Celebrating Christmas in Languages

Stars pattern

Finding Vocabulary In Stories

Use the pictures to ask learners what colours they see, count the animals or see how many Christmas words they can find.

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Christmas Vocabulary - French

START HERE - a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oTk30HQ5b66qZARv0qjY8kuv62mASG34/view?usp=sharing">PPT</a> with all the words need. Each one has an image, a written word &amp; sound-file. Don't forget - download it to hear the sound-files.

Want more? Watch this short video to hear &amp; see some words <a href="https://youtu.be/ATdcr5ltsUE">here</a>.

Nativity - A great word mat from Lightbulb Languages click <a href="https://www.lightbulblanguages.co.uk/resources/Christmas/noel-mat.pdf">here</a>.

Want some more words? Try Collins <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-french">online dictionary</a> for words or <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/translator">translator</a> for simple phrases.

Use any materials to make something related to Christmas like a sleigh or a snowman. Try it with lego, recycled rubbish or playdough.

DIY Santa's Sleigh

A fun YouTube video on how to build a sleigh!

Challenge - Play word tennis as a class. Take it in turns to each say a word to describe your sleigh in French or Gaelic. How many can you get? Think about size, colour, number of things, materials used, different parts of it..

Can your learners remember all the words? Say the word and see who can be the first to draw it &amp; show you. Try these examples.

Using whiteboards, and in pairs, each child can start to draw something connected with Christmas, while the other tries to guess what it is.

Spotlight on Christmas Resources

Check out this<a href="https://sway.office.com/a63EGKqwCIlSlJS8?ref=Link&amp;loc=play"> overview</a> of our favourite resources &amp; some suggested activities.

Daily Challenges Activity Calendar - <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/northern-alliance-languages-fa/daily-language-activities-calendar">Winter Celebrations &amp; Festivals</a> - Every day there is a suggested activity, resource or website to look at for you, your class or for learners to try at home!

Family Learning - Daily language activities calendar

Why not make up a short play between Santa and his reindeer, or a snowman and some children? Can you use greetings, introductions and feelings? What about asking what you like about Christmas? 

Christmas Science Activity

Will it be a cold white Christmas with snow and ice? 

Have a go at making Frosty the Snowman! See the Science Sparks website <a href="https://www.science-sparks.com/frost-on-a-can/">here</a> to find out how.

Read the materials that you need &amp; the instructions to make Frosty. How many can you say in French or Gaelic?

Challenge - choose a way to present Frosty to the rest of the class. Can you include songs, mimes, drawings, audio, text or animations?

Time to get silly - make up some mimes and sound effects for the words with your class. Play Simon Says or Charades as a class or in teams.

What or who am I miming in this video!? De th' ann? or C'est quoi? (What is it?)

Try some Christmas themed yoga - check out 5 simple poses <a href="https://www.kidsyogastories.com/christmas-yoga/">here</a> or join Jamie at Cosmic Kids for a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Jr-DUlM58">Christmas Special.</a>

Draw a Christmas tree. Listen to the instructions to find out the number and colour of baubles needed to decorate it.

Paint or draw your own tree, like this one, in the style of Van Gogh who was a famous French painter.

Who do you prefer - Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, the Elf on the Shelf or Frosty the snowman?

Cò as fheàrr leat? Rudolf am fiadh-mòr?&#160;Elf air an sgeilf?&#160;Frosty am bodach-sneachda?&#160;

'S fheàrr leam Rudolf. Tha esan sgoinneil!

Tu préféres Rudolph le renne au nez rouge, le lutin de Noël ou Frosty le bonhomme de neige?

Here is a little gift for you - an advent calendar of ideas for you to try with your class in French &amp; Gaelic. Click on the dates for the activities. Look out for the word of the day on some pages. Enjoy!

Work with a partner. Roll a dice or use an <a href="https://www.online-stopwatch.com/chance-games/roll-a-dice/">online one</a>. Look at the number. Draw the associated part of the snowman &amp; say it in French/ Gaelic. Who can be first to finish?

une tête = head un corps = body des yeux = eyes un nez = nose une bouche = mouth un bonnet / une écharpe = hat / scarf

Try making your own dice with parts of the snowman using a <a href="https://www.sparklebox.co.uk/thumbs221-225/sb223-cut-out-box-net.html">cube net</a>.

ceann - head bodhaig - body sùilean - eyes beul - mouth sròn - nose ad - hat sgarfa - scarf

Revise vocabulary and phrases with this fun activity. On the hidden square write a funny joke or forfeit in any language or draw a silly Xmas picture.

