December as an educator can be a wild ride, so sometimes it's nice to take a break from the ordinary and plan something different for your students (and also for you!). Themed activities can replace a lesson or a themed unit/lesson can run parallel to your regularly scheduled curriculum. When planned with purpose, there are plenty of ways to bring the magic of the season into your classroom without sacrificing instructional value.
p.s. If nothing below suits your fancy, use Magic School tools to whip up something more personalized to meet your needs!
1) Writing
- Write a letter to a community member- In the spirit of the season, give back with a gift of a kind word! You can use the writing process to work through letter writing to a teacher, a family member, or maybe even a local nursing home or veterans. Take it a step further and have students frame their published letter on a piece of colored paper to decorate and as a card.
- Write a letter to the Grinch- Santa gets a lot of love, but don't forget about others who are in just a little bit more need! This activity can start with a read aloud and set up with a specific writing prompt for direction. Make it even more meaningful by having students work through the writing process with their letters and finish with a grinch portrait.
- Give Santa a Vacation- Let students get creative with a writing prompt without limits. Task students with giving Santa a vacation, describing where he should go and what he should do. For older grades, this can be turned into a travel brochure activity complete with a sales pitch!
- North Pole Postcards/Letters- Incorporate research and science into this writing activity where students write a quick postcard (or longer letter) about some of the things they "experienced" during a recent trip to the geographical North Pole. Include grade appropriate vocabulary into your success criteria to require students to use words such a s climate, landscape, wildlife, etc.
- Holiday Roll a Story- Roll a Story can be done individually or in a small group/partners and it's always a lot of fun! It can also be done as a stop, drop, and write or turned into a longer project that allows students to work through the writing process. Either way, students can unleash their creativity...this time, with a holiday twist. Wrap up by having a published story share day complete with festive snacks?
- For this variation, you can display the Holiday Roll a Story page and all students need is a die and a piece of paper to start. They roll (and record what they get) for each element. After instructions and 4 rolls, they write!
- Holidays Around the World Research- Spark curiosity by giving students time to choose a holiday, tradition, culture that they are interested in learning more about. Design a research/writing project and let the students lead their learning. This can be done as a separate unit or a parallel project that runs in conjunction (the last 10-15 minutes of class) with your regular curriculum.
- MagicSchool is a great resource for developing a new project- start with the "Lesson Plan" or "Project Based Learning (PBL)" tool!
- Holiday How-to Writing- Put a holiday twist on expository writing by practicing "how-to" essays for something wintry. You can have students practice agency by picking their own topic or you can vote on one to do as a class. If you choose a class prompt, you can have students read theirs have then have a secret vote on whose writing gave the most complete detail/instruction.
- How do you build a snowman?
- How do you bake gingerbread cookies?
- How do you decorate a gingerbread house?
- How do you take care of reindeer?
- Holiday Scenes- Display a winter or holiday images to spark imagination.
- Practice dialogue by writing a conversation between characters in the image
- Practice imagery and description by describing the scene
- Practice plot by writing events that led up to the displayed image
- Practice point of view by writing from the perspective of different characters in the image
2) Seasonal Reading
Read-a-louds are a fantastic accompaniment to any curriculum to engage students of all ages all through the year, but especially with themes and seasons. Check the lists below to find new books to elevate your winter library or find your next class read-a-loud. This is something that can be enjoyable for elementary and Jr High alike, with the right book!
Books About
3) Math
- Hershey's Fractions Book is a sweet way to teach or review fractions this winter. Pair with a chocolate treat to make this lesson extra special!
- The Math of Snow Making shows how scientist use weather and math to create snow on the slopes!
- "Where to Snowflakes Come From" uses snowflakes to teach symmetry. This is a fun review or introduction video that you can follow up with a hands-on activity to make symmetrical snowflakes.
- Snowball Toss- Write multiplication (or addition or subtraction) problems on something resembling a snowball and students toss them into buckets labeled with a correct answer.
- Hot Cocoa Word Problems- Set up stations with word problems relating to hot cocoa (such as calculating the cost of ingredients or determining ratio) and students rotate through. Celebrate with a hot cocoa toast! Save your brain power and let Magic School create word problems. This concept can be used with other themes, too.
- Winter Geometry- Practice Measuring angles and identifying shapes by creating a winter themed scene such as a gingerbread cottage, an ice castle or ice rink. This can be done on paper or in 3D with materials. Extend by having students find area, perimeter, and/or volume.
- Temperature Graphing- Use daily weather data to create different types of charts and graphs to track the weather. Compare daily temperatures and make predictions. You can keep this basic or get more involved in older grades with available data. This is a fun way to start or end a math block each day.
4) Get Multi-Cultural: Holidays Around the World Lessons
6) Winter Themed STEM ideas for all ages:
