Name: Mary Haviland, Ahad Althumayri, James John
Date: 02-26-2014
Grade level: 2nd Grade
Content Area: Social Studies
Lesson Title: Traditions & Celebrations around the World
Lesson # 1
Total Time allotted: 157 minutes (2hours 37 minutes)
GOALS
Content Standard(s):
State Core Standards: Historical Knowledge: Relate significant events and eras in local, state,
United States, and world history to past and present issues and developments.
State Content Standard: 2.3 Identify and describe community celebrations, symbols and
traditions and explain why they are important to some people.
ESOL Goal (Function): Describing People, Places, and Things
OBJECTIVES
Content Objective: Students will be able to write sentences describing people, places, and
things two out of three tries using I noticed… and I observed… sentence frames when discussing
the celebration of Kwanzaa as well as explain why it is important to some people.
ESOL Objective (Forms): Adverbs
I: I noticed ____________.
EA: I observed ______________.
Targeted Language Skills:
 Reading: Students will read in order to complete a graphic organizer answering WH
questions about Kwanzaa.
 Listening & Speaking: Students will discuss their answers for their graphic organizer
in pairs as well as work together to create a skit using their assigned vocabulary words
in small group.
Learning Strategy (ies):
Think pair share, vocabulary role-play, visual scaffolding, word sort, read pair share, group
work/partner work, multimedia presentations, and comparing and contrasting using a Venn
diagram.
PRE-REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
Students will know how to use an iPad to make a video. Students will know how to be respectful
when learning about new topics that may be different and unfamiliar to them. Students will be
familiar with the learning strategies used as well as with the graphic organizer used. Students
will know the expectations for working both in groups and with a partner. Students will also
know the closure chart/sticky note routine at the end of the lesson.
MATERIALS
Song “Around the World” – Children’s Music Video, projector, screen, computer, Holidays
Around the World: Celebrate Kwanzaa: With Candles, Community, and the Fruits of the Harvest by
Carolyn Otto, Celebrate Kwanzaa Graphic Organizer, vocabulary index cards, pocket chart, images for
each vocabulary word, word sorting chart, markers, copies of vocabulary words, construction paper,
tape, crayons, iPad, Venn Diagram, My First Kwanzaa by Deborah Newton, sticky notes, closure chart
PROCEDURE
** Under normal conditions, this much would not be done in one day**
Anticipatory Set (or Motivation or Hook or Building Background)
7 minutes:
Students will watch a short video that introduces the new unit of cultural traditions &
celebrations. The video is titled Song “Around the World” – Children’s Music Video. This video
will give students an introduction to some of the different kinds of traditions there are throughout
the world. Students will Think Pair Share with their partner next to them and discuss something
that they liked and/or something that they learned in the video.
Teaching (and Modeling)
45 minutes: The teacher will explain that they are beginning a new unit about different celebrations
and traditions around the world and they are going to learn about the different celebrations and
traditions that exist around the world and why they are important to some people. In addition,
there will be expectations set up that allows the students to know that even though some of these
traditions are different from their own, it is okay and there is nothing wrong with that. Making
fun of and/or negative comments about any tradition will not be tolerated. The celebrations will
include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and Three Kings
Day.
Today’s focus will be Kwanzaa, so the key vocabulary words will be Kwanzaa, kinara,
Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, Imani, karamu, cooperative, collective,
practice, and teach. Vocabulary Role-Play, the teacher will read the story My First Kwanzaa by
Deborah Newton stopping as we come across key vocabulary to discuss together as a class.
Students will practice pronouncing the vocabulary as we go along, especially as some words
have particularly difficult sounds. The teacher will reread the page fluently after the vocabulary
is explored. As we come across each vocabulary word, put the key words on the pocket chart so
the students can see the words clearly. Using Visual Scaffolding, the teacher will have an image
to go along with each vocabulary word to help students connect the new vocabulary to visual
images. That means the teacher will hold up an image to go along with each new vocabulary
word. After the teacher reads the story and all of the vocabulary words have been put in the
pocket chart, the students will have a class discussion about ways in which they have seen the
words used in the past. Then students together with the teacher will do a word sort. The teacher
will have prepared a word sorting chart labeled “movement words,” “names for things,” and
“descriptive words.” The teacher will ask the students if any of the words have similar meanings
or if any of the words are names for things (nouns). Students will identify any movement words
and place them together.
