December Lesson and Unit Plans - BUNDLE - 5 units to teach all December long!

Check out this bundle of 5 engaging units that you can teach during the entire month of December! That’s right! Just download these units and you won’t have to do a bit of lesson planning! This bundle includes five resources that perfectly pair together, celebrate the time of year, AND help students learn a ton of skills in just 20 days! This bundle is filled with timely resources as well, so that students can celebrate the festive season while learning!

This bundle includes:

• Flashback and Foreshadowing Mini-Unit-- This 3-day mini-unit is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of both foreshadowing and flashbacks with fun, hands-on activities.

• ”A Christmas Carol” Drama Study-- In this 8-day, CCSS-aligned unit, students read and analyze the dramatized version of “A Christmas Carol."

• Writing Responses with Text Based Evidence -- Students complete doodle notes and do fun activities as they learn how to respond to questions with text-based evidence.

• Reindeer Mail – Friendly Letter Study and Writing-- Tap into students’ natural excitement about the Christmas season with this fun, engaging, and super educational Reindeer Mail Mini-Unit! Filled with six activities that address critical ELA skills there is nothing “filler” about this unit! Includes PDF and Google-Classroom compatible resources.

• Daily Warm-Ups-- Start each class period with a warm-up that gives students choice while addressing a variety of ELA skills. (Set 4) Includes PDF and Google-Classroom compatible resources.

***GREAT NEWS!*** This bundle is part of this YEAR OF ELA INSTRUCTION! The bundle includes 60 turn-key units that you can teach all year long! Units are bundled into monthly folders with a suggested scope and sequence. Your entire year is already planned for you! LEARN MORE HERE.

Looking for more monthly unit packs? Find them here…

• January Unit Plans Pack

• February Unit Plans Pack

• March Unit Plans Pack

• April Unit Plans Pack

• May Unit Plans Pack

• June Unit Plans Pack

• July / Summer Unit Plans Pack

• August Unit Plans Pack

• September Unit Plans Pack

• October Unit Plans Pack

• November Unit Plans Pack

Learn more about the units included in this bundle:

Flashback and Foreshadowing Mini-Unit – 3 Days – 50 pages

This 3-day Foreshadowing and Flashbacks Mini-Unit provides numerous opportunities to help students understand and analyze both literary devices. Each lesson starts with a fun and engaging activity – Nursery Rhymes Foreshadowing Foldable, Personal Flashbacks, and Foreshadowing vs. Flashback Sort. Then, students learn about and practice identifying the literary elements through whole group instruction, small group work, partnerships, and independent practice.

In this mini-unit, students will develop a deep understanding of chronological order, foreshadowing, and flashbacks. Students will complete guided notes, reading comprehension passages, graphic organizers and writing activities. This is a fun unit for students and teachers!

This detailed FORESHADOWING AND FLASHBACKS mini-unit includes:

• 3 Detailed Daily Lesson Plans

• Foreshadowing Shapes and Statements for Nursery Rhymes

• Altered Nursery Rhymes Activity

• Personal Flashbacks Activity

• Flashbacks vs. Foreshadowing Chart

• Flashbacks vs. Foreshadowing Sorting Activity

• Guided Notes on Foreshadowing

• 3 Short Reading Passages and Questions for Foreshadowing

• What Happens Next – Prediction Activity

• Guided Notes on Flashbacks

• 3 Reading Passages and Questions for Flashbacks

• Find the Flashback Activity

• Guided Notes on Chronological Order

• Long Reading Passage with both Foreshadowing and Flashbacks

• Reading Comprehension Questions

• Writing & Foreshadowing Activity

• Writing a Flashback Activity

• All keys for student work and instruction

___________________________________________________

”A Christmas Carol” Drama Study – 8 Days – 45 pages

This resource is the perfect companion to “A Christmas Carol” written by Charles Dickens and dramatized by Frederick Gaines. As students read the drama about Ebenezer Scrooge, a man obsessed with greed, and then visited by spirits that change him forever, they’ll develop critical reading skills. Through small group work, independent studies, and class discussions students will not only understand and appreciate the elements of drama but develop deep meaning of the text. In this unit students will build historical background on the author and play, understand and appreciate the elements of drama, develop vocabulary knowledge, analyze characters, actively read and record their understandings, make personal connections to the text, and write in response to the literature. Students will also be participating in small group discussions, working with partners, and reflecting on their learning independently. There’s also a final assessment included in the unit. The end result is a fun, engaging, and CCSS-aligned unit!

