A fun lesson that utilizes toys and persuasion! After reading the article, which was written in 2005, pull some advertisements for toys currently being sold. These will be more relevant to your middle and high schoolers. What toy is a...

Teach English language learners about the week-long holiday of Kwanzaa that is celebrated around the world during December. It includes holiday-themed reading comprehension passages, phrase matching, fill-in-the-blanks, and journaling...

Students discuss Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and family traditions. After brainstorming how holidays are celebrated, students write a poem about a chosen holiday and create their own hand-made instrument. They share their poems...

Students create snowflake similes, Kwanzaa plaques, menorah banners, and more for the month of December. In this December activities lesson plan, students also analyze characters in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Pupils examine how they greet the holiday season and participate in a class discussion to explore the ongoing debate on how best to celebrate the holidays. They read and discuss an article, and write a personal essay.

A lesson on the holiday known as Boxing Day is here for you. In it, middle schoolers read a passage about the history of the holiday, then complete some reading comprehension worksheets embedded in the plan to reinforce what they have...

Why do people argue?  Use the article "A Holiday Medley, Off Key" to discuss the struggles that interfaith couples face when choosing to celebrate certain holidays. Then, in small groups, encourage learners to write dialogues that...

Students write reflective essays discussing some of their most poignant holiday memories. They illustrate their writing with original artwork and photographs to contribute to a class-designed holiday memory book.

Students construct Santas. For this holiday lesson, students demonstrate how to cut with scissors and glue with glue sticks to create their own Santas from paper and felt. Students work on developing their fine motor skills.

Students examine their family's particular spending habits for a holiday they celebrate, research the financial expectations of retailers during the holiday season and at other times during the year.

Students write in their journals to analyze the use of nostalgia. After reading an article, they identify aspects that are universal for holidays. They describe and examine their own memories of a specific holiday and interview someone...

Students read about the sights and sounds of a Las Vegas Christmas. They use words and phrases taken from articles in a recent issue of the New York Times to create a holiday-themed "found Poem."

Second graders explore the holidays of different cultures. In this culture instructional activity, 2nd graders knowledge about various holidays. Students play a matching game with the name of the holiday and the description. Students...

Students consider the meanings of Christmas by reading an op-ed. As a class, they then create a sequel to the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," in which "Mamma" tells a story about the history of Christmas.

Second graders view a video of the Nutcracker ballet and then compare and contrast holiday celebrations in Germany and the United States. They use the computer to write a paragraph exploring their observations.

Students use the internet to gather information about holidays around the world. They create a calendar with all of the holidays outlined and calculate the percentages of countries who celebrate each one. They design a greeting card to...

How do the citizens of Polyglot celebrate New Year's Eve? Middle and high schoolers read about the history of the dropping ball on New Year's Eve, as well as the other holidays traditions that have gone by the wayside, before designing a...

Pupils practice using free association as a pre-writing technique as they list things that they are thankful for. They share the lists of words and apply them when they write a descriptive essay or poem after identifying commonalities in...

Students investigate the different seasons that occur and how the weather is characterized according to the regions of The United States. They conduct research using the internet and then conduct classroom discussion while considering...

Students discover that different countries have different customs. Using the internet, they research the familiar and unfamiliar customs of a country they are interested in. They work together to create a travel brochure to help...

Students define depression and examine different factors that cause it.

Students create Valentine's Day hearts in this variation of a classic activity for the early-elementary classroom. The "hands that touch the heart" is a great gift that can be given to family, friends, or fellow students. A materials...