Answer: This is something we are asked quite often. Many colleagues would like to celebrate Christmas with their young learners, but they would like to do more than just teach them a carol or two. The activity we describe below can be used with learners from Junior A - C, and, if the main theme is changed, with higher level learners (B1+).
"Decorating Our Christmas Tree"
Materials:
You will need poster paper (cançon or couché construction paper 0,48X0,60) for the background. For a better effect, it should be dark brown or black. You will also need silver or green construction paper (0,48X0,60), to cut out your Christmas Tree. (See A: small-scale Tree sample).
You will also need the Christmas Tree decorations (See sample B: decorations), which will need to be photocopied so each child can cut out his/her decoration for the tree. And, you will need paper tape.
Before class:
Cut out the Tree and glue it on the poster paper. Also, using the same pattern as for the children, cut out a silver star (or a gold star if your tree is cut out of silver paper), and stick it on the tree top.
Photocopy enough Christmas tree decorations for each one of your learners in class.
In class:
1. Stick the Christmas Tree poster on the Board.
2. Tell your learners that you will be decorating your class Christmas Tree and give each one of them a paper decoration to cut out. (Depending on your class time, the decorations could have been cut during a previous lesson.)
3. When they are ready, ask them to think of Christmas and, especially, of the meaning of Christmas. Ask your learners to say what Christmas means to them. They will of course say: gifts, holidays, sweets, toys, etc., but somewhere there, there will also be, love, peace, happiness, etc.
4. Then tell your learners that they will be decorating the class Christmas Tree with the decorations they have cut out, but each decoration should also be bringing a "gift" to the Christmas Tree. So, ask your learners to think what Christmas means to them personally and to write this word on their decoration.
5. You should also have cut out your own decoration. Write on it what Christmas means to you, too. Then, start the activity by demonstrating. Choose the specific language your learners will use, according to their Level and the language they have acquired, e.g., "I'm bringing (stars) to our tree." or "I'm giving (toys) to our tree." or "I'm decorating our with (joy)."
Then, use a piece of paper tape on the back of your decoration and stick it on the tree while saying, "I'm bringing love to our tree."
6.Now, ask each one of your learners to come to the tree, stick their decoration and then, turning to face their fellow learners, to say what they are bringing or decorating the tree with, according to what they have written on their decoration.
7. The tree could stay on the bulletin board of the classroom or you could bring it to class for the last three meetings before Christmas holidays.
8. N.B.: Higher level learners could be asked to decorate a Christmas Tree, using the same decorations, but the tree should be given a theme, such as the Tree of Peace. Learners could be asked to think of the meaning of Christmas, but associated with the idea of peace. In this case, they should be asked to think of ideas/words which would contribute to peace in the world. Thus, words like tolerance, understanding, cooperation, etc. could be suggested by the learners. As each learner comes up to the tree to decorate it, s/he says the word s/he contributes and explains briefly why this specific word/idea would contribute to peace in the world.
Rationale: In addition to the joy of decorating a Christmas Tree, the activity
above is a public speaking activity, as well as revision/consolidation of
vocabulary items of a specific word family. The ideas expressed by the higher
level learners as well as the words on the tree can be an "outline" for a
composition, as each of these words could be part of a paragraph discussing
the theme of world peace.
Have a Peaceful and Merry Christmas,
Suzanne and Lilika
