Short Story & Movie Guide: The Greatest Gift; It's a Wonderful Life Workbook

This is a two week study for the short story titled "The Greatest Gift" (by Philip Van Doren Stern) and the movie titled It's a Wonderful Life.

"The Greatest Gift" is the short story that provided the inspiration for It's a Wonderful Life. The short story is available as a hardcover book and as an e-book. An Afterword by the author's daughter is found at the end of each of these books:

"The Greatest Gift" 1996 edition

"The Greatest Gift" 2014 edition

The guide contains 10 sections and includes:

• vocabulary words and exercises
• discussion questions
• reading and movie activities: alliteration, superlative adjectives, pronoun/noun, effect/cause, theme, rule of three, idioms, allusions, prediction, flashback
• life applications/Bible
• writing exercises: essay, showing/telling, moods, paragraph, sequel, sentences, editing
• web links
• activities that may be used as an assessment
• a complete Answer Key

This guide is in workbook format so space is provided for students to write answers. If you are interested in the guide in interactive format (space is not provided for students to write all of the answers), click on the link:

Short Story & Movie Guide in Interactive Format

Note: The content of the guide in workbook format and in interactive format is the same; the only difference is spacing.

Free Posters:

It's a Wonderful Life Quote Poster

It's a Wonderful Life Poster

MORE GUIDES to USE at CHRISTMAS TIME:

Free Activities for Beginning Readers:

Christmas Activities for Snowshoe Thompson

Activities and Links for At Home in a New Land

A free resource for Little Women:

Little Women: Questions and Activities for Christmas

A free resource for a picture book:

Boxes for Katje: Activities & Summary

Short Story Guide:

The Gift of the Magi Interactive

The Gift of the Magi Reproducibles

The Gift of the Magi Workbook

Mini-Guides for Middlers:

Mini-Guide for Middlers: Little Women Interactive

Mini-Guide for Middlers: Little Women Workbook

Guides for 4th-6th Grades:

MIni-Guide for Juniors: Star of Light Interactive*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: Star of Light Workbook*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: Treasures of the Snow Interactive*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: Treasures of the Snow Workbook*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Birds’ Christmas Carol Interactive

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Birds’ Christmas Carol Workbook

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Family Under the Bridge Interactive

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Family Under the Bridge Workbook

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Light at Tern Rock Interactive

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Light at Tern Rock Workbook
Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Tanglewood's Secret Interactive*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: The Tanglewoods' Secret Workbook*

Mini-Guide for Juniors: Twenty and Ten Interactive

Mini-Guide for Juniors: Twenty and Ten Workbook

*Note: The books associated with these guides contain the Patricia St. John stories, but the writing has been revised by Mary Mills.

NEW! Mini-Guide for Juniors/Middlers (4th-9th Grades**):

Mini-Guide for Juniors/Middlers: The Secret of the Fourth Candle Interactive

Mini-Guide for Juniors/Middlers: The Secret of the Fourth Candle Reproducibles

Mini-Guide for Juniors/Middlers: The Secret of the Fourth Candle Workbook

**A unique aspect of this mini-guide is that it was created for fourth graders through ninth graders. The reading level of the book is 4th-6th, but the content of the stories is appropriate for 4th-9th grades.

Mini-Guides for Middlers (6th-9th Grades):

Mini-Guide for Middlers: Little Women Interactive

Mini-Guide for Middlers: Little Women Workbook

Study Guides:

Study Guide: A Christmas Carol Interactive (9th-12th Grades)

Study Guide: A Christmas Carol Workbook

Study Guide: Star of Light Interactive*** (5th-8th Grades)

Study Guide: Star of Light Workbook***

Study Guide: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Interactive (4th-8th Grades)

Study Guide: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Workbook

Study Guide: The Tanglewoods’ Secret Interactive***

Study Guide: The Tanglewoods' Secret Workbook***

Study Guide: Treasures of the Snow Interactive***

Study Guide: Treasures of the Snow Workbook***

Study Guide: Two From Galilee (9th-12th Grades)

***Note: These are guides for the original books by Patricia St. John.

A list of excellent Christmas books:

Celebrate Christmas!