The drama study includes all the resources you’ll need to teach this unit in your classroom tomorrow. You’ll love how easy the drama is to teach and your students will love this classic holiday tale!

In this unit, students will…

• Understand and appreciate elements of drama

• Build historical background for the play

• Determine themes conveyed in the text

• Describe how the play’s plot unfolds as well as how characters respond as the plot moves towards a resolution

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases used in the text

• Explore how character choices affect the plot and build on the theme of the story

• Engage in collaborative discussions

• Write in response to literature

Common Core State Standards:

• RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.6, RL.10

• W.10, SL.1, L.4, L.6

This Interactive Reading Unit includes…

• Unit Overview

• Detailed activity plans (8)

• Elements of Drama Partner Activity

• Historical Background (4)

• Letter to Marley Writing Activity

• Student Packet: Drama Elements, Vocabulary, Building Background Notes, Active Reading, Mood Investigation, Character Analysis

• Personal Reflection

• Test - Multiple-Choice, True and False, and Short Answer

• All Instructional and Test Keys

___________________________________________________

Writing Responses with Text Based Evidence – 2 Days – 43 pages

This Doodle and Do resource is designed to give students a solid background on HOW to write a response with textual evidence. First students learn all about text-based evidence and the READ strategy for responding to short answer questions. They do this with the super engaging set of DOODLE notes. Then, there’s ample opportunities to practice how to select, analyze, and write responses with text evidence as students rotate through 5 learning stations! At the learning stations they’ll find and analyze textual evidence, practice the READ strategy, improve two sample short answer responses, cut out and put together a written response, and analyze short responses.

This detailed resource includes:

• Doodle and Do Resource Overview

• Lesson Plan for Doodle Notes (along with detailed tips for each study technique)

• Learning Stations Tips and Tricks

• Doodle Notes (2-pages) on How to Write Text-Based Responses (2 versions)

• Detailed Stations Set-Up and Task Guide for Teachers

• Learning Station Cards (5)

• Learning Station Activities:

--- Find and Analyze Textual Evidence – Long reading passage + 3 tasks for finding and analyzing textual evidence

--- Practice the READ Strategy – 2 reading passages + 2 cooperative tasks for writing responses using the READ strategy

--- Analyze a Written Response – 2 reading passages + Activity to highlight and analyze the sample written responses

--- Putting Together a Written Response – Long reading passage + cut and paste activity to put together a response and add in the missing information

--- Improve the Written Response – 2 reading passages + Activity to revise and improve two sample responses

• All answer keys

___________________________________________________

Reindeer Mail – Friendly Letter Study and Writing – 6 Days – 50 pages

This resource includes 6 activities (plus two optional activities) that not only celebrate the Christmas holiday, but teach students important English Language Arts skills. In this unit students will make inferences, compare and contrast, read for information, conduct mini-research, identify the parts of a friendly letter, and write a friendly letter.

Digital Version Included - This resource includes a traditional PDF version of the student writing packet, as well as a link for Google Slides.

Unit Overview

• The unit begins with a letter from Santa explaining that the 8 letters written by his reindeer are all mixed up. Santa tasks the students to read every letter and make inferences about which reindeer wrote each letter based on reindeer profiles.

• After students make inferences, they investigate the same letters and identify factual information about the North Pole, reindeer, and the Arctic. Students practice the skill of reading for information while they chart a total of 13 facts. Then, students conduct mini-research to add to the fact sheets.

• Next, students review sets of the letters and create 4 Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting each letter.

• Then, students create interactive foldables reviewing the parts of a friendly letter and identifying the elements on a sample letter.

