Ideas using festive literature in your English language classes

Sam Colley
A group of teenagers reading together in a library smiling
Reading time: 5 minutes

The holiday season is a magical time to bring festive cheer and rich cultural traditions into your English language classroom. Classic holiday stories and poems not only capture the spirit of the season but also provide excellent opportunities for language learning. In this blog post, we'll suggest some timeless holiday literature and explore how they can be effectively used in the classroom to enhance your students' language skills and allow you to make the most of these festive texts.

Classic holiday stories and poems

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This novella tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Through these supernatural visits, Scrooge learns the importance of kindness, generosity and the true holiday spirit.

How to use in the classroom:

  • Reading comprehension: Assign chapters to read in class or as homework. Discuss key events and character developments.
  • Vocabulary building: Highlight and define challenging vocabulary words. Create flashcards or vocabulary quizzes.
  • Role-playing: Have students act out scenes to practice speaking and improve their understanding of the dialogue.
  • Creative writing: Ask students to write a diary entry from the perspective of Scrooge at different points in the story.

Discussion questions:

- What are the main reasons for Scrooge's initial behavior?
- How do the visits from the ghosts change Scrooge’s perspective on life?
- What lessons can we learn from "A Christmas Carol" about the true meaning of Christmas?

Ideas using festive literature in your English language classes
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The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

This short story revolves around a young couple, Jim and Della, who are very much in love but also very poor. They each sacrifice their most prized possession to buy a Christmas gift for the other, only to find that their gifts are now useless. Their acts of love and sacrifice highlight the true meaning of giving.

How to use in the classroom:

  • Reading aloud: Read the story together in class, focusing on pronunciation and intonation.
  • Discussion: Engage students in a discussion about the themes of love and sacrifice. Ask questions like, "What would you be willing to sacrifice for someone you love?"
  • Irony exploration: Discuss the concept of irony and how it is used in the story. Have students identify other examples of irony in literature or real life.
  • Creative projects: Encourage students to create a comic strip or storyboard depicting the key events of the story or ask them to write an alternative ending to the story.

Discussion questions:

- What do Jim and Della’s sacrifices tell us about their relationship?
- How does the story illustrate the concept of irony?
- What is the true gift that Jim and Della give each other?

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

This classic poem describes the magical visit of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve. Its vivid imagery and rhythmic verses make it a delightful read for students of all ages.

How to use in the classroom:

  • Choral reading: Read the poem aloud as a class, with students taking turns to read different stanzas. Focus on expression and fluency.
  • Vocabulary activities: Identify and define unfamiliar words. Create a festive word wall with these terms.
  • Illustration project: Have students illustrate scenes from the poem and create a class display. This can help with comprehension and visualization.
  • Role-playing: Encourage students to act out the poem, with some playing the roles of St. Nicholas and others as the narrator or reindeer.
Discussion questions:

- How does the poem create a sense of anticipation and excitement?
- What details does the poet use to describe Santa Claus and his reindeer?
- How does the poem reflect the traditions and customs of Christmas?

While not everyone will celebrate the holiday season, there are other stories and poems that reflect the mood of the season that you could look at as part of your English language lessons instead.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

This poem describes a quiet, contemplative moment in which the speaker stops to watch snow falling in the woods. The serene and reflective mood captures the peacefulness of winter.

How to use in the classroom:

  • Poetry analysis: Analyze the poem's structure, rhyme scheme and imagery. Discuss how these elements contribute to the overall mood.
  • Listening activity: Have students listen to a recording of the poem and follow along with the text. Focus on pronunciation and rhythm.
  • Imagery discussion: Ask students to describe the images that come to mind when they read the poem. Encourage them to draw or paint these scenes.
  • Writing exercise: Have students write their own winter-themed poems, using Frost's poem as inspiration.

Discussion questions:

- What images does Frost use to create a sense of peace and quiet?
- How does the rhyme scheme contribute to the overall mood of the poem?
- What might the speaker be contemplating as he stops to watch the snow?

The Mitten by Jan Brett

It tells the story of a young boy named Nicki who loses one of his white mittens in the snow. As the mitten lies on the ground, various woodland animals, one by one, find the mitten and squeeze inside it to stay warm. The mitten stretches to accommodate each new animal, growing larger and larger. Eventually, a bear sneezes, causing all the animals to tumble out and Nicki finds his mitten again.

How to use in the classroom:

  • Vocabulary building: Teach the names of the animals in the story, introduce vocabulary related to winter clothing and highlight verbs associated with the animals' actions.
  • Story sequencing: Create cards with pictures of the animals in the order they enter the mitten. Have students arrange the cards in the correct sequence, encouraging them to retell the story in their own words, using the sequencing cards as prompts.
  • Listening activities: Read the story aloud and have students listen for specific words or phrases. They can raise their hands or hold up picture cards when they hear the target words.
  • Role-playing: Assign roles to students and have them act out the story. This helps with practicing dialogue and expression.

Discussion questions:

- Which animal surprised you the most when it entered the mitten and why?
- Can you describe a time when you lost something important? How did you feel and what did you do?
- How do you think the mitten changed after all the animals were inside it?

Incorporating festive literature into your English language teaching can make the holiday season more enjoyable and educational for your students. By using classic holiday stories and poems, you can help students improve their language skills while also exploring important themes and traditions. These timeless pieces of literature offer rich opportunities for reading comprehension, vocabulary building, creative expression and cultural exploration. We hope these suggestions inspire you to bring some holiday cheer into your classroom this December.

