An Amish Christmas
CHALLENGING WORDS
attendanceblackboard
chalkboards
Christmas
kerosene
Pennsylvania
pocketbook
prompting
schoolyard
tramp
SUMMARY
This is a handsomely illustrated book about the customs of the Amish at Christmas.--- Conversation Questions---
(1) / Name the type of people that this story is about.(Answer) / The Amish.
(Follow Up) / Have you ever heard of Amish people?
(2) / Recall why the children were excited about going to school.
(Answer) / It was Christmas Eve and they had their Christmas program at school.
(Follow Up) / Name something you do at school around Christmas.
(3) / Recall how the teacher let the students know it was time to come inside for class.
(Answer) / She rang a bell.
(Follow Up) / How do you know it is time for school to begin?
(4) / If you were an Amish child, how would you feel about going to school on Christmas Eve?
(Answer) / Any logical answer.
(Follow Up) / How long is your Christmas vacation?
(5) / Name the type of language that the Amish children learn as they grow up.
(Answer) / Pennsylvania Dutch—a German dialect.
(Follow Up) / Would you like to know any other languages?
(6) / Define “flutter”.
(Answer) / To flap or wave irregularly.
(Follow Up) / Name something that you think “flutters”. Make a sentence with the word “flutter”.
(7) / Name some chores that the Amish children have.
(Answer) / Feeding the chickens, milking and feeding the cows.
(Follow Up) / Name a chore that you have at home.
(8) / Recall the time that he got up to go out to do chores.
(Answer) / Five o’clock in the morning.
(Follow Up) / What time do you get up in the morning?
(9) / Name what the boys did after Christmas dinner.
(Answer) / They raced to the pond to play ice hockey.
(Follow Up) / Do you know how to play ice hockey? Name something you do after Christmas dinner.
(10) / Recall when the Amish children get go back to school.
(Answer) / Between Christmas and New Year’s.
(Follow Up) / Recall why they go back at that time. (so that they can get out early in the Spring for plowing.)
Activities
1. / Write a comparison between how you celebrate Christmas and how the Amish children celebrate Christmas.
2. / Write about the Amish children and what chores that they did.
3. / Write about a special time at Christmas that you have celebrated. Be descriptive!
4. / Write about a very special gift that you have received. Describe it and tell how you used it.
Introductions
1. / Show the students the front cover of the book. Ask the students how the children on the cover look different from them. Tell them that today we will read about a group of people that do things a little differently than we do. Let’s read and find out how.2. / Show the students items associated with Christmas. Ask them how they would feel if they did not have these things at Christmas. Tell them that today we will read about some children that celebrate Christmas a little differently than we do. Let’s read and find out how.
3. / Show the students a previously made list of chores that them might do. Include chores that the Amish children do. Ask them to choose the chores that they do at home from the list. Tell them that today we will read about some children who do chores that are much different from our chores. Let’s read and find out why.
Book Title: An Amish Christmas
Author: Richard Ammon / Illustrator: Pamela PatrickISBN: 0689838506 / # of Text Pages: 18 AR: 4.2 LEX: N/A
Building Oral Vocabulary
3 / chalkboards / 6 / Danke / 11 / unhitch
Prediction Questions
4 / Why do you think Rachel was relieved?
7 / What do you think the children will do tomorrow?
11 / What will they do after dinner?