Start 2018 Off Writing Some RESOLUTIONS!

Today I started working on my plans for January!  Each year I try SUPER HARD to get ORGANIZED!    Making lists and planning some fun ways to get back in the swing when we get back.  

I always like to start off with having the kids do some writing about their New Year resolutions.  I am always amazed at the number of kids that have no idea what a resolution is.  We talk about how they are like goals that we set for ourselves.  Once they learn how to use the word, they try so hard to get that "BIG" word in every sentence they can. 

We are going to start out by focusing on some resolutions for school and some for home.   We brainstorm and make some lists of things we might want to consider.  Then we WRITE, EDIT, and SHARE!  After we do that we publish our writing on some fun paper!  (You can get it below for FREE!). Once we finish our writing we hang them in the hall.  When we take them down, we put them in our writing portfolios.  I like to have the kids bring them out at the end of grading period to see how we are doing on meeting those resolutions.  

I keep all of the kids writing and projects in portfolios.  We used manila folders that we decorated.  I put them in a giant plastic tub.  As we complete things to put in them, I just drop the stack of papers in the tub.  About once a month, we get them out and look at them.  I have a few kids pass out the things that haven't been put into the folders yet, while they talk with their table about how much progress they have made.  At the end of the year, we take them home.  It's a really great way to end the year and the kids have something special to take home.  If you haven't start portfolios for your kiddos yet, it is never to late!  You can do one starting in 2018!    

My New Year writing paper just had a revamp and best of all it is a FREEBIE!  Click on the picture to download the file so that you can get a jump start on your plans.  The paper comes in lots of options!  You can pick the size of lines you want and also in color or printer friendly!  I like to print a bunch of the different color options off (thanks to HP Instant Ink of course!) and let the kids pick which one they want.

I hope everyone is getting themselves organized for 2018...  THE BEST YEAR EVER!