By Gianna Buonpastore, Julia Heffernan, Emily Paladino, Andrea Farnelli
Purpose
Christmas is a very important holiday not only in America, but around the world. We thought that teaching about the magical aspects of an American Christmas would be interesting because we believed that Christmas is also very important in Italy, but in a different way. The idea came from a student who recently learned about “La Befana”, an Italian Christmas tradition, and wanted to explore the difference between the two cultures. The cultural aspect of Christmas we explored was specifically magic. Almost all countries who celebrate Christmas focus on family, food, and possibly religion, however the added component of magic is unique to American culture.
Aims
Elves: To explain the theme of Elves, we showed the students a slideshow with different pictures of elves. We explained how they are Santa’s helpers- that they help make the toys and load the sleigh. We said that usually, elves have pointy ears and are typically tiny. We then asked students to draw their own version of an elf. Afterwards, we had the students share their pictures of their elves. Then, using a prepared name sheet, we had students create their own elf name. By finding the adjectives and noun that correlate to the first letter of their first name, then their birth month, they were able to find out what their name would be if they were an elf.
Level
Beginners
Age
Upper elementary school
Materials
- Slideshow presentation (and computer/form of presenting)
- Blank Paper
- Markers, Crayons, Colored Pencils, etc.
- “Elf Yourself” Naming Sheet
Time
30 minutes.
Tips for improvement
- The elf section was very successful in getting the students to participate in the activities. They enjoyed designing their own elves very much. However, we believe that we talked too much during the session, and the students could benefit from answering questions that provoke discussion, or sharing more about their elves in general.
- In addition, be sure to tailor the elf naming sheet towards the students. Be sure to use nouns and adjectives that are school appropriate, but that are still comical and fun for the students. We assumed that we would only use the Italian alphabet, however we had a student whose name started with J, so be sure to include all letters and months when making the sheet. For another possible improvement, it may be helpful to add a video clip (perhaps from Christmas movies) to help the students see “Elves in Action” rather than just having pictures on the slideshow.
Human Development in Culture 