Curated OER
Here's My Family
Family traditions help to instill personal values, social norms, and the warmest of childhood memories. Elementary and secondary learners share their favorite family traditions with a fun diorama project. Using modeling clay, they create...
Curated OER
My Favorite Holiday
Students create a My Favorite Holiday Calendar Page. They recall the months of the year and identify the various components of a calendar. Students also apply their learning about holiday customs to consider their own favorite holiday...
Curated OER
Create a Holiday: What Will it Be?
Students study holidays and culture. In this customs and traditions lesson plan, students create their own holiday based on traditions and holidays that different cultures currently practice.
Curated OER
Comparing Cultural Holidays
Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast lesson, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...
Curated OER
Classroom Quilt of Cultures
Learners discuss the similarities and differences in their cultural traditions. In this quilt of cultures lesson, students sing and dance to "Smile at your Neighbor." Learners write down their favorite food, holiday, family...
Scholastic
Cooking Dinner (Thanksgiving)
American traditions of Thanksgiving come to life through culinary activities. Young chefs practice cooking a turkey and setting a table for a Thanksgiving family feast. They use math and reading skills to follow directions and measure...
Curated OER
Winter Holiday Activities Extravaganza
Students define culture and explore elements that are part of the custom or culture of a place. In this holiday lesson, students identify the cultures they participate in. Students identify the differences in people's...
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
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
Young scholars 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 instructional activity students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these...
Curated OER
A Gift to Give
Learners 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. Learners draw a picture of a gift they would give to...
Curated OER
Dad's Magnetic Personality
Students create a gift honoring Father's Day. In this Father's Day lesson plan, 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...
Curated OER
3 Holiday Projects
Learners 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.
Children's Theatre of Cincinnati
A Charlie Brown Christmas Study Guide
Bring A Charlie Brown Christmas to social studies, language arts, math, science, and art class! Learners ponder the meaning of Christmas trees, write about Christmas during the original release of the television special,...
Curated OER
Kwanzaa Activities
Learners listen to a book about Kwanzaa and discuss the holiday and its importance. In this Kwanzaa instructional activity, 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
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
Christmas in Great Britain
Students investigate the Christmas customs of Great Britain. In this holiday lesson plan, students construct pomander balls and sing English Christmas carols.
Curated OER
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah
High schoolers explore Jewish traditions through Jewish art. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students research art by Moshe Rynecki, Chaim Goldberg and Emmanuel Levy. High schoolers replicate the artistic styles in their own pieces.
Curated OER
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Students participate in various activities which address Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In this holiday lesson, students are exposed to Hebrew songs and construct Haiku poems about Yom Kippur.
Curated OER
Easter Bunny Baskets
Students create Easter bunny baskets using cardboard half-gallon milk or juice containers, cotton balls, felt, pipe cleaners, and basic art supplies in this holiday Art lesson for the K-8 classroom. This can be adapted and made into a...
Curated OER
The Story of Kwanzaa
Celebrate Kwanzaa with a game of Kalah, also known as Mankala or Owara. Using an egg carton and a set of beans, players take all of the beans out of one of his or her cups and move to the right, dropping one bean into each of the...