Reading Activities & Games!

no prep! Grades 4-8

Common Core Christmas

Fun, Engaging & interactive 9 Reading Activities & Games! 1) Buy. 2) Print. 3) Teach!

A Common Core Christmas Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Christmas Around the World FUN! Teacher’s Instructions & Notes 3

Lesson 1: Activity 1 - Marco Polo Student Pages 4-5

Lesson 1: Activity 1 – Marco Polo Answer Keys 6-7

Lesson 1: Activity 2 – Do the Santa Dance Moves 8

Lesson 1: Activity 2 – Do the Santa Dance Cards 9-10

Lesson 1: Activity 2 – Do the Santa Dance Scripts 11

Lesson 2: One Horse Open Sleigh – Teacher’s Instructions & Notes 12-14

Lesson 2: Activity 3 - One Horse Open Sleigh – Student Pages 15-16

Lesson 2: Activity 3 - One Horse Open Sleigh – Annotating Key 17-18

Lesson 2: Activity 4 - One Horse Open Sleigh – Verse Summaries Template 19

Lesson 2: Activity 4 - One Horse Open Sleigh – Verse Summaries Sample Answers 20

Lesson 2: Activity 4 - One Horse Open Sleigh – Summary Book Templates 21-22

Lesson 3: Spread the Joy – Infographic Analysis Teacher’s Instructions & Notes 23

Lesson 3: Activity 5 - Spread the Joy – Infographic 24

Lesson 3: Activity 5 - Spread the Joy – Multiple Choice Assessment/Practice 25

Lesson 3: Activity 5 - Spread the Joy – Multiple Choice Assessment/Practice KEY 26

Lesson 4: The Christmas Truce of 1914 – Teacher’s Instructions & Notes 27-28

Lesson 4: The Christmas Truce of 1914 Nonfiction Articles & Photographs 29-31

Lesson 4: Activity 7 - Trench Warfare – Student Page 32

Lesson 4: Activity 8 – Comparing Multiple Accounts – Student Page 33

Lesson 4: Activity 9 – Primary vs. Secondary Sources – Student Page 34

Lesson 4: Activities 7-9 – Answer Keys 35-37

BONUS Lesson from Informational Text Notebooks ~ Primary & Secondary Sources 38-42

Credits 43

Match each Christmas term on the left to its location of origin on the right.

______c 1. Buon Natale

______f 2. Buon Natale (2nd location mentioned) a. Bethlehem ______b 3. Joyeux Noel b. Paris, France ______e 4. Frohe Weihnachten c. Rome, Italy ______a 5. The 3 wise men travelled here. d. Italy e. Vienna, Austria ______d 6. LaBefana originated from this country. f. Florence, Italy ______g 7. Most American holiday traditions g. Europe originated from here.

Pun – a clever or humorous wordplay based on the multiple meanings of words or similar-sounding words Directions: Explain each pun from the video.

1. Q – How do you avoid the Krampus? A – Do not get into the water after you eat!

______According to Marco Polo, Krampus is an evil Christmas Demon. Of course, we all

______want to avoid demons. But, he actually tells us how to avoid cramps after we eat!

2. Q – What is a yuletide? A – a tsunami that wiped out the North Pole in 1952

______A yuletide is a Christmas term being discussed. This pun is a play on the word

______“tide,” since a tsunami is a huge wave, and tide is associated with waves.

3. Q – What is a yuletide? A – a detergent that cleans firewood

______A yuletide is a Christmas term being discussed. This pun is a play on the word

______“tide,” since Tide is a brand of laundry detergent that cleans clothes.

7 ©2013 erin cobb imlovinlit.com Team Marco Polo: Do the Santa! (Marco Polo’s Super Awesome 21st Century Santa Dance) Dance Moves Santa Claus -Hold your imaginary “big belly” and sway from side to side.

Christmas Tree -With pointed fingers, trace an imaginary Christmas tree with one finger going down each side.

Leave the Presents -Set imaginary presents down with two hands and alternate left to right.

Eat the Cookies -Pick up imaginary cookies and put them into your mouth, alternating left to right.

Indigestion -Put one hand on your forehead and the other on your belly and alternate.

Do the Pepto -Pretend to take Pepto Bismol, alternating hands from left to right.

Up the Chimney -Point upwards, alternating pointer fingers from left to right.

Purpose: Read, analyze, and interpret an infographic, including statistics, maps, and graphs. Analyze author’s purpose.

