Santa Bruce

This Santa Bruce book study is a FREE seasonal literacy set created by The Curriculum Corner!

This set of literature resources is designed to accompany the new book Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins.

You can download this set of centers designed to go with the book at the bottom of this post. Click on the bold link.

Please know that we understand books with a Christmas theme may not be something all teachers choose, or are able, to incorporate within their classrooms. But we also realize that we have many from some public or private schools who celebrate holidays in various ways and may have a desire for these types of seasonal materials.

In this newest release by Ryan T. Higgins, another case of mistaken identify forces our favorite grumpy bear, Bruce, to shed his Scrooge demeanor and deliver presents all over the forest. In true Bruce form, he does it with the “encouragement” of his forest family, but not without some serious “Bah Humbug” moments along the way.

In case you aren’t familiar with the author, Ryan T. Higgins (ryanthiggins.com) is an author and illustrator who says his favorites include the outdoors and cheese sandwiches. According to Higgins, he is NOT a grumpy old black bear, but he DOES like making books about one—starting with the best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor.

If you choose to use these resources at centers, we suggest that you read the book aloud to your class first. There are many details, such as all of the humorous talk bubbles by the characters, to discuss along the way and will give your students a laugh.

For this set of resources, our goal was to create a set of centers that can be used for a week long focus on the book during literacy rotations. Of course, you might also simply choose to read the book and do one or two activities together with your class.

Our Santa Bruce collection includes:

Task Cards: The first pages of this collection is a set of 12 task cards. These are designed to accompany many of the printables described below and can be used as the directions that you place at each center for your students.

Flip Book: This flip book is designed to go in an interactive notebook, but doesn’t have to. Students cut the outside shape and then cut on the dotted lines. They will lift the flaps and write about the main character, problem and solution under the flaps. On top they will draw a picture to show each.

Hats Off to Important Events: For this task students find three important events within the book. They draw a picture and write about each event on the pages of the hat shaped book.

Sequencing Cards: Each of these cards has a sentence about an event in the story. Students can use the book to help them place the cards in the order in which they happened. You could also have students use these cards for fluency practice as well.

Word Work: You’ll find two different word work pages, a syllable sort recording page and a collection of 28 word cards. Use the words for the pages included, but we suggest you discuss this vocabulary before reading the book so the students understand their meanings.

Finding Text & Picture Evidence: This page requires students to find evidence in the story to support the idea that Bruce is a grumpy bear.

Picture Walk: This is a partner activity where students look through the book to find parts where the author is using humor to entertain the reader.

Story Maps: There are two different versions so that you can choose the one that best suits your students’ needs.

Respond to Reading: We have included three different pages that require students to respond to their reading. The first two pages are different versions of comparing stories and require students to read another Ryan T. Higgins story, Mother Bruce to compare it to Santa Bruce. The final page focuses on character traits of Bruce.

Writing Prompts: There are three writing prompts to choose from, along with two versions of blank lined papers.

Blank Anchor Chart: In case you have other mini-lessons you plan to teach using this book, print out our blank anchor chart to use as you record key ideas to display in class.

You can download our Santa Bruce collection here:

Santa Bruce Resources

If you are looking to purchase any of the other Mother Bruce books by Ryan T. Higgins for a basket, you will find the links below (contains affiliate link):