The holiday season can be a tricky one in the classroom. While everyone is excited about the upcoming holidays, as teachers, we still need to maximize the learning time in our classroom. This is why I am sharing some fun ELA Christmas activities for the classroom with you. These activities will engage your students while still helping you cover those standards.
1. Christmas Themed Book Tasting Activity
One of the CCSS in 4th and 5th grade states that students should “Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.” What better way to engage them in analyzing text than through a Christmas themed book tasting, right? A book tasting experience exposes them to different genres helping them find books they might be interested in. Filling out a form at each station makes them stop and analyze what they read.
Materials:
- a selection of books
- forms for students to record in
- genre tags
- a few items to set the stage
Setting up your Book Bites:
- Set up a different genre at each station or group of desks. Placing a sign or tag.
- Place a pile of books related to the genre in the middle or in a basket (make sure to have a few more books than students so that everyone gets to choose and isn’t ‘stuck’ with a book).
- Give each student a recording sheet to write down the title of their book and a sentence or two about it.
- After a few minutes, have the students rotate to the next station. Continue moving them on until they have had a chance to visit each of the genres you have set up.
2. Creating a Story Plot Map
Being able to create a story map after reading a book allows students to analyze a story closely. It also gives them the information needed to compose a summary of the story which is also a 4th and 5th grade standard.
Materials Needed:
- books
- story map
Several Activity Options:
- Read a Christmas read aloud and work on the story map together as a class
- Assign a book to pairs of students and have them complete a story map together
- Allow students to choose a book of their own and complete their own story map
3. Christmas Idioms Classroom Activity
Students naturally love learning about idioms. They love to explore the figurative and literally meanings. Reviewing idioms is really important especially when you have students whose first language is not English.
Both the 4th and 5th grade CCSS mention recognizing and explaining common idioms under “Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.”
Implementing:
- Introduce students to Christmas themed idioms.
- Have them write the figurative meaning of the idiom.
- Have students write the idiom in a sentence.
- Lastly, have them draw a picture.
- Have the students turn their work into a string holiday lights or a booklet.
4. Rockefeller Center Tree Reading Comprehension and Timeline
Last year, my students and I became very intrigued by the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and decided to do some research. We created tree timelines in our notebooks.
This year, I created a Rockefeller Center Tree reading passage and a template for a 3-D model that I think would make a beautiful classroom display.
Learning to identify and analyze text structures is a CCSS that helps students with their reading comprehension, so this is a great reinforcing activity for this time of the year.
I hope these ELA Christmas Activities for the classroom help you keep your students engaged. Wishing you a blessed holiday season.
5. Christmas Themed Grammar Practice Activities
The month of December is short and filled with tons of activities. It is a difficult time to start teaching new concepts, but a great time to help keep taught information fresh in students’ minds. One way to do that is to have students work on Christmas themed grammar practice worksheets.
Ways to use these grammar practice worksheets:
- Morning work: provides meaningful activities as students come into class
- Center activities: independent work while you assist students during teacher-led center
- Sub plans: allows you to leave meaningful work without having to over plan lessons
- Home learning: provides review opportunities
6. Christmas Themed Spelling Practice Activities
Having Christmas themed practice worksheets in hand is a fun way to get students practicing their spelling.
They are perfect for this time of the year because:
- They make quick and engaging center activities.
- They are an easy activity to give to students when others are being pulled out to practice for holiday shows and other timely activities.
- They can be given to any substitute who walks in to cover your class as a fun and meaningful activity.
Hopefully you have been inspired by some of these Christmas activities for the classroom and have found some fun alternatives you can implement into your classroom this December.
