Co-Op Lesson Plan, Week Two

This week marked my second week teaching at our homeschool co-op, and I’m honestly having so much fun with this new adventure. We’re doing a unit called Christmas Around the World, and each week we “travel” to a different country to learn how people celebrate the Christmas season. It’s such a sweet reminder that while our traditions might look a little different, the birth of Jesus is truly universal and at the heart of Christmas celebrations.

This week’s destination was Brazil, and my little classroom was full of excitement. We started by learning that in Brazil, Christmas falls right in the middle of summer. No snow, no hot cocoa by the fire, instead, families often celebrate outdoors, sometimes even with fireworks and beach parties! The kids thought that was pretty wild, Christmas with sunscreen and swimming suits! I showed them a video of the world's largest floating Christmas tree, and we talked about Papai Noel, Brazil’s version of Santa Claus. Instead of his heavy red coat and pants he wears silk because of the warm weather. The children loved imagining him delivering gifts in flip-flops!

For our craft, we made paper snowflakes. Real snow never visits Brazil, so the people have to make their own. Unfolding a paper snowflake is truly magical. Each one looks different, and they are very hard to mess up, always turning out lovely. The kids were so proud of their designs! Even though our little classroom floor was covered in paper scraps, it was totally worth it.

Of course, no lesson is complete without something sweet. This week, I made Brigadeiro, a traditional Brazilian chocolate treat, for the kids to take home. They’re little fudge-like truffles rolled in sprinkles, coco powder or nuts, rich, creamy, and perfectly bite-sized.

Co-Op Lesson Plan

I have fourteen students, and our lesson is one hour long. I also have two helper teachers. As all you moms out there know, keeping the attention of fourteen 5–7-year-olds is a big challenge in itself. So, I deiced to break the lesson up into three parts, geography, Christmas traditions, and craft time. Each child would also take home the Christmas treats I made for them. Here is the co-op lesson plan I made, I hope you find it helpful!

I start every lesson with a name circle. Each student says his or her name and we repeat their name as a group. Hopefully we all know each other's names by the end of the semester!

Geography:

• Look at the map of the world and ask, "how many contents do we have?" Sing the content song. Link to my world map

• Give hints about the country we will be learning about. Challenge one of the students to find the country on the map.

Christmas Traditions:

• Pick out three to four Christmas traditions unique to Brazil.

• Read from the curriculum and ask question comparing to our own Christmas traditions to those in Bazil.

• Show videos if appropriate. I showed three videos for Brazil, The world's largest floating Christmas tree, Christ the Redeemer statue and Christmas walk in Brazil (this video was long, so I only showed about two minutes of it).

Craft:

• Christmas theme craft, provided by the Gather 'Round curriculum or something that I came up with.

• Brazil craft: making our own snowflakes.

  • Supplies for the craft: white paper and scissors.

Curriculum:

• Christmas Around the World, Teacher's Guide

• Recipes Around the World

  
  

Recipe for the Brigadeiro (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles):

Makes about 56 truffles

Ingredients:

4 canes sweet and condensed milk

1/2 cup coco powder

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons salt

Mixed sprinkles, chopped nuts or coco powder to coat the truffles.

Method:

1. Grease a baking dish with coconut oil or butter and set aside.

2. Heat the condensed milk, coco powder, butter and salt in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat to low, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens (about ten minutes).

3. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place it in the fridge to cool. It should be firm in about 15 minutes.

4. Place sprinkles chopped nuts and coco powder in shallow bowls and set aside.

5. Remove the pan from the fridge. Rub oil or butter on your hands to prevent sticking. Use a spoon to scoop the mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball about 1 inch round.

6. Roll the truffles in your chosen topping and enjoy!

Packaging:

• Cookie boxes

• Mini cupcake liner

What I love most about this new co-op adventure is how much I’m learning right alongside the students. It’s only my second week teaching, but already I can see how God is stretching and equipping me in ways I didn’t expect. Teaching has always made me a little nervous, but each class reminds me that when we show up with a willing heart, He does the rest.

Stay tuned, next week, we’ll be traveling to Germany!

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