The Holiday Bonanza!

Pick and choose activities to complete. Unlike a typical module, you'll earn points by activity, rather than syllabus category. To get points for the whole module, you must complete one starred (*) activity and the accompanying revision process.

Have an idea for an activity I haven't included below? Come talk to me! I'm open to fresh ideas. :)

4 point activities:

• Shape poem
• Santa's existence 3.8
• 55 word short story about winter
• Picture book prompt
• Letter to deployed solider

6 point activities (worth 10 after revision):

• Prezi or 5 paragraph essay: "should kids be taught to believe in Santa?"
• Create your own Night Before Christmas spoof poem
• Holiday traditions photo journal
• Short story or narrative based on prompt

​

Shape Poem (4 pts)

Choose a shape that represents the holidays (candle, snowflake, stocking, candy cane...). Write a poem that relates to that shape, then format it to fill your chosen shape.

​Examples:

Santa 3.8 (4 pts)

Does Santa really exist? Write a traditional 3.8 either proving his existence or disproving it. Whichever way you argue, be sure to have three distinct reasons supporting your thesis/topic sentence.
​

55-word story about winter (4 pts)

Have you ever written a short story? How about a short short story? The challenge of a 55-word story is to get across an entire plot arc - intro, conflict/rising action, climax, resolution - in exactly 55 words (title not included). The best stories include a twist at the end. Choose something winter-related as your subject, and go!

Here are a few examples of successful 55-word stories:

Fate
by J. Ripp

     This was the only way, such a blur of rage and bliss and hurled toasters as our time together had become. Appeal to fate: heads, we'd marry, tails, we'd separate forever. 
     The coin flipped, thudded, skipped and lay still, an eagle showing.
     We stared as it sank in.
     Then, together, "Best two out of three?"

First Step
by Tim Scott

     It's been three days since I've had a drink. Recently I learned about support groups. THere's one for just about everything these days. I checked around and found a meeting. 
     Last night was the first time I had the nerve to stand up and say, "Hello. I'm Sandy, and I'm a vampire."
     Maybe there's hope.

Picture Book Prompt (4 pts)

Want to write something creative but don't want to start from scratch? Pick up a friendly picture book in the classroom. Each has a prompt attached to it - so just read the book and write a response! Your books to choose from:

• One Candle, by Eve Bunting
• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss
• The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs
• Dream Snow, by Eric Carle

​

Letter to a deployed soldier (4 pts)

Write a letter to a soldier who doesn’t have family that can correspond with them. Send messages of appreciation, support, and good will; help each soldier feel connected and appreciated. See A Million Thanks for more details.
 
Consider for your letter:

• Tell them a bit about yourself and what you like to do
• Include positive messages
• Be creative

 
The logistics:

• Handwrite your final letter so it's more personal
• Consider typing or using pencil for your rough draft (in case corrections are needed)
• Write at least two paragraphs
• Don’t include your last name

​

Prezi or 5-paragraph essay (6 pts)

Should kids be taught to believe in a random old guy who comes into their house at night once a year without invitation? Create a Prezi or write a five paragraph essay defending your answer.

Details:

• If you make a Prezi, you'll get points towards your technology credit on top of your English points.
• Follow this format for either a Prezi or an essay:
  • Intro:
    • Hook (idea that will grab your reader's attention)
    • Context about issue/prompt, 2-3 sentences
    • Thesis - your answer to the prompt question
  • Support: three distinct reasons (one paragraph/section each) supporting your thesis
    • Topic sentence introducing reason
    • Concrete example
    • Explanation of how example proves thesis
  • Conclusion:
    • Re-state thesis/central argument in a fresh way
    • Make an umbrella connection between your three reasons
    • Finish with a memorable parting thought

​

"Night Before Christmas" spoof poem (6 pts)

Remember the politically correct 'Night Before Christmas' poem we read on Monday? Pick a new theme and write your own spoof!

1. Read the original “Night Before Christmas” poem
2. Peruse some spoofs already in existence
3. Choose a theme you know something about
4. Write your own spoof of the poem from the perspective of your chosen theme
5. Your poem should be 6-10 stanzas, including rhyming couplets and recognizable intro and conclusion stanzas

​

Holiday Traditions Photo Journal (6 pts)

A photo journal combines photos on a particular subject with meaningful captions. 

Examples:

• BBC - Geisha
• National Geographic - Salt Flats
• National Geographic - Serpent Stills

The details for your photo journal:

• Find five photos that speak to various holiday traditions. These could be traditions specific to your life or community or from around the world - your choice.
  • Be sure to use photos with good resolution! They shouldn't be pixilated or blurry when enlarged to the width of a page.
• Paste each picture into a Word document, one photo per page, and enlarge the photo so it matches the width of the page (with margins).
• For each photo, write a caption underneath that explains what the tradition is and why it matters. Minimum two sentences per caption.

​

Short story or narrative (6 pts)

Winter Short Story/Narrative (6 pts)
 
Respond to one of the following prompts in an original short story or narrative. Aim for 600 – 1000 words.

• Think of a holiday tradition that you don’t understand.  Write a story that explains where it came from.
• Write a story about a snowman who was built by a kid in Florida and kept in a freezer.
• You have just been hired to work as an elf at Santa's Village in a department store in a city (you can choose the city). Write about your first day on the job.
• What is your favorite holiday decoration? Where did it come from? How does it make you feel?
• Describe a holiday that was particularly difficult. Put us in the moment, either from your perspective or from someone else's who was involved.
• What is your favorite holiday tradition?  What do you love most about it?
• It’s the season of snowmen and sleigh rides. Children are out gallivanting on snowy slopes and making snow angels in their backyards. One little boy longs to join them, but he cannot, so he watches from his lonely upstairs window. Why can’t he go play outside?

 
 
Alternately, start your story or narrative with one of these intros:

• The hardest part about being an elf is…
• Every time someone says “happy holidays,” I want to run and hide, because…
• Sticking two black button eyes on our snowman, I turned and gave Charlie a high-five. "Finished!" I said. "And there's not a finer snowman in the whole neighborhood." But Charlie wasn't looking at me. He was staring at the snowman, his face almost as white.
• If I were a snowflake, I think I'd... 
• It started out like any other winter day. Emily woke Sam up, and he got dressed. He put on his coat and mittens and headed for the school bus. But then...
• One by one, the children headed home for supper, leaving Carl the Snowman alone in the park. "Ah, they're gone," he thought. "Now maybe I can move around a little and check out this place!" Carl blinked his eyes. Then he turned his head ever so slowly to the left. Then...
• The icicles hung dangerously from the old house…
• Sitting by the warm fire, I heard the crackle of the flames and wished I could stay in the cozy armchair forever.
• The sky is laden with dark clouds and the land is buried under a blanket of pale, gray snow. The ground, the streams, and the lakes are frozen and the whole world is eerily quiet and still. It’s the perfect day for…