Bring a Little Holiday Magic to Your Literacy

As we are on the cusp of the “ber” months and the holidays that come with them, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and frustrated with the loss of instructional time. With holiday activities, parent programs, and student excitement, I feel like instructional time is like the Grinch’s heart at the beginning of the book, two sizes too small.

What if there were a way to harness the holidays and maximize student learning? That is where my holiday literacy lessons come in. For each major holiday in the USA, there is an informational text and comprehension questions about the history, traditions, and celebrations

surrounding the day! Students transform their learning into poems and unique art projects that become amazing holiday displays! Administrators, parents, teachers, and other students love reading and seeing your students' works. Students love learning about the day and enjoy finding fun, creative ways to display their learning.

Literacy & Comprehension

The history of each holiday is also a great way to teach world and US history. Students learn about how some holidays merged as Rome influenced Europe, and those holidays changed as people immigrated to the USA. They also read about how other countries celebrate the day. (Did you know in France, they call April Fool's Day, April Fish Day?) Students practice ELA concepts ranging from vocabulary, sequencing, compare and contrast, and many more!

Poetry

These lessons help you teach various forms of poetry to 4th- to 6th–grade students throughout the year. (And let's be really, poetry is a standard that is easily breezed through or completely left out if there’s no time.) Teaching your students how to write a poem at each holiday is the perfect way to incorporate this standard in easy, manageable bites! Poems included in this resource range from acrostic to haiku to flamenca and cinquain. Students work on rhyme, syllabication, rhythm, and meter. It is truly magical to see the fun poems students come up with!

Art

Students work on different art forms and techniques throughout the year. The supplies needed for the project are everyday classroom supplies like construction paper, crayons, and the occasional glitter! Students learn how to use positive and negative space to create an image, practice mindfulness while creating a neurographic work of art, and show their silliness while creating a fun t-shirt design.

Let these resources transform your holidays, take a massive load off your shoulders, and help you plan them! Click on the resource that interests you or use the links here to get to TPT! Transform the holidays in your classroom today!

Halloween History

Thanksgiving History

Christmas History