Alaska Teachers: Thanksgiving to Winter Break
Alaska teachers: the stretch from Thanksgiving to winter break
A plan for the last weeks of the fall semester in Alaska: science and ELA routines that survive weather closures and travel gaps, and a clean start in January. The physics strand builds on the Physics Complete curriculum for Grades 6–8.
See the resourcesIn short: In Alaska the weeks from Thanksgiving to winter break work best when you plan for interruptions: short tasks that stand alone, files downloaded before you need them and a small number of pieces to grade. Winter break usually starts between about 18 and 23 December. A ready-made sequence can carry the routine lessons so a lost day does not break a unit.
The stretch
What the weeks to winter break look like in Alaska
Alaska schools range from large districts in the main population centers to small schools in remote communities, and weather and travel can change a school week at short notice. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 26 November, and many districts close from Wednesday to Friday or for the whole week. Winter break usually begins around 18 to 23 December. Open your own calendar first and count the days that have students in the room.
Use your state's academic standards and your district pacing guide as the frame. Then choose tasks that tolerate gaps: a short task with a clear start and finish survives a missed day far better than a long unit that depends on every lesson.
Planning for disruption
Planning for weather closures and travel gaps
Build each week from pieces that stand alone. A lesson that needs yesterday's lesson will fail when yesterday did not happen, so write each task with its own starting information on the page. Keep a small folder of printed tasks that can be used in any order, and a version you can send home if the school is closed.
Files that you plan to use should be downloaded and saved before the week begins, because internet access can be slow or unreliable in some places. All TeachLessons products are digital downloads, so you can save the files to your device and print them in advance.
Physics and biology
Physics and biology: investigations that run on simple materials
Physics suits an interrupted stretch because each concept can be tested with a small piece of equipment. Plan three parts that can stand alone: predict, test, explain. If a day is lost, the class data still supports the explanation. The Physics Complete curriculum for Grades 6–8 is a ready-to-use curriculum, so it can supply the routine lessons around the investigation you choose.
In biology, a short observation task works in any room: a food web diagram, a data table or a living thing from the window. Ask for a claim, one piece of evidence and a reason. The Biology Complete curriculum for Grades 6–8 offers a ready-to-use sequence for the remaining weeks of the semester.
Climate data and geography
Data, maps and climate: tasks that use real numbers
A map or a table of numbers can carry a whole lesson. Students record three observations, name one pattern and ask one question. Geography works well for this, and the Geography Complete curriculum for Grades 6–8 offers a ready sequence if you want the surrounding lessons covered.
For a data-focused week, the Climate Change Data Lab is a single resource priced under $25 that centers on real data. Read the product description first to confirm it fits your course, and plan the conclusion as a short written explanation using the numbers.
Grading and the last week
Grading and the last week before break
Choose two pieces per class to grade in depth, and decide in advance what the rest receive. Return the graded work in the final week, when students will read it. The Teach-Life-Balance course is aimed at exactly this kind of workload decision.
In the last week, do not start new content. Run a review from tasks the class already knows, put the first two lessons of January in a labeled folder and leave a short sub plan. A prepared folder is what makes the first day back calm, even after a week of lost days.
Week by week
A four-week plan from Thanksgiving week to the break
The table assumes Thanksgiving on Thursday 26 November and winter break starting around 18 to 23 December. If a weather closure removes a day, keep the grading plan and drop the lowest-value task.
| Week | Focus | What to teach | What to grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 23 (Thanksgiving week) | Short week, low stakes | Map observation, data table task, no new content | Nothing, or a one-line exit slip |
| Nov 30 | Predict and test | Force investigation; ELA draft | Completion check only |
| Dec 7 | Explain and revise | Claim, evidence and reasoning; peer check and revision | The one piece you chose per class |
| Dec 14 | Review and close | Retrieval stations, short quiz, return graded work | Short quiz, graded in class |
| First week of January | Restart cleanly | Prepared folder with the first two lessons of the new unit | Baseline check |
Resources
Resources for the stretch to winter break in Alaska
Start with the Complete curriculum for the course where you spend the most prep time, then add the Climate Change Data Lab for a focused data week. The environmental science bundle at the end is written for Grades 8 to 12, so it suits your oldest classes.
Physics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Physics
Biology Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Biology
Geography Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Geography
English Language Arts Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School ELA
Climate Change Data Lab – Understanding Climate Change Through Real Data
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
What you get
What you can do with these resources this week
- Run the routine science and ELA lessons from a ready sequence
- Build each week from tasks that stand alone
- Save and print files before a weather or travel gap
- Teach a predict, test, explain investigation that survives a missed day
- Give every class one cycle of draft, peer check and revision
- Leave a folder for the first week of January
Every resource is built around the curriculum you teach – and if something doesn't fit your standards, the TeachLessons Guarantee applies: we adapt it for you.
Tell us within 30 days of purchase and you get an adapted, editable version within 10 business days, at no extra cost.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When does winter break start in Alaska?
It depends on the district. It usually starts between about 18 and 23 December and runs to early January. Check your own calendar.
Which Alaska standards are these resources written with in mind?
They are written around common middle school content. Compare each product page with your state's academic standards and your district pacing guide. If something does not fit, the guarantee on this page applies.
Can I use these resources if internet access is slow?
All products are digital downloads, so you can save the files to your device and print them before you need them. Download early in the week and keep a printed set in a folder.
Is the Environmental Science bundle suitable for Grade 7?
The product page lists Grades 8 to 12. Read the description and compare it with your course before you use it, and ask us to adapt it if you need a different level.
Is TeachLessons connected to the state of Alaska?
No. TeachLessons is an independent publisher and is not endorsed by any department of education, state agency or district. Resources are built around common content, and you decide what fits your classroom.
How do I receive the files?
All products are instant digital downloads after checkout. Nothing is shipped, so you can print or project the materials the same evening.
Take the preparation off your plate before Thanksgiving
The Physics Complete curriculum for Grades 6–8 gives you a ready sequence for the routine science weeks.
View the Physics Complete curriculum