netTrekker Blog

Time for a Theme

‘Tis the time of year where kids are getting excited about the holidays, whether it’s because they believe in Santa, are expecting gifts, or just because they will enjoy two weeks off from school. I remember my days in the classroom of planning lessons around the theme of the winter holidays to keep my students interested and on task. netTrekker d.i. has some wonderful resources if you are planning lessons for this multicultural season.

We’ll start our exploration in the Elementary Tab. How many of you knew that you could do a search by theme in netTrekker d.i.? If you scroll to the bottom of the Elementary page, there is a section to either type in a keyword or to browse themes. With over 100 themes, we’re sure to have a topic for you. If you have a multi-cultural classroom, or are teaching on a multi-cultural theme, you can find resources on Hanukah, Kwanza, and Christmas. There are other holidays to explore too, for later.

When I taught middle school, I used the holidays to teach technology skills. We created spreadsheets on how to celebrate the three major winter holidays, a team PowerPoint on a selected holiday, and other computer activities centered around the holidays. We even divided Christmas up with regions because Christmas is celebrated different all over the world, and within our own country. With netTrekker d.i., your students can click on the ELL Channel and explore the holidays in the Multicultural area. This is a perfect starting place.

 

Happy holidays, and may this season of cultural celebration exploration be even more engaging and enlightening with netTrekker d.i. Share with us how you plan to teach with the holiday season by leaving a comment below.

Tags: ELL Channel, Holiday, theme