Teachers Have Class! Issue #14/January 2011 Winter and January Teaching Resources and Ideas
Welcome to the 14th newsletter of Teachers Have Class from Unique Teaching Resources!
I hope that you enjoyed your recent holidays and that you relaxed and had a wonderful time with your family and friends.
A large amount of my vacation time was spent unpacking. I recently moved from Bahrain back to Florida, and I was eagerly awaiting the delivery of my household shipment that was due to arrive around December 10. I thought that this would give me plenty of time to unpack all of my boxes and decorate my house for Christmas. Unfortunately, my shipment didn't end up arriving until December 21, so I was like a tornado whirling around trying to unpack everything before Christmas and my family arrived to stay with me.
Today is January 3, and it has been the first chance that I have had to sit down and write my monthly newsletter. I apologize that this edition is being sent out later that normal, but December was a very hectic month for me. It feels very good to be writing this January newsletter from my desk, with all of my boxes unpacked, and being surrounded by all of my teaching resources.
It is wonderful to be living back in the U.S. and I feel blessed to be starting off the year 2011 living so much closer to my family. I hope that the new year also brings many blessings to you, your family, and your students!
Happy New Year,
Heidi McDonald
Special Reminder:
The links to download the free teaching resources that are found in this edition of Teachers Have Class will only be available for 5 days.
So, be sure to download your free January teaching resources promptly!
#1 The Amazing Reading Race
Do you want to begin this new year by encouraging your students to read? Do you want your students to enjoy reading as they race around the 7 continents of the world filling out their reading passports?
I love to travel and I love when children become excited about reading. This free set of reading resources combines both of my passions together!
Below is an example of the Amazing Reading Race Map. This map contains 7 continents and each continent requires students to read a different genre:
Mountain Story Map Book Report: For the new year, January, and winter, challenge your students to climb this mountain story map graphic organizer!
This is the first time that I have included a free book report set in my newsletter. As I was trying to think of templates that I have created that contain a winter theme, the first idea that came to my mind was a mountain template that I made that also had snow on it.
Your students will enjoy climbing their winter mountain by writing and drawing about the exposition and rising action, reaching the summit by writing and drawing about the climax of their story, and descending the mountain by writing and drawing about the falling action and resolution.
This uniquely shaped book report set contains 5 worksheet templates that assemble into a mountain shaped banner.
Students draw pictures along the mountain's slope to correspond with the following writing sections: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The finished mountain story map project measures 32 inches in width and 10 inches in height.
Each month I provide a free stationery and worksheet set in my newsletter because many teachers are often looking for thematic worksheets for each month, especially for creative writing.
Below is my Penguin Creative Writing Stationery Set and the link to download it.
#4 January Calendar and Monthly Writing Prompt Ideas
Each month I provide a free printable calendar set in my newsletter. These free calendar sets can be displayed on a bulletin board or placed inside a pocket chart.
This set of teaching resources includes:January banner, large days of the week, small days of the week, square dates for 1-31, birthday square, and a blank square.
Winter and January Writing Prompts: Are you looking for a creative list of writing prompts and journal ideas to use this month?
On the January writing prompts page of Unique Teaching Resources, you will find a long list of general winter writing prompts and a list of specific holidays and celebrations that occur in January.
For the specific January calendar dates, you will find the following: lesson plan ideas, writing prompts, ideas for student projects, links to useful websites, book recommendations, and related videos.
Click on the link below to view my extensive list of Winter and January writing prompts.
Thank you for your interest in subscribing to my newsletter. Remember to download your free resources within 5 days of the date that it was sent.
Please be sure to check out the other pages on my website for a large variety of other teaching resources that will engage your students in learning and save you valuable time.
Sincerely, Heidi McDonald
Creator and Site Manager Unique Teaching Resources
P.S. My next newsletter will be my February Issue.
I plan to send out this newsletter around January 28, 2011.
Welcome to the 14th newsletter of Teachers Have Class from Unique Teaching Resources!
