Christmas Objective: To develop an understanding of Christmas tradition To develop an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas To practice dialogue and perform it Sing Christmas songs Express good reason for wanting an object Vocabulary: Group 1 Group 2 traditions/customs The Christmas Story Mary gifts/presents Bible Joseph decorate Israel miracle wreath Bethlehem tax stocking Creator God stable legend judge manger Santa Claus sin angel reindeer punishment shepherds sleigh Jesus Christ inn caroling God s Son innkeeper Materials: various Christmas decorations, story cards, gift with removable top, candy canes, tape player, Christmas music, Christmas cards, photographs of Christmas time, costume for dialogue, idiom visual, prizes Session One: 1. Greet kids with Christmas greetings and Christmas music playing 2. Introduction: When is Christmas? We celebrate Christmas on December 25th. What do you think of when I say the word Christmas? (Write answers on the board) We will learn about many traditions and customs that Americans have At Christmas, but first let s look at our vocabulary. 3. Introduce vocabulary
4. Traditions and Customs Christmas is the biggest holiday in the United States. More money is spent on this holiday than on any other. What is your biggest holiday here in China? (New Year s Festival) Many people think of Christmas as a time of love, family, and giving. All of these are true but these still don t tell you the real Christmas story. I will tell you later! Before I do, let me tell you some common traditions or customs in America. Perhaps the most popular Christmas tradition is having a Christmas tree. Families will buy a tree from the store or cut one down and take it home and decorate it. Families and friends will buy gifts or presents for one another and place them under the tree to be opened Christmas morning. Then, Christmas morning, everyone runs to the tree to open their gifts and see what they have gotten. Do you like presents? Children often tell their parents what they want for Christmas. For example, I might say... My name is Linda. For Christmas, I want a lily. We are going to play a game with this sentence. You must say your name then something that you want for Christmas, but the thing you want must begin with the same letter as your name. But you will have to name all the things the people in your group have named before you get to name yours. Demonstrate Game 5. Play: What I want for Christmas 6. Continue with lesson Americans decorate the house. They put a wreath on the front door. Most people also put up lights outside to show their Christmas spirit. Many families have parties and special food much like your New Year s Festival. Parents often tell a legend about Santa Claus, a happy, fat old man who lives at the North Pole. Santa is very happy- he often says Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! (Have students repeat saying) He is dressed in red and has a white beard. If a child is good, he gets gifts. If he s bad, Santa will not bring him anything! He rides a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer that flies through the air. He travels all over the world on Christmas Eve and leaves gifts for everyone. Children also enjoy hanging up a Christmas stocking. Now, this is not a real stocking you put on your foot, but one that you hang up by the fire place. Parents put small gifts in these and children get to open them up on Christmas morning also. Families also send Christmas cards. It is time for a break right now. I will put these cards on the desk. If you would like to look at them you may, and also look at my Christmas pictures.
Session Two: 1. Introduce Christmas carols One last tradition that I want to tell you about is caroling singing Christmas songs. 2. Sing Christmas songs: JINGLE BELLS Dashing through the snow In a one-horse open sleigh, Over the fields we go Laughing all the way; Bells on bob-tail ring, Making spirits bright What fun it is to ride and sing, A sleighing song tonight! O! Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh!(repeat) WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS And a happy new year 3. Introduce vocabulary for this session. 4. True meaning of Christmas Now I want to tell you the real Christmas story how Christmas really began. It began over 2,000 years ago here in the East n the land of Israel in a town called Bethlehem- across the world from the United States, over here closer to china. The Creator God had the plan for Christmas even before He made man and woman thousands of years ago. God is good and right. He is the judge of all people, and He is not pleased with sin, the bad and wrong things that we all do. He must punish our sin because He is good and right-just like a good judge her on earth cannot let a bad person go unpunished. But, God loves us, so His Son, Jesus Christ, said, I will take the punishment of all the world. God knew that men and women, boys and girls, all of us everywhere need a Savior, a Person to save us from the punishment for our sins and wrongdoing. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to become completely man, but He was also completely God. Jesus Christ was born as a human baby, grew up, lived as a Man so that He knows our pain and our suffering, and then He died to take our punishment. I guess you could say He was born to die this is the true story of Christmas. Let me show you how it happened. Show story cards
More than two thousand years ago. God chose a young woman named Mary to be the mother of His Son, Jesus Christ. Mary was not married but was engaged to a man named Joseph. By a miracle of God, she was going to have a baby. This baby was the Son of God. The king gave an order that all people had to return to the city where they were born to be counted and pay tax. Joseph and Mary who are now husband and wife, had to travel to a city called Bethlehem to pay a tax. While they were there, Mary gave birth to God s Son Jesus Christ. This is how God chose to send His Son into the world. You would think that the Creator God s Son would be born in a big beautiful house. May be you would think that many rich and famous people would be there, and all of the world would have a big party. But no, that night when Jesus was ready to be born, Mary and Joseph could not find a room to stay in. The town was full there were no rooms. Joseph went from place to place to place, asking for a room to stay. So that night, the Son of God, was born in a stable. The Bible says that Mary laid her Son in a manger, because there was nor room for them in the inn. God sent His angels to announce to poor shepherds that His Son had been born. They came and found the stable and worshipped Jesus. What a special story Jesus Christ, God s Son, born in a stable to poor parents. He was not born in a palace or a big house to a rich important family. In this way, Jesus knows what it is to be poor, to work hard, to suffer and to finally die in our places to take our punishment that we deserved for the wrong things we have done. Christmas is a celebration of God s gift of His Son to us. It s Jesus birthday, the Son of God. 5. Play Candy Game for review * Turn on the music * Students begin to pass the gift around the circle * Teacher stops the music whenever he/she wants * At that moment, the student who has the gift stand up. * The student must answer the question the teacher asks. * They then can remove a treat.
