Design an Ugly Sweater Holiday Activity No Prep Project - Ancient Civilizations

Looking for fun, no prep ugly sweater holiday activities to keep students engaged in the weeks leading up to winter break? Your students will LOVE it and designing an ugly Christmas sweater will quickly become one of *your* favorite end of year activities too. Students think critically and work independently as they apply their knowledge to create an ugly sweater for a chosen figure or topic … all while you cross things off your never ending to do list!

How It Works:

• Learn about the history of ugly sweaters using the 2-page article, by watching a short video, or using the PowerPoint presentation.
• Next, go over the directions for the assignment and learn about color psychology and the different design elements students will use for their sweaters. Go over the included examples so students know exactly what's expected of them.
• Students will use the included sweater templates and colors, symbols, patterns, and text to design a custom ugly sweater for their figure from history or other chosen topic.
• Finally, they’ll justify and explain their choices in a short writing assignment and/or class presentation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Did you know this resource is also available as part of a bundle? Save money and get *free* updates as new ugly sweater activities are added! Click here to check it out!

Reasons You’ll Love This Ugly Sweater Activity:

• Engaging and fun activity that also requires critical thinking
• Multiple and flexible options for use with a reading, PowerPoint, and activity
• Integrates literacy, art, history, social studies, science, and more!
• Awesome for biography units
• Students can work independently or in groups
• Multiple sweater template options make it easy to differentiate
• Perfect for end of semester review or as a creative assessment
• Makes an awesome classroom, hallway, or bulletin board display and can help you win any door decorating contest
• Perfect for substitutes and filling multi-day gaps in your planned lessons

What’s Included:

• 3 sweater template options for each person (see list below)
• 2-page article + 100% Editable PowerPoint about the history of ugly sweaters
• Student directions + Design tips
• Research graphic organizer + List of people
• Teacher Tips + Grading Rubric
• 30+ Examples to share with students
• Blank sweater templates for additional flexibility

Who’s Included:

1. Abraham
2. Aesop
3. Alexander the Great
4. Aristotle
5. Ashoka
6. Chandragupta II
7. Chandragupta Maurya
8. Cicero
9. Cleisthenes
10. Cleopatra
11. Confucius
12. Constantine
13. Cyrus the Great
14. Darius I
15. Draco
16. Emperor Wu of Han
17. Gilgamesh
18. Hammurabi
19. Han Fei
20. Hannibal
21. Homer
22. Jesus
23. Julius Caesar
24. King David
25. King Ezana
26. King Solomon
27. King Tut
28. Laozi
29. Marc Antony
30. Menes
31. Moses
32. Octavian
33. Peisistratos
34. Pericles
35. Piye
36. Qin Shi Huang
37. Queen Hatshepsut
38. Queen Shanakdakheto
39. Ramses the Great
40. Sargon the Great
41. Siddhartha Gautama
42. Socrates
43. Spartacus
44. Thutmose III
45. Xerxes

What Fellow Teachers Are Saying About Ugly History Sweaters!

“I cannot say enough great things about this project. My kids LOVED it, my kids SLAYED it and they’ve been hanging in my hall for 4 months now and I still get compliments on them. JUST LOVED THIS! Wish I had found it sooner. DON’T WAIT!” – Ann P.

“This is a TERRIFIC resource!! My students really got into it & their imagination really showed. Thank you!!” – Stacey R.

“My students love this! We are dragging ourselves to that finish line & this is helping make the last few weeks fun” – Kerin W.

“Super easy to implement and helped me include Christmas type activities while still incorporating history and social studies into my schedule. I really liked that it has some people that the students have never heard of before. And I also like that there are a wide variety of individuals.” – Marti B.

“This was such a great way to recap some of the important people we have discussed so far in history this year. My students loved getting to design the sweaters. A fun, meaningful way to review right before the Christmas break!” – Michelle S.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Is there a digital version of this resource? I really tried to make it work digitally, but unfortunately I never found a solution that worked well. So I’m keeping it print for now!
• Does this resource include information about each person? Information about the individuals is not included. Students can use any source (textbook, video, website, etc.) to learn about their historical figure or topic.
• Can this be adapted for younger grades? Absolutely! I recommend just using the PowerPoint as a class instead of relying on the 2-page article about the history of ugly sweaters. Going over the included examples with students will be essential!

More Fun and Engaging Activities:

• Scientists and Inventors Biography Graphic Organizers
• National Parks Research Graphic Organizers
• Who Was Biography Series Graphic Organizer Bundle
• Ancient History Interactive Fan Bundle
• U.S. Presidents Activity Bundle

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Katie Loftin

Dr. Loftin's Learning Emporium

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