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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Advanced Art – Cultural Place-setting Still life

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Upper graders view a series of films that depict rituals or celebrations as they occur in different cultural settings. They conduct a cultural investigation about one culture, brainstorm and research objects that have cultural or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Masks of Many Cultures: Celebrations of Life

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Bring art and society together with this highly creative and interesting lesson. Learners research various uses of masks in ceremonies. They then create a ceremony of their own and a mask to go along with it. They film themselves...
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Activity
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Mexic-Arte Museum

El Dia de los Muertos

For Students 1st - 8th
Celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday El Dia de los Muertos! Explore the intricate history behind the traditions, compare other cultural rituals honoring the dead, and create sugar skulls. Learners read informational text on Aztec...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore cultural rituals. In this cultural rituals lesson plan, 5th graders discover different cultures way of celebrating rice. Students gain information about festivals in the US, Indonesia,  Thailand, and Japan. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art to Zoo: Celebration

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students research and develop a report on birthday rituals around the world. In this research lesson plan, students compare birthday rituals from other cultures to their own. Images and resources are included.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Students analyze images and music of common rituals in America with those of other countries. They use worksheets to compare and contrast the events.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Easter Petal Pathways

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students discuss Guatemalan Easter rituals and customs. They comprehend Guatemalan traditional color and design. Students create a mixed-media representative piece using paper mosaics, layered crayon, and glitter glue. They celebrate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Much Ado About Nothing?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore their feelings regarding the celebration of various holidays. Using the New York Times article as a model, students write articles critiquing what they consider to be inappropriate expressions of holiday spirit.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate Winter!

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students understand, and participate in, both the historical and scientific aspects of this year's celebrations by introducing them to a selection of activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rituals and Rites of Passage

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners explore the concept of rites of passage and the rituals that society performs to mark certain moments in life. They read books, discuss the cultural implications of certain rites of passage, design a mural of funeral customs and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Customs Past and Present: Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine cultural traditions. In this cultural studies lesson, students conduct interviews and research online digital tools that allow them to discover their family's cultural traditions. Students prepare presentations using...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Happy Birthday to You

For Teachers K - 6th
Students explore how people celebrate traditional holidays in various cultures. They participate in activities that are used to celebrate birthdays in different cultures. Students analyze the celebrations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keep Heritage Alive

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Youngsters share ideas about cultural and/or spiritual rituals by participating in a fishbowl discussion, which explores the ways rituals have changed over time. They write reflective essays about their own cultural traditions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Cultural Celebration

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students explore the Mexican ritual of Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. They make sugar skulls using math measurement and artistic expression and become more aware of this Mexican holiday.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

KWANZAA

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students study about Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana, and also participate in some traditional activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christmas Spirit?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Being An Anthropologist: Laurel Kendall

For Students 6th - 12th
Imagine studying Korean culture, especially the role of women, as well as marriage and religious rituals from home! Anthropologist Laurel Kendall shares what she has learned from her many trips to this fascinating country half a world away.
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Worksheet
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Curated OER

Vocab-u-lous! Build a Fabulous Vocab: December Holidays

For Students 9th - 10th
Find a celebration of winter holidays in a versatile and straightforward worksheet. Learners read a bank of holiday-themed words, including asceticism, solstice, and myrrh, and use context clues to place them in the correct sentences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United We Stand

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils study Muslim wedding celebrations. They explore Muslim culture and wedding celebrations around the world. Students discuss vows, symbols, and traditions. They create wedding costumes and reenact part of a wedding ceremony.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating Ancestors

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students participate in a "hands-on" activity, to explain that African masks were and are more than aesthetic artifacts, they are functional implements of the many cultures of the African continent.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Olympics (World Celebrations)

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners recognize the meanings and symbolism of the Olympic Flag and Torch and apply this to their own feelings of the classroom by creating their own symbol/flag to represent these feelings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND DIVERSITY

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating the Solstice and Equinox

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders graph the number of daylight hors throughout the year and examine why day length varies. They discover that seasonal changes and latitude on Earth affect the number of hours of daylight in each day. Students listen to...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Claycrete Calaveras - Dia de los Muertos

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students create skeletons to celebrate the Day of the Dead. In this visual arts lesson plan, students explore the importance of the Day of the Dead celebrations in the Mexican culture. They create skeletons and decorate them with paint,...