December Read Alouds

Holiday Read Aloud !

Classes are preparing for holiday parties. Students are too excited to learn. Here is my installment of holiday read alouds before you all head off to winter break! 

The Gingerbread Girl
Story: The old woman is lonely because her gingerbread boy ran away and was eaten by the fox, so she makes a gingerbread girl hopping she will no longer be lonely. Well, the gingerbread girl runs away. People and animals begin to chase her. Once again that tricky fox shows up. Will the gingerbread girl escape the same fate as the gingerbread boy?

Ideas: Compare to The Gingerbread Man or The Gingerbread Baby. I like using a Venn diagram for this activity!



Who Will Pull Santa’s Sleigh Tonight?
Story: Santa goes to check on the reindeer and they are all sick. He needs a plan to find some helpers for his sleigh ride on Christmas Eve. He holds reindeer auditions and all these animals show up. When that doesn’t work, he comes up with a new idea. But will it work?

Ideas: A great read aloud for grade K-3!

This is a great story for predicting with second and third graders! I read the beginning of the book to the class. Then they take out their journals and make predictions. We share and discuss as a class. Next, (This can be during the same lesson or the following day). Then I read up to how Santa has a new plan and the kidos make a second prediction in their journals. We share and discuss predictions. I then read the rest of the story and we talk about how Santa and Mrs. Claus save the day.
Hope you get a chance to share these stories!

Hanukkah Read Aloud!

In honor of Hanukkah, I wanted to post two holiday books to share with your class. Enjoy!This is the perfect story for a primary classroom. I love the Biscuit books and how curious he is in the stories. This is a nice way to introduce Hanukkah and some of the traditions that are related to this special holiday!

Story: Come along with Biscuit as he helps his owner make a beautiful menorah to celebrate Hanukkah. It's a great time for stories, songs, food and friends! The story explains how eight candles are used during the Hanukkah celebration.

This is a nice way to introduce Hanukkah and some of the traditions that are related to this special holiday! A nice class discussion comparing this story to their own holiday traditions is the perfect way to share this book! Then have your students draw their family holiday tradition.

I love this story because it intertwines a holiday story with a lesson. This story would lend itself to a comparison of family traditions.

Story: It's the last night of Hanukkah and there are only three little potatoes left. This is just not enough to make latkes for the relatives. Rachel has the solution and she will borrow some potatoes from Mrs. Greenberg. Then she will invite Mrs. Greenberg, who is all alone, to share Hanukkah with them. But though Mrs. Greenberg has a heart of gold, she is a stubborn as an ox--she doesn't want to be a bother.

Have your students fold a large piece of construction paper in half. They can then draw and describe their own holiday tradition on one side. On the opposite side have them write a summary of the story and draw their favorite scene from the book.

Reindeer Book!

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by: Jan Brett
I have read this in grade 2 and grade 4... the kidos always love it. There are a few fun things I have done with it too!
Story: Teeka has to fetch the reindeer for Santa's big ride and she wants everything to be perfect. She has trouble training the reindeer and becomes very bossy. Teeka realizes she needs a new approach.
Activities:
1. While reading I stop and ask "Do you have any text to text connections?" Kidos usually talk about how the reindeer have names different than the Rudolf song.
2. With my fourth graders I give them copies of the Rudolf story and with a partner they make a venn diagram to compare the two stories.
3. With my second graders we make a T-chart and discuss Teeka and her character traits in the beginning of the story and at the end of the story.

SO Many Holiday Books.... so little time!!

Santa's Noisy Night by Julie Sykes
I love this cute story of Santa being so jolly, he needs to be reminded by his reindeer, the family dog and cat, and even a snowman that he needs the be quiet so he doesn't wake the children on Christmas Eve.
This is a great story to rewrite as a reader's theater. The repetitive text is also great for choral reading.
I read this book aloud to my fourth graders one year. We then wrote our own Noisy Santa stories where elves, moms, talking parrots, and little goldfish told Santa, " SHHH! Don't wake the children!

Happy Reading!