Session Three: 1. Sing a Christmas Song: SILENT NIGHT Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round you virgin mother and child Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace 2. Introduce Dialogue, Practice and Perform. This dialogue can be divided into sections allowing for as many students possible to participate. 3. Dialogue: Scene One Narrator: More than 2,000 years ago, God chose a young girl named Mary to be the mother of Jesus. By a miracle of God, she was going to have a baby. This baby was the Son of God. Mary: Joseph, I going to have a baby. Joseph: I know Mary. God told me in a dream I had last night Mary: It is a miracle of God! Scene Two Narrator: That night when Jesus was to be born, Mary and Joseph, her husband, could not find a room to stay in. The town was full there were no rooms. Joseph went from place to place, asking for a room to stay. Mary: I am awfully tired Joseph: I know. There must be a room at this inn. Innkeeper: What do you want? Joseph: My wife is pregnant and we need a place to sleep. Innkeeper: There are no rooms here. But, you can stay in the back there where there is a stable. Scene Three Narrator: So that night, Jesus, the Son of God, was born in a stable. The Bible says that Mary laid her Son in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. People from all over came to worship Jesus. Shepherd: What is the baby s name? Mary: His name is Jesus. Isn t He beautiful? 3 Wise men: We came from far away to give gifts to your baby Jesus. He will be worshipped forever. Narrator: What a wonderful story! That is the Christmas story.
Additional Ideas Games: Christmas Charades: Divide group into two teams. Each team should brainstorm a list of as many words related to Christmas as possible, write each of these on small slips of paper, and fold papers in half. Each teams papers should then be placed in two separate containers. Call on one player at a time to draw a paper from the opposite team s hat and act out the word given. If the player s team guesses the word, it receives one point. If it does not guess, no points are assigned (since the opposing team which wrote down the word being demonstrated would have an unfair advantage were they to guess.) Pin the Star on the Tree: From a sheet of heavy green paper, cut a large tree. Cut one more stars from heavy yellow paper. Blindfold one Player at a time. The player must try to pin the star to the top of the tree. To encourage conversation, you may divide students into groups of two. One player attempts to stick the star in the appropriate spot while the other player gives directions in English. Idiom: Heavy heart: (a feeling of being weighed down with sorrow, unhappiness) Joseph had a heavy heart knowing that Mary would soon have a baby and they had no place to stay.
Vocabulary Songs: JINGLE BELLS Dashing through the snow In a one-horse open sleigh, Over the fields we go Laughing all the way; Bells on bob-tail ring, Making spirits bright What fun it is to ride and sing, A sleighing song tonight! O! Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh! (repeat) Christmas Vocabulary Group 1 traditions/customs gifts/presents decorate wreath stocking legend Santa Claus reindeer sleigh caroling WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS And a happy new year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin; Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year. SILENT NIGHT Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round you virgin mother and child Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace Group 2 The Christmas Story Bible Israel Bethlehem Creator God judge sin punishment Jesus Christ God s Son Mary Joseph miracle tax stable manger angel shepherds inn innkeeper
Dialogue: Scene One Narrator: More than 2,000 years ago, God chose a young girl named Mary to be the mother of Jesus. By a miracle of God, she was going to have a baby. This baby was the Son of God. Mary: Joseph, I going to have a baby. Joseph: I know Mary. God told me in a dream I had last night Mary: It is a miracle of God! Scene Two Narrator: That night when Jesus was to be born, Mary and Joseph, her husband, could not find a room to stay in. The town was full there were no rooms. Joseph went from place to place, asking for a room to stay. Mary: I am awfully tired Joseph: I know. There must be a room at this inn. Innkeeper: What do you want? Joseph: My wife is pregnant and we need a place to sleep. Innkeeper: There are no rooms here. But, you can stay in the back there where there is a stable. Scene Three Narrator: So that night, Jesus, the Son of God, was born in a stable. The Bible says that Mary laid her Son in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. People from all over came to worship Jesus. Shepherd: What is the baby s name? Mary: His name is Jesus. Isn t He beautiful? 3 Wise men: We came from far away to give gifts to your baby Jesus. He will be worshipped forever. Narrator: What a wonderful story! That is the Christmas story. Idiom: Heavy heart: (a feeling of being weighed down with sorrow, unhappiness) Joseph had a heavy heart knowing that Mary would soon have a baby and they had no place to stay.