December

=**December Monthly Highlights**=

- Holiday Trivia I - Holiday Trivia II - Christmas Jeopardy
 * Enjoy Holiday Trivia I, Holiday Trivia II , and Christmas Jeopardy!**
 * See how much you and your students know about holiday songs, food, traditions, literature, etc.**

(SMART Exchange has many notebook files available for download - free!)



 * [|December Holiday and Special Days Resources] from Education World - winter and holiday resources**

=**Classroom Learning Lessons for the Holiday Season (from [|ABC Teach])**= A few examples:
 * [|Christmas Alliterations]** **- A holiday themed lesson**
 * [|Poem: Santa's Sack] - Write a poem about what Santa might have in his sack!**


 * [|Christmas Tree Subtraction]**


 * [|Comprehension: Making Ornaments]**


 * [|Writing Prompt: Christmas Similes]**

**[|Holiday Presence in Your Classroom!] These lessons from Education World combine holiday excitement and learning. Unwrap 5 new holiday lesson ideas! Create a comparison chart, interpret line graphs, compose Christmas tree shape poems, make Venn diagrams of holiday customs, bulletin board ideas, and more!**


 * [|Christmas in the Classroom] (from Teach-nology)**
 * Many ideas for integrating holiday activities into your curriculum.**


 * [|Christmas Lesson Plans] - (from the Lesson Plans Page)**


 * [|Christmas Games and Activities] - online games and activities**


 * What are your Holiday Traditions ? Create a diagram with your students. Here is an example.**



The Polar Express

 * //The Polar Express -// Enjoy the magic of a train ride to the North Pole! For what gift would you ask?**
 * Learn about the story and author of this intriguing story!**


 * Polar Express - by Chris Van Allsburg & read by Liam Neeson Listen to this famous holiday story!**


 * [|About the Author, Chris van Allsburg] (from Eduplace)**


 * [|Polar Express] - Chris van Allsburg's official site**


 * [|Take the Polar Express to Learning]** **(Education World) Connect the book to your curriculum with these lesson ideas!**
 * [|Polar Express Unit] -** **Graph and sort Polar Express cereal for an educational class activity, simulate a train ride to the North Pole, write a fantasy story about a time you were aboard a magical train - Find these and other classroom activities!**
 * [|Math Word Problems] (from MathStories.com) Practice math while reading //The Polar Express//.**


 * [|Polar Express Movie Site] - explore the train car, play concentration in the engine room, etc... Click on the snow to find links. Look for the snowflake maker and more. You can click on the sound icon to turn off the music before entering the train.**
 * [|Polar Express Interactives] and more!**
 * [|Polar Express Questions PPT]**


 * Polar Express - A SMART Notebook file - Author information and activities related to the story**



=**Gingerbread! Yum!**= =**Gingerbread Glyphs - Follow the directions and create your special Gingerbread Man!**=
 * A SMART Notebook file - Information and activities centered around gingerbread!**

[|**Lots of fun gingerbread websites**]


 * __[|Design Your Own Gingerbread Boy]__**


 * [|Design Your Own Gingerbread House]**


 * [|The Gingerbread Man – Counting Math]**


 * [|Gingerbread Man Gallery from Sprint] **


 * [|The Gingerbread Man Movie] ** Click on Page by Page - (takes awhile to load – patience)


 * [|Decorate the Gingerbread Man](from Candy Land) **


 * [|Gingerbread Man Online Quiz] **




 * @Reindeer - You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen ... but, how much do you know about //real// reindeer?? Enjoy learning about these members of the deer family. Record facts using //Inspiration//,** **write "Reindeer Greeting Cards", and draw original pictures of reindeer!**


 * [|Track Santa!] Beginning December 1st, join the countdown to track Santa on Christmas Eve!**
 * Each day there will be a new, exciting activity available for children of all ages.**


 * Google Santa Tracker!**



Carols, Christmas Stories and more!

