Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
September
Brief Description of the Activity:
The students will discover what makes the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the
secular
New Year different. The similarity between the Jewish New Year and the secular new
year
is the idea of "resolutions." Jewish culture sees Rosh Hashanah as a time for human
being
to grow and change. Hearing the sounding of the shofar is the first commandment on
Rosh
Hashanah. The shofar is a ram's horn is a three-thousand-year-old musical instrument
that
is blown into like a trumpet.The high-pitched blasts of the shofar make an urgent sound
that
remind all to reflect on the past year and the year to come. Students will make a shofar
out
of brown paper bags. Each student will cut the paper in a triangle, then write on the
triangle a
resolution that they have for the upcoming year, roll it into a horn and the teacher will
secure
it with tape or a staple. Each student will blow their resolution through the horn during a
Rosh
Hashanah celebration.
Religion of Origin:
Jewish
Books:
Happy New Year! by Emery Bernhard
The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays by Malka Drucker
Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride By Deborah Bodin Cohen
Sliding Into the New Year By Dori Weinstein
Web Sites:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/jewishnewyear/default_cdo/jewish/High-Holidays.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/jewish.htm
Extension Activities:
Students can research how other countries or cultures use sound as an observance.
The
students can share the sound (using a computer or other audio device) and the reason
for the
sound’s with the class.
Students will pick a sound that is prevalent in their life and share it with their classmates
explaining why it is an important sound in their life.
Groups of students can use Happy New Year! to find other cultures that celebrate New
Years.
They will jigsaw by creating 3 different symbols of the specific culture’s new year and
write
something about the specific New Year on each symbol.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
Students will see that people in multiple cultures create goals for themselves to make
their life
better and reflect on their past. They will also learn about how sounds relate to
celebrations.
El Grito de Independencia
(Mexican Independence Day)
September 16th
Brief Description of the Activity:
The students will listen to the story of Mexican Independence Day and learn about
the colors of the Mexican Flag. Each color is symbolic to the Mexican people; green
symbolizes independence, white symbolizes religion, and red symbolizes union.
Each student will make a trumpet decorated with green, red, and white for El Grito de
Independencia. On each color the student will write something that they believe is why
Mexicans tried to gain their Independence. At 11:00 a.m. (not p.m. as the students would
not be at the school) the teacher will ring a bell and all the students will give the grito (cry
of Independence) by shouting “Viva Mexico!” and making noises with their trumpet.
Country of Origin:
Mexico
Books:
Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo by Dianne M. MacMillan
Stories of Mexico's Independence Days and Other Bilingual Children's Fables by
Eliseo "Cheo" Torres and Timothy L.,Jr. Sawyer
My Mexico / México Mío by Tony Johnston
Web Sites:
http://www.inside-mexico.com/featureindep.htm
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2825-el-grito-the-cry
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/10/viva-mexico-guidemexicanindependenceday-celebra/
Extension Activities: .
Students can research different other countries’ flags. Displaying the flags on a bulletin
board or around the room, each student will share what the flag colors represent with the
rest of the class.
Groups of students will learn more about Mexico’s culture by creating brochures to
entice people to visit Mexico. Each student in the group will have one section of the
brochure; general facts, historical places, common vocabulary, traditional dishes, ect.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
Students will relate to the idea that people want freedom and this can be seen around
the world. The idea that Mexico celebrates it’s freedom with a great celebration allows
students to see the pride that Mexico has in it’s accomplishment. Students will be able to
observe different colors representing different or similar values for different countries.
Rosh Hashanah
September
Brief Description of the Activity: I will first start off by reading the literature, Sammy Spiders
First Rosh Hashanah, by Sylvia A. Rouss. Then I will send them back to seats to make their own
Shofar and explain what it symbolizes in this holiday. Once that is complete I will set out apples
and honey for them to eat as a snack while we discuss what we learned.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Jewish
Books: Sammy Spiders First Rosh Hashanah, by Sylvia A. Rouss.
Web Sites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N8Mom-6n8A
This website shows the blowing of the Shofar on this particular holiday.
Extension Activities: After we discussed the holiday and ate the apples and honey, I will extend
the activity by having the students write letters to the world by stating what they learned about
the holiday and what they thought was most interesting about it.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: I will explain to them that just because they don’t have the same
religion, doesn’t mean that anyone is different than they are. I will then make it a point to do a
similar and different list of traditions the students have as well as Jewish people have during
Rosh Hashanah. This will help the students see the similarities this holiday has as well as the
differences that they should be educated on so they can expand their knowledge on holidays
other than their own.
Mexican Independence Day
September
Brief Description of the Activity: I will begin the activity by reading the literature, Stories of
Mexico’s Independence Day. After, I will tell the students a story of a tradition that I have been a
part of during my life. I will then ask students to identify a few traditions that they are familiar
with as I write the ideas on the board. After I will show the students where Mexico is on the map
and briefly describe the country. I will inform them of what a fiesta is and that an example of
one in Mexico is Mexican Independence Day. I will then explain to the students that just as the
United States have reasons from history as to why we celebrate our independence, so does
Mexico. Each student will think of reasons why a country would want to have independence or
freedom from another country. The students will then pair up and share their ideas with two
other classmates.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Mexican
Books: Stories of Mexico’s Independence Day, by Elisea Cheo Terres
Web Sites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdsrp-k8nCE&feature=related
This website shows a Mexican Fiesta in progress which will help give the students a visualization
of how they are gone by.
