Holiday Veggie Art Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Students will discover one town’s holiday tradition of creating art from radishes.

 

Social Studies Focus:

holiday traditions

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, text evidence, sequencing

 

Page 4 Skill:

read a chart

 

Vocabulary:

sculpture, participate, wilt, glimpse, unique

 

CCSS:

RI.2.1 key details; RI.2.4 determine meaning of words; RI.2.10 read informational texts; RF.2.4 read gradelevel text; W.2.2 write informative texts; W.2.8 gather information

 

Lexile Measure: 

570L

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Provide students with some background on holiday traditions.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video "Holiday Cheer." After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • What do you do on your favorite holiday?

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. Have students ever seen or eaten a radish?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about what you would make for the radish contest.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

Preview vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are sculpture, participate, wilt, glimpse and unique.

Assessment: Reading Quiz 

Pass out the Reading Quiz to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

What Do You Celebrate?: Holidays and Festivals Around the World by Whitney Stewart and Let’s Celebrate! Special Days Around the World by Kate DePalma (20 min.)

You don’t have to wait until winter for festive celebrations! Both of these books will treat readers to a calendar of celebrations around the world.

  • Use the online game show to gauge comprehension and reinforce the issue’s content. Students can play by themselves or in teams. For each question they answer correctly, they win a point.

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important ELA skills. Here’s how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words sculpture, participate, wilt, glimpse, and unique.

Editor’s Pick: Text Evidence/Writing (15 min.)

  • Use the A Letter to Norbert Know- It-All skill sheet for a fun way to teach text evidence. Read Norbert’s letter to students. They will see that he is definitely NOT an expert! They can use what they learned in the issue to set him straight. Send Norbert a response at [email protected]. Norbert will write back!

ELA Focus: Nonfiction Sequencing (15 min.)

  • Students analyze a chart detailing the steps of making radish sculptures with the How to Make Radish Sculptures skill sheet.

 Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lesson on holiday traditions:

  • “Our Holiday Bakery,” December 2022. Students will compare and contrast five fall and winter holidays and their traditional treats.
  • “The History of Gingerbread,” December 2018. This issue explores the history of one holiday treat— gingerbread!

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher-Lexile level: 660L
  • Lower-Lexile level: 470L