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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
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Lesson Plan
Diane Venzera

Kwanzaa Celebration: Celebrating Family, Community, and Culture

For Teachers K - 3rd
Kwanzaa is the focus of a three-part lesson that celebrates the history and traditions of the holiday. Before lighting the Kinara, scholars listen to a read-aloud of Seven Candles of Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Learners express...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crayon Box-Family Diversity

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore diversity in families. In this social studies instructional activity, students read the book The Crayon Box That Talked and brainstorm traditions they have with their family. Students create crayon templates with a...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Comparing Cultural Holidays

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A lesson 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 de...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages

For Teachers K - 4th
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's All in the Family with Mother's & Father's Day

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students interview family members to make a family tree for a Mother's or Father's Day card. In this family tree lesson, students read Love You Forever and discuss love within families. Students view Genealogy Resources on the Internet...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Federal Holidays

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete various activities pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. They conduct research and complete writing and art activities on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Cultural Holidays

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Learners 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. Learners create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holidays

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils compare the holidays celebrated in the Middle Ages to those celebrated in American culture today. In this cultural tradition lesson, students read Internet-linked articles about holidays of the Middle Ages. Pupils create greeting...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Families

For Teachers 1st
First graders complete a unit on families and family structures. They create a family tree for their own family, construct a family mobile, sort and discuss photos of families from around the world, create a banner of ways to say "I...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore and identify family treasures and research the history to each one. They also organize a variety of artifacts into various categories and research traditional Louisiana artifacts online. Each student draws inferences...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Cultural Holidays

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. For this writing and research lesson students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Thanksgiving

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students examine the history of Thanksgiving. In this writing lesson, students will use Internet research to gather information on a particular Thanksgiving topic. Students will use their findings to compose an article.  
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Awareness/Sharing Traditions

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine and explore cultural traditions that make their own families unique. In groups, they discuss traditions, write about the similarities and differences in the group, and interview other students.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Torn from Each Other's Arms

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students consider how the institution of family suffered under slavery. For this slavery lesson, students watch segments of "Slavery and the Making of America". Students examine the structure of the Driggus family and discuss how slavery...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The State of the Family Timeline

For Teachers 1st
First graders study concepts of time and chronological history. In this early childhood history lesson plan, 1st graders create and interpret a timeline listing historical events and family celebrations using one calendar year.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Passover

For Teachers 5th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
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Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Defying British Rule: Women's Contributions to The American Revolution

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Primary and secondary sources are the focus of a lesson that showcases the important role women played during the American Revolution. Pairs review sources and discuss their findings. A close-reading of an informational text leads the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate With Silhouettes

For Teachers K - 8th
Students explore history of silhouettes, and help create keepsake silhouettes, frame them, or use them to make a special Mother's Day card.
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Lesson Plan
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Education World

You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine the facts and myths that surround the "First Thanksgiving" (the harvest celebration of 1621) at Plimoth Colony. They study the role that historians play in the collection and dissemination of history and use their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing About Holidays

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners research a holiday celebrated by their family and write a studenT story in which they explain the history of the holiday and describe ways in which it is celebrated.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

CELEBRATE!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Can Win Too

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore world history by illustrating an image. In this Mexican culture lesson, students identify the history of the holiday Cinco De Mayo and discuss the challenges the Mexican army faced. Students illustrate a picture...