Christmas Literature Unit

Day 1

Vocabulary Word of the Day

venturesome - Involving risk or danger; hazardous; daring; adventurous; bold; brave

The balsam grows up the rocky craigs where only a venturesome man may go.

"Papa says the balsam grows high on the rocky craigs up near heaven where only a venturesome man will go," said Ruthie.

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Read The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree

Discuss the setting of the story and the main characters.

Complete the following character and setting chart.

Main Characters

Setting

Papa

Ruthie

Mama

Pine Grove

Appalachian Mountains

through a year of seasons

Questions from http://www.gloriahouston.net/Sonoma.html

How was the season different when Ruthie and Papa first went in search of the perfect Christmas tree? Look for clues in the pictures. What kinds of things were going on during this season? (Beehives, etc.) Talk about how what you do differs from Ruthie's experience.
When Mama and Ruthie reach the train station, how do you think they feel? How do you think they feel when they see all the men getting off the train?
What did Ruthie's family do for a living? What was Papa's job? What kind of hardships did Ruthie's family endure because of the war? What was Mama and Ruthie's dilemma on Christmas Eve? How did Mama and Ruthie solve the problems they faced on Christmas Eve?
How did Ruthie and Papa find the perfect tree? Where did they go to find it? How did they mark it so they would know which one to get when they came back? Why couldn't they just cut the tree down right then and there?
When Mama and Ruthie went up the mountain to get their tree, Ruthie became frightened. How did Mama help her get over her fears?
Where do you think Mama found the cloth to make Ruthie's dress and her doll's clothes? What do you think Mama used to make Ruthie's doll?
If you were to describe Mama, what words would you use? How about Ruthie? Or Papa?
Why do you think the people in church laughed when St. Nicholas gave all the deacons a lump of coal and a willow switch?
What did Ruthie get from St. Nicholas? What surprise was waiting outside the church? Which gift do you think was the best one? Why?
Can you tell who was telling the story by the end of the book? Is it someone different than you predicted at the beginning? How do you know who is telling the story?
Besides being a gift to Ruthie, what part does her doll play in the story? (i.e., could it be a symbol for hope, love, tradition, faith, triumph, etc.) What does the family do with Ruthie's doll every Christmas from that time on?

Songs in the book "Silent Night," "I Wonder as I Wander," and "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In."

Examples of things to discuss:

"The old woman in the sky was picking her geese," meaning that it was snowing
Ruthie's coal-black curls
the war across the sea or the Great War meant WWI
St. Nicholas is Santa Claus
Armistice means treaty or peace plan
"hill and holler" means hill and valley
"heed my wish" means to do as I ask
"Tom is as good as his word" means that Tom will do what he has promised to do
"come in and spell yourself" means to come in and rest for a while
Explain the custom of St. Nicholas giving good girls and boys and gift, whereas the bad children received only a lump of coal or a willow switch
"treat poke" was a bag of goodies from St. Nicholas

Learn the history behind the Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree Background Information from http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-celebrations/christmas.html

Christmas Trees http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/trees.html

The Christmas Tree and Other Customs http://www2.worldbook.com/features/holidays/html/thetree.htm

Activity - Put together Christmas tree puzzle with Christmas carols.

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Day 2

Vocabulary Word of the Day

droop - To sag in dejection or exhaustion; wilt; hang down; flop

He worked until his eyelids drooped shut.

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Read The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

Activity - Christmas Craft

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Day 3

Vocabulary Word of the Day

conductor - One who conducts, especially one who is in charge of a railroad train, bus, or streetcar

"All aboard," the conductor cried out.

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Read The Polar Express

Lesson Plans http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/thepolarexpress/tg/polar.shtml

Activities http://www.geocities.com/ljacoby_2000/polarex.html

Activities http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/blanchard/hicks/Reading%20Pages/Polar%20Express.htm

Similes and Metaphors

Metaphor - A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily specifies one thing is used to point out another, thus making an understood comparison	Simile - A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as
train wrapped in a apron of steam	candies with nougat centers as white as snow
Lights appeared in the distance. They looked like the lights of an ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea.	hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars
crossed a barren desert of ice	rolling over peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster
	mountain so high it seemed as if we would scrape the moon

crossed a barren desert of ice
wrapped in a apron of steam
candies with nougat centers as white as snow
hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars
seemed as if we would scrape the moon
rolling over peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster
the lights of an ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea

Find compound words and contractions in the story.

Compound Words
snowflakes
downstairs
Outstretched
northward
nightgowns

Contractions
I'd
let's
couldn't
that's
It's
I've

Craft Activity - Make silver bell ornaments.

Food Activity - Make and drink hot cocoa.

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Day 4

Vocabulary Word of the Day

groom - To care for the appearance of; to make neat and trim; clean up; prepare; brush; tidy up

Teeka groomed each of the reindeer.

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Read The Wild Christmas Reindeer

Craft Activity - Make reindeer - Craft Kit from Oriental Trading Company
or Ideas here http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/747.html

or make reindeer head from Reece's Peanut Butter Cups

The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Vocabulary, activities, discussion questions. PDF file. From KYReads.
The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Links and activities. Easy Fun School.

Have students list Reality vs. Fantasy facts about reindeer.

Deer Pictures http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/deer/

Deer	Both	Reindeer
Size: Body about 6' long, 24-48" high; tail 6-13" long; 90-310 lb.	deer family - cousins mammals	Size: 4 feet (1.2 m) tall at the shoulder and is about 6 feet (1.8 m) long. Body 4-8' long.
Habitat: Suburbs, woods, brushy areas, and farmlands.		Habitat: Tundra and mountainous pine forests.
Range: Across southern Canada and across most of U.S., except far Southwest and northern parts of South America	Both live in Canada	Range: This deer is found in Arctic tundra, forests, and mountains in Russia, Northern China, Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia.
Coloring: vary in color from whitish gold through shades of brown almost to black. - reddish-brown coat in summer or a grayish-brown coat in winter	shades of brown	Coloring: shades of brown with a white throat
Diet: spend most of the day eating leaves, grass, bark, acorns, and other plant material	herbivores	Diet: Lichen, grass, birch and willow leaves, mushrooms, &moss; in warmer months, they also eat leaves and herbs.
good sense of smell, keen hearing and eyesight, but they are color blind, which is why they may not notice humans dressed in "hunter orange."	excellent swimmers	Caribou can run at speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour
Antlers: Bucks have antlers that curve forward.	both have antlers	Antlers: Both male and female reindeer grow antlers