Christmas Optional Assignment Point Values

Transcription

1 Christmas Optional Assignment Point Values You may do up to 25 points worth of optional assignments. Put a checkmark next to the ones you complete. 12 Days Math: 5 12 Days Writing: 10 Wassail Puzzle: 5 Wassail Report: 10 Trivia Quiz: 5 Fractured Carols: 5 Gingerbread House Picture: 2 Gingerbread House Report: 10 Ornament Picture: 2 Ornament Report: 10 Ornament Quiz: 5 Anagrams: 5 Country Holiday Report: 10 Name:

2 Extra Credit Name We re all familiar with the Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, in which a love-stuck suitor sends his sweetheart Christmas gifts for twelve days. But did you ever stop to think about how rich this guy must have been to have sent all these gifts??? Listed below is the cost of each item. Figure out how many of each item he needed to buy for the entire song, and then calculate the total amount he spent on the girl he was trying to impress. ITEM COST NUMBER NEEDED 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree $ Turtle Doves $ French Hens $ Calling Birds $ Golden Rings $ Geese-a-laying $ Swans-a-swimming $7, Maids-a-milking $ Ladies Dancing $2, Lords-a-leaping $2, Pipers Piping $ Drummers Drumming $ TOTAL COST Grand Total this love-struck rich dude spent trying to impress his sweetie:

3 The Twelve Days of Christmas Extra Credit Writing Name In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, one partner in a loving couple sends the other partner gifts every day for twelve days. Imagine that you are the partner receiving the gifts, and that you do not know the song. All you know is that each day for twelve days, the UPS deliveryman delivers these gifts to you with a note that says, From your true love. For each day, you are to write a short note back to your loving partner about the gifts. Try to imagine how you would feel each day, what it would be like to actually receive all the gifts listed each day, what it would be like to have them accumulating in your home, and what you might really like to say to the person giving you these gifts. Day One: A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have one bird and one tree) Day Two: Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of four birds and two trees) Day Three: Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of ten birds and three trees)

4 Day Four: Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and APartridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of twenty birds and four trees) Day Five: Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of thirty birds, five trees, and five rings) Day Six: Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of forty-six birds, six trees, and ten rings)

5 Day Seven: Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of sixty-nine birds, seven trees, and fifteen rings) Day Eight: Eight Maids A-Milking, Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of ninety-two birds, eight trees, twenty rings, eight cows, and eight girls) Day Nine: Nine Ladies Dancing, Eight Maids A-Milking, Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of 115 birds, nine trees, twenty-five rings, sixteen cows, and twenty-five girls)

6 Day Ten: Ten Lords A-Leaping, Nine Ladies Dancing, Eight Maids A-Milking, Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of 138 birds, ten trees, thirty rings, twenty-four cows, forty-two girls, and ten guys) Day Eleven: Eleven Pipers Piping, Ten Lords A-Leaping, Nine Ladies Dancing, Eight Maids A-Milking, Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of 161 birds, eleven trees, thirty-five rings, thirty-two cows, fifty-nine girls, thirty-one guys, and eleven pipes) Day Twelve: Twelve Drummers Drumming, Eleven Pipers Piping, Ten Lords A-Leaping, Nine Ladies Dancing, Eight Maids A-Milking, Seven Swans A-Swimming, Six Geese A-Laying, Five Golden Rings, Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree (At this point you have a total of 184 birds, twelve trees, forty rings, forty cows, seventy-six girls, sixty-four guys, twenty-two pipes, and twelve drums)

7 Wassail Extra Credit As early as the 12 th century, the Old English cheer of waes hael ( be well or be hale in other words, be in good health ) was a common holiday toast. The winter drink, normally a hot mixture of ale, honey, and spices, was usually poured into a large bowl-like glass. The evening s host would then toast his guests with waes hael, and they would reply drinc hael ( drink and be well ). Over time the toast came to be applied to the drink itself. Christmas Wassail Recipe Serves/Makes: 12 Ingredients: 1 gallon apple cider 27 whole cloves 8 cinnamon sticks 1 quart pineapple juice 1 can (6 ounce) frozen orange juice concentrate Directions: Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot and simmer. Serve hot. For this extra credit project: 1. Prepare the non-alcoholic recipe above and serve it to willing volunteers. 2. Give Miss Brown a report that tells: a. What it was like preparing the recipe any problems you encountered, how difficult it was, etc. b. Your volunteers reaction to the drink. c. What you thought of the drink. 3. Solve the wassail word search based on the recipe and give it to Miss Brown. You may write your report on the same paper as the word search is on.

