Mystery Christmas Carols

Everyone has a favorite Christmas carol. Illustrate a carol and then try to identify each other’s songs!

• 1.

  Christmas carols have very interesting histories. Read books such as "Silent Night: The Song and Its Story" by Margaret Hodges or "Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carol" by Myrna A. Strasser to learn the history of that carol. How did caroling get started? From what countries are the carols a tradition? Do some research to find out.

• 2.

  Choose your favorite carol and find out the story behind it. On construction paper, write the carol title, brief history, and the words to at least one verse and the chorus with Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils. Check the spelling. Just erase if you need to make corrections.

• 3.

  On the other side of your paper, sketch a picture to illustrate the verse you chose. Color your drawing with Crayola Twistables® Crayons.

• 4.

  Display your drawings. Try to identify the name of each others’ carol from the illustrations.

Benefits

• Students research the history of Christmas carols and find out where the practice of caroling originated.
• Students copy the words to and then illustrate a Christmas song.
• Students identify each other’s favorite songs from their drawings.

Adaptations

• Some students with special needs may prefer to make a collage or use some other adaptation for the lesson.
• Write a new verse for your favorite carol. Sing them, too!
• Compose an original song based on a Christmas fact or a humorous holiday event. Ask a music teacher for tips on writing songs.
• Create a flip book to show an animated version of a scene from a favorite Christmas carol.
• Assessment. Children elaborate on the reasons behind their identification of at least three different carols.