Extension Activities: I will explain that different countries have holidays with which we may be
unfamiliar: In Mexico, holidays are called festivals or fiestas and I will go over what a fiesta is
and some ways they are celebrated. I will then have a Mexican Independence Day celebration in
the classroom. The students will make Mexican hot chocolate and I will bring in polvorones, a
Mexican food, to eat. They can wear green, red, and white while Mexican music is playing:
dancing will be involved as well.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: I will review information regarding fiestas once more and explain
the events that take place in Mexico on the eve of Mexican Independence Day and on Mexican
Independence Day. We will define as a class the concept of tradition and then I will ask the
students what they do every year the same way. Examples of traditions I will provide for the
students for them to relate to will be, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Birthdays. Lastly, the
students will write a story of a tradition that they have; some students will share out load to the
class.
Yom Kippur
October 7, 2011
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The first thing I will do for this activity is to give the students a little bit of
background about Judaism. I will pass out small sheets of paper with characteristics of
the Jewish religion, or not, and ask them to categorize the statements as either true or
false on the board. This will help me to determine what students know already about the
Jewish religion, and to explain certain aspects that they do not already understand.
Next, I will read On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Cathy Goldberg
Fishman. Before I begin reading I will tell the students that this is the story of a Jewish
holiday, and to pay special attention to the ways that people celebrate in this story. I will
point out some pictures while reading and help students identify things such as the
lighting of a candle. This book is the story of a Yom Kippur celebration from the
viewpoint of a young girl. It explains the traditions of Yom Kippur and walks us through
the importance and good feelings of the Jewish celebration. After the story we will
discuss the way they celebrated in the book, and how it is similar to how we celebrate and
different to the way we celebrate holidays. We will create a class venn diagram on the
board comparing the way we celebrate and the way our characters celebrated in the
story.
Third, I will ask the students to take out their journals and I will give them two
prompts. 1. How do you feel when you do something wrong? 2. How do you feel when
someone forgives you? I will ask them to choose which one they would like to complete
and write a paragraph response. We will link our feelings to how the Jewish people feel
during the times of Rosh Hashanah (the 10 days leading up to Yom Kippur) and Yom
Kippur.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Judiasm
Books:
The Magic of Kol Nidre : A Story for Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur with Bina, Benny, and Chaggai Havonah (Artscroll Children's Holiday
Series)
High Holy Days Machzor: A Prayer Service for Young Children and Their Families
Yom Kippur: A Family Service
On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Aladdin Picture Books)
Web Sites:
http://www.bje.org.au/learning/judaism/kids/holydays/YK.html
http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/yomkippur/yomkippur.php
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/YomKippur/
http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/4589/jewish/Guide.htm
http://partysupplieshut.com/yom-kippur/yom-kippur-party-games.htm
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to
your students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity
above.)
Another activity we will do is to have students become familiar with the Hebrew
calendar. We will look at this calendar and compare it with our 12 month calendar. Then
the teacher will explain how to use it to find the date for the start of Rosh Hashanah and
the date of Yom Kippur. I will give each student a Hebrew calendar and a standard
calendar (for October only) and we will record or findings on our classroom calendar. I
will also ask them to decorate October 7, of their calendar with one of the celebration
techniques we talked about in class.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting,
appreciating, and finding value in others who are different than they.)
Developing respect for others starts by getting to know their customs, traditions
and the way they feel. In this activity, we will be comparing the way Yom Kippur is
celebrated with the way we celebrate holidays. In addition, the journal activity will help
students think about the feeling of forgiveness and wrongdoing, and how Jewish people
feel during this holiday. We will learn that Yom Kippur is not much different than a
holiday we would celebrate in America.
Deepavali “Festival of Lights”
October 26-30
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
For this activity, students will break up into different centers. The first center will be a
web search. Each student will be given a worksheet of questions to answer about Deepavali and
will use the web pages provided at the top of the worksheet to find the answers to the
questions. Students will be able to work together or divide the task. However, each student will
fill out their own worksheet.
The second center will be pictures of fireworks in American and Deepavali celebrations.
Students will be asked to look at these pictures and draw a picture of their favorite type of
firework. They will also be asked to write about an experience where they saw fireworks, and
share their experience with their group members.
The third center will be the “how to center.” At this center there will be cards and rules
about how to play rummy. Rummy is a game that some families play to celebrate Deepavali. It
is a game that we now play in America.
Once the students have gone to all three of the centers, we will gather together as a
group and debrief. For the first center we will go through the research worksheet and record the
correct information about Deepavali. For the second we will take a closer look at the pictures
and discuss the similarities and differences between the celebrations. For the third, the teacher
will be prepared with additional pictures of common games we play in America. I will tell the
students that all of these games, just like rummy, are borrowed from other countries. The
students will try to determine what country the games were originally created in. The answers
will be revealed on the back of the picture.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Singapore, Malaysia and India
Books:
Lights For Gita
Lighting a Lamp: A Diwali Story
Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights
Diwali by Denise M. Jordan
Diwali by Christina Mia Gardeski
Divali Rose by Vashanti Rahaman
Web Sites:
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/diwali.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/hinduism/diwali.shtml
http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/activities.html