<a href="https://www.papertoys.com/images/fortune-teller-1.pdf">Click here</a> for a blank template.

Choose a playground game from France or Scotland and give it a twist with Christmas words and phrases. 

Play Duck Duck Goose or Fruit Salad and use French or Gaelic Christmas words. 

Try <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DJFywJ_I9Y">Le Facteur</a> with a letter to/from Santa.

A fun PE warm up to try: The class move around until the teacher calls out some Christmas words in French or Gaelic. The class stop &amp; have to move in a certain way.

Reindeer - crawl around on hands and knees&#160; Santa Claus - put hands on belly and shout ho, ho, ho&#160; Christmas tree - stand up straight and tall&#160; Snowman - pretend to make snowballs and throw them Ski-ing - act like you are on skis and move downhill

Choose a picture from a book and make up your own story.

Christmas Food &amp; Drink

Share your ideas on what you like to eat at Christmas. How many of these words do you know in French or Gaelic?

shortbread - aran milis mince pie - paidh mions chocolate - le chocolat cake - un gateau

Try this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LbrVGyagA2zn-xKsiC7JrgXWXIunUAlU/view?usp=sharing">Gaelic wordsearch</a> &amp; create your own.

Look at <a href="https://en-gb.padlet.com/highland1plus2languages/christmas">recipes</a> for traditional French &amp; Gaelic Christmas food. Try writing a recipe for your own Christmas dish!

Spread A Little Kindness

Learn how to say thank you in as many languages as you can. See if you can do something kind today.

Challenge - Choose 1 language. How many times can you say thank you in a day!

Draw a class Christmas Kindness Tree &amp; ask learners to note on post-its what they are thankful for.

Merci pour...... ma famille, le soleil, la nourriture, la neige, mes amis....

Tapadh leat airson...... mo theaghlach, grian, biadh, sneachd, caraidean....

2 truths and a lie - Can you tell which two sentences are true and which one is not? Why not try writing your own and challenging your friends?

1) Tha sneachd dubh agus blàth. 2) Tha bòtannan dubh air bodach na nollaig. 3) Tha bodach na nollaig toilichte agus reamhar.

Listen to a <a href="https://www.lightbulblanguages.co.uk/resources/audio/MFLS-podcast-ICU-Xmas.mp3">podcast</a> in English about traditions in France. How is the Christmas Eve celebrated? Make up your own questions.

In Scotland, we leave out a mince pie or a piece of shortbread for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Why not do some research to find out some other customs found in <a href="https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/scottish-christmas-traditions#:~:text=People%20sing%20carols%20(wassailing)%20and,he%20visits%20in%20the%20night.">Scotland</a> and <a href="https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/france.shtml">France</a>?

Gaelic Christmas Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary dèideag - bauble dèideagan - baubles bodach-sneachda - snowman fìadh-mòr - reindeer slaodan - sleigh

<a href="https://quizlet.com/gb/550476956/nollaig-flash-cards/">Quizlet Listening Activities</a>

<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZTgAZVGVv-33hjGgkPXxwGEbre6KR0C1/view?usp=sharing">Watch this video to see and hear some words and find out what games you can play!</a>

Use this handy <a href="https://www.faclair.com/">online dictionary</a> for finding out new Gaelic words!

What style? Try a calligram, haiku, acrostic or simile poem. Use words or phrases. <a href="https://scilt.org.uk/MTOTpoetryresources/tabid/5277/Default.aspx">Click here</a> for some examples.

Christmas Haiku Noël est super La neige, le sapin et les rennes Le père Noël arrive.

<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/2b/17/9f/2b179f8e84a9813f59bfc6b1ff74b3a0.jpg">A French Poem </a>- to read, colour, recite &amp; create.

Finding it tricky? Try mixing up your languages &amp; using them together. eg. Father Christmas is rouge.

Christmas List or Letter

Choice of 2 game for class warm up - What do you prefer? Sweets or chocolate? Puzzles or lego? Snow or sun? ......Why not keep a tally to see what the class prefers.

Create a list or letter to Father Christmas - draw, write, sing, rap, voice or video record it. Include -name, age &amp; wish list!

