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3

All Aglow

Plan to use this center each week of the holiday season! Make five or six colorful copies

of the bulb pattern on page 7. Laminate the patterns, cut them out, and use clear tape to

attach the cutouts to a length of yarn. Then use a wipe-off pen to program the string of

lights with a self-checking algebraic sequence like the one shown. A student works from

left to right to solve the number challenge on his paper. His final calculation must equal

the provided answer. If not, he revisits his work. When all students have visited the center,

wipe away the programming and replace it with another algebraic sequence to solve.

MathAlgebra • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • •

Peekaboo Presents

To get students wrapped up in this activity,

ask them to scan catalogs and newspaper

circulars for pictures of gifts they’d like to

receive. Then have each child cut out one

picture and glue it on a nine-inch square of

drawing paper. Next, have him write on a

nine-inch square of writing paper a detailed

paragraph that describes—but does not

name—the gift. To make a peekaboo present

like the one shown, a student stacks his

writing, followed by a nine-inch square of

holiday wrap, atop his picture. Then he

staples the stack near the top and attaches a

bow to the holiday wrap. Showcase students’

work with the title “Predict Before You Peek!”

Descriptive writingLanguageArts

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

64– 32

aa

– 10b

b+ 43

cc– 14

d

d+ 22 73

My perfect gift is a board game.

It comes in a colorful box. On the box

are some students who go to school to

learn magic. To win this game, a player

must have read about the students or

watched them in movies. A DVD player is

needed to play this game.

3

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Santa’s Workshop Supplies Coin identification and addition skills get

a workout at this partner center. To minimize

prep time, invite students to cut out pictures

of workshop supplies from building supply catalogs or newspaper flyers. Then glue several picture cutouts to individual cards and

label each card with a purchase price. Place

the cards and play money at a center. Each

partner chooses a pictured item and counts

out the exact amount of money that’s needed

to make the purchase. Then each student confirms that his partner has supplied the correct amount of cash. When both students

agree that the money amounts are accurate,

they return the cash and cards to their original

locations. Play continues until each child has

made three or more different purchases.

Stocking Stuffers Lead the way to improved student writing with

this small-group activity. Assign each group a

different commonly overused word, such as said,

like, nice, old, pretty, or fast. Challenge each group

to brainstorm more specific substitutes for its word

while a volunteer from the group lists the words on

scrap paper. Next, ask each group to choose five

favorites from the list for the volunteer to circle.

Check the spelling of these words. Then have each

group make a construction paper stocking, decorate

it, and program it with its assigned word and list of

alternatives. Display the completed projects near

your writing center.

LanguageArts

Money

Word choice

Math

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

LIBERTY

2001

IN G

OD WE TRUS

T

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST 2001

LIB

ER

TY

LIBERTY

2001

IN G

OD WE TRUS

T

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST 2001

LIB

ER

TY

LIBERTY

2001

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

87¢

fast

snappy

quick

rapid

swiftspeedy

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Computation

Math

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

• • • • •

Candy Cane Solutions

There is a sweet result each time this large-

group game is played. Select a set of ten or more

computation problems and write each answer on

the board. Then hand out student copies of the

gameboard on page 8 and ask each child to write

a different answer in each space that has a black

dot. To begin play, read aloud individual problems

from the practice set. A student works each problem

on her paper and checks her gameboard for a

matching solution. If it’s there, she colors the space

red. If it is not, she looks for it on the board (to verify

her calculations). The first student to color each

programmed space on her gameboard exclaims, “Ho,

ho, ho!” If she correctly verifies her problem-and-

answer matches, math practice is over!

Alene

384

– 273111

753

– 110643 Candy

Cane Game

Name _______________

476

– 235241

241

100274

340

140

185

643

ChristmasChristmasLanguage

Arts

Narrative writing

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

• •

Brown-Bag It!

