TeachersFirst: Christmas Resources

TeachersFirst's Christmas Resources

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Lovely Christmas Grade 1 to 8 - - 8393

This holiday website has a magnitude of information about Christmas. There are close to 100 articles of interest provided. Topics include Christmas around the world, crafts, cooking, entertainment, games, gifts, history and more! My personal favorite aspect of this website was the information provided about the Christmas traditions in America, Australia, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Scotland, Spain and other countries.

In the Classroom:
Be sure to check out this informative website when planning holiday lessons and festivities. Have a worldwide holiday celebration with traditional activities from different cultures and religions or include some of these explanationa as readings during a holiday musical program at your school.

Christmas Celebration Lesson Grade K to 8 - The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation- 7857

Here's a Christmas customs lesson from folks who know what food can do for learning. Let your class try its hand at some colonial Christmas recipes from Williamsburg as they learn about the celebration of Christmas in the 18th century colonies. This lesson plan includes activities and a sampling of recipes.

Christmas Around The World Grade K to 8 - Kaboose- 7851

This British site offers summaries of Christmas customs and traditions from around the world. (Did you know you're supposed to stir the Christmas pudding from east to west?) Your students might like to see what the Brits think of some of our American Christmas traditions, and to learn how these vary in other nations.

The Christmas Story in Art Grade 2 to 12 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art- 9078

This website tells an interactive Christmas story through several famous artists and paintings. You have the option of reading the story or hearing the story. This is the biblical Christmas story, so may not be appropriate in all school settings. What a fabulous way to connect the holidays to famous paintings and to study the relationship between religious iconography and the arts. This website requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to share these beautiful paintings. For younger students (or beginning ESL/ELL), turn up the audio and pause the story to discuss the various paintings. With older students, turn the audio off and have the students take turns reading the story aloud. Challenge the students to look for religious and cultural symbolism used to convey meanings in the artworks.

Colonial Christmas Customs Grade K to 12 - The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation- 7856

Teachers - here's a description, written at an adult level, of the ways in which 18th century Christmas celebrations differed from those of today. If you're planning activities dealing with the history of Christmas customs, this site has good information that you can incorporate from Colonial Williamsburg.

Christmas Resources Grade 3 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 151

Our own collection of Christmas resources concentrates on Christmas customs in other countries and time periods. Lots of resources for an interesting exploration of how the Christmas holiday developed.

In the Classroom:
Try our Giving Tree lesson with your elementary students.

Nineteenth Century Christmas Grade K to 12 - The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation- 7895

Here's a description, written at an adult level, of the ways in which 18th century Christmas celebrations differed from those of today. If' you're planning activities dealing with the history of Christmas customs, this site has good information that you can incorporate. From Colonial Williamsburg.

Christmas Activities Grade K to 5 - - 7850

Here's a nicely done collection of activities, coloring items, and other Christmas treats for elementary students. Lots of printable sheets to color, letting students make gift tags, cards, and the like.

Christmas Crackers Grade 1 to 6 - - 5507

Bring the spirit of a traditional British Christmas into your classroom with this easy-to-follow plan for creating Christmas crackers. No, they're not edible, but your students can fill them with tiny treats!

Christmas in other Countries Grade 4 to 7 - Rochedale State School- 5501

This comprehensive site, designed by 7th grade students, provides excellent information about Christmas celebrations around the world. While it is still a work in progress, it would be a great starting point for a research project on Christmas traditions.

Christmas Traditions Grade 4 to 6 - - 5499

Explore customs, recipes, and Christmas legends from around the world. This site provides concise descriptions of holiday traditions, but is a bit heavy on text. Use this for background information to design a multi-cultural Christmas celebration in your classroom.

A Victorian Christmas Grade 4 to 8 - TeachersFirst- 173

This unit introduces Victorian Christmas customs and offers several activities which students can complete to show their understanding of Christmas celebrations a century ago.

