Job Discussion Forums

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

Besides Xmas music, are you teaching other things about Xmas in the classroom..middle school.?? ..Or a thread to share ideas about xmas topics in the classroom.

hesterprynne · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 386

You can get some ideas by doing a search on google or kazaa for Christmas images.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

In most of my classes next week, I'm going to group my students in 3s or 4s and have them come up with as many words as they can from "Merry Christmas". Then, I will have some strips of red and green paper. Each student can have three strips and write three of their words on them. We will make red and green Christmas chains by interlocking the strips together. These will festoon my classroom and/or the common area outside my class. I already have a few decorations put up in my class.

I'm also planning some Christmas parties with some possible gift exchanges. Granted, during this festive season, we'll still have regular old boring lessons!

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

Hello Kev: thanks for your input.. where do you get the green and red strips?? is it that stretchy stuff that we use in the West??

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

No, I go to the foreign language bookstore in Hangzhou and buy 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. I think there's 50 sheets per pack and it is quite reasonable. Then I just spend an hour or so cutting the paper down. What I wouldn't do for a decent paper cutter! I use glue sticks to hold the links together and whammo! Instant Xmas decor! Doing the English word game is just an excuse to get them to put these things together for me! Smile

Ho. Ho. Ho.

hesterprynne · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 386

I was very surprised when a head teacher at a middle school asked me to find her an old-fashioned Christmas pageant- as in the Christmas story---can't do that in public school in the U.S. anymore.
For little kids I had them do a change chairs game (merry xmas, happy new year, etc.)
Because I wanted to do old lang syne we talked about our ideal vision for each holiday- thanksgiving with the extended family, christmas with the immediate family and small children, new year's eve with the best friend and the significant other

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

Just a bit of information regarding middle school kids and Christmas. Today I put Xmas on the board, they had no idea what that meant, but they do know what Christmas is.

carken · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:20 am Post subject:

I taught in a senior middle school - year one students - and we did a lot with Christmas. I had brought old Christmas cards with me, and cut out symbols of Christmas like wreath, candle, bells, tree, Santa, reindeer, manger scene, wise men, etc., etc.

After doing a lesson on the symbols and their meanings and use, we sang songs that incorporated these words and then they had more meaning ( maybe).

I taught both the secular and the religious meanings of Christmas. Friends back home sent letters telling how their families celebrated Christmas, I made copies of these, and each student got a letter. Of course, it's too late for you to do this, and if I were to do this again, I'd definitely request that friends either print or type them. The handwriting was just too difficult for them to read. To help them, I put the "traditional" American cursive letters on the board for them to refer to. However, some of the handwriting wasn't "traditional"!

Just a few things I did . . .

hesterprynne · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 386

If you search online, you can find "Topics" magazine, which has holiday remembrances by advanced ESL students, mostly from Latin American countries.