5 Ways To Boost Student Engagement And Rigor During The Holidays

Oct 21

The holidays bring a unique blend of excitement and distraction to the classroom, making it challenging to maintain student engagement and academic rigor. Unlock the secret to keeping your classroom learning-focused during the festive season with our top five strategies. Discover how to blend holiday excitement with educational rigor and keep your students thoroughly engaged. Plus download a free resource that will help you master the holiday teaching challenge!

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Oh, the holidays...

Remember walking into your classroom during the month of December when it was a wonderland of paper snowflakes and cinnamon? As students, we were filled with the excitement of special holiday projects and a long winter break right around the corner.

Now, as educators, it's our turn to create that magical atmosphere for our students.

But with the wonder comes the challenge: how to maintain learning with all the holiday distractions and heightened energy levels.

The solution isn't to banish the holiday spirit but to embrace it thoughtfully. Integrating holiday themes into your ELA curriculum can actually accentuate your lessons - allowing students to experience the joy of the season and you the satisfaction of planning time well spent.

Here are five ways to integrate holiday festivities into your English Language Arts curriculum.

Quick Engagement Boosters: Holiday-Themed ELA Challenges

Incorporating quick, holiday-themed activities keeps lessons lively and engaging. These exercises are designed to be easily integrated into the curriculum, offering a festive twist to regular classroom activities.

1. Vocabulary Voyage

Introduce a word-building relay. Students could take 'winter' and build related words like 'twine', 'intern', 'write', boosting both their vocabulary and spelling skills in a competitive team format.

2. Quick-Fire Debates

Launch impromptu debates on topics with depth, such as "Technology enhances the holiday experience," or "Handwritten holiday cards hold more value than digital greetings." These topics encourage students to not only articulate their thoughts clearly, but also respectfully.

3. Literary Device Bingo

Develop a bingo game with a twist, using literary devices like metaphors, similes, personification, and alliteration. Students must identify an example from their current reading or create their own that fits the device to mark their bingo sheet.

Flash Writing Fun: Captivating Quick Writes for the Holidays

Flash writing activities provide students with an opportunity to quickly engage in creative and reflective writing. These prompts are designed to be short yet thought-provoking, making them perfect for busy holiday schedules.

1. Inventive Daily Logs

Stir the imagination with daily prompts that delve deeper, such as "Design your ideal magical holiday village and its unique tradition," or "Compose a journal entry from the perspective of a character experiencing their first snow."

2. Expressive Poetry Sprints

Invite students to turn their holiday feelings into verse. Prompts could include crafting a cinquain about a 'frosty morning,' a haiku capturing the 'silence of snowfall,' or a free verse on 'the dance of holiday lights.'

3. Reflective Snapshots

Provide a platform for reflection with thoughtful prompts. Students can consider "If you had a budget to create a holiday community event, what would it be and why?" or "Write about a time when a small act of kindness during the holidays made a big difference."

Exploring Themes in Literature

1. Seasonal Literature Circles

Literature circles offer a fantastic way to explore holiday themes. By choosing books that resonate with the season, teachers can encourage students to engage in meaningful discussions while developing their critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Engage the spirit of gratitude through ‘Front Desk’ by Kelly Yang, by discussing the generous community at the Calivista Motel.
Unravel themes of selflessness with ‘The Last Stop on Market Street’ by Matt de la Peña.
Explore the journey of joy and family bonds in ‘The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street’ by Karina Yan Glaser.

Need help getting started with Literature Circles? Find everything you need here. Once you have your materials, learn how to use them here.

2. Character Spotlights

Focusing on characters from seasonal literature allows students to explore diverse perspectives and develop empathy. This approach also helps in understanding character development and motives within a holiday context.

Investigate the transformation of Stella from ‘Stella by Starlight’ by Sharon M. Draper, as she overcomes her fears in the face of injustice.
Delve into the resilience and hopeful spirit of Ha from ‘Inside Out & Back Again’ by Thanhha Lai, as she adjusts to life in a new country.
Explore how Ally’s hidden strengths unfold in ‘Fish in a Tree’ by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, teaching us that everyone has the potential to excel.

3. Festive Debates

Debates on holiday-related themes encourage students to think critically and articulate their thoughts coherently, fostering skills in argumentation and text analysis.

Spark discussions with prompts like “Can you find happiness in difficult circumstances?”, inspired by the optimism of characters in ‘Crenshaw’ by Katherine Applegate.
Debate the essence of self-worth versus material wealth as showcased in ‘Amina’s Voice’ by Hena Khan.
Challenge students to define the ‘holiday spirit’ through the lens of family, community, and giving, as exemplified in ‘The Proudest Blue’ by Ibtihaj Muhammad.

Crafting Stories: Spinning Yarns with Holiday Flair

Engaging students in creative writing with a holiday twist helps develop their imagination and storytelling skills. These activities allow students to express their thoughts creatively while maintaining a focus on the learning objectives.

1. Story Starters with a Seasonal Twist

Encourage imaginative explorations with prompts like:

"What adventure awaits a lost elf using GPS to get back to the North Pole?"
"Imagine a snow creature awakens in your local park – what happens next?"
"A day in the life of a young reindeer experiencing their first snowfall at a new school."

2. Holiday Scenes

Boost sensory details in students’ writing by asking them to:

describe a family preparing a holiday meal in a futuristic setting
the inside workings of a snow globe containing a miniature city or
the other-worldly experience of a starlit ride on a mythical creature

3. Character Creation

Encourage students create their own holiday-inspired character, such as:

a robot designed to spread festive joy
an apprentice magician tasked with crafting the perfect winter day

After creating their character, asks students to answer questions like:

what obstacles might a holiday spirit face in the summer?
what unique traditions does their character bring to the holiday table?

Cultural Journeys: Embracing Winter Celebrations from Around the World

Exploring global festivities through literature and discussion enhances students' cultural awareness and literacy skills. These activities provide insights into different holiday celebrations, enriching the classroom experience.

1. Enriched Multicultural Read-Alouds

Introduce students to Diwali with ‘Amma, Tell Me About Diwali!’, delve into Kwanzaa through ‘My First Kwanzaa Book’, and journey to Las Posadas with ‘The Night of Las Posadas’.

2. Comparative Celebrations

Analyze and discuss how the Scottish Hogmanay’s ‘first-footing’ is similar or different from New Year's customs in other cultures, such as the American ball drop or Spain’s grape tradition.

3. Interwoven Holiday Themes

Examine the strength and perseverance in The Story of Hanukkah and discuss how these values are represented in various holiday narratives across cultures.

4. Tradition Sharing: Weaving Together Stories of the Season

Foster a classroom community where diverse holiday traditions are shared, valued, and become learning opportunities for all.

5. Interactive Tradition Exchange

Organize a classroom event where students can display and discuss an artifact from their holiday practices, whether it’s a festive garment, a decorative item, or a family photo, and its place in their traditions.

6. Cultural Exhibition Projects

Guide students in creating comprehensive displays that represent different holiday customs, complete with visual aids, descriptive tags, and even interactive elements like QR codes linking to related music or spoken-word explanations.

In each of these activities, you're doing more than just covering ELA standards. You're giving students valuable life lessons within the context of the holiday season, encouraging them to bring their own stories and experiences to the learning process.

Want even more ideas? Download our free “ELA Holiday Engagement Toolkit” filled with additional ideas to begin crafting memorable learning experiences today!

Find it, along with dozens of other free resources inside The Treasury.