All aboard The Polar Express! Use a word search to bring the magic of Chris Van Allsburg's sweet holiday story to your classroom. It features a picture from the book, as well as words and items from the story.

Second graders view a video of the Nutcracker ballet and then compare and contrast holiday celebrations in Germany and the United States. They use the computer to write a paragraph exploring their observations.

Students listen to the children's story "The Wild Christmas Reindeer" while using the pictures from the story to help analyze the plot. In this reading comprehension activity, students discuss the text and pictures of a story as they...

Students read an article on the history of the Christmas Tree. They discuss the article and talk about their experiences with Christmas trees.

A writing prompt about a surprise on Christmas morning provides students with the beginning of the story, and invites them to finish the middle and ending. This prompt could be a good addition to a Christmas-themed unit, or as a lesson...

In this ESL word and picture matching worksheet, students analyze 7 pictures of common Christmas symbols. Students match these pictures with the words that describe them.

Students "plant" mints for Christmas. In this Christmas lesson, students "plant" starlight mints in the ground. You switch the mints with candy canes, so when the students come out they think their mints have grown. 

In this ESL word and picture matching activity, students analyze 7 pictures that depict Christmas symbols. Students match these to the words that describe them.

Kids create a clown out of shapes. They work to show emotions while practicing their drawing skills. Pupils use circles, triangles, squares, oil pastels, and their imagination to draw, color, and decorate a sad or happy clown. Tip: Have...

Pupils research a winter holiday and create unique holiday greeting cards. After learning about their chosen holiday, they use the paper-folding technique called quilling to make one-of-a-kind cards.

During Christmas time, use common carols and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music as the basis for writing advertisements. Learners can work in teams or individually as they listen to songs via the links provided. A "Christmas Music Comparison...

Nouns are the focus of this language arts PowerPoint. Pupils will see that there are five categories of nouns: person, place, thing, idea, quality. The last two are not usually taught, but they are legitimate categories. When to...

Out with the old and in with the new? Not so in this lesson plan, which explores the idea of writing older characters in fiction. Learners learn the value of varying their characters, exploring different perspectives, and avoiding...

Students discuss Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and family traditions. After brainstorming how holidays are celebrated, students write a poem about a chosen holiday and create their own hand-made instrument. They share their poems...

Students listen to two famous stories about people who do not like Christmas, and then create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the main characters.

Students construct Santas. In this holiday lesson, students demonstrate how to cut with scissors and glue with glue sticks to create their own Santas from paper and felt. Students work on developing their fine motor skills.

Students practice creating colors. In this visual arts lesson, students use glue and food coloring to create new color combinations. A game, a song, a craft, and a recipe are all included with the lesson.

Students recycle unwanted CDs for art projects. In this art lesson, students can glue comic strips to the CD's creating Christmas ornaments or coasters with markers or paint.

Students make dot pictures using bingo marker dabbers. In this art lesson, students enjoy making dots and creating pictures out of the dots.

Students print paper using green paint. In this art lesson, students dip open halves of bell peppers in green paint and make prints that resemble shamrocks. Students use their imagination and decorate the paper for St. Patrick's Day.

Students explore folk art and tradition. They work in small groups and produce an essay about folk art or traditions practiced in their community. Students discuss the creation and preservation of a tradition. They discuss various...

Students explore print making. In this art and print making instructional activity, students listen to biographical information about Leonardo da Vinci, then define "mirror image" as a technique used by this artist. Students cut out...

Young scholars examine the way ghosts are portrayed in films and literature. For this poetry lesson, students listen to  the first five stanzas of the poem "Seven Types of Shadow" read by U A Fanthorpe on The Poetry Archive website...

Third graders study the customs used in Czechoslavakia and Mexico regarding Christmas.