The Night Before Christmas
| Activity | |
|---|---|
| Target level | ES 1-6 |
 | |
The Night Before Christmas is a Christmas story suitable for 1st-6th grade elementary students. It's the classic Christmas poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. Many illustrated editions of this poem exist, but the version presented here was compiled and illustrated by W.W. Denslow in 1902.
The poem, which has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American", is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, as well as the tradition that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus beyond the United States to the rest of the English-speaking world and beyond.
Instructions
- Download and use/print out any of the below versions of this story in either PowerPoint or PDF file format for story time.
- Ask another teacher to help you read the story to the students. Consider reading a page first in English, then have the teacher read the same page after you in Japanese.
- After finishing reading the story is a good time to discuss the differences between the Japanese style of Christmas (e.g. Christmas cake, Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, etc.) and your own country's style of Christmas.
- NOTE: The students might get confused that 'Santa' also goes by the name 'Saint Nicholas' in this book. Considering explaining the difference to them before reading the story.
Files
- Picture book
- Story text
