Holiday Finger Puppets

Transcription

1 Holiday Finger Puppets Use these cute finger puppets as awards for good behavior or completed work. Simply color and cut out each puppet. Bend the puppet around your finger and tape into place. Students will be eager to do creative writing assignments with these finger puppets as motivators. Ask each child to choose a puppet and write a story about it. Students can act out their stories in front of the class. Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 48 Monthly Idea Book: December

2 FOLD Holiday Mini Booklets FOLD FOLD FOLD Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 41 Monthly Idea Book: December

3 ACTIVITY 1 UNSCRAMBLE SANTA S REINDEER NAMES. Holiday Word Find Z N E T I L B P D I U C X I N V E H S R E A D M O T E C C A N D R E D U L O H P R C R N E A R P D D N O R E If you need help... Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen and Rudolph! ACTIVITY 2 CAN YOU FIND ALL OF THE DECORATIONS FOR THE TREE? CANDYCANES, ORNAMENTS, ANGEL, TINSEL, STAR, BOWS, BELLS, GARLAND, ICICLES, LIGHTS and PINECONES Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 22 Monthly Idea Book: December

4 Answer Key ACTIVITY 1 UNSCRAMBLE SANTA S REINDEER NAMES. Z N E T I L B P D I U C X I N V E H S R E A D M O T E C C A N D R E D U L O H P R C R N E A R P D D N O R E B L I T Z E N C U P I D V I X E N D A S H E R C O M E T D A N C E R R U D O L P H P R A N C E R D O N D E R ACTIVITY 2 L K I J H O P L L L M N B V C S T A R H N J K O P W C V G H J B O W S S D F G Y T R E D F V B N M K S D R T G F H R Y N J H U I K D E R T I G T Y H J G G T Y H J U N R E W Q R T Y U I K L C D R T Y U A D E R T H C A N D Y C A N E S K L J I D F T F G R F T Y J G H M N B Y N A L R U D R T C F G Y U M L F G T H Y N E J K R E W X Z A N G E L M J G Y R A D E R T Y H N D F B C F R T Y H J H E G H N M K N F T F T G H T I N S E L B H J U I L S D R T S X D F G T H Y U S K I L O J E F T G H U J N B V C X P I N E C O N E S T Y H N L G Y U I P R E W D S F B G H U Y T F G H J U I K L G V B N M K L P O I U S E R T H J U I O K J M N S E D C V B N M K J U Y S E R T G F V B H J K L I G H T S E W R T F G H J A S D C V B N M K J H G F D S A T R E W Y U I O P R F D E S W Q A Z X C V B N G Y T U I J K L O P U Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 143 Monthly Idea Book: December

5 More Holiday Crafts! Leaf PAPER WREATH Children will love to take this holly wreath home and hang it on the front door! Berry Cut the center from a paper plate. The outside rim will be the base for the wreath. Carefully cut holly leaves from green paper. Overlap the leaves as you glue them to the rim. Glue red berries in bunches of three to the wreath. Add a real ribbon bow for a final touch. SLEIGH DECORATION This tiny sleigh can be used as a tree decoration or holiday favor. Cut one section from a cardboard egg carton and trim to shape. Paint it a holiday color and add glitter if you like. Glue two pipe cleaners on the bottom for sleigh runners. Fill with candy and enjoy! Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 55 Monthly Idea Book: December

