Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering
Help scholars understand the history, geography, traditions, and art of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Find background information for your reference as well as a detailed cross-curricular lesson plan. Learners compare...
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
Where I Come From
Young scholars examine family traditions as a microcosm of larger cultures. They examine their own family traditions to identify how beliefs, values, and customs vary from culture to culture and how those traditions influence their...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling PowerPoint Lesson
Students investigate traditions by creating a PowerPoint Presentation. In this holiday tradition lesson, students research their favorite holiday tradition using a computer. Students utilize their data to create a multimedia...
Curated OER
Christmas Around the World (Grade 2)
Student groups create slides on one of the cultures listed. They view videos that show United States families celebrating Christmas based on their native countries' traditions and a video which tells the story of La Bafana, the old woman...
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
Ethnic Folklore in Your Classroom: Traditions, Tales, and Treasures from Tijuana to Timbuktu
Students create their own festival. In this folk life lesson plan, students research their folklore history by interviewing their parents and grandparents, organizing the data found, and presenting that material to the class. Students...
Curated OER
Homecoming
Students explore the theme of the art of Romare Bearden. They choose a family tradition or event and create a work of art illustrating that tradition or event. In addition, they write a paragraph describing the activity.
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
A Gift to Give
Young scholars investigate the holiday Kwanzaa by drawing pictures. In this cultural tradition lesson, students discuss the history and actions that take place during the holiday of Kwanzaa. Young scholars draw a picture of a gift they...
Curated OER
Dad's Magnetic Personality
Students create a gift honoring Father's Day. For this Father's Day lesson, students examine the meaning of fatherhood and explore the history of this tradition. Students create a picture collage over a template of their father's initials.
Curated OER
Different Ways We Celebrate
Young scholars examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. ...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving: Traditions
Learners investigate the traditions and history around Thanksgiving. They divide into groups and research specific aspects of the holiday. Students then share their findings with the rest of the class. They also complete crafts,...
Curated OER
3 Holiday Projects
Students explore the concept of reusing and recycling everyday materials and make holiday-oriented decorations and gift wrapping. Letters containing environmental issues are composed and sent to political and corporate decision-makers.
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
Families: Are they all the same?
Students recognize different types of families through literature. In this families lesson plan, students understand that all families have similarities and differences. Students complete a worksheet about the traditions in their family...
Curated OER
Kwanzaa Activities
Students listen to a book about Kwanzaa and discuss the holiday and its importance. In this Kwanzaa lesson, students make crafts after they read and discuss the story.
Curated OER
Christmas Makes Me Think
Third graders discover that Christmas is a time for giving and sharing. In this Christmas spirit lesson, 3rd graders read a book about a child who is excited about Christmas trees and presents, but comes to realize that Christmas is...
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.
Curated OER
National Turkey Off to Disneyland
Students share their holiday traditions, then read about an American Thanksgiving custom. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the news article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, the students participate in a...
Curated OER
Thanks for the Memories
Students explore the importance of the family holiday meal, read and discuss "Pass the Turkey, Tamales, Kugel and Criticism" and write their own renditions of a fictitious family's holiday evening.
Curated OER
Folk Groups and Community Folklife
Students explore folk groups and traditions in their local community. In this folklife lesson, students list the folk groups they belong to and its traditions. Students write about their favorite tradition and may complete extension...
Curated OER
Dia de los Muertos
Second graders research the Day of the Dead, an important Mexican holiday. They view videos, investigate Mexican geography and history and compare the Day of the Dead to the celebration of Halloween.
Curated OER
Christmas in Great Britain
Young scholars investigate the Christmas customs of Great Britain. In this holiday lesson, students construct pomander balls and sing English Christmas carols.