diversity, and having activities at-hand for all students to see themselves in the celebration is important. In other cases, you may be required to incorporate a lesson with various Christmas traditions during this time of year. Either way, there are some pretty awesome resources available that will allow you to teach Christmas traditions around the world creatively and easily. My bundle featured above includes my Symbols of the Seasons research project, which would be perfect for English classes, advisory periods, technology classes, journalism/media, and more. A short research project like this is also perfect for sub plans. Middle school students (and even high school kids) enjoy coloring every now and then, too, and my Coloring-by-Figurative Language sheets offer a variety of images!

Escape games are all the rage right now, and you know how much I love them. This Christmas Around the World Escape Room by Think Tank will take your middle school students in any subject on a secret mission around the classroom! This escape room has students decode fun and interesting facts about Christmas traditions around the world. Students will learn brief holiday traditions of Iceland, Japan, Philippines, Germany, England, Ukraine, Russia, Norway, Marshall Islands, Australia, Slovakia and Venezuela. Grades 4-8 in geography class can join the fun with these latitude and longitude puzzles from Dr. Loftin’s Learning Emporium. Students simply plot the given coordinates, connect their dots, and discover a hidden picture (Santa, Gingerbread Man, Stocking, Elf, Snowman, Reindeer, Snowflake, Christmas Tree, Star of David, and Christmas Star).

3) Teaching with the Magic of Movies: I am a sucker for Christmas movies. This time of year my TV recorder is already full of holiday movies, and I can’t wait to cuddle up and binge watch. My all-time favorite Christmas movie is Home Alone 2. Old-school, I know, but I love the music, setting, and message. It’s no surprise, then, that I developed a FREE lesson for my high school English class, so I could show it at school! Plus, teach your students how to extend the holiday spirit with the real-world project included!

Another super-sweet movie this time of year is Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory. For this movie, I’ve also created a movie guide that has students practicing skills such as theme, conflict, characterization, mood, and setting. The human plot chart puzzle, symbolism worksheet, and constructed response prompts are excellent options to follow up the movie. Plus there are several suggestions for service projects that are inspired by the film.

And let’s not forget the all-time favorite Christmas classic: Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. If you like to show this film during Christmas, take a look at my movie guide. From reading charts and graphs, to reviewing plot with the interactive human plot puzzle, to analyzing symbolism, to writing, this movie guide is sure to add rigor to your movie-viewing experience. It works with any version of the movie you have on hand.

Go ahead… get cozy with some cocoa and a Christmas movie without sacrificing any learning.

4) Decorating and Celebrating in the Classroom: If you are allowed to have a Christmas party or decorate in your classroom this time of year, here are a few ideas to make it fun, easy, and educational!

Fun Theme:

Who knew that those tacky Christmas and holiday sweaters from the 90s would actually become a party trend? Yet, here we are… and they are actually super cute. I created this school-wide Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Pack, and the students at my high school have an Ugly/Tacky Christmas dress-up day every year; even the teachers participate! It’s so easy to host a tacky Christmas sweater party, and if you need some ready-to-go materials to communicate with parents and students or to make it educational, check out my Wacky Tacky Christmas Sweater Classroom Party Pack! There are even awards and activities to do in class during the party.

Elly Thorsen has you covered (All my puns are intended!) with her Physical and Chemical changes Ugly Holiday Sweater Coloring worksheets if you teach secondary science. In the worksheets, students read about a change that occurs over the holidays and identify it as a physical or chemical change by coloring an ugly sweater accordingly. Then they explain in sentences how they knew what kind of change occurred.

Decor:

If you are planning to deck the halls (or your classroom walls) for the holidays, there are so many posters that are educational. These multilingual Christmas and Hanukkah posters from The ESL Nexus represent different 35 countries, and include suggestions for 8 math, writing, and art activities that teach students about the countries! I like to hang my Nativity posters in my Sunday School classroom at church this time of year. These are sized as 8×10 both in jpeg and pdf format! You can print anyway you want… on home printer, online, or at the local photo lab!

