A Christmas Carol LessonThis lesson uses the acronym STEAL to teach characterization as students read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Time Frame: 10 ELA blocks of about 30 min each.

(Mixed Crafts)
Christmas tale based on the Catalan tradition of the magic Yule log which children fatten up days before Christmas so that on Christmas day, with its appetite satisfied, they hit it with a stick and it releases all the toys it has inside.
In this story, curious Caroline creeps inside the hollow Yule Log intent on finding out the mystery of where Christmas presents come from and gets herself into trouble for going where she shouldn't. There she befriends another prisoner, the ogre Ot, and together they make their escape.

(Molding Clay)
For Christmas Margaret's Granddad gives her the figures of a ballerina and a one-legged tin soldier joined together on a base shaped like a heart and tells her the story of how they became united forever. A little boy with lots of toys and tin soldiers didn't know that they all came to life at night. His bravest soldier, his one-legged tin soldier, falls in love with a ballerina, but one night he is accidentally blown off the window sill and sets out upon a perilous journey through gutters, sewers and the sea until he ends up in a fish's tummy. The fish is caught and sold at the market to his former owner's mother. This is how he is reunited with the ballerina. But when she is blown off the mantelpiece into the flames, he dives in after her. The slow fire melts the two figures into one and is saved in the nick of time by the boy.

Fairy Tales offer a common theme for early learners.  Students are able to follow along with the story and characters and what is happening.  Help students identify the main parts of a story (characters, setting, theme, problem, events, solution) in stories that they read.  Then have students create their own fairy tale story.Materials: Fairy Tale TemplateBook(s): The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka, The Paperbag Princess by Robert N. Munsch, Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'MalleyLesson Plan:1. After reading familiar fairy tales and storie with students, have them identify characters, setting, theme, problem, events, and solution.  2. Share some "other" fairy tale stories from the books suggested above.  3. Let students brainstorm and come up with ideas they would like to use for their own fairy tale stories.  Have them use the Fairy Tale Template to help them organize their storyies and share ideas with others.4. You can have students write with partners or on their own to create their stories.  Allow them time to make an illustration as well.  Display their stories and allow for time to share their stories outloud with others.

Frances is worried about the monkey and organ grinder who play near her window, especially after she sees them sleeping outside on the cold street after midnight. To express her compassion, she finds just the right thing to say at the local Christmas pageant

Bea and Mr. Jones, written and illustrated by Amy Schwartz. A kindergartener and her father change places for a day. Bea goes to work in an office and her father goes to school.

In Lesson 1, students focus on the first stave of the novel as they identify the meanings of words and phrases that may be unfamiliar to them. This activity facilitates close examination of and immersion in the text and leads to an understanding of Scrooge before his ghostly experiences. In Lesson 2, students examine Scrooge’s experiences with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and discover how Dickens used both direct and indirect characterization to create a protagonist who is more than just a stereotype. In Lesson 3, students focus on stave 5 as they identify and articulate themes that permeate the story.

Students learn about multicultural holidays celebrated in winter: Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year.