Literacy

Professional Development

December 8, 2019

Christmas Around the World: Gone Digital

How does teaching Christmas around the world make you feel? Does it make you overwhelmed with the thought of researching a bunch of different countries’ cultures and traditions? I know I was always so busy this time of year that it was hard to teach these things in a meaningful way.

I wanted to come up with something that would make it much, much easier and more convenient for you. Meet Christmas Around the World Digital Resources – downloadable digital presentations for you to use with your students in the classroom. There are seven different countries to choose from (or snag them all and save) and a few ways you can use them.

Why It’s Important to Teach Christmas Around the World

One thing just about any holiday does – no matter the culture or religion – is bring people together. Teaching our students about how other countries celebrate Christmas helps them become more understanding and empathetic towards others. For our younger learners, we focus on what we have in common with others and the special uniqueness of others.

Becoming more aware of cultures and traditions outside of our own helps us relate to others better and have more respect for them. The same is true in our primary students. They often enjoy learning something new about people, especially when they find out it relates to someone in their own class!

(You can read more about celebrating family traditions in the classroom HERE.)

What’s included in Christmas Around the World Digital Resources?

The Christmas Around the World Digital Resources are available for seven different countries: Mexico, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Australia, France, and America. Each presentation comes with a voice-over in PowerPoint and an option without a voice-over in Google Slides.

Each country’s presentation includes:

  • information about the location and the flag
  • traditions and customs for that country
  • what Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day looks like
  • what a traditional Christmas dinner consists of
  • other important monuments, historical sites, and tourist attractions for that country
  • interactive components for students to complete to show their learning

You can watch a quick video where I show you what’s inside this resource HERE.

https://www.facebook.com/MrsRichardsonsClassAFirstGradeBlog/videos/350044805782055/

How to Use These Resources in the Classroom

One way to use these resources is to pick several countries (or all seven) and teach one country a day in a whole group setting. Use either the voice-over edition to make teaching a breeze, or use the Google Slides edition to add in your own content. You can complete the interactive activity together and do the Venn diagram as shared or interactive writing. You can also have students do the Venn diagram in their journals and share.

Another way to use these resources is to set them up as rotation stations in the classroom. This is always so fun for students, and they love the sense of independence they get from working through stations. Here’s how I did it:

  1. Grab a tablet for each of the countries you plan to teach about and some headphones (you’ll want a headphone splitter, too) if possible.
  2. Next, make each station a different country. Have the presentation set up and ready to go.
  3. Finally, have students rotate through each country, listening to the presentation, and completing the activities that go with it.

That’s it -super simple and minimal teacher prep! Because each country’s presentation follows the same format, students will easily pick up on the pattern and know what to expect.

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While these units are meant to stand alone, they correspond perfectly with Christmas Around the World Flip Up Books. You can have students work through the flip up book as they go through the PowerPoint if you want to extend a bit more. You can have students do the flip up books in a whole group setting with you or complete one at each station if you set up rotations.

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Happy Teaching,

Amanda

Free Guided Reading Resource Cards

Free Guided Reading Resource Cards to help you plan your time and teach each group on their instructional level.

Hi, I'm Amanda

I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers.  Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!

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