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9 Wassail Extra Credit Report Name Write a report about your experience doing this extra credit project. What it was like preparing the recipe any problems you encountered, how difficult it was, etc. Your volunteers reaction to the drink. What you thought of the drink.

10 Christmas Trivia Quiz Optional Assignment Name Research the answers to the following Christmas trivia quiz questions. For each correct answer you ll receive an extra credit point. 1. What is the Spanish phrase for Merry Christmas? A. Buon Natale C. Feliz Navidad B. Frohe Weihnachten D. Happy Holidays 2. Advent is traditionally symbolized by what icon of ongoing life? A. poinsettia C. fireplace B. evergreen wreath and candles D. Christmas tree 3. First used by the Colonial Manhattan Islanders, Santa Claus was taken from what Dutch name? A. Saint Santa C. Saint Nicholas B. Saint Christmas D. Saint Claus 4. Now a Christmas custom, what plant did the Druids first hang in hopes of peace and good fortune? A. mistletoe C. holly B. poinsettia D. evergreen 5. The small, concealed pictures in the original 17th century advent calendars were taken from what? A. the Hebrew Bible C. the Book of Psalms B. the dictionary D. the newspaper 6. During the 17th century, on what continent did the Christmas tree first become a holiday tradition? A. Asia C. North America B. Africa D. Europe 7. What famous Christmas tale includes these words: "When, what to my wondering eyes should appear..." A. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" C. A Christmas Carol B. "Memories of Christmas" D. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" 8. What language would you be speaking if you used the phrase Joyeux Noël to wish someone a Merry Christmas? A. Spanish C. French B. Swedish D. Portuguese 9. What marks the start of the Christmas season and is known as the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle? A. first snowfall C. winter solstice B. Advent D. Lent 10. Christmas, celebrated on the 25th of December, is also known as the Feast of what? A. Giving C. Nativity B. Christianity D. Winter

11 Fractured Christmas Carols Extra Credit Name_ Sometimes when listening to music, we don t always hear the lyrics as they actually are. Instead, our minds substitute familiar words in place of the words we didn t quite catch. Below are some such substitutions. Do you know what the actual words are? You ll receive one extra credit point for every line written as the words truly are. Deck the halls with Buddy Holly We three kings of porridge and tar On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me Later on we ll perspire, as we dream by the fire He s makin a list, chicken and rice Noel, Noel, Barney s the king of Israel With the jelly toast proclaim Olive, the other reindeer Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say Sleep in heavenly peas You ll go down in Listerine In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is sparse and brown Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay O come, froggy faithful Good tidings we bring to you and your kid

12 Gingerbread Houses Extra Credit Project To earn extra credit points for this project, do the following: 1. Using the recipes and steps you ve been given, create your very own Gingerbread House. Do NOT use a premade, store-bought kit!! (Believe me, I ll be able to tell the difference!!) 2. Take a picture of your creation. DO NOT BRING THE ACTUAL GINGERBREAD HOUSE TO SCHOOL!! (The custodians will NOT be happy if we have icing and crumbs and stuff all over the place!) Either bring the picture in to show Miss Brown, or a digital picture to her at gbrown@mariettacsdoh.org. 3. Write a report about your experiences making the house. Give the report to Miss Brown. Include the following: a. What was difficult about it? b. What did you like best about it and why? c. Who, if anyone, helped you with it? d. What did you learn by doing this project? e. What are you going to do with your completed house? You may, if you wish, work with a partner at home on this extra credit project. If you do so, you need only submit one photo, but each partner will need to submit his/her own report.

13 Gingerbread Houses History: This time of year, what smell is unmistakably both sweet and spicy, warming the heart as well as the belly? It's gingerbread and it has been a holiday tradition for centuries. Originally, in Medieval England, the term gingerbread simply meant "preserved ginger. The ginger was added to breads and pastries when it was found to have a preservative effect. During the 11th century, the sweet bread with spicy notes was introduced to Western Europe by the crusaders who were returning from the wars in the Mediterranean. Gingerbread making really became popular in 17th century Germany where bakers and craftsmen would display and sell their works of art at fairs and festivals. Many shapes were popular for different times of year. Flowers and animals were popular shapes at Easter, while angels and hearts were found at Christmas time. The tradition of making gingerbread houses at Christmas originated in North America with early settlers who brought their family recipes with them to the new world. "Lebkuchen," were large pieces of sweet cake flavored with ginger that German bakers used to build Hexenhaeusle, or witches' houses. We are probably all familiar with the fairytale, "Hansel and Gretel," where a young brother and sister are lost in the woods and come across a house made of candy and sweet treats. While this particular gingerbread house doesn't have the best reputation, there are many impressive Victorian-style houses built every year as part of some families' holiday traditions. The White House pastry chefs make a gingerbread house every year to be displayed in the State Dining Room during the season. This year's house is a different view of last year s re-creation of the original White House as it appeared in 1800 when John Adams became the first resident. The house took weeks to create and was made from about 300 pounds of gingerbread and chocolate, complete with over 800 hand-piped icicles clinging to the roof. Closer to home, The Lafayette Hotel has been hosting a gingerbread house contest for the past six years. According to Jennifer Auville, the hotel's general manager, they received 65 entrants for this year s contest from all age groups.

