If your classroom is anything like mine, then you and your students are experiencing a MAJOR Case of the Holidays! What exactly is a "Case of the Holidays?" you ask. This is that time period when everyone is on autopilot. They are burnt out, tired, and ready for a break! During the weeks leading up to the holidays, engagement and motivation are at an all-time low. This can create a classroom management nightmare! Trust me-- I've been there.
After years and years of just plodding along through the prepackaged curriculum my district offered, I had enough. (No shade to my district, they allow us the autonomy to choose what we use). I just thought that curriculum in the box was the way to go... until I realized that wasn't the case 100% of the time. It definitely wasn't the case as the pumpkins, turkeys, and reindeer started coming out to play! I knew I had to find some way to keep my students interested in learning without sacrificing the rigor of the standards.
My solution? Targeted, skills-based, HIGH-INTEREST close reads.
My current favorite tackles the topic of Pop-Its. Are they a fidget or are they a toy?
After annotating the text and answering some guiding questions along the way, my students were able to demonstrate their comprehension through a series of selected-response items, a constructed response, and finally an essay. Before writing our essays, my classes divided up and argued their stance. My kiddos had the best time debating this issue.
As an added bonus, we played a fun paper version of the Pop-It game and did a coloring sheet to review facts and opinions. Y'all, I'm not even kidding-- they begged to work on this each day. The Case of the Holidays was CURED!!!
What's the moral here? Engagement doesn't have to be hard. All it takes is a little creativity and you can relate any standard to the interests of your students.
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