If you teach a technology or computer classes, I love this idea from from Innovations in Technology. She has her high school students create her classroom’s Christmas decor using computer applications! Students certainly need to be skilled in Microsoft Excel and Google sheets to be successful in many college classes and the workforce. Students are challenged by creating the Christmas art, and they get to be a part of the decorating process.

Putting a Christmas tree up in your classroom may not be an option, but if you teach middle school math, Wilcox’s Way has you covered with her Middle School Christmas Tree Math Activity. Her resource includes 10 different templates you can use to build your Sierpenski Christmas tree pyramid. Have each student complete a couple of pyramids, and then watch the magic unfold as you put them together and watch your tree grow! I am fascinated with this!

$Middle School Christmas Tree Math Activity$

Treats:

What’s a party without some Christmas cookies and hot cocoa? Given that I have older students, I can usually say that everyone brings something to the table, so to speak, in order to eat. It can be something as small as a 2 liter drink or pack of plates. I even allow them to team up. In the case where students can’t bring anything, I ask them to speak with me and we figure out a good solution; I just want them to realize that it’s important to contribute if at all possible. Another thing to keep in mind is food allergies and school policies on food. If all of that works in your favor, have ALL the cookies, candies, and cocoa. If not, don’t worry. There are still some really fun ways to treat your students.

Kerry Tracy’s Christmas and Winter STEM challenges offer so much variety. I think the Candy Cane Calamity would have your middle school students laughing all the way!

Erin Hanson created a fun hot cocoa themed STEM activity. Middle school scientists will explore the effect of temperature (thermal energy) on marshmallows and candy canes in hot cocoa. Students will practice their science and engineering skills by making predictions, planning investigations, making observations, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and they’ll love every minute of it!

In Amy Alvis’s middle school math class, students explore ratio and proportion with holiday cookie-themed task cards. Your middle school math students will love using manipulatives to discover how many marshmallows are hidden in each mug of hot chocolate in Leaf and Stem Learning’s Christmas Math Holiday Algebra activity. The variables are represented by holiday cocoa mugs and the constants by marshmallows!

$Christmas Math Holiday Algebra$

5) Stocking Stuffers: This category is my catch-all for the short Christmas activities and lessons I love that are perfect for just your plug and play, last-minute fillers. From stations, literacy, math, or writing centers, to bell ringers, to time fillers at the end of class, to a short periods or odd schedule days, we always need something we can grab quickly and “stuff in”!

The OCBeach teacher has her students writing at the beginning of the period using her poetry bell ringers for the winter season. My Christmas grammar worksheets designed for high school students aren’t your typical Christmas grammar exercises! These are truly NO PREP, print and go, age-appropriate exercises to challenge and review your teens’ grammar skills during December. These grammar activities for Santa reflect a seasonally-inspired thematic concept of the page that coincides with key, standards-based grammar skills. For example, students will repair broken sentences (fragments and run-ons) in Santa’s Workshop. Or, they will help Santa double check his list by correcting apostrophe errors. I’ve also provided beautiful clip art to add layers and interest to the pages to grab your teens’ eyes! Plus, for those fast finishers, there’s plenty for them to color and style! Extension activities are also provided on several of the sheets, and the grammar notes are included as well. Your students will get all “wrapped up” with these grammar activities!!

Getting rave reviews from fellow middle school language teachers is the HappyEdugator’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas homophone search. In this Christmas activity, middle school language arts students will be searching all over for homonyms and homophones in a wacky homophone version of the famous Christmas poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clark Moore.

I’m super impressed by the rigor and detail of The Lab’s science coloring by number worksheets for Christmas. Middle and high school students review the human body, periodic table, and more in this coloring activities bundle!

High school Spanish classes can even have a little holiday fun with La Profe Plotts’s Holiday Task Cards. My Christmas holiday real-world grammar fails task cards make the perfect grab and go activity for stations, using in Kahoot, or as bell ringers.

Remember to check your school’s policy on celebrating this time of year, so you are in compliance with those guidelines. May your season be blessed with love, rest, joy, and peace!

