Help your students kick off the New Year with meaningful goal setting, reading comprehension, and structured writing! This New Year’s Resolutions Reading and Writing Activity combines an engaging nonfiction passage, multiple-choice comprehension questions, and a RACES writing response to build critical ELA skills while encouraging student reflection.

Students will read about the history of New Year’s resolutions, from ancient Babylon to modern-day goal setting, and then apply what they’ve learned by responding to a text-based writing prompt using the RACES strategy. This resource is perfect for January ELA lessons, back-to-school after winter break, goal-setting activities, and test-prep writing practice.

Designed with built-in supports, this low-prep resource helps students work independently while strengthening evidence-based writing skills.

What’s Included:

✔ Informational nonfiction text on the history of New Year’s resolutions
✔ Multiple-choice reading comprehension questions
✔ Step-by-step guide to setting a personal goal
✔ RACES writing strategy anchor page with sentence starters
✔ Writing prompt using text evidence + personal goal setting
✔ Student writing page
✔ Writing rubric for easy grading
✔ Student-friendly self-editing checklist

Perfect For:

• Upper elementary & middle school ELA
• January writing activities
• RACES writing practice
• Goal setting lessons
• Test prep & constructed response writing
• Whole group, small group, or independent work
  

This New Year’s reading comprehension and RACES writing resource keeps students engaged while building essential literacy and writing skills—all in a meaningful, real-world context.