Elf on the Shelf in the WL Classroom: Day 1

I think Elf on the Shelf is a great way to bring some fun into the classroom.  I blogged about the idea yesterday.  I shared some cultural situations the elf could present my classroom with, as well as some basic examples that would allow me to get in more repetitions with basic holiday vocabulary.  I must confess I was most excited about all of the cultural ideas I came up with, but I also know that students need to be able to discuss their own culture and celebrations before they can compare/contrast to a another.

Before beginning Elf on a Shelf, I decided that I would be the one to name him.  I know that a big part of the experience is naming the elf with your family, but this is hard to do with three different classes.  Sure, I could have created three different names, but honestly I know I wouldn’t have remembered them.  I also wanted the name to be Spanish.  I’ve stopped giving Spanish names to my students (it gets to be too hard and I hate the flack I get when I mess them up!), so naming the stuffed animals in my room is a great way to get more names in.  I already have Alberto el cerdo and Juanito la salchicha.

I also decorated a little before beginning Elf on a Shelf.  I have a little Christmas tree I put up with lights and bulbs.  I found some green mache Christmas trees that I’ve taped up on the bottom of my whiteboard too.  I wrote our vocabulary in green and red.  I put up a Feliz Navidad banner on my door and a Feliz Navidad poster on my wall next to the tree.  I had red lights around the room, too.

Elf on the Shelf in the WL Classroom: Day 1 | Vocabulary | Shared by Elizabeth Dentlinger at SraDentlinger.wordpress.com

Here’s how Elf on a Shelf went on day 1:

• My Elf on a Shelf was riding the Reindeer next to the Christmas tree in the room.  Some kids noticed and some didn’t.  I didn’t point him out and played dumb to those that did.
• We learned holiday vocabulary using TPRS.  I found that the vocabulary I had picked out to help go over the Elf on the Shelf book wasn’t quite good enough, and I found my students wanted to learn additional words.  For example, I haven’t gotten to “eats”or “drinks” yet.  So they don’t want to just make cookies, they want to say Santa eats them.
• I then did this powerpoint to introduce them to our elf.  I made sure pictures I found and used were of elves that looked like the one I had bought.  Honestly, I feel like my Powerpoint introduction is severely lacking, but it did the job!
• I then pointed out our own Elf on the Shelf in the back of the class on a shelf next to our Christmas tree.  We talked about our elf, reviewing what we had just learned.
• Students were to tell me one thing about Eduardo, but we ran out of time.

It really is fun and I hope you try it out!

Reminder: Feel free to use my ideas and materials as they help you and/or others; however, do not sell or present it as your own.