These December ELA activities help keep students learning when testing, holiday events, and schedule changes make full lessons hard to fit in. Use them for flexible writing, vocabulary, and independent reading practice.
December is one of those months when I can make the best lesson plan in the world and still know there is a good chance it is going to change.
At my school, we have our Christmas show, which means students are constantly coming in and out of the classroom for practices. We also have state testing in December now, so that takes away instructional time too.
Then there is spirit week, holiday parties, special events, and everything else that happens before winter break.
And of course, the kids are excited.
By this point in the year, I have learned that December is not always the best time to plan lessons that depend on having one uninterrupted block of time.
Instead, I try to have ELA activities ready that students can start, stop, and pick back up again later.
I still want them reading, writing, and working with vocabulary. I just need the activities to work with the reality of December instead of fighting against it.
Table of Contents
Choose Activities Students Can Stop and Start Again
This is probably the biggest thing I look for when I plan December activities.
If students get called out for Christmas show practice halfway through class, I do not want them to come back completely lost.
If testing takes longer than expected, I want to be able to move an activity to the next day without having to start over.
Activities that can be completed in smaller pieces work really well during this time of year.
That can look different depending on the skill we are working on.
For vocabulary, students might complete part of a Greek and Latin roots activity and come back to it later.
For writing, they might brainstorm one day and draft the next.
For text evidence practice, they might work with a short seasonal text and complete part of the activity before moving on.
For independent reading, they can pick up their book and continue exactly where they left off.
That flexibility is what makes these activities work well in December.
Keep Vocabulary and Morphology Going
Vocabulary is one area I still want to keep going, even when our schedule gets messy.
By December, my students have already been exposed to several Greek and Latin roots through direct instruction.
We talk about the root, its meaning, and words that contain it.
That makes December a good time for review.
One option I use is my Christmas Lights Greek and Latin Roots activity.
Students choose a root, identify the meaning, and work with example words. They can use the reference sheets included with the activity, the morphology posters in the classroom, or look for additional common words.
I also have a Christmas Tree Greek and Latin Roots activity that gives students another seasonal way to practice morphology.
Both activities work well because students can complete them in smaller pieces.
If they get called out for practice or testing starts unexpectedly, they can stop and pick up again later.
I also do not mind if students work with a root we have not formally taught yet.
For me, that gives them some exposure before we get to it during direct instruction.
When the root comes up later, it is not completely unfamiliar.
Use Writing Students Can Work Through Independently
Writing is another area where I like having activities students can work on without needing me beside them every step of the way.
By December, students already know our writing routines.
They know how to brainstorm, organize ideas, draft, revise, and work toward a final piece.
That means I can give them a seasonal prompt and let them move through those steps at their own pace.
My Christmas Gift Giving writing activity works well for this because students can complete the writing in parts.
They might brainstorm and organize ideas one day, draft the next, and finish revising when we have another block of time.
I also like using narrative writing in December.
My Gingerbread Man writing activity focuses on problem and solution.
Students still have to think about characters, the problem, what happens in the story, and how everything gets resolved.
The gingerbread theme makes it feel seasonal, but the writing skill is still there.
That is what I like about seasonal writing.
It can feel different and fun without completely stepping away from the writing work we are already doing.
Practice Quoting and Paraphrasing With Seasonal Texts
Another activity I like using in December gives students practice with quoting and paraphrasing information from a text.
This is not a long reading passage with a set of comprehension questions. Instead, it is a writing activity that gives students a short seasonal text to work with as they practice using text evidence in their own responses.
Students read the text, identify information they want to use, and practice including that information by quoting or paraphrasing it.
The winter theme makes the activity feel a little different from our regular writing work, while students are still practicing an important skill.
This works well during shorter class periods because students do not have to finish everything at once.
They can read the text, work on one response, and continue later if needed.
It also gives me a way to keep practicing quoting and paraphrasing even when I know we might not have time for a full writing lesson.
Keep Independent Reading as an Option
Sometimes the simplest option is also one of the most useful.
Independent reading works really well during December because students already know the routine.
They can grab a book, read quietly, and continue without needing a new set of directions every time.
A reading log can help give that time a little more structure.
Students can record what they read, track their progress, or respond briefly to what they are reading.
I especially like having this option available during testing.
If students finish early, they can read quietly without disturbing students who are still working.
