The holiday season is a time of warmth, baking, loved ones, and yes, even dressing up. But for teachers, it can also bring disruptions, big student feelings, and the challenge of planning lessons that fit snugly between breaks. For me, there is one solution for an unpredictable and chaotic time-bound season in my classroom: project based learning. Projects are the teacher's best friend during this time of year.
Projects are flexible and can adapt to any schedule, whether a day is shortened unexpectedly or students are buzzing with holiday excitement. Here's the key: it's all about finding (or combining) the RIGHT project(s) for the season, the reason, and your group of learners. Depending on the year, I’ve found a few different directions successful:
A Gift-Worthy Project: Have students create something to be given as a gift. The motivation to impress a family member is a powerful driving force. This can be a mini-book, a personalized podcast, or something digital. During a year where I found my students really needed some extra narrative practice, we wrote holiday stories for a loved one. My students came up with elaborate plots that featured their loved ones as heroes or took the whole family on a dream vacation. This was one time I was very ok getting emails from families on Christmas morning- just to say how delighted they were.
Partial Book Exploration: In these busy weeks, there might not be time to finish a whole new book. However, crafting projects around reading the initial chapters can be engaging. For instance, explore the setting of a fantasy book or prepare a presentation based on facts from the first chapters of a text. What I love about this approach is that many of my students now have a book they really want to finish over the break! And for the ones who realize after a few chapters that “this wasn’t what I was expecting,” I don’t have to have that miserable conversation that they need to either rapidly read a new one or push through and use the book they don’t like anymore for a project. They can abandon the book after the project if that is in their heart.
Fun at the Finish: Create projects where the most enjoyable part comes at the end. This keeps students engaged throughout, whether they're meticulously illustrating or hastily finishing, as everyone still gains valuable learning experiences. I combined an engineering project with a research project about Early Exploration one year- everyone who was finished on time got to spend the last two days before the break building their own “explorer” boat for a contest. I used a plastic bin usually used for storing classroom extras as a “pool” for our “timed trials.”
Student-Driven Projects: For a more extended project, let students choose their topics for an inquiry project and gather sources before Thanksgiving. This not only empowers students but also encourages them to take charge of their learning during this unpredictable season. It also gives them something to take home and show off to visiting family or friends over the holidays, which means you don’t come back after the break to a room full of abandoned projects.
As the holiday season approaches, don't dread the disruptions; embrace the season of projects and make learning fun and meaningful for your students. It's a time for creativity, exploration, and empowerment, ensuring that your classroom remains an exciting and engaging place even in the midst of holiday chaos.
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