6 New Year's Day - January 1st! The custom of celebrating the New Year on January 1st began over 2,000 years ago in Rome, Italy. The Romans had previously celebrated March 25th, the vernal equinox, as the beginning of the New Year. Government officials were elected in December and assumed their new positions on the day before January 1st. Gradually, citizens began celebrating this first day as the beginning of the New Year. This change, however, created confusion in the Roman calendar. The months of September, October, November and December, (which refer to the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months of the year) were now the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth month. By changing the New Year to January, these month's names had little meaning. In 45 B.C., Roman emperor Julius Caesar selected the name "January" for the first month of the year. This name was chosen to honor the Roman god Janus. It was believed that this god had two faces each looking in opposite directions. In his right hand he held a key to unlock the door to the future and guard the door to the past. In his left hand he held a scepter as a symbol of authority. The Senate of Rome awarded Julius Caesar a month of his own for his successful transfer of the New Year and his improvement on the Roman Calendar. We now call this month "July." Today, people of diffferent countries celebrate New Year s Day in a variety of ways. GERMANY - The people of Germany enjoy a custom called "lead pouring." On New Year's Day, youngsters drop hot drops of melted lead into containers of cold water. As the lead cools and hardens, unusual shapes appear. The children have fun telling their fortunes by the shapes of the lead. According to custom, if the lead shape resembles a coin, they might look forward to obtaining money. ROSH HASHANA - The Jewish New Year provides a quiet time for meditation and prayer. This is a holy date to the Jewish people, considered the birthday of the world. Each person asks forgiveness from God and vows to live a better life. Rosh Hashana is celebrated on the first day of the Jewish calendar, in September or October. SWEDEN - The Swedish people celebrate the New Year with parties and family gatherings on the last night of the year. There is much food and merrymaking and friendship and good wishes are expressed to one and all. AUSTRIA - Ever since 1936, the Austrian government has commemorated the New Year with the minting of good luck tokens called "Gluecksmenze." New Year wishes are engraved on one side of the coin and good luck symbols on the other. Austrians also enjoy eating New Year's candies in the shape of good-luck pigs. NIGERIA - The people of northern Nigeria celebrate the New Year at the beginning of fishing season, usually the first part of February. Thousands of people gather along the banks of the Sokoto River with fish nets in hand. At a given signal, everyone jumps in the water, startling the fish into the nets. The fisherman with the largest fish wins a prize. Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 64 Monthly Idea Book: January

7 New Year's Day - January 1st! SOUTHERN UNITED STATES - It is a Southern tradition to serve black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck! Prepare the peas the night before by soaking them in a pot of water. In the morning, rinse the peas and place them in a Crock-Pot covered with water. Add a chopped onion, salt pork and some salt and pepper. Set the pot to cook on high all day in the classroom. When the peas are tender, serve a portion to each student. SEMINOLE NEW YEAR - For four days during the month of July, the Seminole Indians of Florida celebrate the harvest of new corn as the beginning of the New Year. On the first day, they play games, feast and dance. On the second day, the men of the tribe begin a fast. Everyone dances the Green Corn Dance on the third evening and gives prayers of thanks for the good harvest. Finally, on the last day, the men break their fast and eat the new corn of the New Year. UNITED STATES - In our country, the old year is symbolized by an old man, Father Time, and the New Year is represented by a baby in diapers. In the southern states, it is customary to eat certain foods on New Year's Day in hopes of bringing prosperity through the coming year. Black-eyed peas symbolize pennies and greens represent dollar bills. Making New Year's resolutions is a relatively new custom based on the idea of improving the New Year in the hope that it will be better than the last. ACTIVITY 4 New Year's Day Word Find! FIND THESE NEW YEAR WORDS IN THE PUZZLE BELOW: JANUARY, NEW YEAR, BELLS, CELEBRATE, MIDNIGHT, FATHER TIME, RESOLUTION, CONFETTI, BALLOONS, CUSTOM, FRIENDS. G N M K L O P L K M J N H G A S W E A S W D V F R T F V G E S E D F T G F R I E N D S X D R T W U I C F T G Q E S D F R G T G H N Y F R C U S T A S E R C V B N H Y T E W S C V F R A O C V B C O N D V F A F R B D E R X L C O N F E T T I D R S E E C V B Q U X C V B G F D E B A E F L A S D E A T D F G H X E R T Y H C E L E B R Z I X C V G T F R E D F G T S D V B A O F B N M J K F A T H E R T I M E WN S D B A L L O O N S C D R E T G M I D N I G H T V D E R T F G R D S A S D E W Q X C V J A N U A R Y N H R T X H Y U B N B OMN G D J T Y Y N M I R U A T E N M U X C T H Y N WE R J K L Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 65 Monthly Idea Book: January

8 Answer Key! ACTIVITY 4 FIND THESE NEW YEAR WORDS IN THE PUZZLE BELOW: JANUARY, NEW YEAR, BELLS, CELEBRATE, MIDNIGHT, FATHER TIME, RESOLUTION, CONFETTI, BAL- LOONS, CUSTOM, FRIENDS. G N M K L O P L K M J N H G A S W E A S W D V F R T F V G E S E D F T G F R I E N D S X D R T W U I C F T G Q E S D F R G T G H N Y F R C U S T A S E R C V B N H Y T E W S C V F R A O C V B C O N D V F A F R B D E R X L C O N F E T T I D R S E E C V B Q U X C V B G F D E B A E F L A S D E A T D F G H X E R T Y H C E L E B R Z I X C V G T F R E D F G T S D V B A O F B N M J K F A T H E R T I M E WN S D B A L L O O N S C D R E T G M I D N I G H T V D E R T F G R D S A S D E W Q X C V J A N U A R Y N H R T X H Y U B N B OMN G D J T Y Y N M I R U A T E N M U X C T H Y N WE R J K L Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 144 Monthly Idea Book: January