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Treating “Activityitis” – Adding Value and Quality to Activities

Class time is precious and limited. With so many standards to cover and stakes being so high, it is imperative that everything we put in front of our students be standards-based, purposeful, and designed to drive and assess student growth. Over the years, I’ve reflected on some activities that I’ve done with students and realized that maybe just maybe 🙂 some of them were “fluff.” In the past, I have certainly been afflicted with “activity-itis.” In this blog post, I will explore in depth how to determine if activities are of quality and value.

The Symptoms of Activity-itis:

The students have no idea why they are doing the activity. You could probably argue that there will always be students who are clueless in a sense that they aren’t trying. In this case, I the problem goes much deeper. There are times when I dive right into a lesson or activity and just don’t tell my students why we are doing it or what it connects to. If I just forget to tell them, that’s one thing, but if I can’t answer the questions “Why are we doing this?” or “What are they learning from doing this?” then why are we doing it? Why are we building a model of a fire-proof house with our 451 unit? Guilty. Why are we drawing a picture of our favorite character in The Lord of the Flies? Guilty again. Instead, let’s trace the symbol of fire throughout the novel and analyze how it changes. Let’s read an informational text about how fire works and make literal and symbolic connections. If we want students to get to know characters, let’s have them create a body biography with text-based descriptions. Just make some tiny, purpose-driven adjustments can make huge changes in students’ growth and understanding.
The students are busy, but there’s no challenge. I suppose this could happen for a couple of reasons, but like I said before, class time is precious and limited. I’m going confess here that two of my biggest pet peeves are coloring and watching movies. I actually use and sell resource for both. However, there is always something students are doing that is skills based. Yes, coloring and movies make excellent brain breaks and sub plans, but even then, I just can’t get behind vacuous time-fillers. If students are coloring in my class, they will be editing sentences in order to color by number. If they are watching a movie, they are analyzing character development. More on using movies effectively in this post. There is always something that can be done to up the ante with any assignment.
The activity steps too far out of its subject, isn’t grounded in standards, or isn’t connected to any prior or future learning. I think this one creeps up a lot in English class because we do so much with texts that we feel we need to introduce. When I first started teaching The Crucible, I felt I had to tell students everything they needed to know about Puritans before we started the unit. Then I had to spend another day or so talking about the 1950s. Then, yet another day was spent covering the elements of drama. A week or more had passed and we hadn’t even started reading the text; and my kids were bored and over it. Eventually, I stepped back and asked myself, what I am I doing wrong? I love this play so much, but the kids hate it. Then, I realized: it wasn’t the play they hated, it was the presentation. Wow. So, how did I fix it? I ask myself one question: Why am I teaching this play? The answer? It wasn’t so they could learn the history of the Puritans. It wasn’t so they could understand the 1950s. It is so we could analyze a true hallmark in the canon of American literature — for the literature. That’s why I am teaching. In that regard, the only intro material I kept was one short informational text article about McCarthy and a quick vocabulary lesson on allegory. Then, we just dug in. I let the text do the talking. I developed questions, prompts, close reading exercises, and activities that drove students further and further into the text. The result? Students who enjoyed the play more than ever before, and students who were mastering standards.
The activity lack true engagement and/or collaboration. Students aren’t talking at all or aren’t talking about the actual task. How many times have you overheard students saying “What’s for lunch?” or “I have to work this afternoon” during an activity? Sure, students get off task with even the best designed activity. However, a key symptom of activity-itis is students who are off-task. If I have students in groups, what I really want them to be able to do is collaboration, bounce ideas off each, and share out. I want them to even learn to hear different ideas and defend their own answers. I love to have students think first, and talk second, so they have something prepared when they join the group. Task cards are hugely helpful with getting kids thinking and giving them direction.
There is no assessment or there is a discrepancy between the assessment and the activity. If at the end of the day, I’ve done a lesson and can’t recall if the students really “got it,” then I’m pretty much in panic mode. For me, it can be as simple as asking them. Other times, I’ll have a worksheet they have to complete. Other people like to do the ticket out the door. Whatever you choose, again, it needs to be purpose-driven, and truly measurable. You won’t find me having students hold up their thumbs, unless everyone’s eyes are closed! I need to truly know what they learned.