Keep it simple: I prefer = Je préfère ..... 'S fhèarr leam..... I like = J'aime..... Is toil leam..... I would like = Je voudrais... Bu toil leam....

<a href="https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/fr-t-t-17001-letter-to-santa-present-list-writing-template-french">Writing Frame from Twinkl</a> (Eng &amp; Fr) <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_VmZMLoVHK9cUVS0cu-G-OdEUArZ9owf/view?usp=sharing">Example of pupil work</a>

Christmas Themed Websites

Find out about Christmas, how it is celebrated in different countries, learn some words in other languages or play some games. Check out this <a href="https://en-gb.padlet.com/highland1plus2languages/ensqfocj3quuk79n">collection of websites.</a>

Have some fun drawing reindeer, snowmen and more with websites like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5XMF3Inoi8R9nSI8ChOsdQ">Art for Kids Hub</a>. Give it a title in French / Gaelic. Try to label or describe your pictures.

Learn some more parts of the body with this <a href="https://read.bookcreator.com/v2rf2tj0jXPx52CWFkVGMtXi9Uz2/D8Mu39AAS9a6lsmDrQzdNg">French - Talking Snowman Book</a>.

Try writing a few sentences, inside a bauble, about you. Add in a drawing of yourself. Why not cut them out and hang them up on your class Christmas tree?

Or, why not write all the Christmas words you know inside the bauble? 

<a href="https://create.kahoot.it/share/nollaig-chridheil/aa39a785-d89a-481f-ba5f-f0981c6e84f1">Gaelic Kahoot Quiz</a> The fastest to get a question right can pop a balloon!

Make up your own quiz questions in French. If you have some balloons blow them up &amp; your class can pop them if they get the questions correct!

<a href="https://read.bookcreator.com/v2rf2tj0jXPx52CWFkVGMtXi9Uz2/doBQwDj6QauVzsJhko-qyg">French Quiz - Core Vocab</a> <a href="https://www.lightbulblanguages.co.uk/resources/Christmas/wall-fr-xmas.pptx">French Quiz - Xmas Vocab</a>

Try some of the activities in Gaelic <a href="https://quizlet.com/gb/550751325/nollaig-rmk-flash-cards/">Quizlets for Christmas</a>!

Try an online multiple choice <a href="https://www.euroclub-schools.org/christmas-zone">quiz</a> about Christmas in France.

Enjoy listening to some French &amp; Gaelic songs with these playlists.

French Christmas Playlist

Gaelic Christmas Playlist

Some activities to try... Party time - Play traditional party games to practice new words whilst listening to some traditional music eg. pass the bag, musical statues, musical greetings Listen for the word - Play a song &amp; ask learners to put up their hand when they hear certain words or find/draw the picture. Mime it - Challenge learners to come up with mimes to act out the song. Video the class &amp; share it with another class.

A Christmas Carol Singing Showdown

Sing a traditional song in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLiV7-eA2mcgn7vnAuDUfyCuvQRvYonj5K">Gaelic</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLiV7-eA2mcgljGjAdtaDQE0ftWe8sW95u">French</a>.

Divide the class into groups and each group sings a line of the chorus / a verse.

Challenge your class to create a song with Christmas words using a well known tune nursery rhyme tune or Christmas song. 

Try a game of <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pVMdoNs057q5jHa3wTdWuck84tNNktFe/view?usp=sharing">bingo</a> as a class or in small groups. Either create a bingo card for each learner or ask them to create their own using a set list of words. with pictures or words in whatever language they choose.

Challenge learners to create their own game - bingo, pairs, Xmas snakes &amp; ladders or Guess Who.

Exploring Christmas Vocabulary

Try making your own Christmas word mat with pictures &amp; words. Or even an A-Z combining words in any languages you know.&nbsp;

Take it a step further - try to find different nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs related to Christmas.

Nollaig Chridheil!      Happy Christmas!      Joyeux Noël!   

Finally it's your turn to make your own mini or animated book, video or collage of all the things you have done over Advent to celebrate Christmas in French or Gaelic.

Talking Christmas Cards with Chatterpix

Take a photo &amp; give it a mouth. Then record yourself speaking (max 30 seconds) to wish your family a Happy Xmas.

Draw a picture of your favourite Christmas character or animal.&#160; Pretend to be them &amp; introduce yourself using whatever phrases you know.&#160;

Celebrating Christmas in Languages

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