• With a solid understanding of friendly letters, students each pick the name of a reindeer and begin the planning process of writing a friendly letter of their own. In their letters students will draw on everything they’ve learned in the unit thus far.

• Finally, students write their final copies and add images to their letters.

This unit also contains optional bonus activities:

• For a really engaging twist, you may consider using the make-your-own-envelope resources where students create envelopes for their letters.

• Or, utilize the photo booth props in this resource and set up a festive picture-taking session in your classroom. Students can take fun pictures and add them to their letters to the reindeer.

This unit not only taps into students’ natural excitement leading up to Christmas, it also develops critical reading, writing, and interpreting skills!

Skills Developed

• Making inferences

• Showing evidence

• Reading for information

• Discerning between fictional and factual information

• Conducting mini-research on the North Pole, reindeer, and the Arctic

• Comparing and contrasting paired passages

• Parts of a Letter

• Writing Process – Planning, Drafting, Final Copy Writing

• Working collaboratively and independently

Unit Highlights

Activity 1 – Making Inferences

Activity 2 – Reading for Information

Activity 3 – Comparing and Contrasting

Activity 4 – Parts of a Letter

Activity 5 – Pre-Writing and Planning a Letter

Activity 6 – Writing a Friendly Letter

Optional Activities

• Design an Envelope

• Photo Booth Station

This resource includes:

• Unit Overview

• Activity Overview (with pictures)

• Detailed Lesson Plans (8)

• Letter from Santa Claus

• Reindeer Profiles (2 pages)

• Reindeer Profiles – Making Inferences Record Sheets

• Reindeer Letters (8)

• Reindeer Facts – Reading For Information Worksheets (3)

• Compare and Contrast Venn Diagrams (4)

• Parts of a Letter Overview and Foldable

• Parts of a Letter Sample and Arrows

• Part of a Letter Interactive Shapes

• Reindeer Name Cards

• Reindeer Mail – Friendly Letter Writing Planning Pages (4)

• Final Copy Paper – 2 versions in color and black and white

• Envelope template and foldable

• Photo Booth Props (6)

• ALL ANSWER KEYS

___________________________________________________

Daily ELA Warm-Ups – All month long – 57 pages

This resource includes 20 This or That Warm Ups with a total of 40 activities that review critical ELA skills. Each This or That Warm Up includes instruction (at the top of the worksheet) and then 2 choices for students to showcase their learning. After reviewing each choice, students can choose to do the “This” activity or the “That” activity. The choices promote engagement and tap into multiple learning styles. All 20 of the This or That Warm Ups can be taught sequentially or used throughout the year. The warm ups are an awesome way to start each class. They typically take between 5-10 minutes, and often lead to great mini-lessons and discussions.

DIGITAL VERSION INCLUDED – A google-compatible version of the 20 This or That Warm-Ups is also included. In addition, there is a digital version of one of the grade tracking sheets. Simply click the links provided in the resource to make a copy of the digital warm-ups. Created with Google Slides for Google Classroom.

Skills developed and reviewed...

• Analogies

• Verb Tenses

• Than & That

• Commas & Dates

• Verbal Irony

• Adjectives

• Sentence Fragments

• Journal Writing

• Proper & Common Nouns

• Proofreading

• Hyperbole

• Anagrams

• Writing Prompt

• Subjects & Predicates

• Root Words

• Types of Sentences

• Alphabetical Order

• Linking Verbs

• Poetry Writing

• Correlative Conjunctions

This resource includes

• This or That Warm Ups Overview (for teachers)

• Anatomy of a This or That Warm Up

• Setup Guide (with two options for implementation - file folders or packets)

• Grading Options Review

• 4 This or That Tracking and Grading Options

• 20 This or That Warm Ups (with 40 activities)

• 20 This or That Warm Up KEYS

Following is Fun!

Get the inside scoop on all store discounts, free products, and product launches. Just click the green “Follow Me” star under my store name on this page or click the green “Follow Me” star on my store homepage.

*** Click HERE to receive the Brain Waves Instruction Newsletter filled with exclusive FREEBIES and Teaching Tips!

Thanks!