Technology/Resources: (Sometimes, links will not work in a PDF unless you copy and paste the URL into your browser’s address bar.) Must-watch music video on YouTube: Toby Keith’s “Santa, I’m Right Here!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZqYUiW5wEY Backup Download Link: http://goo.gl/PsuWth

Activity 5 – Infographic Analysis

How To: 1. There is only one acceptable way to start this infographic lesson: Watch the music video linked above! If you aren’t familiar with “Santa, I’m Right Here,” then you’re in for a real treat! Because it’s about 15 years old, it is always new for my students, too. This music video will REALLY pull together the meaning of this infographic. 2. After watching the music video, initiate a discussion about the true spirit of the Christmas season, giving, helping others, community service, etc. By now, your students are begging to watch the music video one more time, so go ahead and indulge them. 3. Distribute (and display, in color, on a projector) the infographic. Tell students to familiarize themselves with the infographic and give them a couple of minutes to do so. 4. Then, have students write down at least 5 facts they gathered from the infographic. Use the students’ discovered facts to initiate a thorough discussion of this infographic, drawing attention to any aspects not brought up by students. 5. Let students complete the questions independently. This will be difficult for some students, but give them the opportunity to grapple with it. 6. Instead of going over the answers as a class (or just reading off the answers yourself – yikes!) consider this method. After they’ve completed the questions independently, pair students and have them check their answers against their partners’. This will give them the opportunity to ACTIVELY defend and discuss their answers instead of allowing them to passively sit and listen and correct. And after this would be the appropriate time to read off or display the answers to allow the pairs to settle any disputed answers.

23 ©2013 erin cobb imlovinlit.com Lesson 4: The Christmas Truce of 1914 Purpose: Read and analyze a nonfiction article, including sub-sections and photo captions. Compare and contrast multiple accounts of the same event. Distinguish between primary and secondary sources. Use a nonfiction article to complete an informational graphic organizer.

Technology/Resources: (Sometimes, links will not work in a PDF unless you copy and paste the URL into your browser’s address bar.) Interactive Notebook Lesson on Primary & Secondary Sources (BONUS from Interactive Reading Informational Text Notebooks included at the end of this document) Song: Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lktY_pDauY Backup Download Link: http://goo.gl/jbHvJe Belleau Wood Song Lyrics: http://goo.gl/XtsErP History.com Slideshow: Trench Warfare - http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/photos#world-war-i-trench-warfare Movie Excerpt from OH! What a Lovely War! – Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOz9SpWc_yE Backup Download Link: http://goo.gl/QdU722

Activity 6: Belleau Wood

How To: 1. I like to start this lesson mysteriously – that is, I do not tell my students the topic of the lesson. I simply play the song for them and ask them to read the lyrics while the music plays. (See song lyric link under Technology/Resources section) 2. As students listen/read along, ask them to use the right column to tell what the song is about and add any facts or background information that they know. 3. Allow students to share what they think/know. 4. Ask students – what is the author’s purpose? Since it’s a song, the purpose is to entertain. This is not a true account of events, although there was such a thing known as “The Christmas Truce of 1941” and that’s what we are going to read about. It did not actually take place at Belleau Wood as it does in the Garth Brooks’ song. Still, some aspects of the song are actually true. 5. Students might be interested to know that the REAL Battle of Belleau Wood was actually fought by the US Marines, with some help of the British and French, against the Germans in 1918. In the battle, 1,800 Marines were killed and nearly 8,000 wounded before achieving victory.

Activity 7: Trench Warfare

How to: 1. This activity provides some background information into the concept of trench warfare as well as a brief overview of WWI. 2. Read the article (Truce, Page 1) and complete the accompanying graphic organizer to assess students’ comprehension. A key is included to help you. 3. There is a link in the above “Technology/Resources” section for a History.com slideshow on Trench Warfare – this is helpful for showing students additional photographs. Warning: there are commercials.

27 ©2013 erin cobb imlovinlit.com Comparing Multiple Accounts The Christmas Truce of 1914 The Christmas Truce of 1914 is said to have extended for miles across the Western Front. There were several different exchanges made among soldiers from both sides, so there are several different accounts of what took place. Here are some firsthand accounts of the Christmas Truce of 1914 from soldiers who were there and participated.

