The countdown to winter break is on! With holiday parties, concerts, and end-of-semester testing, December can be a pretty hectic month in the classroom. However, I love turning teaching in December from overwhelming to magical. Here are 5 December reading and writing ideas that make festive holiday activities for your classroom!
December Reading and Writing Ideas for the Classroom
From fun read-alouds to Secret Santa activities, the following reading and writing ideas are the perfect way to spread a bit of cheer into your classroom! They are easy to implement and will definitely increase engagement during December!
1. Read About Holidays Around The World
Teaching about different holiday traditions and celebrations around the world is my favorite cross-curricular unit every single year. These informational texts are a great resource for practicing close reading while learning about so many unique holiday traditions worldwide.
You’ll find 42 differentiated passages that discuss 14 different countries. Each passage has a color-coded close-reading activity and allows students to practice the 7 key reading comprehension skills.
Check out the complete resource here!
2. Compare Versions of The Gingerbread Man
I’m a huge fan of using Gingerbread Man books to address a multitude of reading standards, but especially for comparing story elements. There are so many delightful versions available for comparing and contrasting characters, illustrations, settings, and plot.
Gingerbread read-alouds lend themselves perfectly to comparing problems/solutions, how characters respond to major challenges, how a character changes during a story, and for teaching students about non-literal language.
Plus, they are so fun to read and students will forget they are even learning!
See the Gingerbread Man Reading Activities!
3. Make a Holiday Story Elements Booklet
Sticking with the Gingerbread theme, this story elements book is a fun end-of-unit project to tie all the books together. And the best part? It’s FREE!
It includes colored charts to project on the whiteboard and a backline version and cover for your students. Your students will be on their way comparing and contrasting in no time!
4. Determine the Central Message in The Gingerbread Man
After your students have compared and contrasted the different versions of The Gingerbread Man, it’s time to move into a bit more complicated topic, determining the central message. Teaching elementary students to determine the central message of a text can be a bit tricky.
I find that young children don’t yet have the life experience to draw on when trying to identify or articulate the moral in a fable, the life lesson of a fairy tale, or the central message in a fiction story without a struggle.
However, using a fun and familiar story (like The Gingerbread Man), makes it a tad bit easier! Through the use of guiding questions, identifying key details, and finding character clues, this resource will help students understand the central message.
5. Secret Santa Poem Cards
And last, but certainly not least, this Secret Santa poem activity is a fan favorite year after year. Not only does this activity promote kindness and giving, but also gives your students the chance to practice their best writing skills.
Who doesn’t like participating in Secret Santa exchanges? Your students will love reading the kind poems that a mystery student wrote for them.
The resource includes the poem, gift tag, bow, and writing template. Plus, a fun-themed bulletin board display with student work.
More December Teaching Ideas
Looking for more engaging December ideas? Here are some of my favorites!
- Favorite Kwanzaa Read-Alouds
- December Activities for Students That Don’t Celebrate Christmas
- 5 December Math Activities
- Gingerbread Math Fun
I hope these December reading and writing ideas ideas help make planning easier and bring some holiday cheer to your classroom! Be sure to save this post so you have it when you plan!
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