Talking About Grade 8 to 12 - English Portal- 9168

This English language site is great to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has twenty-five general topics with banks of commonly used words and examples of how they are used in different situations, phrases, and idioms. Some of the topics include weather, telling the time, lies, cars, trips, letters, vacations, Christmas, and numerous others. Definitions and pronunciation (British) of some of the expressions are provided. There are also examples of the expressions used in a variety of sentences. After taking a look at the definition/pronunciation page, students can select a variety of checkups, including drag and drop, true/false, and fill in the blank. This site requires Media Player or Quicktime. You can get this plug-in from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Check this page to see if any of the general topics has relevance to your lessons. Students can work on their own to increase their vocabulary knowledge of specific expressions used containing the topic focus word. For example, at Christmas time, ESL and ELL students can add to their cultural knowledge as well as language usage by using the Christmas pages.

Mrs. Cassidy's Web Page - Merry Christmas Grade K to 3 - Mrs. Cassidy- 8845

Visit this seasonal website for some Christmas and general winter fun. Mrs. Cassidy, a primary teacher, has created another useful collection. Some examples of activities include: "Mix and Match Snowman," "Make a Snowflake," and "Trim a Tree." Educational topics include matching, problem solving, logic, art, and others. Many of these activities require JAVA and/or FLASH. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
All of these activities would be perfect on your interactive whiteboard. Students would also enjoy independent exploration of the activities on a classroom computer or cluster. Be aware - some of these activities lack educational value, so check out the activity BEFORE using it in your class. Most of the links are very educational and offer excellent enrichment activities. Also, you may notice some spelling differences (since some of the links originate from BC, Canada).

Christmas Activities Grade 1 to 6 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8260

This website offers a variety of art and interactive activities based on a Christmas or winter theme. This site requires Acrobat and Flash. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Bookmark the site on a classroom computer for students to use the interactive portions as time permits. Print the directions for art activities and use for center time.

Twelve Books of Christmas Grade K to 12 - The Children's Literature Web Guide- 7896

From the Children's Literature Web Guide at the University of Calgary comes this collection of books for Christmas for students of all ages. There is a short review for each, along with a short excerpt. Lots of good pointers for a trip to the library.

The Giving Tree Lesson Grade 2 to 8 - TeachersFirst- 7894

A Christmas gift from one of our own staff, this lesson based on Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree is sure to get you students thinking about the Christmas spirit. We're also offering a place for you to share your students' responses on TeachersFirst's own giving tree.

In the Classroom:
This lesson can be adapted for use in language arts class with students of varying ability levels in grades 2 - 8. This lesson is also well-suited to a multi-age activity with "big buddies" and "little buddies" from upper and lower grades working together. School counselors and emotional support teachers may find this activity helpful for small groups working on social skills, as well.

French and French Canadian Christmas Customs Grade 4 to 8 - - 7893

This site doesn't have a lot of depth, but there are examples of French Christmas traditions and how they have evolved over the last few hundred years. The presentation is extremely easy to navigate. C'est aussi en Français!

Christmas Reference from Urban Legends Grade K to 12 - - 7849

While no one doubts the religious significance of Christmas, the origin of many of the customs associated with the holiday is lost in legend. These pages sort out the origins of some of these customs and symbols in instructive fashion. Are poinsettias poisonous? Where did the Yule Log come from? Find out here... and note that not all legends are appropriate for all ages - read first, then use.

WebCam Central Grade K to 12 - Jim Holley- 7848

Want to know what Christmas looks like in Finland, Germany, or Scotland? Here's a multi-page site showing webcam views of Christmas decorations and celebrations around the world. You will have to ignore flashing advertisements on the page that lists the webcams.

A Christmas Card For Teachers Grade K to 8 - TeachersFirst- 7853

A little story from a friend of ours that encapsulates who you are and what you do, with our best wishes.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt Grade 5 to 7 - Pleasant Grove Elementary- 5506

This collection of four Internet scavenger hunts challenge students to discover fascinating information about Christmas observances throughout the world. You’ll need to contribute a paper answer sheet for recording answers.

