Lesson Plan

Prior to lesson:

• Cover a bulletin board with a world map, or use a projector to project a world map on the bulletin board and trace the outline.
• Gather enough index cards for each student in the class to have one. Write the names of languages and their corresponding countries on the cards, one language and country per card. Put the cards in a bag or a box.

For younger students:

• Begin the lesson by telling students how to say Merry Christmas in Spanish (Feliz Navidad). Point out on a world map some of the countries where people say Merry Christmas in Spanish.
• Tell students that they will learn to say Merry Christmas in other languages. Provide each student with a card.
• Organize students into groups of three to four. Distribute the printouts from the sites noted in the Materials section to each group.
• Ask each student to use the printouts to find Merry Christmas in the language on his or her card. Students will write the phrases on the cards.
• When everyone has finished, help students say their phrases and locate the countries on a map or globe. Let students put their finished cards around the bulletin board to create a learning "border." Each student might run a length of yarn between his or her card and the country on the map.

For older students:
Assign each student three or four languages. Give students cards with just the name of a language. Have students identify the country of the language and write the country's name on the card. Let students work individually to find the Merry Christmas phrases in their assigned language on the Internet or in printouts and locate the countries on a world map.

Assessment

Evaluate students' participation and skills in locating the phrases.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Lois Lewis

National Standards

Social Sciences:
NSS-G.K-12.1

Language Arts:
NL-ENG.K-12.4
NL-ENG.K-12.9