Curated OER
Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
Diane Venzera
Kwanzaa Celebration: Celebrating Family, Community, and Culture
Kwanzaa is the focus of a three-part lesson that celebrates the history and traditions of the holiday. Before lighting the Kinara, scholars listen to a read-aloud of Seven Candles of Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Learners express...
Curated OER
Crayon Box-Family Diversity
Young scholars explore diversity in families. In this social studies lesson, students read the book The Crayon Box That Talked and brainstorm traditions they have with their family. Young scholars create crayon templates with a sentence...
John F. Kennedy Center
Comparing Cultural Holidays
A lesson plan examines the holidays, Día de los Muertos and Halloween. After an exciting clip from the movie Coco, class members review vocabulary and discuss what they know about Halloween. The conversation leads into the history of Día...
Curated OER
Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
Curated OER
It's All in the Family with Mother's & Father's Day
Students interview family members to make a family tree for a Mother's or Father's Day card. In this family tree lesson plan, students read Love You Forever and discuss love within families. Students view Genealogy Resources on the...
Curated OER
Federal Holidays
Third graders complete various activities pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. They conduct research and complete writing and art activities on the...
Curated OER
Comparing Cultural Holidays
Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast lesson plan, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...
Curated OER
Holidays
Students compare the holidays celebrated in the Middle Ages to those celebrated in American culture today. In this cultural tradition instructional activity, students read Internet-linked articles about holidays of the Middle Ages....
Curated OER
Families
First graders complete a unit on families and family structures. They create a family tree for their own family, construct a family mobile, sort and discuss photos of families from around the world, create a banner of ways to say "I...
Curated OER
The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore
Students explore and identify family treasures and research the history to each one. They also organize a variety of artifacts into various categories and research traditional Louisiana artifacts online. Each student draws inferences...
Curated OER
Comparing Cultural Holidays
Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. In this writing and research lesson plan students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then...
Curated OER
History of Thanksgiving
Students examine the history of Thanksgiving. In this writing lesson, students will use Internet research to gather information on a particular Thanksgiving topic. Students will use their findings to compose an article.
Curated OER
Cultural Awareness/Sharing Traditions
Pupils examine and explore cultural traditions that make their own families unique. In groups, they discuss traditions, write about the similarities and differences in the group, and interview other students.
Curated OER
Torn from Each Other's Arms
Learners consider how the institution of family suffered under slavery. In this slavery lesson, students watch segments of "Slavery and the Making of America". Learners examine the structure of the Driggus family and discuss how slavery...
Curated OER
The State of the Family Timeline
First graders study concepts of time and chronological history. For this early childhood history lesson plan, 1st graders create and interpret a timeline listing historical events and family celebrations using one calendar year.
Curated OER
Passover
Fifth graders examine the history of the Passover holiday and the Seder traditions. They read and discuss a handout, answer discussion questions, read the book "Matzoh Mouse," identify the fourteen steps of the Seder, and take a quiz.
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
National Woman's History Museum
Defying British Rule: Women's Contributions to The American Revolution
Primary and secondary sources are the focus of a instructional activity that showcases the important role women played during the American Revolution. Pairs review sources and discuss their findings. A close-reading of an informational...
Curated OER
Celebrate With Silhouettes
Students explore history of silhouettes, and help create keepsake silhouettes, frame them, or use them to make a special Mother's Day card.
Education World
You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving
Students examine the facts and myths that surround the "First Thanksgiving" (the harvest celebration of 1621) at Plimoth Colony. They study the role that historians play in the collection and dissemination of history and use their...
Curated OER
Writing About Holidays
Students research a holiday celebrated by their family and write a studenT story in which they explain the history of the holiday and describe ways in which it is celebrated.
Alabama Learning Exchange
CELEBRATE!
Strengthen research skills by reviewing the months of the year and the holidays celebrated during those months. Learners draw and label a timeline for the months and label each holiday. They work in groups to research the holidays, and...
Curated OER
We Can Win Too
Students explore world history by illustrating an image. In this Mexican culture lesson, students identify the history of the holiday Cinco De Mayo and discuss the challenges the Mexican army faced. Students illustrate a picture...