352: Holiday Activities for ELA (with Inclusivity in Mind)

The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA

So you want to give the nod to the season, but you also want to make sure all your students feel included. Good for you!

I've been privileged to see the holidays I celebrate centered in The United States for much of my life, but I've also had a lot of opportunities to see what it's like beyond this glow.

I've lived in four other countries where some of the holidays I am used to are not very important at all.

At one of my schools, I had the role of international-student coordinator. As part of that role I got a chance to work with kids from around the world to share their cultures through different types of holiday celebrations, like a Day of the Dead dinner and a Lunar New Year party.

I married into a family with a different religious background than mine, and I've seen how it can feel difficult when other traditions take the limelight at this time of year.

It means a lot to have your traditions acknowledged at any age. But I'll be the first to say it's not uncomplicated territory in the classroom. I know I've messed up, learned, and evolved. I keep trying.

I very much believe that when we can expand our cultural viewpoints, we all benefit. Of course, perhaps your school or community won't allow you to discuss or celebrate any type of holiday at school. I can understand the circumstances that might lead there. If that's the case, you might want to choose one of the other hundreds of episodes to listen to today. But if you've always loved - like me - to give a nod to big days on the calendar throughout the year, I've got ideas to share today - ways to enjoy fun wintery activities in the next few weeks that make space for kids to celebrate whatever special days they want to, whether it's Kwanzaa, Hannukah, Christmas, Lunar New Year, Snow Days, or one of the many other holidays flowing out of our rich worldwide blend of cultures.

Links Mentioned:

Liz Kleinrock's book, Come and Join Us: https://www.amazon.com/Come-Join-Us-Holidays-Celebrated/dp/0063144476

Holiday Makerspace Project (Free download): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Holiday-Maker-Space-Writing-Project-3505860

How to make Digital Poetry Tiles: https://nowsparkcreativity.com/2020/11/109-how-to-make-digital-magnetic-poetry.html

Holiday Lipogram Project (Free Download): https://spark-creativity.kit.com/c9338cdf76

Winter Book Tasting (Free Download): https://spark-creativity.kit.com/cc185a4a77

Poetry Foundation Winter Poems Collection: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/144637/winter-poems