14 How to Make a Gingerbread house Gingerbread recipe: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup molasses 11/2 teaspoons ginger 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon cloves 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 cup margarine 1 egg, beaten 31/2 cups all-purpose flour In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soda (it will foam up). Stir in margarine till melted. Stir in egg, then flour. On a floured surface, knead dough till mixed. Divide dough in half, wrap half with plastic wrap; set aside. Roll the other half of dough with a rolling pin until slightly thinner than1/4 inch. Cut according to specifications. Gingerbread "glue" recipe: 2 large egg whites 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. Use immediately. STEP 1: Make a Pattern You will need a ruler, pencil and paper. (Cardboard from a cereal box works well, too.) Make a pattern for the long walls: draw and cut out two rectangles 10 inches long by 5 inches high. Draw a door and windows on one of the long walls: measuring from either side, draw vertical lines at 11/2, 21/2, 4, 6, 71/2 and 81/2 inches. Measure 3 inches up from the bottom at the 4- and 6-inch lines and connect these with a horizontal line this is your door. Measure 2 and 3 inches up from the bottom on the other lines and connect at these points with horizontal lines to create two square windows on either side of your door. Cut out the door and windows. Make windows on the other long wall: measuring from either side, draw vertical lines at 2, 3, 7 and 8 inches. Measure and draw horizontal connecting lines 2 and 3 inches up from the bottom to create two more windows. Cut out the squares. Make a pattern for the short walls: draw a rectangle - 6 inches wide by 5 inches high. Situating your pattern in front of you so that the rectangle is horizontal, find the center point along the top of the rectangle (the 3-inch mark), and measure and mark a point 2 inches above the top of the rectangle. Draw lines from this point to the top corners of the rectangle this is your roofline. (Essentially, you're adding a triangle sitting on top of the rectangle.) Cut out this shape in one piece. Make a window: measure and draw vertical lines at the 2- and 4-inch marks; measure and draw horizontal connecting lines 2 and 3 inches up from the bottom. Cut out the window. Make a pattern for the roof: draw and cut out a rectangle 41/2 inches by 11 inches. Make a pattern for the chimney: draw and cut out two squares, each 2 inches by 2 inches. Put one of these aside. Find the center of the other square and measure and mark a point1/2 inch toward one of the sides. Draw lines from this point to two adjacent corners. (You're essentially taking a triangle-shaped bite out of one of the sides; this is so it will straddle the roofline). Cut out the triangle.

15 STEP 2: Cut out the house Roll out gingerbread dough to a thickness of1/2 inch. Use the pattern pieces you've just made to cut out four walls (two long, two short), two roof pieces, and two of each of the chimney pieces (four total). Cut out the door and windows on the long walls. Keep the door-shaped piece to be baked along with the wall and roof and chimney pieces. Trim1/8 inch off the door piece, all the way around. Cut out the windows in the short walls. Bake on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes, then cool. STEP 3: Build the house Spread your frosting "mortar" thickly along the short edges of the walls. Stand them up on a tray and join them together to make a box with an open top; let dry for about an hour. Spread frosting thickly along the top edge of the walls, all the way around, and on the long edge of one of the roof pieces. (Use soup cans to prop the walls up while they dry.) Place the roof pieces on the roof, pushing them together firmly so that they meet solidly at the roofline. Prop them with something solid (like cookbooks) to hold them so that they don't slide down as they dry. (They should be reasonably solid in about an hour.) Use frosting to prop the door at an inviting angle while the roof dries. Spread frosting along the inside of both the cut-out triangles and along the side edges of all four chimney pieces. Build your chimney on the roofline, about 1/3 of the way in from the side of the house. You can't prop anything on the roof (it's not strong enough) so have something ready a piece of plastic wrap or a clean strip of rag or cheesecloth to wrap around the chimney to hold it steady while it dries. Decorate your house with candy, using the frosting to secure it: frame windows and the door, edge the roof, the sky's the limit! Drip some frosting from the eaves to suggest icicles; dust with powdered sugar for snow. Be creative and have fun!

