So, it
really is beginning to look a LOT like Christmas in my classroom! But don't worry, we are still learning, it's just with a fun Christmas theme. Take a look at my collection of Christmas books. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
Scholastic book orders. I have acquired most of these books through
Scholastic! Love them!
Now, what in the world do I do with all of these picture books?! Well, here are some good ideas:
1. Put them in a center with a response sheet (see example below).
2. Have them sitting out on student desks for independent reading time.
3. Have the students record themselves reading the books on an iPod or iPad, then listen back to practice fluency.
4. The students LOVE to buddy read with these seasonal books.
5. Let the students create a reader's theater to go along with their favorite book.
6. Students can watch the video or movie version of the story and compare/contrast.
7. ** My Favorite ** Throw the basal to the side and have an entire week of Christmas related reading block fun!
This last option is one that, luckily, our admin is perfectly okay with. The week before Christmas break, we throw the basal to the side and are allowed to use Christmas or seasonal books to teach our reading block! I love it, because the kids are excited and pumped about the upcoming holiday and winter break, so this is the perfect way to keep their attention, while still having tons of learning going on!
Below is one of the activities that my students do after reading
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. If you don't have a copy of this book, it is a MUST READ for any elementary classroom! It is a story that goes deep and makes the students really think about the true meaning of Christmas and the illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful. Take a look at what we do after reading this incredible story. Both of these activities can be found in my
Christmas ELA Printables in my
TeachersPayTeachers Store. We respond to the reading using a printable where the students must draw and write about the lesson the character learns in the story. The students are required to think deeply about the meaning of the story and I love the lessons that they conclude from the characters. They will also write a narrative writing where they use their imagination to tell about their very own Trip to the North Pole. These always turn out SO CUTE! :)
Another one of my favorites (found below) is an activity that we finished at the beginning of this week. It is
truly an authentic piece of writing where the students are stating their opinion and must convince or persuade their parents to agree in a letter that they write and I send home. As a class, we decide to come together and help a needy family in our area. The students must write a letter to their parents telling them about our idea, why we want to help, what we can do to help, and all the other details. The letter must be convincing and express their opinion that this is something that we should all do and contribute to. The letters this year were, by far, the sweetest ever and I have to say that one letter actually brought tears to my eyes. I think you will be surprised at how much your students will put their heart into this piece of writing! I am always so surprised at how easy this is for my 2nd graders, because it means something to them and they "own it". This piece can be found in my
December Common Core Writing Activities, also found in my
TeachersPayTeachers Store. You can check it out below.
Our next week is packed FULL of more fun holiday activities that I will blog about over at my blog
2nd Grade Stuff and some that I have already blogged about {
HERE}, but hopefully these will give you a few ideas of some activities that you can include in your classroom as well. Oh, and I almost forgot! I am sending home this cute as a button gift for my students next week - SNOWMAN SOUP! This is a FREEBIE from Stephanie over at
3rd Grade Thoughts (also a contributor to this fun blog). You can find it {
HERE} or by clicking on the picture. So cute and I just know my kiddos are going to love it!
Happy Holidays and thanks for stopping by! :)
Jamie @
2nd Grade Stuff
by David Horowitz. (Look at that face!)
