Today, I’m going to share with you how I handle a classroom reset after winter break. The first few items have to do with how I REMIND my students of several things (rules and procedures). Then, we will focus on how I REVIEW with my students.
Let’s get going. These are the areas I like to focus on for my classroom reset after winter break…
CLASSROOM RULES
If you liked what you were doing before winter break, this is a great time to remind students of those rules. Treat it like the first day of school. Describe your classroom rules <again> in detail.
Pick out those bad habits your students were picking up before winter break and use them as examples for how NOT to complete classroom procedures. For example, let’s say you didn’t realize how much it was going to bother you that students leave the squiggly pieces of paper on the side of the page after they tear it from their notebook. Now, however, you think you may scream if you must give up your planning time to pick up shreds of paper. A funny example – but let’s be real. Each class is different. They do something that drives you bonkers and you didn’t even realize you needed to make it a classroom procedure. Now is your chance! Fix it forever… or may just until the next time they forget. I digress.
GOAL SETTING
New Years is a great time to have students think about academic goals. They have one semester under their belts – this gives you a data point to reference. I like to encourage my students to make it their goal to improve their grade from last semester. Then, ask them to give you some action steps for how to accomplish that goal. It makes for an excellent classroom discussion and motivates them to start strong.
It’s never about rubbing in that you were right when you told them how important it would be for them to take notes. HOWEVER, this is a great time to reinforce some of those habits you encouraged at the beginning of the year before they realized how true your words would be.
To help you out, check out these monthly goal setting pages from my TPT store.
I also created this freebie for you to use in your classroom as a special New Years activity for your students. It includes a guided goals setting page and a list of 20 academic goals and 20 personal goals to get the wheels turning.
SEATING ARRANGEMENT
If you really liked where your students were sitting prior to winter break, keep it the same! I try to switch up my seating chart each quarter – unless it’s a particularly tough class and I find the sweet spots, literally. Then I don’t change a thing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
However, coming back from winter break to a new seat can help with the mindset shift to the “beginning of the year” feel.
ACADEMICS
This one, we are going to break down a little bit. Sometimes, it is necessary to jump right back into new material after winter break. Other times, I can afford a lesson or two for review. Let’s talk about both.
If you have a whole class period or more
Plan a fun game to get the brain waves going again. A few games that allow for reviewing multiple concepts are:
- SCAVENGER HUNTS — I have an entire post that you can find here about why I love scavenger hunts and how I use them in my classroom. In short, they are active, assessing, and students LOVE them.
- JEOPARDY — This one is a favorite because it can be broken down into different categories. After winter break, each category could be a previous chapter of learning. Choose questions strategically from concepts that students struggled with from the previous semester.
If you don’t have an entire class period
It’s important to find the time to review where you can. Here are a few ideas:
- DAILY PROMPTS — These can serve as your bell work and review a different concept each day until you feel the brain waves are flowing again.
- TASK CARDS — Anything tailored to your subject that comes in a quick, rapid fire review style are perfect for the classroom reset after winter break. I’m a math teacher — I break out the flash cards for fluency review and computations. If you’re a math teacher too, I have several task card sets in my TPT store for you to check out.
I hope these ideas help your transition out of winter break feel less stressful. I know these ideas always help me to adjust more quickly. Keep the mindset of everyone gets a fresh start — even you! Maybe you weren’t happy with yourself as a teacher last semester. Start over! It’s a new year! Happy teaching to you!