Independent Practice (or Independent Application)
20 to 25 minutes:
Using Read, Pair, Share, students would read Holidays Around the World:
Celebrate Kwanzaa: With Candles, Community, and the Fruits of the Harvest by Carolyn Otto
pages 14 through 26 with their partner. Students would be reading to answer the following
questions on the Celebrate Kwanzaa graphic organizer: 1) What is this story about? 2) Who
celebrates this tradition? 3) When is it celebrated? 4) Where is it celebrated? 5) How is it
celebrated? If students cannot answer a question, they must return to the text to find the answer.
After all students have answered the questions, students would discuss this assignment as a class.
Guided Practice (Group Application)
60 to 75 minutes:
Students will be divided up into groups of five and each group will be given a set
of four to five new vocabulary words. There will be two sets of vocabulary words. Three groups
will have the first set of vocabulary (Kwanzaa, Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, and Ujamaa). The
other three groups will have the second set of vocabulary (Kwanzaa, kinara, karamu, Kuumba,
and Imani). Each group will have at least one member who is a strong reader. Students will be
creating a scene/skit in which all the new vocabulary words are used. Students will have group
time to work on their scripts and practice performing their skits. Students will be encouraged to
make and use simple props; however, they are not required.
Using Multimedia Presentations, each group will have an opportunity to go out into the
hall to record their skit using an iPad. That means that one member of each team will be
recording the skit using an iPad. All students are familiar with making a video with an iPad due
to previous projects. Students will be told that they have one take at this, so they need to have
practiced and be ready to perform in one shot.
After each group has recorded their skit, students will sit on the carpet and watch each
groups’ performance. The teacher will set up expectations of respectful behavior during each
performance. After each group video is shown, discuss how each of the words were used and
celebrate students’ use of the new vocabulary. As a class, students will compare and contrast the
uses of the words by each group. The teacher will emphasize how the different groups used the
words in different contexts as well as the ways the words were used. The teacher will have a
Venn diagram prepared and ready for when it is time to compare and contrast.
Closure (or Expansion)
3 to 5 minutes:
Students will pick one or two of the following sentence starters and complete the
sentence on a sticky note. The sticky note will then be stuck on the closure chart. The sentence
starter choices are: 1) I was surprised that… 2) Today I understood… 3) I have a question
about… and 4) I am still confused about…
DIFFERENTIATION (or MEETING VARYING NEEDS)
Sheltered Instruction strategies are highlighted in the procedure. All students can take part in the skit
using vocabulary words. There are many roles that each person could play. Sentence frames can help
students develop answers to the questions during Read Pair Share. For students who cannot handle high
volume noise, such as when groups are preparing a skit or during videos, they can wear the sound
limiting headphones. Students with special needs or a developmental delay could be given the
vocabulary words at an earlier time, so that they are aware of the new words prior to teaching the lesson.
ASSESSMENT
Informal: Students will record a skit using five new vocabulary words with an iPad. The
teacher can keep a running log of key aspects of the skit to go over either during each
video or to review at a later time. This is a tool that the teacher can use to see what
students understood and what may need to be revisited.
Plans for formal: After a lesson on each celebration, students could be asked to write a
story describing one of the studied celebrations and why it is important to some people.
REFLECTION
1. What did your students learn in relation to the lesson objective(s)?
a. Did they meet the objective? Did your ELLs meet the objective?
b. How do you know?
2. Did you make any changes to the lesson plan as you were teaching it?
a. Were the sheltered strategies appropriate for the ELLs?
b. What other support did they need during the lesson?
3. What would you change about this lesson?
a. Changes in the lesson plan?
b. Changes in your pedagogy?
4. How will the results of this lesson impact your delivery of the lesson in the future?
5. What did you learn?
It is also important to consider ELLs’ progress in terms of language usage and ESOL objectives.