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your
students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.)
For the rest of the year we will set up a once a month game day. Every month two or
three students will bring in their favorite game, along with instructions how to play and a
background of the origin of the game and how it came to America.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating,
and finding value in others who are different than they.)
The fireworks and game center of the classroom in this activity each help the students to
relate an aspect of this holiday to their own life. For example, students will realize that they
celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks just as people in Malaysia, Singapore and India
celebrate Deepavali using fireworks. Also, learning the new (or maybe old) game, and
incorporating this extension activity, will help the students see that we are all connected.
People all over the world play the same or similar games, and we all have fun playing them.
United Nations Day
October
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children? The students will break
into four groups and will each be assigned one of the four main purposes of the United Nations
(To keep peace throughout the world, to develop friendly relations among nations, to help
nations work together to improve the lives of their citizens, to be a centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations). Each group will be asked how they feel they could best carry out their
purpose. The students will then write a letter within their group to the United Nations
explaining their strategies to better the world.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: International
Books:
United Nations from A to Z by Nancy Winslow Parker
Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation by Jacqueline Jules and Jef Czeka
Web Sites: www.un.org
www.Cyberschoolbus.un.org
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your
students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
The students will refer back to the four main purposes of the UN and model them in our
classroom. As a class, the students will create a contract addressing how peace can be kept
within the classroom, how the students can have friendly relations with one another, how the
students can work together to improve the day of other students and how the classroom can be
a centre for all of the students and their ideas to come together. The students will create these
contracts (one for each purpose) on chart paper and they will be hung around the room for
students to follow as a code within our classroom.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating,
and finding value in others who are different than they.)
The students will learn to appreciate others through the extension activity. They will have to
consider how to resolve conflict, when someone has a different belief other than theirs, in a
positive way. They will learn to appreciate each other’s talents that are brought into the
classroom by practicing how they can make their peers feel happy and valued. The students will
practice working together and having positive interactions with one another in order to present
a unified class. Finally, the students need to join together, regardless of their differences, to
make the classroom a place where they can all exhibit their best qualities and feel confident and
secure with their peers.
Yom Kippur
October
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
During the activity I will read from the book Lent, Yom Kippur, and Other Atonement Days and
the students will discuss the different traditions of Yom Kippur such as fasting, prayer, candle
lighting and not wearing leather shoes. For this activity, the children will all make slippers to
wear throughout the day.
We will have a discussion about giving up wearing shoes for the day. I will ask the students how
they feel about this. How others will perceive them? Is this is fair?
Materials: Cardboard
Sequins
Glue
Scissors
Shoelaces
The students will create their shoes and wear them for the remainder of the day.
At the end of the day, we will then have a class discussion about how they felt about wearing
the shoes. I will ask them if they felt comfortable. Why or why not? Did it make them realize
anything?
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Jewish
Books:
The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story by Jacqueline Jules and Katherine Janus Kahn
Lent, Yom Kippur, and Other Atonement Days (Holidays and Celebrations) by Amy Hackney
Blackwell
Web Sites:
www.chabad.org
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your
students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
For an extension to this activity I would ask the students to go home and suggest their families
practice spending a Saturday without shoes on. I would ask them to discuss with their parents
the questions we discussed in class and then come back and share with the group on Monday.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating,
and finding value in others who are different than they.)
The children are accepting others by literally putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. They
are practicing a tradition that they would not normally practice to see how it feels to be a Jewish
boy or girl celebrating Yom Kippur. It’s something they may think is silly but once they see how
they are treated they may feel differently.
Diwali
October
Brief Description of the Activity:
First the students will need to complete a scavenger hunt set up online about Diwali, to
find information on why and how it is celebrated. Once the students have gathered all their
information, they will get in groups to discuss their findings. Next, the students will have to
discuss how his or her own religion or faith celebrates the New Year. Here the teacher will give
the students about five minutes to discuss and then switch groups. During this the teacher will
monitor the groups to make sure that they are comparing and contrasting what they just
learned with their own lives. Then in groups the students will get materials needed for an
activity. These include: strips of colored paper, glue/stapler, and markers. One each strip of
paper the students will write down each other’s religion or faith, as well as one New Year
tradition. Then place the strips on top of one another, and staple or glue all of them in the
center. Once the strips are together, hold the center of the pile and fold the paper up and down.
This will create a firework shape that can be hung on the ceiling throughout the room.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. People who follow this Hindu religion around
the world celebrate this holiday between mid-October and mind-November. This holiday
celebrates the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom. This holiday is in conjunction with the Hindu
New Year. Diyas, which are special lamps, are lit to light so the goddess Laksmi can find her way
into people’s homes. Laksmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The diyas are lit as well as
other candles and fireworks to symbolize the guiding light.
Books:

Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights by Dianne M. MacMillan

Lighting a Lamp by Jonny Zucker

http://hinduism.about.com/od/top10diwalishoppingsite/tp/diwalibooks.htm
(Top six Diwali books for children)
Web Sites:

http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Holidays/diwali/ (information)

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/diwali/ (information)

http://www.kidsgen.com/events/diwali/ (information and resources)

http://holidays.mrdonn.org/diwali.html (information and resources)

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/diwaliartscraftsideasprojectskids.html(resou
rces)

http://www.ehow.com/how_2061649_teach-children-diwali.html (information)

http://www.sandalwoodproductions.com/peacetree/classroom.html (resources)
Extension Activities:

Venn diagram
o
Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Hindu New Year with American
New Year.
o


Can be a whole class discussion, group work, or individual work.
Create rangoli patterns with chalk
o
See resources links for instructions on how to make patterns.
o
This can be done as an individual art project or as a whole class mural.
Make paper lanterns
o
See resources links for instructions on how to make the lamps.
o
The lanterns can be placed in the classroom to represent lighting a pathway for
the goddess Lakshmi.

Sculpt diyas from clay
o
Create these lamps by making small clay pinch pots.

o
Also, see resources links for other methods.
o
The lamps can be lit at a calming or quiet time during the day.
Prepare traditional Diwali foods (sheera, kheer, muruku)
o

