Ugly Sweater Vest
So I was trying to think of a way to incorporate more writing across the curriculum and I came up with a lesson having students rewrite the song the "12 days of Christmas" using items of their choice and theme. That song in all it's quirky repetition reminds listeners the importance of staying organized as you need to try to remember all the "stuff" the true love brings over the twelve days. (Ok, so maybe that's not exactly the real message of the song, but that's what it makes me think of because I have a hard time remembering all the days' gifts!)
The holiday season can often be a sensory overload of sorts. Repetition of things like traditions seems important to trying to keep track of all the wonderful things happening around us. With all the decorations to hang, carols to sing, wrapping to do, things to buy, and general excess that can overwhelm people this time of year, a sense of planning seems essential to balance all that there is to consider.
That got me thinking of those excessive "Ugly Sweaters" and I thought if my students LOVE adding gaudy stuff like glitter and pom-poms to their projects, why not develop a lesson that ENCOURAGES the more-is-more mentality? Why NOT be Extra?
8th grade students are making large Ugly Sweater-Vest Origami Shirts and they need to use the items from their 12 Days of Christmas Rewrite Song. What would yours look like?
