Acrostic Poem: A poem in which the first letters of each line is a word or short phrase that speaks about the subject. The subject is written vertically.
Allow students to choose a word that represents Christmas and write an acrostic poem about the subject. As well, you may wish to give all students the same word to write an acrostic poem.
Deep in the night, eight reindeer fill the night sky
Each deer has antlers but no shiny red nose
Every deer loves to eat carrots left by the good boys and girls
Remember deer are Santa’s helpers on Christmas Eve
After the student writes the acrostic poem, they will decorate their poem to be in aligned with their words. Also, the students may wish to cut out a shape that corresponds to the word.
Christmas Adjectives: Adjectives are words used to describe a noun. The students may be given a list of Christmas words and they must write an adjective for each word. As well, you may have the student put the Christmas word in a sentence and add an adjective or two to the sentence. Students may share their sentences or have them cut-out the sentence and have them paste them to a bulletin board for students to peruse later.
Santa: Jolly, old Santa loves to bring toys to good little boys and girls.
Bell: The shiny bell rang at midnight to welcome Christmas.
Christmas Comprehension: Photocopy short stories about the various Christmas traditions around the world. Include with each story comprehension questions. You may wish to photocopy only 4-6 stories of each tradition and rotate them with the class.
Letters to Santa: Children write a letter to Santa with their wish list and why they deserve it. Students learn how to address a letter and the etiquette of writing a letter to someone they love. Students may design the paper and envelope and the class may send to the North Pole. I would encourage you to proofread the letters and photocopy them without the child knowing and send them to each child’s parent.
Thank-you Letters: Christmas is a time children receive many gifts and special privileges. What better time to teach them how to write thank-you letters. Thank-you letters are a great way to connect to the community and thank people for their kindness throughout the year. Doctors, dentists, teachers, baker, firemen, police, grocery clerk, postal person, and bus driver are just a few people to thank during the holiday season. As well, have the students write a thank-you letter to the people in their family. A thank-you letter is a wonderful gift.
