Less than $5 10th Grade Christmas, Chanukah, & Kwanzaa Research

Bring history to life this Christmas holiday season with a fun and engaging stations activity your students will love!

In this festive critical thinking activity, students will travel through time as they uncover which famous historical figures wrote 25 intriguing holiday wish lists to Santa! Blending creativity, historical context, and problem-solving, this activity is perfect for middle school or high school social studies classes.

Each wish list includes a mix of both physical items and abstract ideas, giving students clues about the personality, accomplishments, and aspirations of notable figures from both world and U.S. history. Students will match the wish lists to their corresponding figures as they rotate through stations, completing an answer sheet with their guesses.

What’s Included:

• 25 unique holiday wish lists written from the perspective of historical figures
• A student answer sheet for tracking guesses
• A teacher instructions page with setup and modification suggestions
• A detailed answer key for easy grading
• A blank wish list template for an optional extension activity where students create their own historical wish list

*Includes both color and black & white versions of all sheets!*

Uses:

• Interactive lesson or station-based activity
• Holiday-themed class event
• Review or enrichment for history topics
• Collaborative or individual learning

Extension Idea:
Wrap up the activity by having students choose their favorite historical figure and create a wish list from that person’s perspective. Then, let classmates guess the figure based on their creative clues!

Perfect for:

• Middle and high school world history or U.S. history classes
• December lessons or holiday-themed units
• Sub plans, early finishers, or enrichment

Add some historical holiday cheer to your classroom with this engaging activity!

Bring history to life this holiday season with The History Elf Project, a fun and engaging classroom project perfect for any social studies unit! This fun, creative activity invites students to step into the shoes (and hats!) of famous historical figures, becoming Santa’s special “History Elf” to uncover the achievements, character traits, and lasting legacies of iconic people from the past. Perfect for the Christmas holiday season, this project combines research, creativity, and writing in a memorable way that makes history engaging for students!

What’s Included:

• History Elf Outline Design Page – Students design their elf to look like their chosen historical figure, adding details to reflect the figure’s life and accomplishments.
• The History Elf’s Holiday Report – In this writing activity, students pen a letter to Santa about their historical figure’s impact and decide if they belong on the “Nice” or “Naughty” list based on what they’ve learned.
• History Elf’s Merry Mischief – Students write a creative story where their elf causes a bit of historical mischief! This optional extension activity lets students imagine their elf changing history in a fun and playful way.
• History Elf - Who Am I? Sheet – This biography sheet helps students organize and summarize their research on their historical figure, covering key achievements, personality traits, and interesting facts.
• Instructions and Grading Rubric – Clear step-by-step instructions for teachers and students, and a comprehensive rubric to guide assessment across creativity, historical accuracy, effort, and more.
• Example Projects - Examples included to give you a better understanding of the direction and design of the project!

Key Features:

• Engaging and Interactive: Blends holiday fun with historical learning to keep students excited about history.
• Perfect for Display: Creates a colorful and festive classroom showcase of “History Elves” with their biographies and stories.
• Flexible Usage: Use it as a stand-alone project, Christmas-themed assignment, or winter break activity!

Encourage your students to explore the past in a fun, memorable way with The History Elf Project! This unique activity is sure to become a holiday favorite in your classroom.