Christmas Around the World Worksheet Grade 3 to 6 - Aussie SchoolHouse- 5505

Guide your students' research of Christmas customs with this printable worksheet.

Christmas Web Hunt Grade 4 to 7 - Woodlands Junior School- 5504

Learn about Christmas traditions in England with this well organized, ready-to-go Web hunt. Students must read each question, click on a link to visit a specific portion of the site, locate the answer, and type it in the space provided. Includes an option to print the completed Web hunt.

Christmas around the World Grade 2 to 4 - northpole.net- 5498

Click on the name of a country to access several facts about holiday celebrations there. These brief descriptions of Christmas observances in more than a dozen countries can easily be incorporated into a Web search activity for younger elementary students.

Christmas Around the World Grade 3 to 6 - - 5482

This well-organized WebQuest involves students in investigating how Christmas is celebrated in cultures around the world. Materials and online resources are provided; the only thing you must contribute is the computer lab.

Notes on A Christmas Carol Grade 8 to 12 - GradeSaver- 5480

Supplement a unit on Dickens and the Victorian novel with this site that focuses on A Christmas Carol. Highlights include brief overviews of the major themes, discussions of the characters, biographical information about the author, summaries and analyses of each stave, and links to related resources. Use the 40-question interactive quiz as a review after reading the novella or viewing a film adaptation in class.

Holidays Grade 1 to 3 - Manatee School District- 9544

Need some information or class ideas about Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Yom Kipper, or New Years? Check out this interactive, easy to follow website. Each holiday has an individual page with several links to photos, historical information, vocabulary definitions, reference information, and more. There is also a Read feature available with each paragraph. This allows students to hear the paragraph read aloud (a great feature for non-readers and ESL or ELL students).

At the time of the review, the link on the Yom Kipper page to Hear the Sound of a Shofar was being updated. All of the other many links and information worked perfectly. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Save this site in your favorites to share during the holiday seasons. Assign research groups to investigate the holidays listed at this site. Have students report their findings to the class. Create a class wiki for students to share holidays they celebrate and holiday traditions that they follow.

White House Kids Learn About Traditions Grade 2 to 6 - White House- 8366

View pictures and read lively text about three seasons at the White House: Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Currently, President George and First Lady Laura Bush’s dog, Barney, has his own section on this site. For a fresh view of holiday life in the White House, watch the Barney cam and read (or act) the Barney scripts and tours of the festivities. Traditional holiday fun is presented in such a way that all students, regardless of religious background, will not be offended. Various activities on this site require Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or Real Player.

In the Classroom:
Teachers may want to use the script for each Barney Cam as a Readers’ Theatre while the video is projected onto a screen. Teachers can use a Venn Diagram to illustrate differences/similarities of cross-culture holidays or make comparisons on a personal level. As a creative writing assignment, students could create their own drama using their personal pets and favorite holiday instead.

Calendars of National Days and Festivals Grade K to 5 - Woodlands Junior School- 8284

This informative and resourceful website provides information about numerous holidays. Although this website was created for use in the United Kingdoms, it provides a great deal of knowledge about holidays celebrated in many countries throughout the world. Some of the specific topics include New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Christmas and other holidays. Use this website to help your students gain a better understanding of numerous holidays in other cultures. This website provides information about the history of holidays, how the holidays are celebrated and much more.

In the Classroom:
As you study other cultures, be sure to include this resource for students to research the celebrations there. Or include the link on your teacher web page with the title "Every Day is a Holiday?" asking students to use the holiday calendar to become more be aware of different cultures. Instead of a reporting on a current event from the newspaper, give them the option of reporting on a holiday that occurred this week in another part of the world.

Interplanetary Christmas Grade K to 12 - - 7892

Our friends at NASA shared this lesson, which lets students learn about planetary orbits (and more) while plotting Santa's interplanetary journey. It's a nice blend of science and celebration. This lesson was developed prior to Pluto's "change" to a lesser status. Mention this change to prompt discussion about how science changes over time!