Label four or five brown paper lunch

bags as shown. In each bag, place

several seasonal pictures or objects such

as a gift tag, an ornament, and a Santa

hat. Place the bags at a center with a

supply of notebook paper and pencils.

To complete the center, each student

picks a bag and draws one item at a

time. The student then writes a creative

story incorporating each of the items from

his bag into his story in the order they

were drawn. Simply change the items in

the bags every week or so to keep the

creative stories coming!

Merry Christmas

Story Bag 4

Story Bag 1 Story Bag 2

Story Bag 3

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5

Geometric Gift Wrap

The gift card on page 8 is loaded with

review opportunities. Each time you hand out

student copies of the card, lead the class in

completing one of the following:

• Find and color specific shapes; for

example, “Color each triangle red.”

• Color pairs of congruent shapes

different colors. • Color symmetrical shapes red and

nonsymmetrical shapes green.

• Study each horizontal row of shapes.

Color a slide blue, a flip green, and a

turn yellow.

Math

Plane figures • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Berries and Bows

For this review of a and an, give each child a red

construction paper copy of page 9 and a nine-inch square of

green paper. Have students use scissors to cut their green

paper squares into wreath shapes. Next, have each child cut

out the bows and berries on her copy of page 9 and sort the

cutouts into two groups: words to preface with a and words to

preface with an. Then have each child glue one set of cutouts

to each side of her wreath. If desired, have students refer

to their wreaths during the holiday season as they complete

activities such as the following:

• Choose a subject from your wreath and write a story

about it. • Compare and contrast two objects named on your

wreath. • List the adjectives and the nouns shown on your

wreath. • List the words from each side of your wreath in

alphabetical order.

• Write sentences that include a or an and are followed

by words from your wreath.

Adjectives

Language Arts • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

There are seven pairs of congruent shapes!

Ethan

December 7

box

a

bow

sleigh

silly

hatred

tiny

tree

owlelf

atlas

Name ___________________________________ Date _________________

No peeking!

HappyHolidays!

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Math

Multiplication • • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

•

Adding money

Math • • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

•

Holiday Numbers

Draw a large holiday tree on a piece of

bulletin board paper. Label each section with

a single-digit number. Tape the paper on the

floor. Then have two teams of students line up

a predetermined distance from it. Give the first

student in each line a bean bag. Each child

tosses the bean bag at the Christmas tree target

when you say, “Go!” Then she immediately

multiplies the two numbers hit. The student who

solves the problem first stays for the next round,

and the other child goes to the end of the line.

Play continues in this manner until time is called.

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6

The Perfect Gift

At a center, provide copies of page 10 and shopping

catalogs. A child pretends he has an imaginary budget

of $200 to buy holiday gifts for five family members. He

uses the catalogs to list the gift he would buy for each

person and its cost. Once the chart is complete, he totals

the amount spent to ensure that he has remained under

budget. If he is over his budget, he must replace one or

two items on his list and then revise his calculations.

The Perfect

Gift

Name

Date

Total __________

Name Gift

PagePrice

.

.

.

.

.

Dad blue shirt

pg. 32 $24.99

Mom perfume

Lily

Dec. 15

7

Holiday Bulb Pattern

Use with “All Aglow” on page 3.

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Berry and Bow PatternsUse with “Berries and Bows” on page 5.

a

an

elftree

bow empty ideaold

hattiny

owl sleighatlas

redicicle silly

box

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ailb

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10

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The Perfect Gift

Name ______________________________________ Date ____________________

Note to the teacher: Use with “The Perfect Gift” on page 6.

Total __________

Name Gift

Page

Price

.

.

.

.

.

8

GameboardUse with “Candy Cane Solutions” on page 2.

Cand

y Ca

ne

Gam

e

Nam

e __

____

____

____

_

Name ____________________________________ Date __________________

No peeking!

HappyHolidays!

Gift CardUse with “Geometric Gift Wrap” on page 5.

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ailb

ox®