🧠 Why I Always Reteach in January—And You Should Too

How revisiting procedures, standards, and routines after break sets the tone for a successful second semester

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The students come back from winter break…
…and so do the blank stares, forgotten procedures, and “Wait, we have to do bell work?” questions or everyone wants to hear about (and tell) about winter break for 90 minutes, so no work gets done.

Every January, no matter how strong my first semester was, I take a step back and reteach. And I’ve stopped feeling guilty about it.

In fact, I’ve come to see January as a second first day. A do-over. A much-needed reset.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re starting from scratch after winter break—you’re not wrong. But here’s the good news: you can turn this moment into momentum. Let me show you how.

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❄️ Why Reteaching in January Is Non-Negotiable

1. Students (and teachers) forget more than we think.

Breaks disrupt habits. It’s not that they want to ignore your procedures—it’s that they need reminders. When I assume they remember everything from December, I get chaos. When I reteach, I get calm.

2. Reteaching helps correct the “slide.”

Academic skills fade too. Students may come back rusty in writing, reading stamina, or discussion etiquette. Starting with small, targeted reteaching moments prevents the slump from becoming a spiral.

3. It gives you a second chance to adjust what didn’t work.

Maybe your exit ticket routine flopped. Maybe your group roles fell apart. Now’s your chance to pivot—without judgment. Students will follow your lead if you present changes confidently and clearly.

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🎯 What I Reteach in January (and How)

Here’s what I make sure to review—especially in middle and high school ELA:

• 🔁 Classroom routines (entry, exit, makeup work, independent reading time)
• 📚 Expectations for annotating texts or participating in discussions
• 🗣️ Sentence stems for academic conversations
• 📝 Writing routines (R.A.C.E. strategy, thesis building, citing evidence)
• 💬 How to respectfully disagree and use accountable talk
• 📥 How to turn in digital vs. paper assignments
• 📂Benchmark and standards recap

But here’s the key—I don’t reteach through long lectures. I make it interactive.

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🎮 Make Reteaching Engaging: Creative Strategies That Work

🎲 1. Procedures Game Day

Turn your routines into a quiz game, scavenger hunt, or Jeopardy match. Students review expectations while competing—and they remember more when fun is involved.

🔓 2. Classroom Reset Escape Room

Create a digital or physical escape room themed around “solving the mystery” of forgotten routines. Use riddles and tasks that require them to show what they know (like organizing a messy binder station or correcting a fake late work form).

🧠 3. Student-Led Reteaching

Break the class into teams and assign each a procedure or strategy to reteach creatively: skits, infographics, posters, or TikTok-style videos. It builds buy-in and reinforces what matters.

💡 4. Reflection + Reset Journals

Have students reflect on what routines worked for them last semester and which didn’t. Give them a chance to write personal academic goals and suggest one new routine they’d like to try. Ownership makes buy-in easier.

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🗓️ Planning Tip: Block Out 2–3 Days for Reentry

Don’t try to “jump back in” to your pacing guide immediately. Set aside time to reflect, review, reteach, and reconnect. Use your first week back to build a bridge between where they were and where they need to go.

Even high schoolers appreciate the reset. It shows them you care about their success and their structure.

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🧰 Helpful Tools to Use

Need some plug-and-play support for your January reset?

Try:

• 📘 January Goal-Setting & Reflection Slides
• 🎯 Academic Procedures Task Cards
• 🧊 Winter Reading & Writing Mini-Projects
• ✏️ FAST-Track Skill Review Passages
• 📂 ELA Binder or Planner Reset Templates

All of these help you reteach without redoing everything from scratch.

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Final Word: January Is Not a Sprint—It’s a Second Start

So yes, I reteach in January. Not because the first semester failed—but because the second one deserves a fresh start.

Give your students grace. Give yourself time. And give your classroom the chance to run smoother than ever.

Let January be the reboot that makes the rest of the year easier—for everyone.

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Need winter-ready tools to help you reteach and refresh?
Check out what’s new and trending in The Angry Teacher Store—and walk into your January classroom confident, prepared, and recharged.
📚🧤✏️