This post is an updated one that I actually wrote four years ago in December as the sun rose over Bonita Beach in southwest Florida.....a place that my own family has called "home" for the holidays for eighteen years now.
Many of my siblings wake up slowly each morning when we gather there, warming their hands around a mug of coffee or cocoa, with books open on their laps. We were fortunate to be "raised as readers" by our Mom and Dad, and I am here today to share a creative way to help other teachers and parents encourage children to make time to honor and enjoy reading magic at home!
Today's idea was inspired by a unique Nordic picture book and an Icelandic tradition that I recently learned about! I hope that you'll find that it is an easy one to adapt for use at home during this holiday, and then implement in your classroom either before or after your winter break!
HOW TO HOST A BOOK FLOOD!
HAPPY JOLABOKAFLOD!
Imagine each member in your family choosing a favorite book they already own, wrapping it up, tagging it with their name and the reason why they love the story inside the package so much, and tucking it under the tree.
GIVE THE GIFT OF BOOKS!
PUT ON YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF PAJAMAS!
Then, on Christmas Eve night, when the family gathers together, the gift books are opened and either read to a partner, read aloud, or read alone in comfy pajamas with hot chocolate for refreshment before bedtime!
SIP A HOT MUG OF COCOA!
FIND A QUIET READING CORNER!
I am also thinking of hosting a "Welcome Back from Winter Break Book Flood" during the first week of January for my students! I think it will be a wonderful way to introduce and enjoy the new books Santa delivered to our classroom, and get the group talking about the books they hopefully read with their families over vacation.
The "favorite" book that I will "gift" my students with during our classroom "Book Flood" will be the special saga of a sweet little girl named Anja who dreams of becoming one of Santa's elves. Even though Christmas will be over, the story's theme of perseverance and patience will be a good one to help us start the new year off on the right foot. I hope that the opening line of A Christmas Wish, created by the husband-and-wife team of Lori Evert and Per Breiehagen, draws my students in and captures their imagination. I cannot wait to share it with them! The authentic, real-life photo illustrations are absolutely stunning!
Long, long ago, in a place so far north that the mothers never pack away the wool hats or mittens...
In keeping with the Scandinavian setting and themes of this story, I created a fun GNOME FLUENCY FREEBIE for you to use as either a small group or literacy center activity after you read The Christmas Wish aloud. You can download it {HERE}!
My students love using these sentence pyramids to help develop their accuracy, fluency, and expression! Once they have mastered repeated reading of the sentence pyramids, they will be ready to write their own using the templates included. This activity helps them improve their descriptive writing skills by expanding their sentences with lots of adjectives and action words!
My students love using these sentence pyramids to help develop their accuracy, fluency, and expression! Once they have mastered repeated reading of the sentence pyramids, they will be ready to write their own using the templates included. This activity helps them improve their descriptive writing skills by expanding their sentences with lots of adjectives and action words!
THE HOLIDAY READING FUN HAS JUST BEGUN!
DEVELOP READING FLUENCY WITH SENTENCE PYRAMIDS!
STUDENTS CAN WRITE THEIR OWN FLUENCY PYRAMIDS!
I also included an informational sheet to help you host a Book Flood either in your own home or classroom. I also created gift tags and book description sheets for your use as well! ENJOY!
BOOK FLOOD HOW-TO GUIDE
BOOK GIFT TAGS & WRITING PAGES
SHARE THE MAGIC OF A STORY!
GIVE THE GIFT OF READING!
WRAP UP YOUR FAVORITE READ-ALOUD!
LOW STRESS HOLIDAY PARTIES ARE THE BEST!
I would love it if you would leave a comment about a special holiday tradition you host in your classroom or home in the comments section!
Be sure to visit these posts from my friends at The Reading Crew to gather more lesson ideas!
As always, I thank you for your loyal readership, and wish you these important things as another year draws to a close....
Good books.
Good times.
Good stories.
Good rhymes.
PIN FOR LATER!
Thank you for sharing my story! Continue to teach your children well and keep a song in your heart!
I love this idea of a book flood! It makes my heart just fill up! Thank you so much for sharing. I need to think about what I can do to make this happen in my life :)
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