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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5 lesson ideas\nperfect for the holiday season<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Author: Joanna Wiseman<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s December already and many teachers will be\npreparing for the end of term. This can be a tricky time of year to plan for,\nas your younger learners start to get excited about their winter (or summer, if\nyou\u2019re in the southern hemisphere) vacation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this post we\u2019ll look at a few ideas to help you\nget through those last few weeks of term with some fun activities suitable for\nyoung learners of different age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your younger learners will love anything related to\nsnow, especially if you live in a warmer country. Snow can seem fascinating to\nchildren who have never seen it in real life, and exciting to those who\nexperience it only a few times a year! Make the most of their interest and\ncuriosity, and teach them language through this motivating topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by teaching winter clothes vocabulary, by\nhaving students categorize types of clothing by season. Give pairs or small\ngroups of students flashcards or pictures of clothing and have them classify\nthem into summer and winter clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If possible, bring in some items such as hats,\nscarves, and gloves, and have a dressing up race where two students put on the\ngarments you call out. This can be a lot of fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have students brainstorm different activities you\ncan do in the snow or in cold weather and mime each action together. Some ideas\nare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, you could do a snowy craft with your\nlearners, such as making paper snowflakes or a snowman paper chain. Search\nonline for instructional videos<\/a> and\ntemplates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re in the southern hemisphere, you could\nhighlight the differences between the winter and summer, and have students come\nup with activities they can do at the beach, instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this time of year, crazy sweaters abound!\nFestive sweaters have become a trend in recent years and the more extravagant\nthe better! With older kids, why not try a design activity where they have to\ncome up with their own crazy sweater?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lots of interesting language can be taught,\nincluding adjectives like sparkly, fluffy, baggy, spotted; and the different\nfeatures students can add to their sweaters, such as pompoms, buttons, zips,\nand even flashing lights!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have students write a description of their\nsweaters, and present to the class. Then have the class vote on their favorite\ncrazy sweater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vacation is around the corner and both you and your\nstudents will be winding down, getting ready for the end of term. Make this a\nbit more special and maintain momentum in those last few weeks by making a\nCountdown Challenge calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Count the lessons you have until the end of term\nand write a challenge for each one on a card, then place it inside an envelope.\nWrite a number on each envelope, and hang up somewhere in your classroom. You\ncould stick them around the edge of your board, or use pegs to hang them along\na piece of string.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each day, nominate a different student (or group if\nyou have a large class) to take that day\u2019s card and do the challenge. This is a\nnice routine for ending the lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your students are older, have them write the\nchallenges themselves. You could use this to review vocabulary and structures\nstudents have learned during the term. Some fun challenges could be: name 10\nthings you wear in winter, act out a famous movie without speaking, or perform\na festive song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many cultures, gifts are given and received at\nthis time of year. Children often make long lists of toys and games they want,\nbut sometimes the best gifts are those that make us feel special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of talking about material gifts, focus on\npositive messages that your students can share with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Give each student a few cards and have them write a\nkind message to one of their classmates on each one. This could be a\ncompliment, a thank you message, or something they have noticed about that\nstudent\u2019s progress and behavior in class, e.g. Thank you for helping me\nremember new words<\/em> or You\u2019re always smiling in class<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make sure that each student receives an equal\nnumber of messages, assign names to each student secretly, for whom they have\nto think of something kind to say. Messages should be anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You could set up a post box for the messages and\nthen choose a student to be mail deliverer<\/em> and hand out the\nmessages at the end of the week, or in the last lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have your students organize a party for the last\nday of term and work as a team as they do so. When students are involved in a\nplanning task, they are using English to make decisions and really communicate\nwith each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assign a different area of planning to groups of\nstudents and give them some time in each lesson leading up to the end of term\nto discuss their ideas and plan for the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Groups could work on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food and drink<\/strong> \u2013 students make a\nlist of snacks to bring, taking into account any dietary needs (they could\nwrite a questionnaire to find out if students have any allergies). Encourage\nstudents to think of some healthy alternatives to chips, candy, and soda!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Games<\/strong> \u2013 this group\nchooses which games to play and makes any materials that are required. These\ncould be traditional party games, or typical classroom games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decorations<\/strong> \u2013 here students\ndecide how they can decorate the classroom and can make posters, paper chains,\nparty hats, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Music<\/strong> \u2013 this group makes a\nplaylist of songs they want to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, throw the party! Students will enjoy\nthemselves so much more when they have participated in the planning process and\nworked hard to make the party a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: Pearson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 5 lesson ideas perfect for the holiday season Author: Joanna Wiseman It\u2019s December already and many teachers will be preparing for the end of term. This can be a tricky time of year to plan for, as your younger learners start to get excited about their winter (or summer, if you\u2019re in the southern hemisphere) … Continue reading 5 lesson ideas perfect for the holiday season<\/span> 1. Winter time!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Crazy sweater competition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Countdown Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Gift messages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Organize a holiday party<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n