See resources links for recipes
Song:
o
LITTLE LAMPS
Tune: "London Bridge"
Little lamps are burning bright,
Burning bright, burning bright.
Little lamps are burning bright.
It's Diwali.
See them lighting up the night,
Up the night, up the night.
See them lighting up the night.
It's Diwali.
Liz Ryerson
o
In small groups, have the students talk about the significance of the song, and
why the song was made.
o
Students can also create their own song to go along with the holiday and
perform it.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
This activity will allow students to explore other cultures and their celebrations. From
this the students will take what they have learned and compare it to what they already know,
and what is similar to his or her own life and culture. Many cultures celebrate the New Year, but
many cultures celebrate it in a different way. This activity provides students with the
opportunity to talk to other students about the unique ways different faiths and even cultures
celebrate the New Year. The firework activity is another way for students to have hands on
experience when learning about this celebration. The firework holds all of the faiths and
traditions of all the students in the classroom. All are bound to each other in the firework,
representing a light of the new year. Many faiths and cultures share this light in multiple ways
through candles, lamps, and fireworks. This activity will help bring the classroom together
culturally.
El Día de la Raza
October
Brief Description of the Activity:
For this activity the students will participate in creating a classroom heritage quilt. The
quilt can either be made out of real fabric (with fabric paint or markers) or out of paper. This
activity can also be done with puzzle pieces to form a complete puzzle at the end. The students
will have to each talk to their parents, grandparents, and/or guardians about his or her heritage.
The students will be looking to ask questions such as: What traditions and symbols of their
heritage are most important to them? Then the students will write down at least three things
that can be put on their square of the quilt. This is a great way to get family members involved.
After the three or more facts, each student decorates one square of the quilt with the important
information they have gathered about their heritage. After the students finish their square, each
student will share what he or she put on their piece of the quilt. After everyone has shared, the
class will need to put the quilt together, and all of the different squares of the quilt will
represent the cultures and heritages of the classroom. Lastly, hang the quilt either in the
classroom or hallway so others may look and see the quilt everyday.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
This holiday is celebrated in Latin America as well as a few countries in South America.
This holiday is based off of Columbus Day, but it has a different meaning to the Hispanic
population. It celebrates heritage and pride in where you came from. It is called, “the day of
the race.” It was named this because of the new race that was formed when the Europeans
integrated with the Spanish population. Nowadays, the holiday is a celebration of heritage.
Books:

Latino Holiday Book: From Cinco de Mayo to Día de Los Muertos--the Celebrations and
Traditions of Hispanic-Americans by Valerie Menard

Jean Marzollo, “En 1492”, Scholastic, NY, 1991. (Ilustrado por Steve Björkman.)

Un Libro Ilustrado Sobre Cristobal Colon/Picture Book of Christopher Columbus
by David A. Adler and illustrated by John Wallner
Web Sites:

http://anacleta.homestead.com/celebrations.html (resources)

http://people.uncw.edu/martinezm/Handbook/html/traditions.htm (information)

http://www.educar.org/educando/DiadelaRaza.htm (information)

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED089910.pdf (resources)

http://www.cgb.edu.co/download/Flash.pdf (resources)
Activities:

Venn Diagram
o
Create a Venn diagram that compares and contrasts Columbus Day with El Día
de la Raza.
o

Prepare Hispanic food for the students to try (empanadas, tortillas, gazpacho)
o

Can be a whole class discussion, group work, or individual work.
See resources links for recipes
Song:
o
PAZ Y LIBERTAD
Para los niños de todo el mundo
queremos paz y libertad.
Para los niños de todo el mundo
queremos paz y libertad.
Paz, queremos paz
y libertad en este mundo.
Paz, queremos paz
y libertad en este mundo.
Ya no más hambre, ya no más guerra,
queremos paz en esta tierra.
Ya no más hambre, yo no más guerra,
queremos paz en esta tierra.
Paz, queremos paz
y libertad en este mundo.
Paz, queremos paz
y libertad en este mundo.

