Inside: Teaching the day after winter break isn't just tough on the kids, it's tough on the teachers too. Click here for easy-to-use ideas for your middle schoolers.
Table of Contents
How Do You Engage Students After Winter Break?
Your students just spent more than a week in probably an unstructured environment. Expecting an adult to just snap to attention precisely at 8AM is a big ask, so why expect that of your students? Check in with how you yourself feel. A little sluggish? Out of sorts? Them as well.
Begin slowly and with low expectations, for them as well as yourself. Have patience with yourself and your students.
Tip 1: Share What They Did, What They got, What They Gave, Where They Went
My students love this and we often start our Mondays talking about one thing we did over the weekend. This is similar. Allow students to share one thing they got and one thing they gave. Also allow one thing they did over the break. Allow them to pass. We know there are kids out there that didn’t have the best vacation, who don’t celebrate the holiday, or who are just shy.
Tip 2: Play Two Truths and a Lie
This is a fun one and it gets them writing and thinking! Have each student write down two truths about either a gift they got or gave, a place they went over break, etc. Then they should make up one lie. Students should take turns trying to spot the lie. Consider giving small prizes to the students whose lies weren’t uncovered.
Tip 3: Give Them a Mystery Graph
This is an easy way to ease back into the classroom while not being too demanding. This mystery graph comes in both one and four quadrants so all your students can participate.
Make sure to have your students color them and hang them up in your room to create a cozy, winter classroom feel.
Tip 4: Partner Up!
Have a teacher friend who teaches in a younger grade? Perfect!
Give that friend a call and see if your students can come over and read to their students for the period. It is refreshing to see the positive change in your middle schoolers when they interact with younger students!
Younger students can pick the stories for your kids to read to them, or your students can bring over books of their choice to read. Either way, your students get reading practice and enhance their social skills.
Tip 5: Play Blooket
If you haven’t played Blooket with your students yet, you might want to do this ASAP. Really. My students seriously go gaga over this game. There is practically a Blooket for every topic out there. There is a free option and (of course) a paid option.
Teachers can find a quiz, save it, modify it to suit the needs of their class, then use it with their classes. It’s a great way to use a game to review concepts for your subject area.
Tip 6: Review Classroom Procecures
This may seem a bit on the boring side but is always good practice. Think back to the first days of school and the procedures you taught. Notice what is working and what is not. Take the time to reinforce the procedures you wish to remain with.
I have noticed that my students are starting to stray from using the proper hand signals in class. On the day we come back from winter break, we will take some time to go over the classroom procedures and reinforce our use of hand signals in our classroom.
This not only helps your students, but reinforces it for yourself as well. This is sort of a reorganization of classroom procedures. This can go a long way for keeping calm and organized students well into the school year.
Tip 7: Play a Game With a Previously Taught Topic
Find some content you have already taught your class. The point it that they find the topic to be “easy”. Remember, you want this to be easy for you too! Suggestions:
- Play Bingo
- Play Hangman on the board
- Use a worksheet you never got to for questions
- Dig up some old task cards for questions also
Tip 8: Take Them Outside
Today’s children spend considerably more time indoors than children twenty years ago did. Studies show that being outside has health benefits. Check out 10 Reasons Kids Need Fresh Air by the National Wildlife Federation.
It is possible that taking your students outside may not be allowable in your district. That is understandable and you need to do what is best for your students that follows the rules of your district.
In my district, sixth grade is the first year without recess. This is an enormous letdown for our students. Recess is a brain break they all look forward to.
Fortunately, my classroom is conveniently located near an exit door by a large grassy area. All it takes is a quick call to the office and I can take my students outside for a 10 -15 minute break if I feel they need it. If this is possible for your students, I highly recommend it.
Tip 9: Watch a Short YouTube Video
Whatever subject you teach, YouTube has content on it. Guaranteed. Just make sure to preview it before you show it to your students because . . . ya never know!
Being a Science teacher, some favorite channels of mine are:
Tip 10: Make a New Year's Resolution
No, not for yourself! (Unless you want to.) For the students!
Ask your students to think of an attainable goal they can achieve by the end of the school year. It can be academic, personal, athletic, etc. But students need to understand they need to be able to accomplish it before they leave for the summer.
Students should write it down on a piece of paper with their names on it and hand it in. Don’t want to be responsible for it? Have them use their notes app or write it in their calendar app on their devices.
Make a note in your calendar to check in with your students in two months to see how they are progressing on their goals.
