It's Sunday night, the last night of Spring Break. Where has the time gone? Come 8am I'm sure I'll not be the only one asking that question. It's also the last major break before summer. There is a lot of focus in classes about starting school off on the right foot; that the first two weeks are crucial to the school year. While I have no arguments against those sentiments, the last weeks of the semester should not be disregarded simply because it is the end. Most of my senior students have had senioritis since their return from winter break; but now that senior project is winding down, I wonder how many are going to start checking out?
Over the break I've kept busy with odds and end jobs, but one thing I tried to focus on was what I was going to be teaching after the break. As the freshmen finish Blima they'll be starting into Romeo and Juliet. The seniors had Catching Fire pushed back around their projects, and have been focusing in on the theme of dystopian societies. To try and help gather ideas of how to go about these two works in a way that provides a motivating and engaging activity, I re-discovered a website that I had all but forgotten: Teachers Pay Teachers. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, this website is a great host of resources. Some, I know, cost money- but there are a handful that you can find free to download. Resource groups such as this are also great for those unexpected class periods (from choir absences, chronic flu absences, snow days or what have you) that keep students learning relevant detail of information but add a little fluff so that main activities can stay on track between all of the classes and students. I'm sure there are many others I could find from a quick Google search, but this specific group I have come to time and time again. Since it comes from other actual teachers, the information is almost always accurate. Besides that, just searching around can spark an overflow of ideas!
Hopefully everyone has a great first day back!
Kristal,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we overlook the importance of the last few weeks, maybe even months of the school year. It's a time when there is a high burnout rate; everyone is exhausted and ready to be on summer vacation.
I'm currently teaching Romeo and Juliet -- we have these really cool graphic novels (pretty much comic books in my realm) that make Shakespeare a lot easier for my tier classes to understand. I think it's really cool and I'm a sucker for Bill Shakes.
I love TpT! I typically search for their "free" resources; however sometimes I find myself spending way too much money on that website. Oh well, I would much rather support teachers than big companies.
Best of luck on your KPTP, and everything else going on in your busy life! Take care!
-Ms. A