Poem:
o
A Cristobal Colón (Poema)
Del puerto de Palos
partió Colón,
con tres carabelas
y un gran corazón.
Soñaba con tierras
lejanas tal vez,
adonde llevarles
su amor y su fe.
Un doce de octubre
a ellas llegó
y en nombre de España
tomó posesión.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
The quilt is a tool to show the students just how different but similar people are to one
another. Each student can take turns explaining their heritage and the items on their squares.
Students that have the same or similar heritages may have different items on their squares. This
allows the students to see the differences and similarities between each student and their
heritage. Explain to the students that the quilt shows that despite how different each one of us
is we can become united, like the quilt. Differences and similarities still allow us to become one.
NOVEMBER
WHAT IS AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH?
 In 1990 President George Bush Sr. declared November National American Indian
Heritage Month on November 3. The purpose of National American Indian
Heritage Month is to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. This
month is to promote awareness of the American Indian culture, events, and
achievements. We have gained a better understanding of the history of Native
Americans through oral stories and stone pictures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY: WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE CHILDREN ?
 This activity would be an introductory lesson to a unit on Native Americans.
Students will listen to the teacher read a tale written by the American Indians.
The teacher will introduce the genre folklore and tales. Students will be able to
identify American Indian values and importance of the community and nature.
Students will then be asked to write a folktale based on their families values. As
an extension students will paint the story on a stone similar to the Native
Americans of the past. Teachers should encourage their Native American students
to share their knowledge on Indian folklore. Parents and family members should
be invited to the classroom to share tales and the history of Native Americans.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
 This holiday is observed in the United States.
BOOKS:
1. The Storytelling Stone: Traditional Native American Myths and Tales by Susan
Feldmann
2. Coyote Stories for Children: Tales from Native America by Susan Straus
WEB SITES:
 TEACHING RESOURCES – SMITHSONIAN EDUCATION
 http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/a
merican_indian_resources.html
 AMAZON. COM – LIST NATIVE FOLK STORIES
 http://www.amazon.com/Native-American-folk-storieschildren/lm/R3CSRNK9WKJB15
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
1. Students will be called to the reading rug. The teacher will read the book Coyote
Stories for Children: Tales from Native America by Susan Straus.
2. The class should have a discussion on the values of Native Americans. Students
should be scaffold to mention important values and adjectives/characteristics of
the Native American culture.
3. Students will be asked to write their own personal folklore based on their families
values and traditions.
4. Students will then have the opportunity to paint their story on a stone block.
Students will be encouraged to use natural paints such as fruits and vegetables as
the native Americans would have in the past.
LESSON IN APPRECIATING OTHERS:
 This lesson will help students get a better understanding of the mind set and value
of Native Americans. As an introductory lesson, students will use their
knowledge gained from the folklore to conduct further research.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS "DAY OF THE DEAD"
NOVEMBER 1
WHAT IS DIA DE LOS MUERTOS?
 Dia de los Muertos is also known as the Day of the Dead is predominately
celebrated in Mexico and other areas in South America. Many Latin
Americans celebrate this holiday in Texas and California where the make up
the majority of the population. This holiday serves as a day of remembrance
where family members celebrate the lives of their dead family members. Dia de
los muertos is celebrated between October 31st and November 1st. Although this
might seem like a holiday of mourning, Dia de los muertos is a day of color,
celebration, and happiness.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY: WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE CHILDREN?
 Students will construct an ofrenda after listening to the story Chatter Blash! A
Day of the Dead Celebration by Richard Keep. Students will be asked to make
personal connections to the celebrations by creating their own ofrenda and will
participate in a fiesta. Latin American students will be asked to help educate other
students in the classroom. * These students can bring in a family member to
educate the class or a personal item that will be appropriate for the holiday.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
 This holiday is observed in Latin America and Mexico
BOOKS:
 Clatter Bash!: A Day of the Dead Celebration by Richard Keep
WEB SITES:
 Movie clip on student created Ofrendas - Dia de los Muertos: Young People's
Ofrenda.
o http://vimeo.com/16290239
 Information, articles and pictures galleries
 http://www.mexconnect.com/tags/day-of-the-dead?type=Article
 History, crafts, glossary, and teacher/students website
 http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES :
1. Decorate the classroom with colorful streamers and age appropriate skull
decorations. Ask students before conducting lesson to bring in pictures of family
members that have died.
2. Group students on the reading rug and read Clatter Bash!: A Day of the Dead
Celebration. Prior to reading the book, show students pictures and discuss their
meaning.
3. Display pictures of ofrendas on the whiteboard or smart board. Write Ofrenda on
the white board and call on students to discuss what it is and stands for. Who is it
for? What is displayed in the picture?
4. Have students create their own ofrenda. Students are encouraged to research
online and in books what is put in ofrendas. Provide students with craft materials
and time to construct it.
5. Have students share completed ofrendas as a class.
6. Ask students if they know any other ways to honor the dead. Students are
encouraged to make connections to dia de los muertos to their own lives.
7. Show students pictures of shrines from the Japanese and Chinese cultures. Have
students create Venn diagram highlighting similarities and differences.
8. Teachers might choose have a fiesta and give skull candy to their students after
student allergies are reviewed.
LESSON IN APPRECIATING O THERS:
 This lesson will help students gain a better understanding on the many different
ways people celebrate love ones that died. Students will gain this understanding
by creating their own ofrenda for their family members. Teachers should
emphasize this day as a happy celebration and students should gain similar
feelings rather than fear when remembering the deceased.
Dia De Los Muertos-“Day of the Dead”
November 2nd/3rd
Country of Origin: Mexico
Background Information: Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala
and other areas of Mexican/Latino culture. Day of the Dead is celebrated around the same
time as Halloween and the Catholic celebration of All Saints Day. This holiday is a way to
celebrate and remember family members who have died. Although this holiday is associated
with death, it is not a sad, depressing time, but a celebration of life and happiness. The main
symbols of the holiday are skulls and skeletons. Families usually visit the gravesites of their
deceased relatives during this celebration. This celebration stresses the importance of
recognizing the cycle of life and death.
Brief Description of the Activity: To teach students about the Day of the Dead I would
begin by telling them some background information, reading them a story about the Day of
the Dead (from list below) and asking any students if they have ever celebrated Day of the
Dead. Together, we would make a list of some important aspects of the holiday. Then we
would create another list comparing the Day of the Dead celebration to our own American
celebration of Halloween. I would ask students for both similarities and differences between
the two. As an activity for the students, they would create their own Calavera masks, similar
to those worn by people during the Day of the Dead celebration. If students have any family
members that have passed, they may want to decorate their mask in remembrance of them.
Students can also share their masks with the class.
Materials (for mask):
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Calavera mask sheets
Crayons, markers, colored pencils
Glitter, buttons, feathers, etc.
Glue
Yarn
Scissors
Books:
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Ancona Daz, George. Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. New
York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books,1993.
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Carmichael, Elizabeth and Chloe Sayer. The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the
Dead in Mexico. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1992.
Muller, Birte. Felipa and the Day of the Dead. New York: North South Books,
2004.
Winter, Jeanette. Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book. New
York: Sandpiper Books, 2006.
Web Sites:


