After Winter Break Activities {No Prep ELA Activities to welcome back students}

If your students love to ☺chat☺ as much as mine the day after Winter Break ⛄, leverage that excitement for a meaningful and fun writing activity! With these NO PREP welcome back from Winter Vacation activities, students first share with their classmates about their Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, and winter break activities to complete a "Find Someone Who" activity. Next, they discuss their vacation and complete a Venn diagram comparing the events of each partner's break. Finally, students write a 2 paragraph comparison & contrast essay to explain how their Holiday Break was similar to and different from their partner's break.

Give yourself the gift of a no-prep & stress-free way to return after the New Year in your classroom! Perfect for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students.

⛵Want to save time & your lesson planning brain power with no-prep activities for after EVERY break this year?⛱ Check out my Welcome Back from Vacations BUNDLE with ELA activities for returning from Thanksgiving, Halloween, Winter Break, Spring Break, Easter, Summer Vacation , and the Weekend! Only $4 more than this Winter Set, and includes 6 more holidays/breaks. :)

Directions:

1. Copy the "Find Someone Who" and the Venn diagram printables back to back for each student (your choice of color or black and white). Have students move around the classroom and find classmates that did each of the activities listed on the "Find Someone Who" activity. Challenge students to find a different person for each space. Students sign boxes with the activities they did during break.

2. Students partner up to discuss their breaks one-on-one while they complete the Venn diagram to compare and contrast their Holiday Vacation to their partner’s break.

3. Finally, students use the writing prompt page to write 2 paragraphs explaining how their break was similar and different from their partner’s holiday. Point out the key word example boxes and writing checklist for differentiation and writing support. You may also wish to differentiate by having partners collaborate and write their essays together.

4. Students share their writing at the end of your ELA time!

Includes 3 no prep activities for after the holidays in color & black/white:

1. "Find Someone Who..." (2 differentiation options)

2. Venn diagram for comparing the weekend (2 differentiation options)

3. Comparison and contrast writing prompt page (checklist, keywords, and rubric included)

☮, ♡, & happy teachering!

-Amber Genzink

Terms of Use: This purchase is for personal classroom use only.

©2014 Teachering, Amber Genzink. All rights reserved.

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