Prove it!

Christmas break is near.... two weeks and I've got to think, how can I engage my students and remind them that school work is important up to the last day before break. Note: I made this mistake last year. I had one week before break with with little plan on how we should spend that time. My students viewed my disconnected daily activities as optional and were instead, insanely hyper and difficult to manage for one week straight. Note to self, winter word search warm-up does not send the message that we mean business in class today!

So my plan this year, in order to avoid the before holiday high, is to create a project that will take them right up to that last day of break. We just finished a poetry study and I want them to reflect on all they've learned in the last month. There were four learning targets (or goals) and I am giving them a portfolio assignment on Monday. They must take each learning target, write an explanation of the target and their understanding as well as provide three artifacts from the unit that support their learning of the said target. Basically I am challenging them to prove to me what they've learned.

Now, I realize that is higher ordered thinking, the kind of thing that originally sends my concrete students into a tizzy but eventually, they'll begin to figure out how to communicate understanding. Projects are due the 18th, which gives me one day to bust out winter bingo or some other silly holiday activity. This time though, if you don't have your project turned in, you have to work on it while the other kids play and enjoy themselves. How's that for some natural consequence!? I can already hear some of them now, "That's not fair!" it will be an excellent opportunity for another real world, life lesson with Mrs. Jaeger. Choices have consequence, if you don't work, you don't get to play.