Christmas Emergent Readers and Poems




December is almost here, and that means all things Christmas will be happening in our classroom! I created this set of Christmas themed emergent readers to keep my kids reading during the very busy month of December. It is often difficult to find emergent readers that are simple enough, and predictable enough for new readers. With that in mind, I created this set just for my new emerging readers. Some of the topics include the Gingerbread Man, December, Reindeer, Cookies, and Christmas!
















If you would like to use my Christmas Books in your classroom or at home, you are welcome to purchase them in my TPT shop.




I also created a set of Christmas themed sight word poems for shared reading. I love to teach sight words in context, and these poems are perfect for that!


After learning our new Christmas themed poems, we put them together as a class in our pocket chart. I then transition the poems into the pocket chart center where the kids put the poem together independently!















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Crystal McGinnis
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Help! Santa's Stuck Christmas Craft



One of my favorite books to read during the holiday season is Santa's Stuck by Rhonda Gowler Greene. This story tells about Santa getting stuck in a chimney on Christmas eve, and how the characters devise a plan to save him. After reading the story, we create this cute chimney craft with Santa stuck in it. We then write about the ways that we could get Santa out of the chimney. The kids get very creative with these, and they are so much fun to share when they are complete. This is the perfect book to use with problem/solution, sequencing, and more.
















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Crystal McGinnis
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Christmas Countdown Santa and Dear Santa Letter



Each year before Christmas, my kiddos each create a Countdown to Christmas Santa. Every morning, we glue cotton balls on Santa's beard (one per day) until we reach Christmas. The Santa template that I like to use only has a 10 day countdown, (so that we don't tired of it.) 

We also write letters to Santa, which are published in our local newspaper. Before submitting it to the local newspaper, I let my kinders write their letter on this template, and I send it home as a keepsake for parents. Some kids need me to write for them, and some kinders can write a few words on their own at this point in the school year. Regardless, the parents love them!

Click here to grab these freebies!






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Crystal McGinnis
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Gingerbread Man Activities



One of my favorite units to teach after Thanksgiving break is The Gingerbread Man. The kids love to read all of the different versions of the book, and I love that I can use this story to teach reading and math skills. Here are a few of the activities that my kiddos will complete during our Gingerbread study. These activities were created to supplement The Gingerbread Man book in its original form. 



After reading the story to the class, I give them each an emergent reader form of the book. It has the same sequence of the original story, but it is simple and predictable for new readers.

After reading the emergent reader together a few times, the kiddos complete this story sequencing activity. They cut out and glue the characters in order, matching the sequence of the story.


My kids love surveys! The students will survey their classmates by asking them if they liked the way the story ended. They love to walk around the classroom with their clipboards, letting their friends sign their name beneath the yes or no heading.


We will practice color words by coloring the gingerbread men the correct color. Kinders feel successful using this predictable text format.



We will work on our math skills while weighing gingerbread man cookies using the balance scale. I purchase these cookies at Wal-Mart every year. They can be found in the seasonal aisle.


Roll and Color is always a popular game. I modified the game to use with our gingerbread unit. Simple!


We will use this song during shared reading. It is sung to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot.



We will create these Gingerbread Men (or Girls) to decorate our classroom with. Students write the missing word to match the words in the book.


We will create these story hats to use to act out the story. Students will choose which character they want to be.



We will also complete many more literacy and math activities using the Gingerbread Man Theme. If you would like to use these activities in your classroom, they are available in my TPT store for only 1.00 (Dollar Deal).



Grab this pin to come back!
































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Crystal McGinnis
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