Returning after winter break brings a unique classroom energy – excited students sharing stories, mixed with the challenge of getting back to learning routines. As teachers, we face the task of reigniting that academic spark and reviewing key concepts that may have faded during the break.
I’ve collaborated with six upper elementary teacher-bloggers to bring you practical strategies for reviewing and reinforcing learning after winter break that won’t eat up your precious planning time.
Strengthen Math Fact Fluency After Winter Break
Solid math fact fluency forms the foundation for success with more complex math concepts. After winter break, many students need to rebuild their quick recall of basic facts. Starting with targeted math fact practice helps students refresh their math memory and builds confidence for tackling new content.
For engaging ways to boost fact fluency in your classroom, check out my post on 4 Ways to Boost Math Fact Fluency in Upper Elementary. These strategies make perfect additions to your after winter break lesson plans!
Goal Setting for the New Year
After your students have been on vacation, routines are often forgotten. One of the best ways Carla from Comprehension Connection gets students back on track is with goal setting.
At New Year’s, we often talk about resolutions. This is an excellent segue into goal setting and progress measurement, especially if you’ve set learning goals earlier in the year. You might use her A New Year, a New Me lapbook to help guide your discussion about goal setting and measuring progress. She’s also written a blog post all about goal setting resources that include suggested book titles, bulletin board ideas, freebies, and links to online activities. Visit her site to grab the freebies and learn more!
Paired Passages for ELA Review
After winter break, finding engaging activities to provide students with the review opportunities they desperately need can be challenging. Marissa from Creative Classroom Core loves using paired passages to review key reading strategies in her upper elementary ELA classroom. These engaging tools help develop critical reading skills and enhance understanding of various texts and subjects, making them excellent review tools.
To have success when using paired passage instruction, thoughtful text selection is key. It’s essential to choose texts that fit well together in terms of their themes, concepts, or historical contexts. By mixing fiction with non-fiction, poetry with prose, or even texts from different cultures, students can discover connections that go beyond each text individually. This approach helps students see literature as a collection of interconnected ideas. Read more tips and tricks for using paired passages in your classroom by visiting the Creative Classroom Core blog!
Set the Tone with Relaxed Activities
Starting the year off on the right foot is crucial after winter break! After holiday festivities and time sleeping in, getting back into the groove is tough on students and teachers! Amber from TGIF loves setting the tone on the first day back to school in January by easing back in with relaxed educational activities.
Reviewing previously learned material, setting achievable goals, and gradually increasing the level of difficulty in assignments those first few days really help get everyone back in the groove both academically and emotionally. Hop on over to Amber from TGIF’s blog post on what activities she does the first few days after winter break to learn more!
Review with Games
Reviewing and reinforcing key concepts is a necessary and important part of teaching – especially after winter break. Some effective strategies to help students refresh their knowledge and get back into their learning routine include things like the use of concept maps, peer teaching, and even reflection.
Tammy from The Owl Teacher loves to incorporate games to motivate and engage students. Oftentimes, with games, students don’t even think about the learning aspect but are focused on winning and fun. While many teachers are familiar with review games such as Jeopardy, Kahoot, or Quizlet, Tammy writes about 5 Games for Reviewing Any Content that also engage students creatively. Visit her blog to learn more!
Winter Break Memories
Harnessing the creative energy of winter break memories, Vanessa from Longwing Learning has students complete a writing prompt centered around winter break memories to review and reinforce key writing concepts after winter break. The winter writing prompt includes different opportunities for students to share their holiday experiences with classmates. Integrating personal experiences into the learning process in a fun and positive writing experience after a long break allows students to transition smoothly into core subjects.
Returning after winter break requires a thoughtful balance of academic review and emotional reconnection. These diverse strategies from experienced upper elementary teachers offer practical ways to help your students transition from holiday mode back to classroom learning.
From strengthening math facts to goal setting, paired passages, relaxed activities, engaging games, and writing about winter memories – choose the approaches that best fit your teaching style and students’ needs. With these ideas, you’ll help your class reconnect, review, and get excited about learning in the new year!
Interested in Finding More Ideas for After Winter Break?
- 5 Math Review Games for Elementary Students by Tiffany Schmidt
- 6 Ways to Boost Engagement by Marissa Despins
- Winter Books Every Teacher Must Have for Upper Elementary by Carla Fedler
- Making Math Meaningful and Engaging with Crafts by Amber Dial
- How to Create a Classroom Management Plan for Success with CHAMPS by Vanessa Mejia
- Review the Rules and Procedures After Winter Break by Tammy DeShaw
