This is our January I Teach First blogger linkup. We are sharing
lots of ideas, resources, strategies, freebies, and more. You can visit the
blogs by clicking on the links below. We'd also love for you to follow us, so
you don't miss out on any of our monthly linkups.
As
we head back to school in a couple of days, I’ve been preparing some winter activities for the month of January. I thought I’d share some of them
with you.
We
will start our discussion of winter by brainstorming a list of words that are
associated with winter. Children add to the list as they think of more words.
This activity can be done over several days. Adding to the list of words also
makes a great sponge activity.
We
then sort the winter words into categories. We do this whole class. The chart
stays up thru the winter months. Students can refer to it when writing.
I
then make word cards. I put the word
cards at the literacy center. Students sort the cards into categories with a
partner. The students can also sort the cards using their own categories. Other uses for them: bingo cards, alphabetizing, syllable sorts, writing sentences and poetry, etc.
Lots
of winter read alouds are always a must. Here are some snow and snowman books
that are great for reading aloud:
A
snowman is perfect for discussing the beginning, middle, and end of a snowman
story.
The children will also be painting snowmen. We add salt to the paint to give the snowman paintings some texture. The snowmen adorn our bulleting board. I keep them and place them in a memory book that the children receive at the end of the year.
On
an especially cold or rainy day, I surprise the children with hot chocolate. It’s
quick and easy to prepare in the classroom. I heat the water using a hot plate
and large pot. The children can choose to add a few marshmallows, too.
Here’s
a ”sweet” and engaging mini unit of HOT CHOCOLATE ACTIVITIES to go along with a
hot chocolate day.
It
includes a craft that can be used as a bulletin board display or the cover of a
booklet.
And here’s a snow booklet. Children can write about all the fun things they can do in the snow.
Thanks for linking up with us this month! Wow! So many great ideas in one post. I especially like the snowman retell. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the snow book recommendations. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour anchor charts are AMAZING! Happy New Year! Wendy 1stgradefireworks
ReplyDelete