See our blogs on Creative writing exercises for English language learners and 12 games and puzzles to level up your language learning for some more hints and tips on English language learning.

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  • A teacher standing over a desk where a student is sat, helping them. Students are also sat at desks in the background

    4 key challenges in secondary education

    By Anna Roslaniec

    Let’s examine four of the most common challenges secondary teachers have and look into some strategies to help solve them.

    1. My students are afraid of making mistakes

    You’re not alone! Many teachers say their teenage students are quiet and unwilling to answer questions in class. Sometimes, this might simply be because they don’t know the answers, but more often than not, they are nervous about making mistakes.

    When children grow into teenagers, they tend to become more self-conscious and worried about what their peers think of them – and making mistakes in public is a big no-no for them. However, there are several ways to facilitate a safe learning environment where your students are happy and willing to talk. Sometimes, though, it takes a little experimentation. Here are some things you can try:

    Celebrate mistakes

    When students make mistakes, ensure that you praise them for taking a risk or making an effort. Correct their errors and be clear with the rest of the class that the only way to learn is to try new things.

    Be firm

    Don’t tolerate any bullying or laughing when someone gets an answer wrong. If your students fear that others will mock them for their efforts, they’ll stay quiet. So make sure you have clear rules and that your students understand that mistakes are normal and to be expected.

    Have students discuss their answers in pairs or groups

    If your students are painfully shy and afraid of making mistakes, avoid picking on individuals to answer questions in front of the class. Instead, when asking a question, tell your students to discuss it in pairs or small groups first. This will allow them to formulate their ideas and feel more confident. Afterwards, you can ask the pairs to share what they discussed – leading to a natural open-class discussion.

    Listen to your students

    Another, powerful way of engaging your students in discussion is to listen to a conversation they are having with their partners and then express how impressed you are with their ideas during a feedback session. E.g. “You said X, which I thought was very interesting. Could you explain this to the class? It was a great idea.” This gives them the confidence to share their thoughts.

    2. My students are not engaged with the activities I choose

    This is another very common problem for teachers of teenagers. You spend a lot of time thinking of fun, interesting activities – then, when you present them to the class, your students look away and say they’re bored. Soon enough, you’ll get frustrated and not know how to re-engage them. Here are some ideas to help:

    Get to know your students

    Without fail, the best way to engage your students is by getting to know them as individuals over the year. Find out about their hobbies and interests outside of school, and learn what makes them laugh and what worries them. Use your knowledge of your students to find interesting books to read, videos to watch, or relevant subjects to discuss. This way, you’ll deliver tailored lessons your students find truly interesting and useful.

    Allow a degree of autonomy

    Sometimes quietness is also a sign of disengagement with the learning materials. To get past this obstacle, you can get your students to brainstorm things that interest them in groups, list them on the board and have a class vote on the topic of their next class project. As a teacher, you always have the power to veto inappropriate ideas, but giving students a voice is a powerful way of making them feel valued and involved in their own education.

    Make things (a little) competitive

    Even teenagers love games! And play is an integral part of learning, as it allows our students to be themselves, have fun, and communicate freely at the same time. By allowing them to play language-focused games in class, they’ll soon forget their inhibitions and start talking.

    3. My students just want to do grammar exercises

    Language is all about communication, speaking, listening, reading and writing – yet all your students want to do is grammar exercises. Frustrating as this is, it’s probably a sign that our students are not confident in their speaking or listening abilities. Here’s what you can do:

    Encourage free language practice

    Grammar activities are very structured and there is often a clear answer. Day-to-day communications, however, are much freer, which can intimidate less confident students. This activity will help you combine the two aspects of language learning:

    • Put students in small groups and give them a set of cards with exciting topics printed on them—for example; music, sports, environment, school, vacations, friends, food.
    • Tell students that they should each choose a card and speak freely about their topic for 30 seconds – the short time will help them overcome their fear of speaking and can be gradually increased as they get used to this type of activity.
    • Have students record themselves when they are speaking and then, when they listen back, have them identify the grammatical structures they used.

    They should write down and correct any mistakes under your guidance. Not only will this get students used to talking and encourage a lot of emergent language, but it will also help them feel they are practicing grammar.

    If your students really enjoy learning grammar, you can ‘flip’ your grammar activities and make them more communicative. First, provide them with a series of sentences or listening clips which have a common grammatical structure (second conditional sentences, for example).

    Then have students work together (in English) to identify how the language is structured, so they can discover the grammar point for themselves. This not only gets them talking, but they are doing something they feel confident at.

    4. My students are bored of all the repetition

    Repetition is an important part of language learning. By practicing things over and over again, your students will come to understand it better and will be able to produce the language more easily. However, repetition is often quite dull, especially for fast learners. Here’s how you can make things more interesting for your teenage students:

    Use a greater variety of activities to engage your learners

    If you’ve been teaching your students a particular set of vocabulary, a grammatical structure, or some pronunciation rules, think about how else they can practice them.

    For example, instead of drilling pronunciation over and over again, ask students to think of all the words they can think of that have the same sound in them (e.g. book, look, cook, shook, etc.). This will help them ‘hear’ the sounds in their heads and improve their understanding of other words.

    If you have been learning vocabulary through reading, have students write or tell stories that incorporate the words.

    The idea is not to stop repeating the target language or skill, but to practice it in different ways. Apply this principle to other areas of language learning so your students won’t feel like they are repeating things.