Surviving December? Try This Winter Warm-Up
Dec 09, 2025 1:01 pm
Hey teacher friend,
JDecember classrooms are… a whole vibe.
Half the students are vibrating, the other half are basically in sleep mode, and we’re all counting down the days to break.
So here’s a Winter Warm-Up Tip that actually helps calm the chaos and keeps kids learning — without you rewriting your whole lesson plan.
WINTER WARM-UP: “Calm Work with Instant Feedback”
In December, the goal is simple:
Keep students working independently with something engaging and self-checking.
Because let's be real:
answering infinite hands in the air is not the December energy we want.
Self-checking = fewer interruptions + more sanity.
Here’s how to use this strategy:
Step 1 — Start with a 3–5 minute warm-up
Quick order of operations, fractions, integers… whatever your kids keep forgetting.
Just enough to activate the brain.
Step 2 — Give them a self-checking task
This is where the magic happens.
If students can correct themselves as they work, they stay focused longer and you get to actually sip your coffee while it’s still hot.
Step 3 — Save your voice, save your time, save your day
You spend less time troubleshooting and more time circulating, helping the students who really need you.
Half-Off Today Only — Tools to Make This Tip Work Seamlessly
To help you plug this Winter Warm-Up straight into your December plans,
I’ve put three of my most-loved resources at 50% off today only (Dec 9).
These are the exact types of activities that make the “Calm Work + Instant Feedback” strategy effortless.
And bonus tip:
I’ve teamed up with several amazing TpT sellers who are also offering 50% off today.
Search for the hashtag #DEC25HALFOFF on TpT to discover even more great resources.
6th Grade Math Guided Notes & Activities | Full Year Growing Bundle
Build your lesson around clarity.
Printable, built-in practice, and answer keys — the easiest way to deliver structured instruction before independent work.
Once you own it, every future unit gets added for free.
Perfect for: warm-ups, intervention, assignments, homework.
Fractions Review Growing Bundle | No-Prep Pixel Art
Self-checking pixel art = students stay engaged, you don’t get interrupted every 20 seconds.
Covers simplifying → operations → word problems → number lines.
Super easy to use on those very “December” days.
Perfect for: centers, independent practice, sub plans, early finishers.
Winter / Christmas Order of Operations Digital Escape Room
A festive escape room that feels like a reward but reviews order of operations with zero setup.
Kids love it, and it runs itself — which is exactly what we need right before winter break.
Perfect for: Fun Friday, pre-break days, emergency sub days.
A Winter Freebie to Drop Into Your Plans
If you need something quick and painless for this week:
👉 Operations with Fractions Pixel Art (FREE)
10 fraction operations + automatic feedback + cat pictures at the end.
Digital + printable. No prep. Instant engagement.
PS: If you’re teaching 5th–8th grade, you might also like my full Math Review Choice Board Bundles and the 6th Grade Guided Notes & Activities Growing Bundle:
And my Guided Notes
📘 6th Grade Math Guided Notes & Activities – Full Year Growing Bundle
Feel free to share this email with any fellow math teachers who might appreciate fun, no-prep resources. 💌
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