 * Name the Holiday Songs! Three MS Word documents with various holiday songs for you and your students to figure out!**




 * [|The Nutcracker] - Story and Music - The Nutcracker Ballet was first performed on December 18. Peter Tchaikovsky composed the music.**


 * [|The Singing Christmas Tree] - Click on an ornament to hear a carol!**


 * [|"A Christmas Carol"] by Charles Dickens was published December 17, 1843. Read it online!**
 * [|Give Your Students the Dickens!] (Education World Unit) Resources to discover Dickens**

**Journey North - Phenology - The solstice is coming! Observe the Seasonal Timing of Life Cycle Events** ! **Explore aspects of seasonal change. Watch how the seasons affect the //web of life// — and report your own backyard observations.**


 * [|Educational Christmas Fun]- Give some of these a try! Especially check out the IQ tests for analytical reasoning, quantitative skills, and verbal analysis. Give your class one question a day to ponder or get ideas for questions of your own. (There are also non holiday related activities on the main page - [|Online Activities])**

Holiday Traditions Around the World

 * [|Holiday Traditions!] Enjoy learning holiday traditions of different countries - Students can organize information using Inspiration. Be sure to sign the GuestMap!**
 * [|Merry Christmas!]- Spoken in languages around the world!**
 * Perfect resources for those of you studying holiday traditions of different countries around the world! Information about the various Christmas symbols and Santa, too!**
 * International Christmas Traditions - Short paragraphs describing how the holidays are celebrated in various countries around the world. (Link shared by our friends from Elm Grove.)**



Trees, Plants, and Poinsettia

 * [|The Giving Tree] by Shel Silverstein - Share this timeless story with your students during the holiday season. This lesson combines reading, completing an //Inspiration// graphic organizer, and writing a paragraph.**
 * [|Christmas Tree Shape Poems]** **- Encourage students to think of ways to show kindness to others during the holiday season. Encourage writing skills as well as technology skills as you create Christmas tree shape poems!**
 * [[file:Christmas Tree Shape Poems.doc]] - Example Christmas Tree Shape Poem**

**Christmas Trees and More****- tree facts**, **traditions, types, educational links, and more**

**The Poinsettia Pages** - Information about this traditional holiday plant


 * [|Legend of the Poinsettia] - from Just for Kids magazine**


 * [|Holiday Geography!] (Education World) Where is Noel? Bethlehem? Santa Claus? Merryville? Locate cities that have holiday names on a United States map.**


 * Discovery Education Streaming Videos Available - "Holiday Facts and Fun: A Multicultural Christmas", "Christmas Tales from Foreign lands: An Untold Miracle, Busy Befana, or The Wondrous Candle**



The Twelve Days of Christmas
[|The Twelve Days of Christmas] - **Take advantage of this opportunity to teach math and technology skills! Do you know how many total gifts were given? How much did they cost?** 12 Days Blank **- Excel Spreadsheet Example**

12 Days Answers **- Completed Excel Spreadsheet Example - Want the answers???**
 * You can adapt these to suit the level of your students. Delete information as necessary and let your students do the figuring!!**


 * [|12 Days and Pascal's Triangle] - lesson from Leadership Program in Discrete Mathematics - explains the relationship between the rows in Pascal's Triangle and the song.**

[|**12 Days of Winter Break**] **- lesson plan idea from PE Central to stay fit over the holiday break, intended for middle school PE classes, could easily be adapted for elementary**


 * [|The NEW Twelve Days of Christmas] - writing activity from Education World - includes printable worksheet**



The Festival of Lights
[|Chanukah] - The Festival of Lights! A simple history, explanation of the Menorah, songs, crafts, and an explanation of the dreidel game [|Virtual Chanukah] virtual site [|Hanukkah (from PrimaryGames.com)] - **coloring pages, games and crafts** [|**Chanukah or Hanukkah**]**- recipes, games, crafts, etc..** [|**Hanukkah Activities**] **- games, dreidel game, crafts, info**



Kwanzaa

 * [|Happy Kwanzaa!] Kwanzaa is one of the fastest growing holidays. Enjoy African music as you read more about the history, the feast, the seven days, and the symbols of Kwanzaa.**
 * [|Kwanzaa] - A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture****[|Kwanzaa] (from Primarygames.com) You'll find an online story, coloring pages, games, and writing stationery here!**
 * [|Kwanzaa Time] (from KidsDomain) More online games, clip art, reading fun, and printable activities**


