My Teacher Sleeps in School: Tales of a 3rd & 4th Grade Teachaholic: Activities to Use in January

January, the beginning of the second half of the school year, is upon us. Sometimes it can be hard to get back into the swing of things and start again with planning all the things. That's why I wanted to share a few activities that are easy to set up and use during the first part of the new year.

New Year's Classroom Activities

I know that New Year's Day never happens while we are at school, but I always like finding a way to celebrate it anyway with my students. New Year's is a big deal. It is the perfect time to think about the goals students have had, see how they are going, and set new goals for the rest of the school year.

Another way I love to get back in the swing of things is by learning about the holiday and the traditions that swirl around it. I enjoy teaching the history behind every holiday with reading passages and extension activities, and this one is no different.

I created New Year Reading Comprehension Passages and Activities as a way to give my students a knowledge of why we celebrate in the way that we do. It is great to connect reading to social studies too! We read through these passages either as a whole group, or even in small reading groups. Each of the seven passages come with a comprehension worksheet with a few key questions (and there is a teacher's edition included for easy grading). Then, we extend our learning through the use of several activities. One of my favorites are the foldable New Year's ball goal setting craft. It is so cute and would make a great bulletin board display too. There are several other activities too like building a shoebox float. You should definitely check it out here. Of course, I update the dates each year. Although that is not reflected in the picture. (You can click on the picture or caption to be taken to the resource.)

This resource is updated to reflect
the date of each new year.

Another fun way to start the new year is with a team building art challenge. I LOVE getting my students working creatively in teams. As one of my teachers always says, there's more cabbage in two heads, and that is certainly the case with getting the creative juices flowing. This art challenge is a spin off of the cooking show Chopped. Each group receives a bag of identical supplies. The groups then have a time limit in which to create a masterpiece based on a certain New Year's theme. Projects are then presented to the whole class and points can be awarded (if you want to add to the competition). There are three challenges in this resource. Use one, or use all three and make it like the show. You can use it all on one day, or I like using one challenge a day for three days. It is flexible, so use it however you like.

Be sure to click the photo to be taken to this fun and engaging resource.

Black History Month & MLK Jr. Day

Another huge thing to incorporate at this time of year is black history. This is, afterall, black history month, and while it can, and should, be included all year, this is a chance to focus in on the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is also this month, so it is always good to include him in your classroom studies and activities.

With that in mind, I want my students to learn a little about many different African Americans, both well-known, and lesser-known. I created this resource to celebrate and bring knowledge to students about these important people in our history. Each of the nine people studied in this resource comes with a reading sheet, comprehension activity, and a writing book. Students can read about the individual, test their knowledge by answering some questions, and share their learning by creating a small booklet report to read to others. Each booklet comes with an "all about" section, early life, famous for, fun facts, and timeline. I suggest having different students studying different people and then share with the class. That allows students to learn about more than one student and gives each student the opportunity to become an expert and teach others.