A WInter Tingly,Jingly Jam for My Classroom Colleagues

I am so, so thrilled that the wonderful editors for the C.L.A.S.S. newsletter published my poem, A Teacher's Winter Holiday Jingle in the December issue of this classy publication! If you are a secondary ELA or Social Studies teacher, you should check out this awesome newsletter. In it you will find a plethora of great articles, ideas, and freebies for secondary ELA and Social Studies Teachers! Besides learning about using vision boards, you will find loads of  engaging FREE and Priced TpT products.

The newspaper link is 

http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d5224951c615ea59a4a31abb8&id=e29b8169d7&e=5cf4aeef71.

The link to subscribe is http://eepurl.com/ba-6I5. 

When you subscribe, you will fill your mind and teacher's bag with stimulating lesson ideas and engaging classroom ready activities. 

And here is the big bonus - you can submit your own articles and TpT products for publication. Talk about a WIN-WIN situation, this is it!

For all of my colleagues still leading classrooms and creating lifelong learners, enjoy this reprint of my poem, followed by links for three December ACTIVITIES.

A Teacher's Winter Holiday Jingle

As the December calendar grinds its way toward the much anticipated winter break, my mind can’t stop contemplating how teachers would transform the holiday song lyrics that burst from radio stations, prance through television commercials and ring-a-ding from every street corner Santa’s bell.  White Christmas, written by Irving Belin in 1940 and made famous by Bing Crosby who sang it at The Kraft Music Hall on December 25, 1941, continually resonates through my head. For that reason, I decided to borrow the format and paraphrase the lyrics for my version,  

A Teacher’s Winter Holiday Jingle.

 

I'm dreaming of a big pay raise
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the zeros increase, as stress they release
And the thoughts of dollar signs make me glow.
 
I’m dreaming of free planning periods
With every midnight lesson I write
May PLC meetings be constructive, not trite
And may all of my data collecting tasks be light.
 
I’m dreaming of involved students
Just like my summer visions show
Where kids’ academic desires increase, as their indifferences decrease
And the “I got it!” moments make their faces glow.
 
I’m dreaming of supportive principals
With scholastic goals that cause delight
May these leaders build an atmosphere that’s bright
And may my teaching passion they ignite.
 
I'm dreaming of a caring school board
Who loads my bank account with dough
Where my headaches decease, as annual COLAs increase
And respect for my teaching and me they bestow.
 
I’m dreaming of supportive parents
With every grade report I write
May dads and moms not retort with barks or bites
And may all of our correspondences be polite.
 
I’m dreaming of a giving PTA
Just like those I’ve mostly known
Where bagels and coffee increase, as my burdens decrease
And their financial aid makes my face aglow.
 
I’m dreaming of a winter rest
With each work-filled December night
May my lessons be engaging and forthright
And keep my students learning with much delight.

 
Happy Holidays to all of my colleagues still leading classrooms. If any of these words match your dreams, I do hope that they see the light of day and the inside of your bank accounts.
 

And now for THREE DECEMBER ACTIVITIES

December Character Comprehension Project: Winter Wonders

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/December-Character-Comprehension-Project-Winter-Wonders-440505 FREE!

Comprehension & Writing Activity: Seasonal Similes and Mouth-Watering Metaphors

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Comprehension-Writing-Activity-Seasonal-Similes-and-Mouth-Watering-Metaphors-171190 $2.00

Literature Analysis Activities - Dancing Through December

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Analysis-Activities-Dancing-Through-December-2224756 $2.50

Enjoy a Teach It Write Day Every Day, and a Wonderful Winter Break!

Make a Home for the Unit Plan-'Neverhome'

Image from Amazon  http://amzn.to/1NF0O71

From the first page of Neverhome by Laird Hunt, I was mesmerized. Was my absorption due to

~the first line, “I was strong and he was not, so it was me went to war to defend the republic”? 

~ the knowledge that women masqueraded as men to fight in the Civil War?

~ Laird Hunt’s ability to spin mere words into vivid and emotional word pictures, such as, “…but there had been a bite of sorrows in that empty place made me glad to think we had found another spot and weren’t going to return,” (21)? As an avid reader, I give three solid, “Yes” votes to these questions.

As a teacher, I appreciate the societal/cultural links, as well as the reasons why this 243-page novel provides a rich cross-curriculum unit of study that secondary school English and Social Studies teachers may share.

Societal/ Cultural Links

~ Constance Thompson, AKA Ash Thompson, is a woman who succeeds in a man’s world, though she has to disguise herself as a man to do so.  The two recent graduates of Ranger School, First Lieutenant Shaye Haver, and Captain Kristen Griest also excelled in a – previously -men’s only domain.

~ Some reasons for the Civil War, from both Northern and Southern Points of View are presented.

~ The interpretation of historical persons, places and things as well as their symbolic meanings is timely.

Cross Curriculum Ideas

~English teachers can share elements of literature activities such as Character, Plot/Conflict and Theme with social studies teachers.

~ Social Studies teachers may share activities that deepen students understanding of the people and places of the Civil War, especially those that are shown- with literary license- in this novel.

~ English and Social Studies teachers could “guest teach” in each other’s classes.

What does this 103-page Unit Plan: Neverhome  offer teachers?

Here is a shortened version of the Table of Contents:

Objectives and Teacher Notes

A Unit Activity Plan (specifies the Common Core Anchor Standards and 

Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs for each activity)

Pre-Reading – What Do I Know?  How Do I Know It?                                                      

Research Project

Debate Project

Historical Footnotes

Vocabulary Activity

Section Analysis Activity (3-pages; one set is designated for every reading division section

that I created- three each for the author’s book divisions that he names, One, Two and Three.)

Group Activity –Ash’s Journey 1862-1864    

Character Activities (6)

Plot/Conflict Activities (5)

Setting Activity - Setting Up Ash(1)

Symbols Activities (2)

Theme Activities (2)

Tone Activity (1)                                                                                            

Figurative Language Activity

                 

Points to Ponder/Discussion Topics (10)

Essay Topics (8)

Project Topics (9)

Assessments/Division Quiz

Assessments Unit Test

Answer Keys: Historical Footnotes, Vocabulary, Neverhome Unit Test

This product, Unit Plan - Neverhome,  provides a plethora of teacher notes, activities and assessments that enable students to ~deepen their reading comprehension and their understanding of the Civil War and its impact on contemporary society.

~grasp the fact that what happens in the past always impacts the future

~ strengthen their writing depth and their higher level thinking skills, and, to

~ create lifelong readers and learners.

Download it from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Unit-Plan-NeverhomeLaird-Hunt-2053138

Enjoy a Teach it Now Day, Every Day

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