Christmas Cookie Archive Grade K to 12 - - 7855

We could claim that this site made the cut because it has recipes from all over the world. Frankly, we liked it because we suspect every classroom needs a good cookie recipe at this time of year. This site has dozens of tempting recipes you may want to try. Try mixing the recipes with some of the international customs described in the sites below.

Christmas Carol Words Grade K to 12 - - 7854

What it says is what you get - the words to dozens of different carols, displayed in a format that should be easy to print out and use. Can't remember the second verse to Silent Night? Look no further! Privately published.

Holiday Traditions Grade 4 to 6 - Museum of Science and Technology- 5526

This guide to Christmas celebrations around the world focuses mainly on the greetings, decorations, and traditions that are part of this religious holiday. But the site also includes descriptions of other cultural celebrations, including Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa. This is an excellent resource for a seasonal multicultural unit. Younger children may need a bit of help with the text, so consider developing a simple Web hunt to focus their exploration.

Colonial Williamsburg Lesson Plans Grade 4 to 8 - Colonial Williamsburg Foundation- 8142

Sixteen interdisciplinary lesson plans capture the essence of Colonial Williamsburg. The background research for the plans are hotlinked into each lesson.

In the Classroom:
These lessons make it easy to plan an entire unit on life in Williamsburg, from mathematics to a colonial Christmas. While you are at this page, sign up for the free e-newsletter to keep up to date on offerings to teachers from Williamsburg. Make sure you visit the Kids Zone games and information for additional research to enhance your lessons.

Holiday Celebration Grade K to 5 - The Holiday Zone- 7890

This site offers a variety of craft, poetry, language arts and music activities based on winter holidays and celebrations.

Danish Woven Baskets Grade 3 to 6 - northpole.net- 5509

Add another dimension to your multicultural classroom Christmas tree with ornaments inspired by Denmark, and crafted by your students. This patterns and set of instructions for Danish baskets requires only shiny paper and glue. Younger children will need some help with this one.

World Advent Calendar Grade 2 to 6 - Woodlands Junior School- 5503

Make this interactive calendar part of your daily routine during the holiday season. Each day of Advent, students can click to open a window and discover answers to questions about Christmas celebrations throughout the world.

World Traditions Grade 4 to 7 - History Channel- 5500

Click on the interactive map to discover facts about how Christmas is celebrated in that part of the world. Be sure to visit the "Evolution of Santa" link for an interesting glimpse of St. Nick's progression from 3rd century Turkey to the American shopping mall.

Multi-Media Text of A Christmas Carol Grade 8 to 12 - Mitsuharu Matsuoka- 5479

Dickens' beloved Victorian novella may be a bit daunting for some students because of unfamiliar 19th century vocabulary and references. This complete, online version provides readers with assistance in the form of links to definitions and explanations, illustrative media clips from film adaptations of the work, and helpful summaries.

Organs for Christmas Grade 9 to 12 - Genentech, Inc.- 2646

This is a lesson from Genentech's Access Excellence collection, which contains several hundred detailed lesson plans for high school level biology topics. Each lesson includes objectives, instructions, methodology, and outcomes.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Explore and Learn Grade 3 to 12 - Metropolitan Museum of Art- 9173

Explore and Learn is your gateway to educational fun and learning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! This area is organized into themes such as "Just for Fun," "A Closer Look," "Artists," "Themes and Cultures," "What’s New," "Timeline of Art History," "Read All About It," and "Publications for Educators." Built around the world-class collections of the museum, the Met provides interactive learning games, virtual scavenger hunts, activities, worksheets, commentary, and resources for students and teachers. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Pick a theme and jump in! The themed areas lend themselves to whole class viewing with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Mark this site as a Favorite and turn those classroom computers into activity centers where students can explore and learn with interactive art games. Base a hands-on art activity around the themes "A Closer Look" and "Artists." Visit "Themes and Cultures" for a multicultural tour and discussion about art styles around the world. Create a classroom art gallery of student art in time for Open House. Don’t forget to take digital pictures for your “archives” and as examples for another year.

