Back from the Break!

I am not going to say it was pleasant getting up this morning, attempting to get back into gear....but it wasn't horrible. I am thinking day 2 might hit me harder? Ha!

Anyway, I am not going to recap my Christmas Break, but it was oh-so-lovely to take a little break and to relax with friends and family. With a new baby on the way, it was especially great to spend a little extra time with the hubster.

And today was back to reality. Ugh.

 "Getting back into the groove" day.

Here are a few activities that we dove into that were easy, yet meaningful:

Goal Setting:

We spent a small portion of the day reviewing rules and expectations.  But also refreshed a list of class goals (things we really need to still work on as a group). Then I had the kids move into some personal goal setting. I had the students use small sticky notes, so that they can change their goals or remove them, if they have been achieved. How often do we have kids make goals and then never have them review or make changes to them?!  

HERE is a simple template that I created if it interests you.

Reflecting in Religion Class:

Tomorrow (January 6th) The Epiphany is celebrated in Canada. It remembers the three wise men’s visit to baby Jesus and his baptism, according to events in the Christian Bible.

Today, my students read Matthew 2:1-12 together. We discussed the events and the significance.

We talked about the role "The Magi" and who the 'Magi's' are in our own lives.

I read the article entitled "The Magi at 40,000 feet". I didn't read the entire article to my students, but paraphrased the story.

I really, really like this story because it is real.

The message at the end is my favourite part of the entire article.

For homework, my students are to reflect and think of a person or a group of people who have changed them in some way. Maybe it made them appreciate life more, or taught them something special. Perhaps even someone that made them think or slow down or just smile when they thought they couldn't.

Tomorrow they will write a brief reflection on this person and why they are important.

After their reflective time, I plan on breaking my students into pairs to create "A Modern Day Epiphany" Story.

While I am on maternity leave I intend on creating an Advent/Christmas package for upper grade students and hope to have this activity in more detail..... But for now, HERE is the template my kiddos will use to brainstorm.

So there you have it... nothing crazy, but a good start to the new year in 6/7E!

Have a great week :)

~Kaitlin~