January
In light of current events and recognizing this has little to do with quarter notes and half notes, these resources may be helpful to you, personally or collectively.
Facing History and Ourselves - Educator's Guide, Responding to the Insurrection
CSPAN - Live and recorded congressional sessions (Learn how to clip sections of videos)
University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching resources for Spontaneous Discussions: Dealing with the Unexpected
TEDEd blog "10 tips for talking about news, politics, and current events in schools"
Facing History and Ourselves checklist for teachers preparing to discuss current events with students
Helping Your Child Cope with Media Coverage of Community Racial Trauma: Tips for Parents (YouTube video)
How to engage students in civil discourse following events at the U.S. Capitol
How about some lighter classroom activities!
WHEEL OF NAMES
This is a wonderful group activity. Here's a suggestion about how to present this to your students:
Before Spinning, Ask your Students - What words do you hope you land on?
Spin and Share your Word.
What does your word bring to mind? How does it challenge you? How does it inspire you? What could you do today, this week or in this New Year, that relates to your word? Discuss.
VIRTUAL CHOIR - MAD LIB
My choir director was very 1.__________ to have us perform the "Hallelujah 2.__________" as a virtual choir piece. So, I put on my most festive 3.__________ and warmed up my voice really 4.___________. First, my 5.__________ tried to play with my earbuds. Then, I forgot to have my phone in 6.________ position. When I started singing, my voice sounded so 7.__________ to me it made me 8.__________. When I watched my first try, I realized my voice had gone 9.___________ instead of down. My face looked really 10.________ and I had a big blob of 11._________on my face. So I tried again and it went perfectly! Just as I got to the end, my 12._________barks, the doorbell 13._______'s and the 14.________ catches on fire. I think I’ll try again in 15.__________.
Adjective _________________________________
Noun _____________________________________
Clothing __________________________________
Adverb ___________________________________
Animal____________________________________
Noun______________________________________
Adjective__________________________________
Mood_____________________________________
Direction__________________________________
Color______________________________________
Food______________________________________
Animal____________________________________
Verb______________________________________
Noun_____________________________________
Time of Year______________________________
Ask your students to complete the list from 1-15. Then share the Mad-Lib and ask them to read it aloud. Have fun!