It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Believe it or not, there are a few books that make for great Virginia Studies Lessons in December. Think classic Christmas stories with a Virginia twist, and you’ve got Virginia geography lessons that keep students engaged and learning during those chaotic days leading up to winter break!
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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Virginia
Two books are must-haves for Virginia Studies lessons in December. The first is ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Virginia, which is adapted from the poem by Clement C. Moore and illustrated by Jo Parry.
This picture book uses lines from the classic poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. However, it incorporates Virginia geography, attractions, and information into the lines of the poem. For example, “And from Roanoke to Richmond, all across the map, Children had settled down for a long winter’s nap.”
This Christmas poem will put your whole class in the holiday spirit as you review Virginia cities and places!
Santa’s Sleigh is on Its Way to Virginia: A Christmas Adventure
Santa’s Sleigh is on Its Way to Virginia: A Christmas Adventure is written by one of my favorite authors for Virginia picture books, Eric James. If you’ve read my blog posts about Virginia Studies activities for Spring and for Fall, you’ve probably seen his name come up a few times.
This story takes place on Christmas Eve, as Santa delivers gifts to all the children of Virginia. One child tries to catch Santa in the act. But can he stay up long enough to spot Santa? You’ll have to read it with your students to find out!
Pre-Reading Activities
Not only do these books mention more than 20 Virginia cities, but they also illustrate well-known attractions and landmarks throughout the state.
Before reading, take a picture walk through the books. Stop on each page and discuss what places they recognize. Some of the sites they see include:
- Monticello
- Colonial Williamsburg
- The State Capitol Building
- The Virginia Aquarium
Discuss if they have visited any of these places and how they relate to history, geography, and economics they have already learned about in their Virginia Studies lessons.
Post-Reading Activities
There are so many activities you can create from these books as part of your Virginia Studies lessons in December. Let’s explore a few of my favorites!
Mapping Virginia’s Regions and Cities
One thing I like about these books is that they each list more than 10 Virginia cities, and they do a good job of differentiating the cities used in each book.
After reading, have students identity each place on a map of Virginia. Discuss which region each place is located in and if the city has any major significance in Virginia’s history and/or economy.
You can also combine math with this Virginia geography activity. After mapping each of the cities from the books, create a bar graph to show how many cities from each region were represented. Is there a reason why some regions may have greater representation than others?
Create a Virginia Route for Santa
After mapping the cities and places from the books, students should create their own Christmas Eve route for Santa to travel throughout Virginia. I like students to select at least two cities per Virginia region.
Students should plot their selected cities on a map, creating a route that Santa’s sleigh will travel. They can create physical maps or use digital tools, such as Google My Maps, to plan their route.
Write Poems About Virginia
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Virginia is not only a fun book to incorporate into your Virginia Studies lessons for December. It is also a fun way to review poetry. Have students write their own holiday poems that incorporate Virginia history, geography, economics, and culture.
More Virginia Studies Activities…
My website is full of Virginia Studies resources. Not only will you find Virginia Studies lessons for December, you’ll find tips for teaching Virginia Studies for the entire year.
Find activities specifically for Spring HERE, October HERE, and November HERE.
You can also find activities for everything Virginia Studies SOL in THIS BLOG POST.
Remember to save your favorite Virginia Studies blogs, so you can easily find them again later!
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