Happy New Year! I know it's been some time since I've blogged, but we've been traveling to see family, creating new lessons, relaxing, and enjoying the holidays. I hope that you, too, have been able to enjoy this time with family and friends.
I wanted to let you know about a free download I have for teachers to use this new year. It's my "
2013 New Year Creative Writing Activities." Hopefully this will help with your lesson planning when you return to school after break.
It includes four short writing activities for students that also practice critical-thinking skills.
The first is writing a new-year resolution. I defined a resolution for the students and prompted them to think about what they wish to achieve and HOW they will go about obtaining that goal. I think it's important to include the "how" because some may resolve to do things that they could not possibly achieve. On the last page of this packet is a variation of his writing exercise that can be used for the first day of school or first day of the semester with a new group of students.
After your students finish writing about their goals, file them away for the rest of the year. Bring them back out on the last day of school and let them see how much they have achieved over the past few months. Students love looking back at things they've written.
The next activity is writing a list of the top 20 things they want to do in 2013 and the top 13 things they hope to avoid or not do. An example might be "Earn an A in class" for top 20 and "Turn in late work" for bottom 13.
Another activity is writing an acrostic poem using the numbers 2-0-1-3. It forces the students to think of the number as separate words. An example might be:
Two months of searching
Zero purchases
One goal
Three prospects for the perfect prom dress.
The final activity is a classroom scavenger hunt. Students are prompted to find certain things based on the numbers 2-0-1-3. Then they have to create their own clues for their classmates.
These activities could be a nice addition to a time capsule or writing portfolio. I hope you and your students enjoy them. If you do, please consider checking out my other creative writing and critical-thinking activities:
These new products are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Please see their product descriptions for the full list of standards alignment.
