Winter holidays and New Year’s celebrations are on their jolly way. Help your students embrace the holiday spirit with fun seasonal Learning A-Z resources and activities. As you teach your students about winter festivals and New Year’s traditions, Raz-Plus, Reading A-Z, Writing A-Z, and Science A-Z offer all the leveled books and activities you could want. Get ready to greet the new year on a joyful positive note with our printable, projectable, and digital resources for reading, writing, and vocabulary, and scientific literacy.
Leveled Reading
Here’s a present you’ll enjoy unwrapping: Reading A-Z and Raz-Plus offer colorful, engaging texts focused on winter holidays and New Year’s celebrations. All of the books shown below can also be paired with a corresponding vocabulary list from Vocabulary A-Z, so students can enhance their writing and communication skills while learning about happy holiday traditions.
Try adding these leveled books to your winter holiday reading lessons as you welcome the season!
Grades K–2 Books
The Festival of Lights
Level C
During the eight nights of Hanukkah, the process of lighting the Hanukkah candles takes place each night. Also available in Spanish, this book's detailed photos and repetitive sentence patterns support early emergent readers.
We Make a Snowman
Level C
Available in five languages (English, Spanish, French, Polish, and Ukranian) this story follows three friends play outside together on a snowy day and build a snowman. Delightful illustrations support the repetitive text pattern.
Feliz Navidad, Carlos
Level J
This ELL book available in English and Spanish tells the story of Carlos and his family, who are returning to Mexico to celebrate Navidad and participate in Las Posadas. They sing carols and attend church together.
New Year Celebrations
Levels L, O, and R
Colorful maps and photos show how different countries and cultures uniquely celebrate New Year celebrations. A comprehensive look at New Year traditions around the world, this multilevel book helps students connect to prior knowledge to better understand the text. Also available in Spanish.
World Holidays
Level L
This informational text teaches students about seven holidays around the world. Including details about each holiday’s traditions, from festive meals to games and stories, this book is also available in Spanish.
Grades 3–5 Books
Holidays Around the World
Level T
Available in five languages, this book examines many major holidays from November to March. Through sensitive text and photos, students will learn about how kids just like them celebrate Hanukkah, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Holi, and the New Year.
The Jr. Iditarod
Level U
Also available in Spanish and French, this book introduces readers to the Jr. Iditarod, a sled-dog race in Alaska for ages 14–17. Students will learn about the history of the race, how mushers prepare, the process of training the dogs, and challenges along the trail.
Hockey
Levels I, R, and Y
One of the most popular winter sports, hockey thrills crowds around the world. With maps, diagrams, and action photos, this multilevel book covers the rules of hockey along with its history and some of its most famous players.
Poetry
Snow
Level E
This poem follows a winter snowstorm's journey from snowflake to snow bank. The last page of the book offers a list of rhyming words students can use to create their own poem.
Winter Holidays
Level R
This book of poems pays tribute to eight holidays celebrated by people around the world. Students learn about the customs and traditions of each holiday, supported by photos and illustrations.
Activities
Let’s Make Snowflakes
Level N
Make your own snowflakes! This how-to book explains the steps in folding and cutting paper to make snowflakes of many shapes and sizes, encouraging students to be unique and creative. Easy-to-follow directions are accompanied by photos and diagrams.
The Science of the New Year
If writing New Year’s resolutions will be a part of your language arts curriculum, enhance your lessons with Science A-Z activities. Help students understand how a year is measured by one revolution of the earth around the sun. The Solar System process activity “Orbital Paths” guides students in understanding how long it takes for the Earth and other planets to orbit the sun.
Writing Winter Stories
When students are experimenting with creative writing, they benefit from writing supports that help them draft and organize their ideas. Writing A-Z Story Cards inspire ideas for stories in various genres and are great writing tools for emergent and developing writers. Story Cards for “January” and “December” include ideas for characters, plots, and settings related to winter themes.