Holiday List to Santa Grade K to 2 - Funbrain- 8859

Children type in their Holiday wish list through this interactive site. There is some advertising, but it is easily ignored. After keying in the list, print it and send it on to...Santa? Home in the backpacks? This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Turn this experience into a service project by creating holiday wish lists of items to collect and give to needy families. Or make "pretend" lists of items your favorite characters from books would ask for and posting them in your classroom. Sometimes it is hard for students to "put themselves in someone else's shoes" during the holiday season, but this activity might provide the incentive to think less selfishly.

Spirit of the Season Grade 5 to 12 - NY Times- 8849

This site is a collection of seasonally-appropriate lesson plans for winter and the holiday season, including philanthropy, winter sports, and weather. In addition to lesson plans, there are timely crossword puzzles and questions and answers about winter weather.

In the Classroom:
Use this to find a curriculum-appropriate way to include the holidays in your plans. It's a great place to give students info about symbols of international religions, for example, or to explain the history and applications of volunteerism and giving. If you advise a service club, there are fresh ideas here, as well.

Word Search Puzzles Grade 1 to 5 - Primarygames.com- 8699

This site offers user-friendly, interactive word search puzzles for vocabulary and reading enhancement. Some of the topics include the Olympics, Earth Day, butterflies, and various holidays. These are computer-based word searches, not printables. There is a link to a companion site with printables. NOTE: when you choose a topic, you first see an advertisement. You can bypass the ad by clicking "skip this ad" in the top right corner. Teach your students to look for "skip" buttons on ads! The site requires Java. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share a search on your interactive whiteboard (use student FINGERS to circle the words!). Of make it a center as one of several options for spelling and vocabulary. Your students may ask you to include the link on your teacher web page so they can try some from home, as well.

Magic Vocabulary Grade K to 5 - Viktor Gayol- 8271

This online tool and vocabulary site creates up to thirteen games, puzzles, and worksheets from a word list the teacher inputs on the home page. The working database contains about 2000 English singular words, but doesn't include abstract nouns. There are some ready-made activities already done for you as examples: body parts, Christmas, family, feelings, foods, and more. Typical activities include findaword, matching, multiple choice quizzes, memory, word scrambles, and labeling. There is a charge for subscription to the services, but users who recommend someone to this site receive a one-year subscription free. One caution: set the speed to "tortoise" on the "STOP" game. Even adults can't click the mouse fast enough above that speed!page. This site requires QuickTime to hear the audio. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox. .

In the Classroom:
Use this for a center with vocabulary review activities in any primary classroom or with speech and language or special ed students for vocabulary development. Using it in ESL classes will also be great, even on an interactive whiteboard with a small group. Students can also use the games on their own to practice vocabulary outside of class, so be sure to include the link on your teacher web page.

Drama Workshop: Ideas for teaching drama Grade 1 to 8 - Andrew McCann- 7263

Looking for a variety of improvisational activities for your students? Or perhaps an original play? This site offers several of these that are varied and interesting. Worth a look for a change of pace. While the site is a little cluttered with ads, the links in the left side column provide a lot of activities filed under categories (such as animals, Christmas, etc.) as well as two plays written by the creator of the site that are quite cute for middle school students. This provides some variety in the activities that you may have planned, particularly if you like looking for holiday focused activities.

In the Classroom:
Use improvisation as a springboard to writing in your language arts classes. Once students have tried acting, have them write "plays" or do brief improvisations to illustrate concepts from socisl studies or science!

Scrooge for Mayor Grade 8 to 12 - - 5481

This Web Quest engages students in examining the complexities of Victorian society through the eyes of Ebenezer Scrooge. Having developed a new attitude after visitations from the three spirits, Scrooge is ready to change the world by running for mayor of London. Students – working as campaign managers - must help Ebenezer develop campaign points and outline strategies to woo the public into accepting his ideas for social reform. Aspects of Victorian life described in A Christmas Carol, form the basis for this activity, although it could easily be adapted to any of his other novels.