Why Christmas
Christmas Around the World
Discover how the world celebrates Christmas with an interactive website that takes scholars on a journey through several different countries' holiday festivities.
Oklahoma City Public Schools Native American Student Services
A Story of Survival: The Wampanoag and the English
Redesign your holiday celebrations with the aid of a lesson plan booklet packed with facts, images, maps, activities, and readings about the three-day feast that marked the English settlers' first successful harvest.
Curated OER
Dia de los Muertas/Day of the Dead Cultural Project
Young scholars explore the celebrations of different cultures, comparing and contrasting what is unique to them. Students explore different ways to celebrate those holidays. They construct a personalized alter to demonstrate one aspect...
Curated OER
A Comparison of the Celebrations of Cinco de Mayo
Students compare and contrast how Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the United States and in Mexico. In this cultural comparisons lesson, students research holiday practices using Internet sites and then write persuasive papers that include...
Curated OER
Commemorations Across Cultures
Students explore how different cultures commemorate people and events. They research how commemorations are created through music, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and poetry. In collaborative, students create a...
Curated OER
Hispanic Heritage - Culmination and Fiesta
Third graders learn the meaning of a Fiesta and the tradition of the Pinata. They eat authentic Mexican food. They participate in games and fun activities celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. They share one thing they learned about the...
Curated OER
Making A Proposal
Students work in pairs as global wedding planners to research and propose authentic wedding ceremonies from various cultures around the world. They reflect on their understanding of marriage, and the ways in which it is informed by...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters
Students read the book "Tsunami!" and discuss natural disasters and how they can prepare. This lesson is much more than a study of tsunamis. The lesson is chock-full of ways to study the Japanese culture across the curriculum. There are...
Poetry Foundation
Dream in Color — Middle School
Celebrate diversity with a toolkit designed to inspire young poets to develop their own voices. After examining poems by African American poets, individuals craft their own poetic stories. The packet features poems by Gwendolyn Brooks,...
Curated OER
Lesson Learned: Creating a Life Reports Project
Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...
Curated OER
Holiday Celebrations
Fourth graders explore three cultural holidays and compare and contrast the ways varied cultural groups celebrate their heritage.
Curated OER
Celebrating Chinese Culture: Legends & Myths, Chinese New Year, Customs & Traditions
Students read books about other cultures and explore their customs and traditions. They discuss the meanings of myths and legends and then brainstorm examples of stories that fit the description. Students experience hands-on activities...
American Museum of Natural History
Being An Anthropologist: Laurel Kendall
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.
K12 Reader
Storytelling and Folklore
Stories are passed down orally in many cultures. Learn about the ways that storytelling can shape a society with a reading passage about Native American folklore and myths. After they finish reading, kids complete five reading...
Assemblies of Yahweh
The Maccabees and Hanukkah
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a reading of the story of the Maccabees. Elementary learners discover how Hanukkah came to be with comprehension questions and fun activities for a full lesson during the holidays.
Curated OER
Celebration Scene
Art often captures an event or emotion from a specific time and place in history. Explore Painting of Bear and Sun Dances with your class to study how dance and celebrations were important aspects of Native American life. After...
Curated OER
Chinese Kites
Students identify Chinese culture and find that New Year is the most important of many Chinese holidays. Then they research many facets of the Chinese New Year celebration, and identify the symbols of the animal zodiac. Students also...
Curated OER
Rangoli Designs
Students use colored chalk on sandpaper to make authentic Rangoli designs in the Hindu Tradition. They study Diwali and the Hindu culture and research authentic Hindu designs and symbols. They identify traditional symbols that are used...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America
Students watch a video that highlights the role of artists' images throughout the history of Black music in the United States and describe the influences of the civil rights movement on Black culture.
Curated OER
Foreign Language And Culture
Students consider the importance of appreciating a different culture in connection with the language associated with it. They explore how international politics, celebrations and relations are affected by language and culture.
Curated OER
Exploring Cultural Rituals
Students analyze images and music of common rituals in America with those of other countries. They use worksheets to compare and contrast the events.
Curated OER
Celebration!
Use a five-lesson plan unit to investigate how different cultures use art for common purposes, such as the marking of special events, celebrations, and the validation of human experience.
Curated OER
Different Ways We Celebrate
Students 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. Students...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music in America - Louis Armstrong
High schoolers listen to selections of New Orleans street band music. They explore the culture of New Orleans in the 1920's, and perform a closer examination of Armstrong's music.