9 My New Year's Resolutions! Name During New Year's celebrations, we often pledge to make the coming year better than the last. Many people make New Year's resolutions. Think of some resolutions you want to make and write them in the spaces below. List your resolution for becoming a better... Student Son or Daughter Sister of Brother Friend If you could make one New Year's resolution for our country or the world, what would it be? Teacher s Friend, a Scholastic Company 66 Monthly Idea Book: January

10 DECEMBER ACTIVITIES DECEMBER Winter begins when fall is done About December twenty-one. Our family sings with happy voices Christmas songs; the world rejoices. Christmas means a holly wreath And Christmas tree with gifts beneath. One week later is New Year s Eve. Old Father Time is sure to leave. At the stroke of twelve, you will hear People shouting, "Happy New Year!" TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS Do you need a simple classroom skit for the holidays? Try this easy, but fun idea! Assign one set of the lines from the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" by Clement Moore, to each student in class. Ask the students to illustrate their section of the poem on a large sheet of construction paper. They should also memorize their section of the poem. On skit day, have each student take his or her turn reciting the lines of the poems and holding up the corresponding pictures. Instruct the entire class to recite the last line together, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Display the student-made illustrations on the class bulletin board for a clever holiday mural. Candy Cane Rudolph Twist two pipe cleaners around the top of a small cellophane-wrapped candy cane for Rudolph s antlers. Glue two small buttons for eyes and a red pompom for his nose. Hang Rudolph on the tree as a holiday ornament or give him to a friend as a special treat. Winter Idea Book 34 Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company

11 Reading tables December Weather Name Date In December, Mrs. Monroe s class drew the weather on a calendar. Each kind of weather has a picture: sunny cloudy rainy snowy Look at the calendar. Answer the questions below. December 52 How many sunny days did they have? How many cloudy days did they have? How many rainy days did they have? How many snowy days did they have? Which kind of weather did they have the most? _ Scholastic Success With: Math, Grade 1 Scholastic Teaching Resources

12 Answer Key Page 52 Sunny days: 12 Cloudy days: 8 Rainy days: 5 Snowy days: 6 62 Scholastic Success With: Math, Grade 1 Scholastic Teaching Resources

13 SNOWMAN SEQUENCE CARDS Winter Idea Book 16 Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company

14 Name Building Context and Vocabulary Waiting Out Winter Think about how you would behave if it was very cold. Imagine the winds are blowing and snow is falling. What would you do to make sure your house was warm and cozy? How would you dress if you had to go outside? What kinds of food sound good to eat on a cold wintry day? Now think about what a cold winter would be like if you had no house and no clothes. What would you eat if the only food you had was what you could find in the woods? Think about what winter must be like for the animals. Here are some of the names of the animals you will be reading about. Practice reading them. squirrels mice rabbits rodents foxes deer weasels birds chipmunks bears skunks Monarch butterflies There are two new words in the story that the writer will explain as you read. See if you can guess what they mean before you read about them. migrate hibernation Scholastic Success With Fluency Grade 3 Scholastic Teaching Resources 37

15 Name Waiting Out Winter Reading the Story In the winter when it grows very cold and snow covers the ground, you have to make some changes in your life. You do not play outside as much when the cold winds are blowing. Instead, you stay in a warm house and play games, read books, and watch television. You cannot wear shorts and sandals in the wintertime. When you do go out, you wear a heavy coat, gloves, and boots. There are no more picnics when the weather turns cold. Soup and hot chocolate taste best on wintry days. Did you ever wonder what animals do during winter? Animals do not have warm houses or stores where they can buy heavy clothes and hot food, but, like you, they must make changes in the winter. Animals find special shelters in the winter to protect them from the cold. Squirrels, mice, and rabbits find holes in trees and logs or even burrow underground. Their fur grows thicker in the winter to help keep them warm. Some animals, like rabbits and weasels, grow special white fur, so they can hide in the snow. Even the animals food is different in the winter. Rabbits and deer have to eat twigs, tree bark, and moss because there are no green plants. Red foxes eat insects and fruit during the warm months but in the cold winter must hunt small rodents for food. Did you ever wish you could just leave during the winter and take a long vacation in someplace warm? Well, some animals do just that. They migrate. That means they travel to someplace warm where they can find food. Many birds migrate in the fall. Monarch butterflies also migrate and spend the winter in sunny Mexico. Sometimes on a very cold morning when the wind is howling, you may want to snuggle under the covers and just stay in bed. Some animals spend part or all of the winter in a special, deep sleep called hibernation. Bears, skunks, and chipmunks eat a lot of extra food in the fall and store up fat in their bodies. Then in the winter, they curl up and hibernate until the weather turns warm. Scholastic Success With Fluency Grade 3 Scholastic Teaching Resources 38