Teacher resources:
o http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/teachers/teacherpacket_edited.
pdf
o http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnescelebrations/day.html
General information about Day of the Dead:
o http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html
o http://www.celebrate-day-of-the-dead.com/day-of-the-dead-facts.html
Extension Activities: To extend students knowledge about the Day of the Dead, you could
include Spanish integration activities. Students could learn a few Spanish vocabulary words,
especially those found in the Spanish poem, Calaveras. Students could also write their own
poems about Calaveras, using some of the Spanish words.
“Calaveras Poem” (Spanish)
“Calaveras Poem” (English)
Ahi viene el agua
Here comes the water
por la ladera,
Down the slope
y se me moja
And my skull
mi calavera.
Is getting wet
La muerte calaca,
Death, a skeleton
ni gorda ni flaca.
Neither fat nor skinny
La muerte casera,
A homemade skeleton
pegada con cera.
Stuck together with wax
Spanish Words--Day of the Dead
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flores - flowers
ofrenda - offering
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dulces - candies
calavera - skull
naranjas - oranges
calaca - skeleton
canas - sugar canes
pan de muertos - Day of the Dead bread
cultura - culture
Eid-al-Adha-“Feast of the Sacrifice”
November 6th
Religion of Origin: Islam
Background Information: Eid-al-Adha is one of the major holidays of Islam. This holiday
celebrates the sacrifices Abraham to show his commitment to Allah. Today, Muslims
celebrate by having a large feast. An animal is sacrificed and the meat is divided with some
given to the poor and the rest eaten at the celebration. Eid-al-Adha takes place on the last
day of Hajj, the celebration of the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Brief Description of the Activity: To begin teaching students about Eid-al-Adha, I would
ask students what they already may know about the Islam religion. Together, we would
come up with a list. Since many students may not be familiar with the religion, I may read a
book to introduce the religion, focusing on a few of the main parts such as the Five Pillars. I
would then talk to the students about the generosity of the Islam culture (Pillar 3:
Almsgiving), by reading the book, Aminah and Aisha’s Eid Gifts. As a class, we would
discuss what it means to be generous and why that is important. As an activity, I would have
students write a paragraph about who they would give gifts to and what kinds of gifts they
would give. Students will also illustrate their writing.
Books:
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
Giliani-Williams, Fawzia. Aminah and Aisha’s Eid Gifts. Goodword Books,
2003.
Walker, Robert. Eid-al-Adha: Celebrations in My World. Crabtree Publication:
2010.
Web Sites:


