1.800.221.5175
Mathematics
Sadlier Math Grades K–6
Core Program
Full Access
Progress in Mathematics Grades K–6
Core Program
Full Access
Progress in Mathematics Grades 7–8+
Core Program
Full Access
Progress Mathematics Grades K–8
National Program
Full Access
New York
Critical Thinking for Active Math Minds
Grades 3–6
Preparing for Standards Based Assessments
Grades 7–8
Reading & Writing
From Phonics to Reading Grades K-3
Print Program
Interactive Practice Bundle
Fluency Booster Practice Book
Interactive Assessments
High-Impact Tutoring
Sadlier Phonics
Grades K–3
Close Reading of Complex Texts Grades 3–8
Print Program
Interactive Edition
Building Reading Success with Wiley Blevins Grades K–5
Tier 2 & Tier 3 Intervention for Grades K—5
Sadlier Handwriting Practice
Print Program
Progress English Language Arts Grades K–8
National Program
Full Access
New York
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Workshop, Tools for Comprehension Grades 1–5
Print Program
Interactive Edition
Vocabulary Workshop Achieve Grades 6–12+
Print Program
Interactive Edition
Vocabulary Workshop, Tools for Excellence Grades 6–12+
Print Program
Interactive Edition
Vocabulary Workshop Adaptive
Grades 6—12
Vocabulary for Success
Grades 6–10
Grammar
Grammar Workshop, Tools for Writing
Grades 2–5
Grammar Workshop
Grades 6–8
Grammar for Writing
Grades 6–12
Intervention
Building Reading Success with Wiley Blevins
Tier 2 & Tier 3 Intervention for Grades K—5
Professional Learning
Professional Learning
Services

Sadlier's
English Language Arts Blog

The home of Vocab Gal and other educational experts K–12 resources

December 14, 2017 CG Seasonal Activities Winter, ELA Seasonal - Winter, ELA K-5, ELA 6-8, ELA Focus - Writing, ELA 9-12, ELA PD - Grammar Writing, ELA Focus - Grammar, ELA Resources - Charts/Posters, Core Grammar

4 Tips to Successfully Begin a New Semester After Winter Break

Resolutions abound in the new year, and the beginning of a new semester can represent a clean slate, as well. A new year naturally lends itself to rearranging, replacing, and rejuvenating.

Resolutions abound in the new year, and the beginning of a new semester can represent a clean slate, as well. A new year naturally lends itself to rearranging, replacing, and rejuvenating.

FOUR SIMPLE TIPS TO BEGIN A NEW SEMESTER

  1. Update bulletin boards and classroom walls

  2. Organization

  3. Introduce a new writing activity

  4. Build on grammar skills

Students love returning to school and seeing something different from how they left their room. In this post about beginning a new semester, I’ve presented four tips on preparing for a new semester; let’s begin with the classroom walls and bulletin boards.

#1 UPDATING BULLETIN BOARDS AND CLASSROOM WALLS

In a prior post, “How To Motivate Students To Write (And Love It!)”, I discuss publishing student work. Kids love to see their work displayed around the room because it gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. It also helps break down walls between different classes and creates a sense of unity.

Why not use student work to design your next bulletin board? You can replace the background color on your bulletin board and title it by theme or by assignment name.

Considering prior student work, it is a good idea to keep model samples from year-to-year. As you begin each new unit, you can post student work from prior years to use as exemplar samples for students to see.

Also, freshen up your classroom by hanging new classroom posters. Hang posters and anchor charts that will support your semester's curriculum. Are you working on types of writing in the upcoming semester? Is high-stakes testing on the horizon? Your classroom walls should feature relevant content!

informative-explanatory-writing-anagram-750px.jpg

Informative Writing Poster

Download-Now

sentence-stems-poster-750px.png

Sentence Stems Poster

Reading-Strategies-Download-Now

purposes-of-writing-750px.jpg

Purposes of Writing Poster

Vocabulary-Download-Now

Grammar-Homophone-Anchor-Chart.png

Homophone Anchor Chart

Download Now

ten-high-stakes-assessment-terms-to-know-poster-750px.png

10 High-Stakes Test Terms to Know

Download Now

multiple-choice-champion-tipsheet-test-preparation-standardized-exams-750px.jpg

Be A Mulitiple-Choice Champion

Download Now

#2 EXAMINE YOUR ORGANIZATION

Keeping student work takes a level of organization. A new semester is a great time to examine your organization. Start by updating and organizing your supplies. Teachers love school supplies, and keeping an appropriate number on-hand is essential to success.

Before adding to your supplies, go through your filing cabinet and put things in order, tossing empty White-Out bottles and markers that no longer work. Clean out old files and folders. If you find student work for a unit or grade level you no longer teach, keep this in mind: if it’s something you simply cannot part with then put it in that place you keep precious keepsakes; otherwise, toss it.

 

#3 WELCOME STUDENTS BACK WITH A NEW YEAR WRITING ACTIVITY

After getting your room, supplies, and yourself organized, think about what you can do for the students as you begin the new year. By this time, your classroom culture should be well-established.

A great back-to-school writing activity for a new semester can be around goal-setting. Students have a baseline of grades and achievement on skills and assignments this year. What can they improve to increase their levels of achievement? Have them write about it.

This writing can take many forms, but if you want to post it around the room to keep your classroom walls alive with student work, hand each student an index card and have them write an academic goal on one side. On the other side, they can write their action plan about how they will achieve their goal. If you want to spice up their writing, have them create a non-linguistic representation of their goal and use four different colors to it.

If you're an elementary school teacher you'll want to grab this New Year Writing Activities Bundle from the Core Literacy Blog.

If you're in the middle and upper grade levels, the printables below are great resources for encouraging students to write each day in the classroom.

ten-quick-write-prompts-for-vocabulary-750px.jpg

10 Quick Writing Prompts

Download Now

Grammar_Social_QuickWrite_thumb_750px.jpg

Social Media Quickwrite

Download Now

journal-writing-topics-for-students-750px.png

33 Journal Writing Prompts

Download Now

#4 REVISIT GRAMMAR SKILLS ALREADY TAUGHT

Writing and grammar work in tandem. A fourth way to begin a new semester is to revisit grammar skills already taught. This is a great way to scaffold learning and link student thinking to old material before presenting new grammar skills.

For instance, if you taught the correct use of apostrophes, subject-verb agreement, and dependent clauses during the first semester, have students write their feelings toward beginning a new semester. You might tell students they must include a possessive noun, a plural possessive, and a dependent clause in their writing. Their subjects and verbs must match, as well. This writing would provide you with a quick formative assessment and it would provide a writing and grammar experience for the students.

Elementary Worksheets

Grammar-Lesson-Subject-Pronouns-3-5

Subject Pronouns Worksheets

Download Now

21X_14_BL_GP_Fragment_Run_On_3-5_thumb_350px

Run-on and Fragment Sentences

Download Now

CCSS_3-5_More_Commas_thumb_350px

More Commas Worksheets

Download Now

Middle School and High School Worksheets

printable-grammar-worksheets-pronouns-activity-6-12.jpg

Pronouns Worksheets

Download Now

parallel-structure-practice-activity.jpg

 

Parallel Structure Worksheets

Download Now

printable-grammar-worksheets-commas-gr-6-8.jpg

 


Commas Worksheets

Download Now

IN SUMMARY

There is a sense of excitement when beginning a new semester. These four tips are a great way to get the new calendar year off to a great start!