It is simple, familiar, and flexible.
And on days when our schedule gets changed at the last minute, that matters.
Have Something Ready for Testing Days
Testing days are one of the biggest reasons I plan flexible activities ahead of time.
Some students finish quickly.
Others need more time.
And while students are still testing, the room needs to stay quiet.
That means I need activities students can do without me teaching across the room.
This is when I might use:
- a Greek and Latin roots craft
- a seasonal writing activity
- a quoting and paraphrasing activity with a short winter text
- independent reading
- a reading log
- an unfinished activity from earlier in the week
I do not really care if everyone is working on the same thing.
What matters is that students have something meaningful to do that they can handle independently.
That makes testing days much easier to manage.
Plan for Early Finishers Before You Need Them
Early finishers are not really an afterthought in December.
I already know I am going to have them.
Testing alone guarantees it.
So I would rather have options ready.
If a student finishes one Christmas light, they can complete another.
If they finish their writing draft, they can revise, edit, illustrate, or begin the final copy.
If they finish a text evidence response, they can continue practicing with another short text or review their quotations and paraphrases.
If they finish everything else, they can read independently.
I do not need every student doing the exact same thing at the exact same time.
That flexibility is one of the things that makes December manageable.
Keep Seasonal Activities Connected to Real ELA Skills
I do not mind doing seasonal activities in December.
I actually enjoy them.
The classroom feels festive, the kids are excited, and it is nice to change things up.
But I still want the activity to connect to what we are learning.
That is why I try to make sure the seasonal part is the theme, not the entire lesson.
Students can use the Christmas Lights and Christmas Tree activities for seasonal Greek and Latin roots review.
The Gift Giving activity keeps the focus on the writing process while giving students a Christmas topic to write about.
For narrative writing, the Gingerbread activity gives students practice with story structure and problem and solution.
The winter text evidence activity shifts the focus to quoting and paraphrasing information from a text.
And when students need something quieter and more independent, reading gives them a chance to build stamina and keep track of their progress.
That is the balance I look for in December.
The activity can be fun.
It can feel seasonal.
But there should still be a real academic purpose behind it.
Let the Classroom Look Like December
I also like when some of the work students are already doing can become part of the classroom display.
The Christmas Lights and Christmas Tree activities work especially well for this.
Once students finish them, we can display them around the classroom.
Seasonal writing can work the same way.
Finished writing pieces can become bulletin boards instead of creating a completely separate decoration project.
Text evidence writing or other winter work can also be displayed if it makes sense.
If I can combine student work with classroom decorations, that is one less thing I need to create during an already busy month.
December ELA Does Not Have to Look Like the Rest of the Year
I think this is the biggest thing I have learned about teaching in December.
I do not need to pretend that December is a regular month.
It is not.
There are going to be practices.
There is going to be testing.
There are going to be parties, special events, spirit days, and schedule changes.
Students are going to be excited about winter break.
Instead of fighting all of that, I try to plan ELA activities that work around it.
I look for things students can complete independently.
I look for lessons they can stop and restart.
I use skills and routines they already know.
And I choose seasonal activities that still give students meaningful writing, vocabulary, morphology, text evidence, or independent reading practice.
That might mean students are creating a Christmas Lights display, working on a seasonal writing prompt, practicing quoting and paraphrasing with a winter text, or simply reading quietly and recording their progress.
That does not mean we stop learning in December.
It just means the way we get there looks a little different.
December ELA Activities for Flexible Classroom Days
These are the types of activities I would use first when I know December is going to be unpredictable:
- Christmas Lights Greek and Latin Roots activity for morphology review and independent work
- Christmas Tree Greek and Latin Roots activity for another seasonal vocabulary option
- Christmas Gift Giving writing activity for flexible writing practice
- Gingerbread Man narrative writing activity for problem and solution
- Winter text evidence activity for practicing quoting and paraphrasing
- Monthly reading log for independent reading and quiet work periods
These are not just filler activities for December.
They are activities that work because students can complete them in smaller pieces, use familiar skills, and continue learning even when the schedule changes.
Save These December ELA Ideas for Later
December always seems to arrive faster than I expect.
If you know you are going to need activities students can work on independently between everything else going on before winter break, save this post to Pinterest so you can come back to these ideas when you start planning your December ELA lesson plans..
