Maybe this year is the year you were super productive and tackled a long-procrastinated house project or adopted a new hobby. Or maybe this year was downright stressful and you taught in your pajamas and your Zoomies witnessed your two children bickering over the remote. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Regardless of how your year went, it was one for the books, that’s for sure! 

I’m sure at one point in the not so distant past you (and your students) have wished for the year 2020 to be over. And that time couldn’t come soon enough. Well, we are almost there, my friends! 

You might be thinking that no one needs to review (or relive) this year, especially on the 98th day of Zooming or teaching in school wearing a mask and smelling your own coffee breath all day, but there were so many significant events (including a pandemic and an historic election!) this year that it’s absolutely worth examining!

Why do we review history, you ask? Simple. To remember everything we’ve accomplished, reflect on our experiences, and hopefully learn how we can be better humans.

Each year, I ask my students to choose their own news stories to read and analyze using CNN 10, and this year is no different. In the 2020 A Year in Review activity, students will begin by self-reflecting on this past year then choosing three news stories to watch, read, and analyze. 

As with all of my products, there is a digital version and a paper version, making it perfect for distance learning, hybrid learning, or just plain old regular learning! This activity should take about 55 minutes to complete, which should fit nicely into your lesson plans! 

This lesson incorporates research, writing, critical thinking, analysis, and choice, making it one of my students’ favorite activities (and mine too!). It’s always illuminating to read students’ reflections and learn even more about them and what kind of experiences they bringing with them to the classroom.

Upon purchase, you will receive a link that takes you right to Google Drive and prompts you to make a copy. {That way you can save it to your personal Drive and use it over and over!} If you’re assigning this through Google Classroom, you can easily create an assignment and attach the Google Slides file. {Make sure you select “Each student gets a copy”!}

I really hope you and your students enjoy reviewing and reflecting on 2020 and getting excited for 2021!

• Looking for the Digital version of this activity? Click HERE

• Are you interested in a SUPER bundle of ALL of my January holiday activities? If so, click HERE

• Would you like to have a FULL YEAR of holiday resources for EVERY month of the year? Click HERE