 * Discovery Education Streaming Videos Available - "Seven Candles for Kwanzaa", "Holiday Facts and Fun: Kwanzaa", "The Principles of Kwanzaa"**



Christmas

 * [|How Christmas Works]- The Complete Guide to Christmas Traditions!**


 * [|Santa's Secret Village] - Really a cool site - Just for Kids to enjoy!**


 * [|Online Christmas Games] - (from Kids Domain) Games, Trivia Quizzes,** **Create a Customized Story, Holiday Art, Jokes and more!**


 * [|Christmas Quizzes] - Test your knowledge!**
 * Click here for lots more Holiday sites! Clip Art, Games, Music, & More!**


 * [|Holiday printouts from Enchanted Learning] - snow, winter, gingerbread - create crafts, books and more. Some materials are free, some require a school or individual subscription. [|Winter Printouts] from Enchanted Learning**



December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor Day

 * [|Pearl Harbor Raid]- information and images from the Department of the Navy**

[|Remembering Pearl Harbor] **- information from National Geographic, multimedia timeline, survivors' stories and more**

[|**Pearl Harbor Story**] **- Interview with witnesses (from Scholastic)**


 * [|The History Place]- World War II - Photos and information about the attack on Pearl Harbor**


 * [|Remembering Pearl Harbor] - the USS Arizona - webquest/inquiry includes lesson plans and links on teaching using historic places**


 * [|Pearl Harbor] - from Social Studies for Kids site**


 * [|Pearl Harbor Classroom activity]- from ReadWriteThink - includes interactive venn diagram to compare Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11th - activity may not be appropriate for younger children**


 * [|Pearl Harbor] - sound file of new bulletin, maps, etc...**


 * [|Pearl Harbor Remembered] - database of Pearl Harbor and WWII resources**


 * [|FDR's Speech] - includes a picture of his typed speech**


 * Discovery Streaming videos available - preview first "[|Pearl Harbor: A Day That Will Live in Infamy]" speech or [|Pearl Harbor Speech to the Congress of the United States](10 minutes). [|December 7, 1941: The Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii](intended for 6th - 8th grade - includes footage of explosions, bombings, wounded and dead Americans)**



**December 17th, 1903 - The Wright Brothers' Famous Flight**
== [|First Flight - December 17, 1903] - // "Wilbur Wright and his younger brother Orville were ordinary boys with ordinary toys. Somehow, they became extraordinary men with extraordinary machines. The story of their success can inspire all young dreamers to become the inventors of the future." // Experience their story with your students! ==


 * [|Flight Forecast] //-//** **Classroom activities for K-12 relating to** **weather trends and the relationship between weather and flight**


 * [|The Wright Brothers] //-//** **Additional resources are available from the Franklin Institute Online.**


 * [|The "Wright" Stuff] //-//** **(Archived Online Project) Classroom activities related to the Wright Brothers and flight**


 * [|The Wright Stuff]- info from the Discovery Channel - explore the flyer, see the "flights". explore the living quarters and more!**


 * [|WayBack Flight]- Information about the Wright Brothers from PBS Kids**


 * [|The Wright Brothers]- online gallery from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum - includes classroom activities, lesson plans, music from the time period, and much more!**


 * [|US Centennial of Flight]- 1st created several years ago to celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight - resources for educators and kids.**


 * [|Brainpop - The Mysteries of Flight] with Tim and Moby (requires school or individual subscription)**


 * [|Wright Brothers activity]- lesson plan from ReadWriteThink**


 * Discovery Streaming videos:** **[|The Wright Brothers] [|The First Powered Flight]**



**Dreaming of a //White// Christmas? Check below to learn more about snow!**

 * [|Snow Crystals] - //"How full of creative genius is the air in which these are generated!//** **//I should hardly admire them more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat."//** **... Henry David Thoreau, 1856**


 * [|More Snow Activities & Links] (from Eduscapes) - Everything for units related to snow!**

[|Snowtastic Snow] - literature, science of snow, and more

[|National Snow and Ice Data Center]- gallery, facts, Q & A


 * [|Snow Theme page] - from Enchanted Learning - some items are free, some require a school or individual subscriptio**