National Endowment for the Humanities
Mexican Culture and History through Its National Holidays
Young historians have an opportunity to study the complex history and culture of Mexico by learning about several holidays: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe), The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los...
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A World of Special Celebrations
Brainstorm lists of celebrations with which your class are familiar. This lesson plan can be adapted to many different grade levels as they research ethnic and religious occasions/events celebrated by people around the world, and...
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Winter Holiday Celebrations
Students understand how holidays revolve all around light. In this winter holidays instructional activity, students find the similarities and differences between the winter holidays. Students discuss the winter solstice and how it...
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Christmas Spirit?
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.
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Making The Holidays Special
Students examine ways in which holiday television specials reflect some of the religious, historic and cultural themes of the holidays on which they focus. They create their own holiday television specials in groups, each focusing on a...
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Dos Fiestas
Students research holidays of Spanish-speaking countries and use their knowledge of the Spanish language to write and send email.
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RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND DIVERSITY
Learners analyze the similarities and differences between religious festivals in December and/or January. They research the different holidays and make their comparisons.
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My Own Holiday
Students investigate holiday traditions by participating in class celebrations. In this St. Patrick's day lesson, students discover the history of St. Patrick, the religious context of the holiday, and the fine foods and traditions that...
Teacher Vision
The Wampanoag Indians: A Thanksgiving Lesson
Spark some lively conversation about American holiday traditions and debunk accepted notions about the first Thanksgiving at the same time. After reviewing the mainstream version of the Thanksgiving story with your class, offer some...
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Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!
Students read literature that is multicultural in order to investigate the types of celebrations that people have in relation to holidays around the world. They can link up with different celebrations looking for similarities to how the...
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Egg Hunt Lesson
Fourth graders explore religious holidays by participating in an egg hunt. In this Easter lesson, 4th graders review the different U.S. states and capitols before completing a geography egg hunt activity. Students read geographic clues...
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Developing Dialogue
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...
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Christmas Treat Bag
Students discuss ways Christmas is celebrated in countries around the world. They comprehend that family and religious beliefs influence traditions. Students describe favorite traditions and depict one on a paper gift bag. They highlight...
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Egg-stravagant Egg Basket
Students discover that the egg has been revered by humans for thousands of years as a symbol of birth, life, and hope. They research the connection of the egg to spring and religious festivals around the world. They then create their own...
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The Little Star: Learning About Christmas
Students listen to the story, discuss how Christmas is celebrated, and construct a nativity scene. In The Little Star lesson, students hear the story showing Christmas as a religious festival. Students act out the story and discuss the...
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United States Holidays and Customs
Students identify and describe the importance of U.S. holidays and social customs. In groups, Students write a detailed description of a U.S. holiday and how it is celebrated. Descriptions are presented to the class. This lesson is...
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Sweet on Faith
Students create informative pages for a fictitious desserts cookbook that examine the religious significance and symbolism of holiday sweets from cultures around the world.
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Fall and Winter Religious Celebrations
Students discover the unique beliefs and celebrations of the five major religions in the world. In groups, they discuss the terms associated with each religion and are read books about their celebrations. They create their own dharma...
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Holidays: St. Patrick's Day
In this foreign language worksheet, students complete ten sentences by selecting the best of two choices to complete the sentences. Sentences are all about St. Patrick's Day traditions.
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Exploring Countries and Cultures
Fifth graders choose a country associated with a family member and research its location, government, language, economy, history, holidays, foods, sports, and famous people. They write to inform using this data and draw a map identifying...
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Hark, the Herald Atheists Sing
Students complete a one minute interview on their classmates views on religion and holiday traditions. They read an article about how Americans celebrate Christmas in different ways. Creating in-depth questions, they practice...
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The School Holiday Calendar
Various Muslim holidays and their meanings are researched and your students will predict whether or not they should be recognized on the New York City school calendar. An extension could be to write a letter to the Mayor about their...
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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.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story
The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...