Let’s chat about what happens in December as a teacher.
Your students are excited because there’s a lot of excitement going on in their lives. I mean…Santa. Need I say more?
On the other hand, you are overwhelmed because you also have a lot going on at home and at school.
You might feel like classroom management goes out the window because of all the extra events, parties, musicals, etc.
What if I told you that you could restore a little bit of order during the month of December?
What if things don’t actually have to be that chaotic during this time?
I am going to tell you exactly what I do, and how you can do all the fun things without losing control of your classroom.
It’s very simple…
Keep your schedule the way it is.
You heard that right. Keep. Your. Schedule. The. Way. It. Is.
You might be thinking, “Okay, Emily…you make it seem so easy. Must be nice to be able to say that.”
But it really is simple. You are going to keep your schedule, while integrating all the fun things that go into your December activities.
Here’s an example:
In my classroom, we do Holidays Around the World every year. I have over 15 countries and traditions that I cover.
Holidays Around the World [Click Here to learn more.]
This unit is HUGE, but it’s great because there’s a major social studies component that keeps things academic, and it keeps me on track.
So…reading each mini-book would be a part of our guided reading time.
When we write in our journal, that would be considered writer’s workshop.
When we travel and do extension activities, that would be considered social studies.
See…you can do all these things…but you have to remind your students that these activities fall into the regular schedule of each day.
Make. It. Fit.
And one thing to keep in mind…
Don’t let up for anything. If you usually do calendar after lunch, keep doing that.
If you do a read-aloud before the end of the day, don’t skip it.
If it’s Thursday and you only have 20 minutes for writing because you have a long special that day, only write for 20 minutes.
Are you picking up what I’m throwin’ down? 😉
Hopefully you get the point. Keep your schedule the same. Don’t let your students feel a change in structure during those weeks in December.
Since implementing this simple strategy, my classroom management and behavior doesn’t change much in December.
Because I took a little time to creatively integrate my existing schedule throughout the week, I reduced a lot of stress in my life.
I hope this strategy helps you as much as it has helped me!
This year, I added a nifty file folder suitcase. Now you can stay organized while exploring all the customs and traditions from the countries you will be traveling to with your students.
Holidays Around the World Unit
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