(*See updated photos at the bottom of this post)
Like me, I’m sure you’re in countdown mode. Countdown to the winter break. And also like me, I’m sure you’re thinking about what you can accomplish in these few precious weeks. You’re setting goals such as: Get in one more read aloud before break; Launch and wrap-up new reading and writing units before the break; Teach two or three new spelling patterns. We know these weeks will fly by quickly! We’re ready for the fast pace of these weeks, and secretly, we enjoy the challenge.
Usually, the weeks fly by so fast that my students and I arrive at the day before vacation and frantically make decisions about which books we want to read over the break. Not this year though. This year I’ve created a plan to help my students select books prior to the break. I’m calling it my “Countdown to Winter Break! What Will You Be Reading?” It’s similar to a holiday advent calendar. Based on student recommendations and surveys, I’m going to put up a book cover each day and do a quick book talk. I’m hoping to create some buzz around these 15 books in hopes that my students will want to read them over the vacation. I want my students to create a Winter Break Wish List. I’ll keep you posted with my progress!
Update– 12.4.15- Here is my first week of using the bulletin board. It’s going so well! I’m so glad I created it!
Update– 12.14.15 Woah, it’s almost that time!
Typically found wearing mismatched socks, Dana Johansen spends her time teaching fifth grade in Connecticut, negotiating with her yellow lab about doggy dinner options, and plopping down on the floor in bookstore aisles to find new reads. She has taught elementary and middle school for fourteen years. Dana is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University where she studies blended learning in reading and writing workshop.
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