Coming back to school after winter break might have you feeling a bit scattered, not knowing what to teach while your students are figuring out how to focus and stay on task. But finding middle school winter activities doesn’t have to be hard!
Grab a hot cup of coffee and check out this list of middle school winter activities sure to excite and engage your students through the end of winter.
Take your lessons outside this season with your students. Give students advance notice to come to school prepared to be outside and then enjoy your school’s outdoor spaces. Some school districts might have class sets of outdoor winter equipment (e.g., snowshoes, compasses, handheld GPS devices). Contact the Physical Education Consultant/Instructional Program Leader for your school district and ask them what outdoor equipment your school district has to loan out.
You can also plan fun and educational indoor activities for your students this season.
Middle School Winter Activities
Winter Digital Escape Room
This winter-themed digital escape room provides students with the opportunity to work independently or with their peers to solve 10 hot chocolate-themed challenges. Students must solve these required challenges to escape the cafeteria supply closet they accidentally got locked in. All clues are about hot chocolate and its ingredients.
Resource Includes
- Digital Escape Room with 10 Challenges (“locks”)
- Detailed teacher directions in text and video format
- Answer Key
- Student Instructions
- Reflection Questions
Teacher Feedback
“Students loved participating in this activity and are begging for more. Every single student was engaged and enjoyed solving the puzzles. Perfect for distance learning!”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Winter Sports Digital Escape Room
This winter sports-themed digital escape room provides students with the opportunity to work independently or with their peers to solve 10 winter sports-themed challenges. Students must solve the required challenges to “escape” the library supply closet they accidentally got locked in. Participants will use their previous winter sports knowledge as well as learn new things about popular winter sports while reinforcing their literacy skills.
Resource Includes:
- Digital Escape Room with 11 Challenges (“locks”)
- Detailed teacher directions in text and video format
- Answer Key
- Student Instructions
- Reflection Questions
Teacher Feedback
“My students LOVE your escape rooms! This was another hit! It is such a fun way for them to work collaboratively with their classmates in a virtual setting.”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Winter Creative Writing Assignment
Incorporate some creative writing into your middle school winter activities. In this assignment, students will select one of the provided character roles: winter coat, ice skates, coffee shop owner, local sledding hill, or lost mitten, and create a written or visual product based on the character’s specific writing prompt.
Resource Includes:
- Detailed Teacher Instructions
- 1 Winter Creative Writing Assignment
- 1 Standards-Based Grading Rubric (Level 1 – Level 4)
- 1 Points-Based Grading Rubric (Provides a final percentage mark)
- PDF & Google Slides™ Formats
Teacher Feedback
“This is fabulous! I assigned this to my 7/8 class last week, and I love seeing the wheels turn as they approach this. Planning on having them share some of their writing with their kindergarten buddies.”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Chinese New Year Non-Fiction Article
Learn all about Chinese New Year and inspire your students to learn more about Chinese culture during this holiday. This resource contains 1 non-fiction article and 3 reading activities to assist with reading comprehension, standardized test prep (EQAO), and cross-curricular learning.
Resource Includes:
- 1 Non-Fiction Article (regular & modified versions)
- 2 Audio Files (MP3) – 1 for each article
- 1 Pre-Reading Activity (K-W-L chart)
- 3 Post-Reading Activities (comprehension questions, grammar questions, and long answer writing)
- Print & Digital Formats
- Detailed Lesson Plan
- Answer Key
- Assessment Rubric
- PDF & Google Slides™ Formats
Teacher Feedback
“This is a great resource! Very student-friendly. The layout and questions are easy to follow and the students were engaged. It also sparked conversations in the classroom. Many students were willing to share their own experiences.”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Groundhog Day Non-Fiction Article
How much do your students know about the groundhog? Learn more about the history of groundhog day with this non-fiction article, which is perfect for incorporating into your middle school winter activities. This resource contains 1 non-fiction article (modified and regular text) and 3 reading activities to assist with reading comprehension, standardized test prep (EQAO) and cross-curricular learning.
Resource Includes:
- Teacher lesson plan
- Pre-reading K-W-L chart
- Non-fiction article (modified and regular text)
- Audio file (mp3) of each article
- 3 Post-reading activities: comprehension questions, grammar questions (2 options: paper and self-grading Google Forms), long answer writing response
- Individual PDFs of student pages to assist with online learning i.e. Google Classroom
- Google Slides formatted lessons for 1:1 schools
- Use this article with my Article of the Week Differentiated Lessons program.
Teacher Feedback
“These are a fun way to get nonfiction standards in. They are interesting for the students on the holidays. Thanks!”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Valentine’s Day Digital Escape Room
This Valentine’s Day-themed digital escape room provides students with the opportunity to work independently or with their peers to solve 11 Valentine’s Day-themed challenges. Students must solve these required challenges to “escape” the English teacher workroom supply closet they accidentally got locked in.
Resource Includes:
- Digital Escape Room with 11 Challenges (“locks”)
- Detailed teacher directions in text and video format
- Answer Key
- Student Instructions
- Reflection Questions
Teacher Feedback
“My students LOVED this digital escape room! It is so difficult [to] find resources that my students can work together on during a time when social distancing is needed. They found this escape room to be fun, engaging, and just the right level of challenging!”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
Middle School Valentine’s Day Unit
This engaging Valentine’s Day Unit for middle school grades contains 5 different activities that will help reinforce your students’ reading, writing, and creativity skills. Students will learn about the historical background of Valentine’s Day traditions and prepare for Valentine’s Day discussion about current customs.
Unit Includes:
- 5 Activities to reinforce literacy skills
- Detailed teacher instructions
- Rubrics
- PDF & Google Slides™ Formats
Teacher Feedback
“Very user-friendly. My students liked the variety of creative writing prompts. I enjoyed the pre-made rubrics that were easy to use and adapt.”
You can purchase this resource in my Shopify CAD store or my Teachers Pay Teachers USD store.
I hope these middle school winter activities help you bring some joy to your classes during this cold season.
Additional Middle School Winter Activities
TEACHER READS
- New Years Goal Setting and Re-establishing Classroom Routines
- 10 Back-to-School Supplies Every Teacher Needs
- New Teachers: Learn How to Achieve a Work-Life Balance
- Teacher Self-Care Tips
JANUARY ASSESSMENTS
FEBRUARY ASSESSMENTS
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