Our department usually gets together once or twice a year (with all our students) and celebrates a few holidays together. This year a few of us teachers decided to do it right before Christmas break. I love celebrating, and parties are great, but deep down I feel like I’m not doing my job if students are not learning at the same time.

So we reserved a big room and decided to create a large scale version of stations. Students will be free to move around as they please but will have to visit 4 different stations and have proof that they learned something.

Here are some of the stations we will have…

1. Holiday card-making station

We’ll leave supplies and sample cards and phrases posted nearby.

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2.) Letter to Santa Station

3.) Shoe-making station
(Inspired by French culture – leaving paper shoes like these out for Santa to fill.)

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4.) QR code scavenger hunt
I’m going to create QR code that show pictures, videos, or text explanation of Christmas and New Years traditions around the world. They are simple to make!

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Students will have 10 questions on a handout and we will reward the first few groups who can find answers to questions like…
What do people in Spain do to ring in the new year?
Who celebrates with yellow underwear? Why?
What different people are believed to bring gifts to children around the world?

5.) Photo Booth

We will set up a colorful background with holiday phrases on signs and a basket of props and Santa hats and let kids have fun! Maybe a pic with a simple TL message with get others excited about learning a new language! You can see one that Kara’s students made for Day of the Dead.

What can we do to have fun and celebrate the season, but still foster an environment of learning? Students may need a break from WORK but not learning. You don’t need to cancel your party, just be sure to give them opportunities to learn at the same time!

Enjoy your last few days before break!!
¡Felices Fiestas!