As we move towards more inclusive classrooms and schools I am focusing more on the seasonal changes rather than holidays. I think that there are so many sensory details tied to the seasons and depending on where you live, the seasons can have a huge impact on how you live your daily life. As a Canadian, I feel the impact of winter and love to incorporate winter-themed activities into my lessons.
Here are some easy ways to incorporate the winter season into your lessons!
1. Use winter-themed words and phrases to inspire writing! Use this FREE activity to help your students find inspiration in the season to write a poem or short story. Use the words in the subway art to help your students write. You can ask them to use a different colored word for the starting line of a poem, for the start of a haiku, or for the beginning of a short story. Sometimes all it takes is a word or two to get started!
2. Use winter-themed poems! Use them for a poetry analysis activity or as a starting point for their own. There is so much imagery to be found in writing focused on the seasons as we feel the seasons with all of our senses.
Some of my favourites are:
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening - Robert Frost
Snow Day - Billy Collins
Winter Trees - William Carlos Williams
Ice - Gail Mazur
Beyond the Red River - Thomas McGrath
3. Use winter imagery as a backdrop to a typically boring activity like grammar! Check out my Parts of Speech Review Activity with a fun winter theme. Just print and go! Includes a review quiz and answer keys.
4. Use an animated short as a writing prompt! I love
The Little Bird and the Leaf for a unit on perspective. Have the students write from the perspective of the fox, the bird, or the leaf. What do they notice? What do they see? think? feel? There are more videos in The Little Bird series - you can find them on YouTube and they're all just as delightful as this one is.
5. Winter idioms can be a fun way to inspire more poetry or writing! See how many winter-themed idioms your students can come up with. Have them create posters to represent their favourite idiom - I have seen some very creative representations over the years! Or grab my
Winter Idioms activity - another print-and-go resource that can be used as an emergency sub plan or quick lesson on idioms.
To check out all of my winter activities including lessons on perspective, grammar, writing, and more click HERE!
For more wintery activities from the ladies of the Secondary English Coffee shop please check out these fabulous resources:
