Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
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...
New York City Department of Education
Learning about Lunar New Year
Rich in images and information, a teacher's guide to the traditions of Lunar New Year's celebrations in various cultures addresses celebrations of Buddhism and Daoism. It includes background information about the origins of the...
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...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Family Traditions
Honor family traditions with a lesson that examines the variety of winter celebrations. Class members discuss their family's traditions then complete a cut-and-paste practice page in which they match a picture to the name of a holiday....
Teaching Tolerance
Thanksgiving Mourning
Two primary sources, a speech, and an article provide tweens and teens with different perspectives of the American Thanksgiving holiday. After analyzing Wamsutta James' suppressed speech and Jacqueline Keeler's article, class members use...
Curated OER
The Differences Among Us
Students compare cultures. In this writing skills activity, students collaborate to chart the tradition and cultural beliefs of their classmates. Students use their finding to write comparative essays regarding the similarities and...
Curated OER
Celebrations
Second graders answer questions after listening to the the story "Celebrating Life Around the World" and verbally identify three ways in which people celebrate special occasions. They then make two verbal connections from their own...
Curated OER
Pooling Common Knowledge
Fifth graders examine Native American cultures. In this diversity instructional activity, 5th graders prepare oral reports based on the research they conduct regarding Native American clothing, holidays, and sports.
Curated OER
"Wedding Celebrations Around The World"
Ninth graders research the cultural implications of wedding celebrations around the world. They study wedding celebrations before creating world map on which they place an appropriately attired wedding couple on the country they studied....
Curated OER
Cultural Representation of Skeletons and Bones
Eighth graders study cultures and beliefs about the final life cycle. In this culture lesson students complete several activities on the origins of Halloween.
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
Spanish Culture Lesson - Cinco de Mayo
Learners role play the characters and events which led to the holiday of Cinco de Mayo. For this Cinco de Mayo lesson, students dance the "La Raspa" dance. Learners complete a Cinco de Mayo word search.
Curated OER
Stereotyping of Native Americans
Here is a lesson that covers the stereotyping of Native Americans in American culture is here for you. Learners see that there are many instances of stereotyping that are an accepted part of our society. After a lengthy discussion, a...
Curated OER
Crayon Box-Family Diversity
Students explore diversity in families. In this social studies lesson, students read the book The Crayon Box That Talked and brainstorm traditions they have with their family. Students create crayon templates with a sentence about a...
Curated OER
Everybody Fiesta: A Unit on Hispanic Celebrations
Learners examine the various types of celebrations in the Hispanic culture. Using the internet, they research customs and traditions of the culture and identify important members of society who are hispanic. They are also introduced to...
Curated OER
Kwanzaa: Invitations and Menus
It's time to celebrate Kwanzaa in the classroom! After studying the traditions of the holiday, learners design a menu decorated in the colors and symbols associated with Kwanzaa.
Curated OER
Let's Celebrate Ramadan!
Students explore and study about Ramadan. They list what already know about celebrations, listen to a variety of books, compare/contrast various celebrations and create a project for each lesson. Each student assesses Kidspiration on the...
Curated OER
What is Kwanzaa?
Describe the general characteristics of Kwanzaa after reading Seven Candles of Kwanzaa. For this Kwanzaa lesson plan, learners study the principles of the Kwanzaa holiday and interpret the principles through music and dance. They...
Curated OER
Celebrating Connections
Third graders examine religious traditions and celebrations. In this Social Studies lesson plan, 3rd graders compare and contrast different religions. Students research a specific religion and prepare a presentation for the...
Curated OER
Winter Celebrations
Students draw and label pictures about holiday customs and traditions from their countries.
Curated OER
Habari Gani: What is the News?
Display creative works of art after learning about Kwanzaa. Kindergartners hear stories about the history of Kwanzaa and its celebrations. They then create artwork, practice African dances and listen to African music.
Curated OER
Traditions and Transformations
Students examine how traditions change over time. In this lesson on Jewish culture, students interview persons of the Jewish faith, write poems, and create murals that exemplify Jewish culture.
Curated OER
Community Celebrations
Sixth graders are introduced to cultural history and diversity that is present in the community in which they live by examining secular and sacred celebrations. Students create scrapbooks to chronicle their family's celebrations.
Curated OER
Holiday Celebrations
Fourth graders explore three cultural holidays and compare and contrast the ways varied cultural groups celebrate their heritage.