Engaging Activities to Use After the New Year

Are you looking for some fun, engaging activities to do with your students once school starts back after Christmas break?  You’ve came to the right place!  I found myself dreading the thought of getting back to the grind once this long, overdue break is over.  So what better way to deal with it than to create fun activities that your students won’t groan about?!? 

First, I created a New Year’s Student Reflection- Video Journal Responses &  Infographic.  This product includes video journal responses where students watch a short video related to the response topic, and then students write a response.  Using
the information they include in the journal responses, students will
complete a New Year’s Infographic.

Included are:
• 6 video journal responses that address various areas included in the
infographic (goal setting, SMART Goals, resolutions, making positive
changes, symbolism, etc.).
• 2 page infographic

Another product I use is a New Year’s Character Reflection & Infographic. 
This activity is a great
way to analyze a character, while also putting
the New Year’s spin on it.

The activities in this product will require students to:
• Develop a New Year’s resolution for the character
• Determine character’s most cherished memories
• Establish the character’s favorite “things”
• Symbolization- 5 symbols that represent the character
• Goals for the New Year

Similar to the topics discussed in the Infographic are these New Year’s Character Reflection Task Cards!  This Common Core aligned product includes 20 task cards that
require students to think critically about the character(s) being
addressed, as well as to support their answers with evidence.  Approximately half of the cards require students to reflect on the
character’s

past year or the year to come; however, the tasks do not
have to be used as a New Year’s activity. The other half focuses more
on characterization, in general (types of conflict the character has
been involved in, internal and external traits, etc.). Therefore, these
task cards can be used at any point throughout the year with ANY novel
or short story.  Want to try out a free sample of this product?  Download this FREEBIE here!

I’d love to here what you do with your students when you head back to school in January.  It would be great to have a variety of activities on hand to be ready to go!