This time of year has us winding down from the holidays and gearing up to ring in a new year. Although many of us this time of year last year were optimistic about what 2020 would bring, I guess we can say that it turned out quite differently than expected.
With 2021 almost near, it's nevertheless an exciting time to think about all of the possibilities and this excitement makes for a wonderful unit upon returning to class (whether in person or virtual).
No matter if I was teaching 2nd grade or kindergarten, discussing goals is something I love introducing and practicing for the remainder of the year. Setting achievable and measurable goals are beneficial for any student (and adult!) and why not use this opportunity to begin those discussions.
This has been my tried and true activity for years! This year I gave it a bit of a facelift featuring new clip art and font and adjusted a few details. I'm excited to share this newer version with you all in hopes you'll find it just as fun and engaging as I have.
Setting goals, or having a growth mindset, has been a big calling for teachers in the last few years. The purpose is to get kids "unstuck" from attitudes that can hold them back. A growth mindset is a way of thinking that is optimistic, realistic, and achievable. What better time to review or even introduce this to students!
Resolution writing can be quite critical thinking prompt for students - even in 2nd grade. That's why I recommend scaffolding the concept with read alouds, morning meeting discussions about setting goals/ growth mindsets, and modeling. A few of my favorite read alouds that focus on building a growth mindset are:
- Giraffe's Can't Dance
- The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes
- Jabari Jumps
- Ish
There are a ton more out there, but these are great for kinders to begin thinking about what they're good at and what they'd like to be better at or try. After spending some time on this concept, students will be ready to apply it themselves by setting a goal for the new year.
Goal Writing Prompts
Prompts are a great way to help guide students to thinking about themselves and coming up with a goal they'd like to work on. Some kids already have an idea while others may need some help. These prompts count down from 5 to 1 and help narrow down ideas so that students have a ton of goals to choose from to write about. These pages are optional, but always a fun and easy way to get the ball rolling...
Finally, after all of the hard work of brainstorming a goal and going through the writing process, it's time to decorate their party people! A template is available in both boy and girl form and now you have two styles of party hats to choose from. Simply print directly on construction paper or have students color their people, decorate their hats with markers, gems, sequins, and pom-poms, and affix the writing as shown. To add an additional pop of color and pizzaz, use glitter on the glasses for the year - they make a cute display in the classroom!
To top off this little unit, these read alouds about New Years are always fun to have. It's also a great opportunity to expand students' understanding of how different cultures around the world celebrate New Years (especially if you teach Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year in the coming month).
TpT New Years Sale!
Coming up on December 31st my TpT store is hosting a little sale to celebrate the new year! Automatically save 20% off on everything (including this NYE Craft!) until Jan 3rd! It's a wonderful way to stock up on all of your needs (winter themed resources, math, spring...) as we all head back to the classroom.
