Christmas is a holiday about the joy of giving and sharing. It is also a time to come together with family and friends. Modern Christmas includes many traditions such as decorating Christmas trees, baking cookies, exchanging gifts and cards, and the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Students will love learning all about Christmas traditions, symbols, and Saint Nicholas with this fun and creative unit.
This unit includes many interactive activities and learning opportunities for students including several reading passages:
✔ Santa Claus is Coming
✔ Christmas Traditions
✔ O Christmas Tree
✔ Symbols of Christmas
There are two fun character studies where students will meet:
✔ Saint Nicholas
✔ Rudolph
This unit is packed full of activities that work well for morning work, in holiday centers, and after reading your favorite Christmas story:
✔ Biography Organizers for Saint Nicholas and Rudolph
✔ Several Writing Prompts
✔ A Letter to Santa (with example)
✔ Just the Facts Please!
✔ Christmas Scavenger Hunt Organizers
✔ Fact or Fiction Activity
✔ Plus a 5-page Christmas Flip Book
This unit includes reading passages, scavenger hunt organizers, acrostic fact chart, and vocabulary posters with real-life photos to post in the classroom. Using the scavenger hunt organizer and a clipboard students act as detectives to track down the answers to the questions.
There are three main activities:
Vocabulary:
Introduce the 6 vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to define the words. These posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too.
Reading:
Next, have students read the passages the history and traditions of Christmas. There are questions and scenes for students to color and connect to the information. After reading the passages, have students answer the scavenger hunt organizers. These work well in centers, learning stations, and as partner work.
Activities:
There are many activities for students to complete to show what they know:
✔ Scavenger Hunt Organizers
✔ Biography Organizers (2)
✔ In The Spirit of Giving
✔ Symbols of Christmas Summarizing Activity
✔ Fact or Fiction Activity
✔ Just the Facts about Christmas
✔ Writing Prompts
✔ Letter to Santa Template and Sample Letter
✔ Plus a Christmas 5-page Flip Book
I usually have them do one page of the flip book at each center or station. They can use the articles as a reference source to help them complete the pages of the booklet. Lastly, they cut, color, and assemble the booklet. Flip up books can be glued or stapled inside their interactive notebooks, file folder, or a 12×18 piece of construction paper folded like a book cover.
This can also be used as an activity to get the kiddos moving around the room. It could also be used as a holiday centers activity. The holiday posters with real-life photos make a beautiful bulletin board display too.
Scavenger Hunt Steps:
1. Place the reading passages and holiday photo posters in six spots around the classroom.
2. Students read the passage about each holiday and travel around the room to answer the questions on the scavenger hunt organizers.
3. For an extra challenge, copy the holiday acrostic fact charts on the backside of each organizer and have students write one fact beside each letter for that holiday.
4. Come back together as a class to discuss their answers.
5. You could also set it up as a learning station or center activity where students read about each holiday, respond to questions on the organizers, and then complete the flip books.
This is a wonderful way to get students actively involved with the information literally by getting them up and out of their seats. It’s perfect for partners or group work.
Little prep work to save you time:
Print posters and organizers
Copy the scavenger hunt organizers and acrostic fact charts (back-to-back)
Post posters around the classroom (or at stations/centers)
Assign partners or groups
Hand out scavenger hunt organizers and clipboards
Set timer (about 5-10)
Have students rotate to the next spot
Merry Christmas!