An Icy Tradition Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will evaluate the polar bear plunge, an unusual New Year’s tradition.

 

Social Studies Focus:

New Year's Traditions

 

ELA Skills:

key details, writing, vocabulary, opinion writing

 

Page 4 Skill:

read a chart

 

Vocabulary:

tradition, plunge, waded

 

CCSS:

RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.10, L.2.1, W.2.1, W.2.8, SL.2.3

 

Guided Reading Level: 

L

 

Lexile Level:

540L

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Provide students with some background on New Year’s traditions.

 

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video “Happy New Year.” After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following questions:

  • Is the new year celebrated only in our country? (No; it is celebrated all over the world.)
  • What is a New Year’s resolution you could make? (Answers will vary.)
  • What New Year’s tradition have you tried? What tradition would you like to try? (Answers will vary.)

 

Preview vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are tradition, plunge, and waded.

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. Do students think the water is cold? Would they want to jump into icy water on a freezing winter day?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about if you would like to try this tradition.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

Use the online game-show to gauge comprehension and reinforce the issue’s content. Students can play by themselves or in teams. For each question they answer correctly, they win a point!

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important ELA skills. Here’s how.

 

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words tradition and plunge.

Editor’s Pick: Opinion Writing (15 min.)

  • With the To Plunge or Not to Plunge skill sheets, students can examine their own feelings about the polar bear plunge. It may look like fun, but would they really like to jump into such freezing-cold water?
  • The sheet helps students do a close-read of the article and consider the author’s experiences, both positive and negative, before making the decision themselves!

ELA Focuses: Key Details, Map Skills (15 min.)

  • The Unusual Traditions skill sheet maps out some interesting festivals held in states all over our country every year! Using icons, a map, and cloze sentences, students find out cool facts in a fun, skill-building way!

Assessment: Reading Checkpoint

  • Pass out the Reading Checkpoint to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

 Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lesson on New Year's traditions:

  • Happy New Year!, January 2018. This issue lets children explore New Year’s traditions from all over the globe.
  • Happy Lunar New Year!, January 2020. This issue focuses on the traditions of Lunar New Year, a 15-day holiday celebrated around the world.

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher Lexile level: 590L
  • Lower Lexile level: 470L