The holiday spirit is strong at Fairfield Elementary School in the Massapequa School District, where students have been working on festive projects that spark creativity and stimulate their thinking.
Christina Tomaselli’s class explored 2D shapes. They decorated paper gingerbread men with colorful stickers featuring different shapes and then counted how many of each shape they used.
Margaret Kozak’s kindergartners made snowmen crafts using marshmallows, pasta, pretzel sticks and gumdrops. The pretzel sticks, which were used for arms, reinforced a math lesson on horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. The project also helped youngsters work on their fine motor skills.
First graders in Anne Goode’s class spread kindness by writing messages to classmates on paper Christmas lights. Each student picked the name of a classmate and had to write how that friend lights up his or her heart.
In Alexa Brindisi’s class, fourth graders learned how lights are associated with several winter holidays. They then used tissue paper to make suncatcher lights to adorn the windows of the classroom. Students explored the traditions and symbols of different holidays as part of a nonfiction writing unit.
Third graders from Christine Russo’s and Alyssa Yablansky’s classes came together to share their holiday writing projects. Students followed two prompts, “If I was stuck in a snow globe” for imaginative storytelling and “My holiday tradition” for personal, nonfiction writing. They completed their projects in Canva, blending creativity, writing skills and digital design. When the classes came together, students walked around to proudly share with different peers.