The Christmas season is here and nobody feels like being in class. Students get excited and they don't feel like working so much.
So let's think of some activities that go with this state of mind and still give stiudents a chance to work with language.
Today almost everybody has a camera so you can ask your students to takke pictures of things and scenes connected with Christmas, bring them to class and show them to their classmates.
First oral activity: everybody has to speak about his pictures. You can ask them to explain why they've chosen this or that thing. what does it represent for him or her. What do they think the impact on the viewer will be? What emotions do the pictures evoke in them ?
Do colors play an important role in the picture? is it night or daytime? are pictures connected with gifts? If yes, ask them what christmas means for them.
Second activity: ask your students to create Christmas cards with their own pictures. They can use the pictures as they are or add some kind of art , using softwares such as photoshop, photocorel and microsoft paint among ohers.
Third activity: Ask students to collect traditional phrases and greeting used at Christmas and New Year celebration. They can read them in class and share them with their classmates. They can choose the ones they like best and explain why they like it. Then they have to write their own greetings to be used in their cards. If their level of English is advanced you can challenge them to write short poems.
For such an activity is good they read some good ones before writing their owns.
If your students don't have access to Internet you can still do te same using art. You can do it together with the art teacher. She'll insruct and supervise them on the art part of the project and then they use the cards with you to write the greetings in English.
You can also guide them through art asking them to cut out pictures connected with Christmas theme and make the cards in your class
Students can send the card to the school authorities, parents, friends, other teachers and if they are well made they can even be sold!
Enjoy this activity with your students.