So I’d say I’m a pretty basic online ESL teacher. I do like to change my background here and there (mostly because a change of scenery is good for MY artistic soul) which usually involves swapping out a cute Target dollar spot banner for another.... But other than that, I like to keep things simple, low maintenance and predictable for my 4am self. Grab a cup of coffee, choose a few Google Slides and I’m ready to roll. "
One exception: THE HOLIDAYS! I’m a sucker, I’ll admit it. But the holidays inspire me! And I’ve found that my students also perk up with the festive changes and additions to their regularly scheduled English class. WIN-WIN!
I think the best part is that celebrating the holidays with my students is an easy and authentic way to share a little piece of our cultures with each other. I feel honored and grateful when my students share pieces of their culture with me: New clothes they are excited to wear for their Chinese New Year celebration… beautiful mooncakes… gifts they have received… decorations in their houses. It’s all lovely and fascinating and brings more life to the celebration.
Soooo, I want to give them the same opportunity to experience my culture as they give to me! There are many ways that we can make this happen for our students… and they don’t have to add stress or break the bank!
First of all, (especially when there is a noticeable change to my classroom decoration), I’ll begin the class by saying something like: “This week/month, in America, we will celebrate [holiday].” You can keep it as simple as that for the young students, but feel free to elaborate for the older ones: “Do you know (holiday)?” “To celebrate (holiday), we/I will (share one or two simple traditions) in America.” (It's also a good idea to mention this in your feedback to the parents after class.)
Then, I like to reinforce this intro by incorporating some holiday fun into my normal class routine! Here are some ideas that have worked well for me:
1. BOOKS! Children’s books are a great way to show or demonstrate an idea, new vocabulary or a tradition which may be difficult for an English language learner to understand with words alone. The illustrations can add so much meaning! Use a few illustrations from a story as a prop OR read part/all of the story with your student. Read a couple of pages every 5 minutes or so as a reward or read the story at the end of the class and pair it with some extension discussion. 99% of the times that I’ve used a children’s book in class, my students have been captivated. (Not to mention it’s a fantastic way to expose them to more English language. They can hear your reading fluency, articulation, pronunciation, inflection, pacing… all within context of a story!)
2. Use REAL items related to the holiday from around your home. In October, show your kids’ trick-or-treat bags, bring a jack-o-lantern to class, and of course all the CANDY. For Thanksgiving, show some food items, your favorite family recipe, or even the nice places that you’ll use for your turkey dinner. At Christmastime, give the students a glimpse of your Christmas tree (if it’s close enough to your classroom), or your stockings. In February, bring out the FROZEN/LEGO/Spiderman valentine cards, candy, flowers… you get the idea.
3. REWARDS! Change up your rewards for the holidays! Share with them a tradition that you LOVE. This is a great way to provide an experience for your students.
Trick or treat with your students at Halloween or wear your costume to class (the kids can dress up too, thanks to the AR stickers in the VIPKid classroom).
At Thanksgiving, make a meal (made easy thanks to VIPKid Google Slides), or incorporate a thankfulness activity! This year I had my students tell me some things that they were thankful for. At the end of class, I added each of my student’s names to a turkey feather and told them that I was THANKFUL for them.
For Christmastime, wrap or open gifts, decorate a tree, bake Christmas cookies. (Keep reading to find a printable Christmas cookie baking reward as my gift to you!)
So what about you? Do the holidays and changes in season inspire you or drain you? I'd love to hear your favorite classroom activities that you incorporate during the holidays! Let me know in the comments!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR VERY OWN PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKING REWARD!
Merry Christmas & Happy Teaching!
<3 Teacher Chelsea
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