Description

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Returning to the classroom from Christmas break, and need a quick, fun, and engaging activity but didn't have time to plan a quality lesson? Explore and analyze Santa's journey with your middle school and high school students

Make time zones, world geography, and map skills come alive with this engaging, seasonal lesson using the real-world NORAD Tracks Santa experience! Students analyze Santa’s Christmas Eve journey across the globe while practicing time zone calculations, critical thinking, and map labeling—all wrapped in a fun, high-interest holiday theme.

Perfect for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students, this lesson seamlessly blends geography, math, and global awareness in an interactive and memorable way.

✨ WHY TEACHERS LOVE THIS LESSON

✔ High student engagement using a familiar holiday tradition
✔ Real-world application of time zones and global movement
✔ Encourages collaboration, discussion, and critical thinking
✔ Easy to update yearly using current NORAD Santa videos
✔ Works great for December, pre-holiday schedules, or enrichment days

✅ WHAT'S INCLUDED

Detailed teacher directions
Introduction and discussion prompts
Guided time zone explanation (with worked example)
Student group activity instructions
Mapping and time-calculation task
Closure discussion questions
Exit card prompt

✏️ SKILLS & CONCEPTS COVERED

World geography & country identification
Time zones and time calculations
East vs. west travel and Earth’s rotation
Map reading and labeling
Problem-solving and reasoning
Cooperative group work
Evidence-based discussion and reflection

? LESSON OVERVIEW

Students begin by watching a NORAD Tracks Santa – All Cams video from YouTube. After a brief discussion about NORAD and time zones, students work in small groups to:

Identify 10 countries Santa visits
Label each country on a world map
Calculate the local arrival time at each stop using a time zone map
Analyze whether Santa’s route was efficient and well planned

The lesson concludes with a class discussion and an exit card to assess understanding.

Note: YouTube video links may change. Instructions are included for locating current NORAD videos easily.

☑ Check out the preview to see what is included.

☑ Middle School & High School Activity

Visit our store Geography & Math Made Easy to view other related resources.

OTHER RESOURCES YOU MAY LIKE:

✧ Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year & its Influences on Asia

✧Hidden Faces In Geography, Black Geographers, Black History Month

✧ Pict-0-Nation Country Guessing Game

✧ Make Your Own Map Quiz, Teacher Resource Template, Fill-In-The-Blank

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DISCLAIMER

One purchase is for the use of one teacher. If additional teachers wish to use this product, please purchase additional licenses.

© Geography & Math Made Easy Resources. Created by Martha Boykin ^ Will Boykin. All rights reserved. Purchase of this product grants the purchaser the right to reproduce pages for classroom use only. If you are not the original purchaser, please download the item from my store before making copies. Copying, editing, selling, redistributing, or posting any part of this product on the internet is strictly forbidden. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

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