It is hard to believe, but December is just around the corner, and it is time to start planning those December lessons.  I don't know if your December school schedule looks like mine, but we have a plethora of activities during this busy month: assembly programs, choir practice and program, Santa Shop, Christmas Village, etc. With all of these activities and busyness, it is nice to have some easy prep Christmas and December holiday themed lessons up my sleeve, and I am going to share my list with you. Best of all, these holiday activities from Upper Elementary Snapshots are free! Be sure to download all of these amazing resources for your classroom! Christmas Around the World: Italy Freebie Your students will love learning about Christmas customs around the world with this first amazing freebie from The Teacher Next Door . This activity is a great way to integrate reading strategies and social studies concepts, while learning about something fun and thematic in Decembe......

Teachers often struggle to decide how to handle the winter holidays in public schools. This blog post will help you plan for a holiday season in your classroom that is both inclusive and educational. You know your students learn best when they are engaged and motivated. You also know that many children are excited by the holidays season. Their energy finds a way of presenting itself in the classroom so you want to capitalize on using it in a positive way. But, due to time constraints or directives from administration to avoid controversial topics and religious holidays, you may find yourself struggling to figure out how to offer seasonal, academic, and meaningful learning opportunities in a public school setting. During my first few years of teaching, December was always a crazy month in my classroom. As a new teacher I had not yet perfected my classroom management strategies . As a result I saw an increase in student behavior issues . Frequent changes to our schedule bec......