Holiday Village

GRADES 5-8 SOCIAL STUDIES AND ART

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Holiday villages are a tradition that can be found all over the world.  In this middle school arts integration lesson, students explore the similarities and differences in these villages as well as design and construct unique versions based on their own town.  This arts integration lesson explores the social studies concept of culture, paired with the visual arts standard of connecting how art reflects changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses.

EXTENSION

What’s fascinating about this lesson is the concept of the holiday villages themselves.  This article from the Baltimore Sun showcases a few examples of winter markets around the world, but there are literally thousands of festivals, villages, and markets that you could research and explore.  The development of these marketplaces really hinge on showcasing the artistic talents of individuals in the community, so this lesson could even extend into a study on the effect of art on a local economy too. Other resources include histories of the German and French markets as well.

MOVING TO STEAM

This arts integration lesson could easily translate into a STEAM lesson with a few adjustments.  First, you’ll need to adjust your intended focus to the design and construction of the village through engineering standards, as well as the organizing/creating visual art standards.  Also, you’ll want to spend a greater amount of time exploring how to construct using cardboard and the various art materials.  So be sure to model and experiment using something like the Global Cardboard Challenge first.

Lesson Process:

Step 1: Start by reading and viewing the videos about German and French holiday markets, and explore how the village is constructed, the activities, the history and the artisans that are featured.

Step 2: Explain that holiday villages have a rich and varied Tradition in many cultures. Many have cultural foci, such as Bavarian, Italian, and English. Others are focused around culinary, music, or visual arts traditions. Some are year round markets, while others are constructed just for the holiday season.

Step 3:  Have students research various Holiday Villages around the world and create a list of unique items/themes found in these villages, as well as commonalities. Some places to start include: Leavenworth, WA, Bryant Park Winter Village and Lake Mohawk Wehnachtsmarkt.

Step 4: In the early 20th century, Putz houses (miniature cardboard villages) became popular. These used the holiday villages in real life as inspiration to create smaller models that could be included in homes.

Step 5: Ask students to think about their own town and to sketch out a design for their own holiday village using their downtown area as a model.

Step 6: The winter village must contain specific buildings from their community and be centered around a specific theme, similar to the one’s researched earlier. Students can design culinary menus, decide on arts vendor, and performance listings.

Step 6: Provide students with a selection of cardboard, attachments, and recycled materials, as well as various art supplies (paint, mod podge, paint brushes, etc). Students can then create their own Putz winter villages based upon their design.

Time Required:
30-45 minutes

Materials List:

  • Internet/Computer Projector/SMART Board
  • Computer Lab/student devices
  • Cardboard, recycled materials
  • Art supplies: paint, mod podge, paint brushes

Assessment:

Formative Assessment Checklist. Look for student’s use of the following:

1. Included specific buildings from the community, and highlighted customs/traditions in their village.

2. Designed a cohesive village using various tools and materials.

3. The constructed village can stand on its own, shows precision and use of imagination.