Christmas in Germany

About this resource

A country unit you can hand to a child and run from circle time: four short readers about Christmas in Germany, a map of Europe, three cut-and-paste pages, a nutcracker craft, an Advent countdown, three writing pages and a quiz. The words are simple, the pictures are big, every page has room to work, and every cutting page has a strip of six pieces that need one straight cut per line. Written for grades 2-5 and for special education classrooms that need the same topic at more than one level.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (28 pages)

• 4 short readers (pages 7 to 10), two customs each, so 8 customs in all: the Advent wreath and the Advent calendar, St. Nicholas Day and the Christmas market, Lebkuchen and nutcrackers, the Christmas tree and the Christkind. Each custom is 32 to 43 words, has a picture and one check question with three choices, and each reader ends with a German word to trace and a box for one thing the child learned
• 1 map page: Europe with Germany in the middle. Color Germany, put a star on Berlin, write the names of four neighbors from a word bank (France, Poland, Denmark and Austria) and answer one more question
• A word page with 8 German words, each with a picture and one way to say each: Weihnachten, Adventskranz, Adventskalender, Nikolaustag, Weihnachtsmarkt, Lebkuchen, Nussknacker and Christkind
• 3 cut-and-paste pages in three levels, 6 pieces each, 18 pieces in all: match the picture to its word, sort the customs into three groups, put six December days in order. Pieces are 2.4 by 1.25 inches, edge to edge, so each cut is a straight line
• 1 nutcracker craft: 10 flat pieces with straight edges, a picture of the finished nutcracker to copy, and room for crayons
• 1 Advent countdown with 24 numbered doors to color, one a day
• 3 writing pages in three levels on primary-ruled lanes: trace and draw, finish four sentences from a word box, write about two customs in your own words
• 1 compare page (Germany and my home) and 1 quiz of 8 questions
• 2 answer keys, 1 five-day plan, 1 tracker, 1 class grid, 1 filled example with an invented student, 1 family page, 1 phrase bank (17 starters in 6 groups)
• 1 Start Here page, 1 terms page and 1 credits page

16 student pages. 39 scored items on 9 scored pages (5 on the map, 8 after the readers, 18 cut-and-paste pieces, 8 on the quiz).

Three Levels, One Shape

The cut-and-paste pages and the writing pages come in three levels, marked with a small shape in the corner and nothing else (no color, no number, so no child can tell whose page is whose). The circle is the starting level: errorless matching with a faint picture already in the box, and tracing. The square is the building level: sorting and finishing sentences. The triangle is ready for more: putting the days in order and writing in your own words.

A Week, Or A Month

The five-day plan on page 4 puts every page in a day: the map and German words, Reader 1 and the Advent calendar, Reader 2 and the match page, Reader 3 and the nutcracker, Reader 4 and the writing, compare and quiz. Swap days, skip pages, or stretch it over two weeks.

Type It Or Print It

This is a fillable PDF: the name line, answer boxes, writing lanes, tracker, class grid and family page are type-in fields, and every page also prints clean. It works offline with no account.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A print-and-go PDF unit that you can also type into. It is not Google Slides, Docs or PowerPoint, and nothing is projected. It describes customs, not beliefs: the readers are plain facts about how many families in Germany get ready for Christmas, and the family page and Start Here page say that not every family celebrates Christmas and that customs differ by family and place. The Advent wreath, calendar, nutcracker, angel and market stall are drawn by us; the tree, boot and gingerbread are Educlips clip art and the fonts are KA Fonts. The map outlines come from Natural Earth, which is public domain. The file is secured so the art cannot be lifted out of it. The student in the filled example is invented.

Who This Is For

Teachers in grades 2-5, and special education teachers who want a December social studies or reading unit with picture support, errorless options and room to write. It also suits a self-contained classroom's circle time, a substitute folder, a center or an early finisher.