The Cure:

Design, discuss, and post essential questions to drive planning and measure learning. For more tips on creating essential questions and a free planning template to help with creating standards-based lessons and activities, take a look at my CC standards aligned depth of knowledge chart where I’ve aligned every ELA standard 9-12 and my free Guide to Essential Questions.
Student self-reflection. This isn’t always easy, but with particularly reluctant groups, I have success with my weekly reflection task cards that come in my student-directed data pack.Think about the end goal when planning. In other words, plan backwards. In order to help myself remember this important piece, in every one of the teacher planners that I design, I have a reflection page at the end of the month. It reminds me to pause and reflect on what we accomplished and need to work more on. More on planning backwards in this post.
Assessment and measurement that are consistent and align with the skills.
Make connections to prior and future learning. This can be done effectively if you work inside of units where a big picture is evident.

Yes, there are crazy-day schedules, half days , sub days, or sick days, or any number of random odd days occasionally when we need a quick low-stakes, no prep activity, but even those days need to be utilized to matter. Ultimately, I now evaluate each lesson and activity I plan for its standards-based value.

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Tips for Surviving Back to School for Teachers

Starting and the year and surviving the first few months doesn’t have to feel like a survival of the fittest game show! Here some ways that I’ve learned (the hard way) that can make going to back to school less stressful.

#1) Plan to Communicate with Students and Parents

One of the biggest battles (especially at the secondary level) is making sure everyone is on the same page. It is important to get going with the communication early on so that it doesn’t blow up into a huge problem later on. If you are fighting trying to get forms in or homework signed all year, you will never feel caught up. I teach secondary English, and parents seem never to know when a project is due or when a report card comes out, and teenagers like to keep it that way. However, I’ve found that my students can’t resist social media and their electronic devices. There are several options available. Remind is a texting app/website that sends text messages to anyone signed up for your list. I like it because it doesn’t use my cell phone number, I can schedule the messages for right after school, and parents and students can sign up. One thing I found that works for me with different periods and assignments due, etc. is to set up different classes. Then I can do one big blast or just pick certain classes. Students have to sign up using a code the website generates, and parents see the code on the syllabus I send home. The second tool I use is dialmycalls.com. With this I do have to use the school number, but it is online based. You get 25 free messages per week. You can pick the text-to-speech feature for failure notices each month. Both of these methods are easily documented and quick. And an added bonus: My principal loves it! Now days I’ve adapted 100% over into Google classroom, so I do all my messaging to students that way. Plus, this year, Google classroom added an “invite parents” button, so I’ll be using that to keep parents informed. I also love to get information from my students and parents on the first day with an informational collection sheet. It is designed to interview BOTH the student and guardian. I really do enjoy reading the answers from both points of view. You can get the editable form in my Back to School Survival Pack!

#2) Go Home On Time

(or as close to on-time as possible) Nothing will drain you faster than staying over every single day; teachers are notorious for doing this. We work and work and lose track of time. Then we work when we get home and on weekends. I am very guilty of this myself. I feel like I can’t get it all done or am not being a good teacher if I don’t. But by Christmas I have worn myself out so much that I am either in the hospital or sick on the couch all break – true story. Our last bell rings at 3:00pm. I have been working on this the past few years. If I stay late, it is only one (or maybe two) days a week. What’s helped me improve is having a system and staying organized. For example, at the beginning of my plan period, I run all my errands –copies, paperwork, bathroom, etc. Then I come back to my room and check my email. After that I grade any papers or create any worksheets, lessons, etc. If I work through this system and don’t backtrack or get distracted, I can usually get things done. (We’re pretending here no one knocks on my doors, calls me on the intercom, wants a meeting, or stops me in the hall.) Also, I have 90-minute periods. Nonetheless, having the system works for the most part and helps me feel accomplished. I also plan out which days I work on things such as on Thursday I plan for next week so Friday I can turn in my lesson plans. On Friday, I do a quick swipe through my room to clean and put things away.