16 Gingerbread Houses Extra Credit Report Name Write a report about your experience doing this extra credit project. What was difficult about it? What did you like best about it and why? Who, if anyone, helped you with it? What did you learn by doing this project? What are you going to do with your completed house?

17 PLAY DOUGH RECIPE 2 cups of flour 1 cup of salt 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 2 cups of water 1 table spoon of mineral oil food coloring ( your choice) glue glitter other craft items To make the play dough recipe you will mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until stiff. Allow the mixture to cool, then knead the dough by rolling it and squeezing it in your hands. The play dough must be stored in a zip lock baggie until you use it or it will dry out and become hard. To make the ornaments you will need Christmas cookie cutters in all different shapes. Roll out the play dough and cut the dough with the cookie cutters. Place a hole at the top of the shape for a hanger to go through. You can use pretty ribbon, yarn, or string to pull through the hole for the hanger. Decorate your ornaments with glitter and other craft items. These are nice gifts to give to your teachers, parents, and friends at Christmas time to hang on their Christmas trees and they are so special because they were made by you! To receive points for this extra credit project, do each of the following: 1. Make the ornaments. Either bring one in to show Miss Brown, or take pictures to show her. If you want, you can take digital pictures, upload them to your computer, and then them to her at gbrown@mariettacsdoh.org. 2. Write a short report of your experience making the ornaments. 3. On the back of your report, take the quiz. This extra credit is due: Have fun!!

18 Christmas Ornaments Extra Credit Report Name Write a report about your experience doing this extra credit project. Was it easy or difficult? Why? Did you enjoy it? What, if any, problems did you run into while you were doing it? What do you plan to do with your finished ornaments?

19 Christmas Ornaments Extra Credit Quiz Name ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING. CIRCLE THE CORRECT LETTER. 1. What is a recipe? a. something used to color things b. a Christmas gift c. directions for cooking something d. none of these 2. What does the word knead mean? a. to kick b. to stomp c. to roll back and forth and squeeze d. to sing 3. What is an ornament? a. something to paint b. foods to eat c. something to hang on the tree d. none of these 4. Why must you use a baggie to keep the dough in? a. so it will not dry out b. to keep it dry c. to keep it pretty d. to use ribbon 5. Why do you need to put a hole in the top of the ornament? a. to see through b. for a hanger c. to color it d. none of these 6. What do you need to do after you get all the ingredients mixed together? a. knead the dough b. put in the hole c. cook in a saucepan d. place it in a baggie 7. Which of the following IS true? a. You do not need to cook the dough. b. Use ribbon, yarn, or string to make the hanger. c. Let the dough get dry and hard. d. None of these 8. What is the LAST thing you will do with the ornaments? a. knead the dough b. cook in a saucepan c. cut out the shapes d. give them as gifts 9. What is the FIRST thing you will need to do to make the ornaments? a. place the dough in a baggie b. cook the dough c. mix all ingredients together d. knead the dough 10. What should you do after the dough has cooled? a. cook it b. knead it c. cut out the shapes d. make the hanger 11. Who could you give the ornaments to as gifts? a. teachers b. friends c. parents d. all of these

20 Holiday Anagrams Name An anagram is a word or phrase that can be created from all the letters used to make up a different word or phrase. For example, an anagram of STOP would be TOPS. You can see that all the letters in the word STOP are used to make the word TOPS, no more, no less. Ignore punctuation, and remember that the total number of words may be different. See if you can figure out these holiday anagrams. Have fun!! Car s Trim Rhymes A. FIREPLACE STOCKINGS Dirt Genie Here B. HAPPY NEW YEAR Match Resister C. FROSTY THE SNOWMAN Aggression Tenses D. ADVENT CALENDAR Hyena Paw Prey E. HAPPY YULE Ow! Shovels Perk F. NORTH POLE Pelt Honor G. MERRY CHRISTMAS This Car Smarts H. RUDOLPH S RED NOSE Hassle Giants I. WHOVILLE Hurdled Snoopers J. CHRISTMAS TREE Smokiest Tiles K. ELVES WORKSHOP Two Seafront Hymns L. SANTA S SLEIGH Evil Howl M. CHRISTMAS STAR Frog s Icecap Tinkles N. SEASON S GREETINGS Hey! Play Up O. MISTLETOE KISS Vacant Deer Land P. EIGHT REINDEER

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