December reading calendar
Make room for reading in December with shared traditions, discoveries, and thoughtful conversations to end the year.
Finding reading ideas for this month…
Make room for reading in December with shared traditions, discoveries, and thoughtful conversations to end the year.
Finding reading ideas for this month…
Plan December reading around winter science, stories, and holiday traditions. Find short activities for classrooms and reading together at home.
December 1, 2027
Explore Antarctica through an information reading and two fictional penguin adventures. Compare how the texts describe a real place, and distinguish factual explanations from dreams, imaginative characters, and story events.
View December 1 reading →
December 24, 2027
Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 4 in 2026 and December 24 in 2027. Read about the festival’s history and how families observe it today.
View December 24 reading →
December 10, 2027
December 10 is the date of the Nobel Prize award ceremonies.
View December 10 reading →
December 21, 2027
In the United States, the December solstice falls on December 21 in both 2026 and 2027. Compare how Earth’s tilt affects the two hemispheres.
View December 21 reading →
December 25, 2027
Christmas Day is observed on December 25 in many Christian traditions, with customs that vary across families and communities. Read a sample script about different traditions and choose related Christmas readings for the class; distinguish each speaker’s perspective from a claim about everyone’s practice.
View December 25 reading →
December 26, 2027
Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and continues through January 1. Read about seven principles and varied African American and Pan-African cultural traditions.
View December 26 reading →
Collections, themes, and maps to explore with your students.
Theme
Christmas reading for the December 1–25 teaching window, alongside the day’s own date-specific topics.
Explore theme →
Reading collection
Christmas reading for the December 1–25 teaching window, alongside the day’s own date-specific topics.
Open collection →
December reading can fit into a short classroom session or a longer read-aloud at home. Give readers a question they can carry across two texts. You might ask how a tradition is described, how a place shapes daily life, or what evidence explains a seasonal change. The calendar helps you find a useful starting date.
Start with Antarctica Day on December 1 and follow with the December solstice readings. Ask readers to separate what they observe where they live from what the passages explain about another place or hemisphere. A simple sketch can help them connect the two.
Find the Hanukkah card for the selected year, then use the December 25 readings or December 26 readings for another perspective. Ask readers to compare what each text says about family or community. For further Christmas reading, choose a passage from the Christmas theme that fits your readers.
Invite readers to choose one December passage worth sharing. Have them explain why they chose it, then point to a line that would help a new reader see what makes it interesting. For a follow-up discussion, explore the Kindness collection and compare the choices people make in different texts.
If the week is busy, give readers one thing to notice and one way to respond. They might compare two details, label a drawing, or record a question for a later reading. Keep the response short enough to share. At home, use the same idea as a conversation starter after reading aloud.