16 Name Waiting Out Winter Noticing Patterns: Comparing and Contrasting Writers usually follow a plan when they write. One pattern is comparing and contrasting. To compare is to identify similarities and to contrast is to identify differences. Understanding the pattern makes a story easier to read and understand. One pattern that is used in Waiting Out Winter is comparing and contrasting. The writer talks about what people do in the winter and then compares that to what animals do. Complete the following chart using the comparisons the writer makes. People Animals People stay in warm houses. Animals grow thicker fur. Rabbits and deer eat twigs, bark, and moss. Foxes eat rodents. People go on vacation to places that are warm. People snuggle under the covers and stay in bed a little longer on cold mornings. Scholastic Success With Fluency Grade 3 Scholastic Teaching Resources 39

17 Page 37 Possible answers include: migrate to move from place to place; hibernation the process of sleeping during the winter Page 39 People: People stay in warm houses. People wear heavy coats, gloves, and hats. People eat soup and drink hot chocolate. People go on vacation to places that are warm. People snuggle under the covers and stay in bed a little longer on cold mornings. Animals: Squirrels, mice, and rabbits find holes in trees and logs and even burrow underground. Animals grow thicker fur. Rabbits and deer eat twigs, bark, and moss. Foxes eat rodents. Some animals migrate to warmer places. Some animals spend part of the winter in a deep sleep called hibernation.

18 Subtracting 1- & 2- place numbers Scholastic Success With: Math, Grade 2 Scholastic Teaching Resources Winter Is Coming Name Date Do the subtraction problems. Help Mr. Squirrel find his way to the tree where he is storing acorns for the winter. Make sure he doesn t cross any odd answers = 13 6 = 14 2 = 12 8 = 12 6 = 11 7 = 11 6 = 11 9 = 14 8 = 12 9 = 14 8 = 12 4 = 13 8 = 13 7 = 11 5 = 11 8 = 13 7 = 12 3 = 13 4 = 14 6 = 12 8 = 14 5 = 13 5 = 12 5 = 13 9 = 30

19 Scholastic Success With: Math, Grade 2 Scholastic Teaching Resources Answer Key Page 30 61

20 Name Short- and long-i sounds A Winter Surprise The short-i sound is often spelled with the letter i. The long-i sound can be spelled with the letters i_e or igh. Read and write each word. Then organize the list words by the spelling of their i sound. List Words 1. winter _ 2. surprise _ 3. bright _ 4. middle _ 5. polite _ 6. frighten _ 7. children _ 8. tight _ 9. while _ 10. strike _ 11. kitchen _ 12. slight _ short i igh i_e Challenge Words 13. sleigh _ 14. igloo _ 15. icicle _ Write four list words that end in silent e. The children were silent while the bright light shown on their winter surprise. 8 Scholastic Success With Spelling Grade 3 Scholastic Teaching Resources,

21 Name Short- and long-i sounds Write the list word that belongs with each group. 1. kind, considerate, 2. ball, foul, 3. scare, startle, 4. family room, bathroom, 5. mother, father, 6. autumn, summer, Look at the shape of the list words. Write the word that fits in each set of letter boxes Write the challenge word that matches each picture Find each list word in the dictionary. On another sheet of paper, write each word and the page number where it was found. Scholastic Teaching Resources, Scholastic Success With Spelling Grade 3 9

22 Answer Key Page 9 1. polite; 2. strike; 3. frighten; 4. kitchen; 5. children; 6. winter; 7. middle; 8. bright; 9. slight; 10. surprise; 11. tight; 12. while; 13. kitchen; 14. strike; 15. polite; 16. igloo; 17. sleigh; 18. icicle Page 8 short i: winter, middle, children, kitchen; i_e: surprise, polite, while, strike; igh: bright, frighten, tight, slight; surprise, middle, polite, while, strike Scholastic Teaching Resources, Scholastic Success With Spelling Grade 3 47