Greetings friends!
Room #2 gleefully sang a rousing rendition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Jingle Bells on Thursday, Dec. 1st!! Sharing carols new and old is just one of the many fun holiday traditions I share with my students every December.
It's no secret that the beautiful picture books of Jan Brett are my "go-to" mentor texts during the winter! I use Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends to launch our author study, and these resources from TpT authors Linda Kamp from Around the Kampfire and Carla from Comprehension Connections for more literacy learning and fun!
See this unit from Carla at Comprehension Connection {HERE}!
See this unit from Linda Kamp from Around the Kampfire {HERE}!
I added these books to my gingerbread book collection last year, and you might like them too!
They are perfect for developing your students' understanding of cause-and-effect, as well as
comparing and contrasting the different story settings, characters, problems, and solutions!
Two Kindness Elves arrived in my classroom this week and are helping my second graders do good deeds for others! I discovered this practice over at Erica's Ed-Ventures and The Imagination Tree, and have enjoyed watching my students embrace their simple daily tasks of being helpful, spreading good cheer, and sharing at both home and school! You can read more about our elf adventures over at The Primary Pack {HERE}!
"D.J." and "Elsa" are two elves that also understand the importance of staying focused on learning during the hectic weeks before holiday break, so they will soon deliver some cookie-themed poems that will help my little learners practice fluency in a fun and festive way!
They'll also be delivering these fun stick puppets to help us act out the poems so that we are ready to read to our Kindergarten friends next week! Reader's Theater is such a great way to practice reading with great expression, rate, and accuracy! Check out this pack {HERE} if you think your students would like to have a rhyming good time!
My birthday is Dec. 13th, and it is an annual tradition for me to bring in Snickerdoodles and milk as a treat! They are my favorite kind of cookies, and go right along with all of the delicious reading and writing we engage in during December. I must admit that the local bakery does all the work, as I am NOT an accomplished chef! I also bring in Gingersnaps as a second choice and Room #2 ends up being VERY "sugared up" as a result! We will be very excited as I celebrate being four years away from 60!
On the last day before our holiday break, I bring in small packages filled with presents for all of the "helping grown-ups" my students interact with every day. I scour the dollar bins at Target, Michaels, and JoAnn Fabrics all year long to find cute combinations of cards, paper products, notepads, pens, etc. that I hope our lunch ladies, custodians, intervention teachers, office staff, and playground aides will appreciate. My students help me add gift tags and bows before I send them off to deliver their grateful goodies. The children have an absolutely grand time "playing Santa" and "paying it forward" to the people that make our school days better!
You'll find more creative and easy-on-the-budget "simple gift" ideas in another blog post {HERE}. I hope it helps you find time-saving ways say thanks to the special people in your school and family life. You'll find a FREEBIE I created to go along with it {HERE}!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out more wonderful ways to make the holidays special for your students!
Know that I wish you great memories, good times, special songs, and
magical stories!
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