Christmas Musical Pursuit (JHS - SHS)

This "Christmas Musical Pursuit" game is perfect for Junior High School students and can also work well for low-to-medium-level high school classes. It's an easy-to-set-up activity packed with music, videos, and lots of interaction. Whether you're prepping for winter break or just want something different, this game has you covered!

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Objective

Teams compete to earn points by answering questions from five Christmas-themed music categories.

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Materials Needed

• A computer with PowerPoint
  
• A TV or projector
  
• A whiteboard or blackboard for keeping score
  
• Small whiteboards and markers for each team
  

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Game Setup

1. Divide students into teams of 3-6.
   
2. Provide each team with whiteboard and marker.
   
3. Open the “Christmas Musical Pursuit” PowerPoint and display it for everyone.
   
4. Track scores on a whiteboard or blackboard.
   

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How to Play

Introduction

Explain that students will answer questions from five categories. Each team writes answers on their whiteboards, and points are awarded for correct responses.

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Categories

1. English Pop
   Listen to snippets of popular English Christmas songs and fill in missing lyrics. Bonus points for identifying the song name and artist.
   
2. Listen
   Hear a Christmas song in another language. Guess the country or language it originates from.
   
3. Words
   Fill in the missing lyric from a multiple-choice question after listening to a short clip.
   
4. Watch (Scene It)
   Watch a music video or movie scene and answer a fun, simple question about it.
   

Note: A while back, I made a full “Christmas Scene It” game featuring 8-9 movie clips and lots of festive graphics. It’s great for Elementary School and Junior High School classes! If you’re teaching those levels, check it out in the side bar.

1. Karaoke
   Based on the karaoke melody of famous Japanese Christmas song, name the song and artist (in Romaji or English).
   

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Gameplay

1. Teams take turns choosing a category and question value.
   
2. ALL teams write answers on whiteboards and reveal them simultaneously.
   
3. Points are awarded for correct answers; no penalties for wrong guesses!
   
4. Rotate team selections until all questions are completed or time runs out.
   

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Winning

The team with the most points wins. 🎉

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Christmas Song List by Category

Each category features five festive songs that add variety to the game.

English Pop

1. Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande
   
2. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
   
3. Last Christmas – Wham!
   
4. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
   
5. Santa Baby – Laufey
   

Listen

1. O Tannenbaum – Helene Fischer
   
2. Happy and Merry – TWICE
   
3. Petit Papa Noël – Céline Dion
   
4. El Burrito Sabanero – David Bisbal
   
5. Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells) – Mykola Leontovych (Sung by Eileen)

Words

1. Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
   
2. Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson
   
3. Winter Wonderland – Snoop Dogg
   
4. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon
5. The Night I Met Santa – Billie Eilish (SNL skit)
   

Watch

1. I Believe in Santa – Meghan Trainor
   
2. Let It Go – Various Artists (Frozen OST)
   
3. Prep & Landing – Opening Scene
   
4. Snowman – Sia
   
5. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé
   

Karaoke

1. Christmas Eve – Tatsuro Yamashita
   
2. Christmas Carol no Koro ni Wa – Junichi Inagaki
   
3. Christmas Song – Back Number
   
4. Suteki na Holiday – Mariya Takeuchi
   
5. Shiroi Koibitotachi – Keisuke Kuwata
   

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Download and Setup

This PowerPoint uses audio and video clips, so the file is large. Here's what's included:

1. Full version with embedded media: Updated December 4th
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H4GahWsyfk868BQNCw_Op5kpxcDdvMDH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106686849020877927715&rtpof=true&sd=true
2. Simplified version without video media, For those with ALTopedia premium but no access to GoogleDrive at school. Ill provide the videos below for you to insert into the PowerPoint on your own PCs

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Why Your Students Will Love It

This game is all about teamwork, music, and holiday fun! Even if your students don’t know all the song names or artists, they'll enjoy the process of listening, guessing, and working together. Try it out, and let me know how it goes! 😊

Files:

Medium files (requires an account to download) -

More information

PREVIEW Christmas Musical Pursuit.gif (10.6 MB)

Snowman Sub.mp4 (39.4 MB)

How to insert the videos for the Watch (scene it) section.pdf (1.06 MB)

Large files (requires a subscriber account) -

More information

Prep and Landing Sub.mp4 (107 MB)

Let it go Sub.mp4 (46 MB)

Baby its cold outside Sub.mp4 (74 MB)

I believe in Santa Sub.mp4 (47.3 MB)

Musical Pursuit Winter 2024 - No Videos (Updated Dec 4).pptx (107 MB)