Auntie Claus: Character Traits of Sophie Kringle

One of my favorite Christmas books is Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera. The story is great to use for analyzing character traits. It is also a good reminder for the students to be on their best behavior to avoid being on the BB&G list (you know, the "Bad Boys and Girls" list...). After reading the story about Sophie and her adventure to the North Pole, we created a class Flow Map to retell the story with an emphasis on how Sophie felt and how those feelings changed over time. We also discussed why her feelings changed. As we created the Flow Map, I spiraled in some mini-lessons on new vocabulary words such as complaining, relieved, and selfless. After creating the Flow Map, we discussed the importance of being selfless and giving to others when possible. We talked about the lesson Auntie Claus was trying to teach Sophie: "It is better to give than to receive." The students then created gift boxes as graphic organizers to write four things that they could give to others without having to actually buy anything.