Great Teaching Ideas

lesson & unit viewer

Christmas Card Story

published on: 2/28/2003

Contributing Teacher(s): Amy Kilmer

Subject Area: Communication Arts/Writing/research, Communication Arts/English grammar/usage

Grade Range: Upper Elementary (4-5)

Materials Needed:

• Christmas Cards (I save mine from year to year and tear off just the fronts. Also, ask around, many people throw theirs away.)
• Construction Paper
• Scoring guide

Objective: The student will write a story using a Christmas card as the visual prompt.

Instructional Strategy: Provide visual tools

Process Standards:

• Goal 2.1 plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Goal 2.2 review and revise communications to improve accuracy and clarity

Content Standards:

• Communication Arts 1 - Speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, ...)

  G.L.E.:
  

  • CA - Wr - 1 - A - 05
    (Writing, Apply a writing process in composing text, Writing process, Grade 5.)

  Time Allowance: 2-3 Language Arts periods

  Description: Students free-write a story using a Christmas card as the visual prompt.

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  Classroom Component:

  Procedure

  The picture is the writing prompt. Let students choose from a variety of Christmas cards. The stories turn out the best when the pictures have some kind of animation or scenery. For example, some students may struggle if the card is simply "a tree".
  ***If you have students in your class who may not celebrate Christmas you could also save old calendars and use those photographs.
  Once the students have chosen their card I first read them an example of a Christmas Card story I wrote. Then I tell them to take some time to look at the picture and think, "what story does the picture tell?" Next, the students begin free writing their rough draft.
  The next day the students peer edit. When my students peer edit they have to read their story out loud to their partner, then trade papers and visually, silently look for errors or ways to improve the assignment. I was amazed when I started having students read their assignments out loud how many more mistakes they find on their own before they even hand their paper to a peer. Next, you could do a teacher edit if you choose.
  The final draft looks great glued with the Christmas card on construction paper. Some of my writers who write longer stories put theirs into a book using a 3 hole punch and tying it with yarn.
  Finally, I displayed the stories in the hall the week before Christmas. The day of our class party I brought in wrapping paper and the students wrapped their stories up and gave them to parents for a Christmas gift. Happy Holidays!

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  The Singing Christmas Siblings

  By Mrs. Kilmer (teacher example)

       Once upon a time, there was a family of birds. They were singing birds. These birds looked forward to Christmas every year because they would get to sing their favorite Christmas songs like "Jingle Bell Rock", and "Oh Holy Night". The siblings got to sing a song at the Holly Festival every Christmas, but this year the singing siblings were asked to lead the entire program. Well, the problem with that was that the birds could not agree on which song to lead with.
       They decided that they would choose by pulling some holly off the holly plant. Whoever got the most berries would get to choose the song. All the brothers and sisters took their turn and the winner was little Fred! Little Fred jumped up and down excitedly and peeped, "We will sing "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem", I love it so, mostly because I am little, just like that town." The End

   

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  Christmas Card Story Scoring Guide

   

  Story is at least 3 paragraphs and sentences demonstrate a variety of sentence structures.

  5	4	3	2	1	0

  Story is free of spelling and grammatical errors

  5	4	3	2	1	0

  Punctuation marks and quotation marks are use correctly when speaker is speaking

  5	4	3	2	1	0

  Story is written neatly in ink or typed

  5	4	3	2	1	0

  Story is entertaining and makes sense

  5	4	3	2	1	0

  Overall score______
  
  
  

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  For additional information contact :
  Amy Kilmer
  Oak Grove Elem.
  Oak Grove R-VI
  (816) 690-4153
  EMAIL: akilmer@oakgrove.k12.mo.us