#3) Build in Breaks for Yourself

I discovered this trick several years ago. Every week, usually Fridays, I plan an activity that takes the pressure off of me, but still keeps the students engaged in a purposeful and meaningful way. For example, all week long I am lecturing on skills, monitoring assessments, engaging discussions, facilitating small groups, and being full-on up and going for 90 minutes straight. The kids are working, too, but I am doing a lot as well. Typically, on Fridays I plan a sneaky little breather for myself. Maybe the kids do a hands-on activity to reinforce what we did that week, and I just mingle and offer encouragement. Maybe the kids take a quiz or spend the period doing a quick writing assignment. One of my favorite things to do each week on Friday is my weekly reflection and book club meetings. The weekly reflection takes about 15 minutes, but it is the best 15 minutes! The kids are working, thinking, and talking while I am just sitting back listening, learning, and loving it! Find it in my back to school survival kit! Read more about my book club meetings here.

Back-to-School BUNDLE for the First Days of School, Middle/High, Any Subject

#4) Get to Know your Students in a Meaningful Way

It’s really hard working with people you don’t really know. The more you know someone the better the relationship is and the time you spend together is better. Now, right off the bat let me say that I don’t get to know my juniors and seniors too much, nor do I tell them every detail of my private life. With that said, what I mean is it works to have a healthy relationship. I believe it is important to do some getting-to-know you activities at the beginning of the year, but not the kind that you forget and throw away after a few weeks. And certainly not ones that are just busy work. I only have so much time with my students to get everything covered, so every minute counts. Also, I used to be hesitant to say anything about myself at all, but I’ve come to realize that it does help to do some honest sharing with students. Otherwise, all they ever know about you is what you wear each day and everything else that they imagine to be true. Also whatever you choose needs to have some sort of a diagnostic component. For me as an English teacher, it is easy to fall back on a quick writing assignment or short project. I can share my own response to the writing or project so they learn about me. If you are teaching math, think about what students could accomplish or do to show their math abilities and have a fun product that shows you something about them. I love what Solutions for Math did with THIS back-to-school Figure Me Out getting-to-know you activity for high school math students. They will be practicing equations while getting to know their teacher and peers! General tasks for the first days work very well if you have very short periods or need something quick. My back to school survival kit has several of those. But for the next few days, direct your attention to something a little more standards-driven and subject-specific. Below is one of my favorite projects to do. It was featured in the History Channel‘s teacher magazine, and it’s free! It is really perfect for English, history, or digital classes!

#5) Routine

Chaos is overwhelming and anxiety inducing. It’s frustrating for teachers and students. Overtime that starts to affect your health and emotions. Decide what routines you need in your class to make each period run smoothly, start them from day one, and practice them with students. Each day, my students come into the room and do a few things BEFORE the bell rings:

-Put their bags and purses on the cabinet near the door. They get out what they need and leave the bulk behind.

-Check the “Take One Table” for any worksheets they need to pick up for the day.

-Sign in on the activboard for attendance. I have an easy excel sheet that I use for this.

-Get started on the ten-minute grammar bell ringers. I love that they have so much responsibility before the tardy bell rings because it frees me

up to greet them, eat a snack, and get anything else ready. It also allows us to waste zero time at the beginning of the period.

Some other routines I swear by are turning in papers into one place every time, labeling papers a certain way, and moving in and out of groups quickly and quietly. All these are things that I teach students during the first week of school – week, not day. It’s impossible to teach them all on one day and expect students to remember. Just add in and teach the different routines once they come up. Also, to be sure you’ve covered them all, make a list and chart out in your lesson plans what day you’ll be doing them. You can see more of my journey-themed classroom at this post.

Some would say the goal is to thrive and not just survive, and I completely agree with that. However, you have to stay alive and get the point where survival is happening before the thriving can begin. Here’s to a great year ahead! I’d love to hear your success stories, so be sure to follow over on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/juliesclassroomstories.

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