A Letter From British Soldier Lance Corporal Cooper to Miss N. Thody, Dated December 27, 1914 “At last I have found the time to answer all your letters. Well dear, you asked me to let you know what kind of Christmas I had. Well I never had a merry one because we were in the trenches, but we were quite happy. Now what I am going to tell you will be hard to believe, but it is quite true. There was no firing on Christmas Day and the Germans were quite friendly with us. They even came over to our trenches and gave us cigars and cigarettes and chocolate and of course we gave them things in return. Just after one o'clock on Christmas morning I was on look- out duty and one of the Germans wished me Good morning and a Merry Christmas. I was never more surprised in my life when daylight came to see them all sitting on top of the trenches waving their hands and singing to us.” A Letter From British Soldier Private B. Calder to Miss Fuller, Dated January 8, 1915 “Dear Miss Fuller and other assistants of the little tea The drawing above was made by Bruce Bairnsfather, a shop. Just a few lines to let you know how we are all British soldier who participated in the Christmas Truce. keeping. The 6th have been in the trenches twice. A good few of them had to go to hospital through the cold and Bruce Bairnsfather (mentioned above) wrote about the exposure. They are hardly fit for this work. We were in the Christmas Truce of 1914 in his autobiography titled Bullets trenches on Christmas Day. We spent a merrier day than & Billets: we expected. There was a truce to bury our dead. We had a “I spotted a German Officer, some sort of lieutenant I short service over the graves, conducted by our minister should think, and being a bit of a collector, I intimated to and the German one. They read the 23rd Psalm and had a him that I had taken a fancy to some of his buttons. short prayer. I don't think I will ever forget the We both then said things to each other which neither Christmas Day I spent in the trenches. After the service understood, and agreed to do a swap. I brought out my we were speaking to the Germans and getting souvenirs wire clippers and, with a few deft snips, removed a couple of from them. Fancy shaking hands with the enemy! I his buttons and put them in my pocket. I then gave him suppose you will hardly believe this, but it is the truth.” two of mine in exchange. While this was happening, I heard laughter that told me an A Letter From British Soldier Sergeant W. Blundell idea had occurred to someone. to Miss Whittington, Dated December 26, 1914 Suddenly, one of the German soldiers ran back to his “We were in the trenches all Christmas week, and the trench and presently reappeared with a large camera. I weather was awful. On Christmas Day we had a lot of posed in a mixed group for several photographs, and have firing over us, and shells too. All at once it ceased and I ever since wished I had fixed up some arrangement for looked up and saw the Germans on top of their trenches getting a copy. No doubt framed editions of this photograph shouting to us, and asking us to meet them. All our brigade are reposing on some Hun (German) mantelpieces, showing went, and we were talking to them about two hours. They clearly and unmistakably to admiring visitors how a group asked us not to fire that day and said they would not; and of idiotic British soldiers surrendered unconditionally on no firing was done until next day and then we were fighting Christmas Day to the brave Germans. for all we were worth. Times however are hard here. In the Slowly, the meetings began to disperse and we parted but trenches we are up to our waists in water with shells with the friendly understanding that Christmas Day would bursting over us and no sleep.” be left to finish in tranquility.” Truce, Page 2 30 ©2013 erin cobb imlovinlit.com The Christmas Truce of 1914

World War I 1914 - ______Allies Central Powers

• Great Britain • Germany • • • • • • •

Causes of WWI

1. Conflict had already 2. 3. been brewing in Europe for some time.

Early Trenches Later Trenches

Read the definitions for primary and secondary sources below. Then, decide whether each source from this lesson was a primary source or a secondary source. Finally, prove your answer in the space provided. Primary Sources Secondary Sources secondhand accounts of primary sources; actual records that provide firsthand comment on, summarize, explain, or draw accounts of events conclusions from primary sources (or Examples: letters, diary entries or other secondary sources) journals, photographs, speeches, Examples: textbooks, encyclopedias, interviews, autobiographies, artifacts articles, essays, and biographies

Primary or Source Secondary? Prove it!

subsection of article on The article was not written by someone Trench Warfare Secondary who was there. A secondhand article is a (Truce, Page 1) secondary source.

Harry Patch’s description Although it is a photo caption in the of life in the trenches Primary document, it is a direct quote from (Truce, Page 1) someone who was there.

2 photographs of soldiers Original photographs are primary in trenches Primary sources (Truce, Page 1)

drawing made by Bruce Although drawings can sometimes be secondary sources, this one is a primary source because Bairnsfather Primary Bairnsfather was actually at the event he drew (Truce, Page 2) about.

newspaper article (not This is a secondary source because the photograph) about the Secondary article’s author was not at the event truce (Truce, Page 3) and is relaying secondhand knowledge.

letters written by soldiers Original letters describing firsthand about the truce Primary experiences are primary documents. (Truce, Page 2)

Bruce Bairnsfather’s Autobiographies are considered primary autobiography, mentioned Primary sources. (Truce, Page 2)

photograph published in “The Daily Mirror” Primary Photographs are primary documents. (Truce, Page 3)

Fonts: KG Love Somebody KG Behind These Hazel Eyes KG Be Still and Know KG Only Hope