NEA: How Many Ways Can You Say Merry Christmas?

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How Many Ways Can You Say Merry Christmas?

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students research and study saying "Merry Christmas" in different languages. Students correctly locate the countries on a world map.

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Subjects: Language Arts, Social Sciences

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

research and study saying Merry Christmas in different languages, and
correctly locate the countries on a world map.

Keywords
December, holidays, multicultural, languages, Merry Christmas, geography, map

Materials Needed
world map, bulletin board art supplies, 3-inch by 5-inch index cards (or colored paper cut to size), and Internet access or printouts from the following sites:

Procedure

Prior to lesson:

Cover a bulletin board with a world map, or use a projector to project a world map on the bulletin board and trace the outline.
Gather enough index cards for each student in the class to have one. Write the names of languages and their corresponding countries on the cards, one language and country per card. Put the cards in a bag or a box.

For younger students:

Begin the lesson by telling students how to say "Merry Christmas" in Spanish (Feliz Navidad). Point out on a world map some of the countries where people say "Merry Christmas" in Spanish.
Tell students that they will learn to say "Merry Christmas" in other languages. Provide each student with a card.
Organize students into groups of three to four. Distribute the printouts from the sites noted in the Materials section to each group.
Ask each student to use the printouts to find "Merry Christmas" in the language on his or her card. Students will write the phrases on the cards.
When everyone has finished, help students say their phrases and locate the countries on a map or globe. Let students put their finished cards around the bulletin board to create a learning "border." Each student might run a length of yarn between his or her card and the country on the map.

For older students:
Assign each student three or four languages. Give students cards with just the name of a language. Have students identify the country of the language and write the country's name on the card. Let students work individually to find the "Merry Christmas" phrases in their assigned language on the Internet or in printouts and locate the countries on a world map.

Assessment
Evaluate students' participation and skills in locating the phrases.