NEA: Lesson Ideas
Lesson Ideas

• Holiday Lessons & Resources
  

  Holiday Lessons & Resources

  Make the Best of the Holidays -- in the Classroom and at Home

  Over the years we've been able to offer over a dozen lesson plans, activity ideas and other curriculum resources — plus some sound financial advice from NEA Member Benefits — in recognition of December's many holidays. Here, we present them in one, easy-to-find place.

  Lesson Plans & Activities Ideas

  NEA Today "Gif-A-Rama"
  (November 2005)
  The best — and worst! — holiday gifts from students. Plus stories from your colleagues.
  
  Read More »

• Colorful Stained-Glass Candleholder
  Students create a colorful candleholder -- a bright gift for a family member, neighbor, or friend!
   
• Make and Shake a Snow Globe
  In this activity for all grade levels, students make a holiday or seasonal snow globe to give as a gift.
   
• How Many Ways Can You Say Merry Christmas?
  In this activity for all grade levels, students create a multicultural holiday bulletin board map.
   
• Will There Be a White Christmas This Year?
  Students use historical weather data to create a color contour map.
   
• December Concentration Game
  Build memory and attention-to-detail skills as students play this seasonal adaptation of the classic Concentration game.
   
• Happy Holidays from A Class Full of Angels
  This "Happy Holidays from a Class Full of Angels" bulletin board is sure to generate smiles!
   
• Counting Christmas Trees
  Students answer questions about a simple line graph that shows total Christmas tree sales from 1993 to 2000.
   
• On the First Day of Christmas, My Teacher Gave to Me...
  "On the first day of Christmas my teacher gave to me..." plus more "Twelve Days of Christmas" activities.
   
• Moore vs. Livingston: Who Really Wrote "The Night Before Christmas"
  Who was the real author of "The Night Before Christmas"? Students take a look at the facts and then decide.
   
• History of Toys and Games
  Students create a timeline to illustrate when popular toys were first introduced.
   
• Unwrapping Reading
  Guest readers rip off the holiday wrapping and read the book inside!
   
• Deck the Halls With Literature Trees
  "Deck-orate the halls" of the school with literature trees.
   
• A World of Special Celebrations
  Create a display of the world's religious and ethnic celebrations.
   
• Re-Name That Tune: A Vocabulary Activity
  Build students' vocabulary skills with this variation of the "Re-Name That Tune" activity that uses Christmas song titles.
   

Resources & Teaching Tips

• Works4Me: Christmas Holiday
  Works4Me Tips: practical classroom tips submitted by the real education experts -- your colleagues!
   
• High Schoolers Pen Letters from Santa
  How one teacher raised holiday spirits in her classroom.
   
• Ten Holiday Web Sites You Won't Want to Miss!
  Celebrate the holidays with ten Web sites that no elf could do without!
   

Holiday Shopping & Spending

• Surviving the Holidays
  Financial tips to help you get ready for — and survive — the holidays.
   
• Problems With Holiday Purchases?
  If a retailer didn't deliver as promised or if you feel you've been ripped off, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has some tips for you.
   
• Holiday Shopping
  Don't take a holiday from savvy online shopping.
   

Other

• A Little Inspiration for Holiday Gifts for Teachers
  What's the best way to thank teachers this holiday season? While the National Education Association (NEA) has no official policy on teacher gifts, we have some advice that might help you this holiday season.
   

 

• Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas
  

  Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas

  5 Interdisciplinary Activities Help Students Learn about & Celebrate Thanksgiving

  from Education World®
• Say "Thank You" in 100 Languages!
  Put the "Thanks" back in Thanksgiving with this geography and language activity that teaches students to say "thank you" in many languages.
   
• Thanksgiving Placemats: A Community Service Project
  Work with your local shelter, food kitchen, or nursing home to brighten everybody's Thanksgiving.
   
• Thanksgiving Feast
  Grades 3-5 and 6-8 read charts and learn where Thanksgiving foods are grown.
   
• Thanksgiving Science Experiment
  This plant-growing experiment for grades preK-5 shows how Squanto helped the early settlers.
   
• Popcorn History
  Did the Pilgrims eat popcorn during the first Thanksgiving? Research/create a timeline of the history of popcorn.
   
• Election Lesson Plans & Resources
  

  Election Lesson Plans & Resources

  Six lessons for all ages cover a variety of subject while helping students understand the job of President, how elections work, and how campaigns are run.

• Use Editorial Cartoons to Teach About Elections
  Children are visual by nature, and the humor and empathy created in comic strips naturally lend themselves to a child's understanding of the world. Why not take advantage of that natural attraction to cartoons in your classroom?
   
• Meet the Press
  Grades 6-12 learn about the upcoming election by playing the roles of candidate, campaign manager, and journalist.
   
• Stage a Debate: A Primer for Teachers
  Adapt the standard Lincoln-Douglas debate format plus ten strategies for engaging students in debate!
   
• Help Wanted: President of the United States
  Students write help wanted ads that describe the position of president of the United States.
   
• President for a Day
  Students imagine they are president of the United States for one day! What would they do? What would their day be like?
   
• Presidential Powers
  Students study the section of the Constitution that refers to the executive branch and write a proposal for a new power for the president of the United States.
   

Related Resources

• Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement | PBS
  Find dozens of lesson plans for elementary and secondary students, plus a curriculum guide to help you discover the power of social media while promoting your students' civic engagement, and web-based tools that invite your students to share their opinions, track candidates and explore issues.
   
• Elections... the American Way | Library of Congress
  This feature presentation for teachers provides an investigation of the election processes through use of primary sources from the American Memory collections. You'll find resources on the requirements for candidacy and how candidates sway voters; who is eligible to vote and how these qualifications have changed over time; the nature of political parties and how they play into the election process; how elections work; and, what role campaign issues play in elections and how they change over time.
   
• Kids Voting USA