Description
This resource includes engaging activities for the short story “Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor” by John Cheever.
This comical, ironic, and ultimately somber story encourages empathy and critical thinking as students examine ideas related to compassion, societal values, dishonesty, and the true spirit of the holiday season. Cheever’s sharp tone and subtle humor make this an excellent text for meaningful class discussion and deeper literary analysis.
Throughout the lesson, students practice analyzing key literary elements such as theme, tone, characterization, and conflict, while also reflecting on how perspective and circumstance shape human behavior.
This resource includes a teacher guide, an anticipation guide to activate thinking before reading, and a vocabulary PowerPoint presentation to support comprehension. Students are introduced to the setting and author background, read the full text of the story, and complete during-reading and after-reading questions designed to promote close reading and discussion. Answer keys are provided for all questions.
To extend learning creatively, the lesson also features creative writing options and a holiday card gratitude project with a holistic rubric, allowing students to connect the story’s message to their own lives in a thoughtful and meaningful way.
This lesson works especially well during the holiday season and is ideal for classrooms focused on literary analysis, social themes, and reflective writing.