(GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Dec. 2004
Synopsis:
Simon and his mom don't have much--the cardboard house they built for themselves, a tiny Christmas tree, and a picture of an angel pinned to one wall. On Christmas Eve they take in a frail stranger who needs a place to keep warm, and the next morning Simon wakes early to find that the woman has vanished. Instead, he sees December, the angel from the picture, with her wings fanned out over their cardboard house. Could she be real?
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
| • |
What does Christmastime mean to you? How do you
decorate your homes? How do you celebrate the
holidays?
|
| • |
Do you like your home? What do you like/ dislike?
Are there different types of homes?
|
| • |
What are angels?
|
| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
| • |
How did the characters in the story feel about
their home?
|
| • |
What is the spirit of christmas? What does that
mean? Discuss the concept of giving without expecting
something back.
|
| • |
What is your most prized possession? How would you
feel if you lost it? What would cause you to give it
away?
|
| Craft ideas: |
| • |
Make an angel collage with different pieces of
paper (bring ahead option: bring old magazines to cut
out). Turn into an ornament or a tree topper.
|
| • |
Make holiday themed thank you cards to give to
people who give them gifts.
|
| Special activities: |
| • |
Sing carols.
|
*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