Teacher resources:
o http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/eidaladhalesson.htm
General information about Eid-al-Adha:
o http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/eidaladha.
htm
o http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/eid-al-adha.html
Extension Activities: As an extension activity, we would further our discussion on
generosity. I think it is important for students to see the benefits of giving rather than
receiving. Together, we will brainstorm ideas that we could share our gifts with the
community. Students could bring in canned food items to give to their local food pantry.
This could be incorporated into a school wide giving effort as well. Students could also share
gifts that aren’t materialistic, such as helping
Lesson in Appreciating Others: There are many ways this lesson can connect to
appreciating others. As students brainstorm gifts they can give to others, they will also be
thinking about gifts they have received. I think it is important to stress the idea that gifts do
not have to be materialistic, but can be more of personal gifts you can share with others.
Students should be able to see different ways they can share their talents and gifts with
others, as well as how fellow students, friends and family members share their gifts with
them.
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
November 1 and 2
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The activity will begin with me giving the students a brief background of Dia de los Muertos.
After, I will read the story, Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead by Kathleen Krull and I will
ask the students to listen to the story and brainstorm ideas of any similar holidays that we have
here in the United States (Halloween and Memorial Day). After the story is finished the students
will share any similarities/differences to any holidays that are here in the United States. We will
create a chart and come to the conclusion that Dia de los Muertos is a combination of our
Halloween and Memorial Day. Next, I will show the students examples of papel picado which are
paper designs that cover the towns during Dia de los Muertos. We will briefly discuss materials
and designs found on typical papel picado in Mexico. I will have multiple examples the students
can compare and contrast. This will help the students realize that the holiday is a time for
celebration, not mourning. The students will then make their own papel picado with tissue
paper and scissors to decorate our classroom. The student’s designs do not have to be typical of
what is seen during Dia de los Muertos. They can be simple organic shapes or more detailed
depending on the grade level.
Country of Origin: Mexico
Books:
A Gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead, Nancy Luenn
Beto and the Bone Dance, Gina Freschet
Day of the Dead: A Mexican-American Celebration, Dian Hoyt-Goldsmith
Day of the Dead, Tony Johnston
El Dia de los Muertos: The Life of the Dead in Mexican Folk Art, Maria Teresa Pomar
Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead, Kathleen Krull
Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead, George Ancona Daz
The Spirit of Tio Fernando:A Day of the Dead Story, Janice Levy
Web Sites:
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-education.html
http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/dayofthedeaddiadelosmuertoscraftsactivitieskids.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ03066/links.html
http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/97-98/97-98_units/97-98miniunit/HMcCarty_DiaMuertos/El_Muertos.html
Extension Activities:
1. Creating a calavera mask. These masks are worn during Dia de los Muertos and usually have a
skeletal look to them. There are many templates on the internet. The students can decorate
them with markers, stickers, glitter, or feathers. The students will create the mask in honor of
someone they have lost. If they are comfortable sharing the student can share their mask to the
class and explain who it is in honor of. Each student will write a brief description of their mask
and who it is in memory of. I will display the masks and descriptions around the classroom.
2. Analyze traditional calavera poem as a class and then have students write their own Dia de los
Muertos poem
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
This lesson will help students appreciate others by looking at Dia de los Muertos and similar
holidays that we celebrate in the United States such as, Memorial Day and Halloween. By
creating a chart and comparing and contrasting these holidays the students will see that people
in Mexico celebrate similar holidays to us. Although some of the traditions they do during Dia de
los Muertos, such as picnics in the cemetery are different there is still the same underlying
theme that we celebrate during Halloween and Memorial Day. My extension activity of creating
calavera masks ties in a Mexican tradition to beliefs we have here in the United States of
honoring our deceased. Overall, the students will learn that although there are different
traditions that people use in Mexico they are still celebrating similar holidays to us in the United
States.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: In order to use this lesson as way to appreciate others, I would
have students reflect on the similarities and differences between the Day of the Dead celebration and
Halloween. Students may write about their own personal similarities and ways they can see
connections to other holidays they celebrate. I would also teach students about the idea that
although people may celebrate different holidays, we all still have many of the same values, such as
remembering family members who have passed and taking the time to remember and acknowledge
them.
Eid al-Adha
November 7
Background on Eid al-Adha:
Eid al-Adha is one of the most joyful of Muslim holidays. “This festival, which comes at the end of the
Hajj, remembers an event in the life of Ibrahim, which is the Arabic name for Abraham. Ibrahim was
chosen by Allah to share the word of the Unity of God. He had a single son, Ishmael. The Koran tells the
story of how Ibrahim was commanded by God to take his son, Ishmael, to the mountaintop and there to
sacrifice him to Allah. Allah wanted Ibrahim to prove to him that he truly was obedient. Ibrahim took his
son to the mountain with a heavy heart. He built a fire. He bound Ishmael. As he was about to kill his
son, Allah sent Gibril, a messenger angel, to stop him. He brought the message that by being obedient,
Ibrahim had truly made a sacrifice. Muslim people gather in the Mosque to remember Ibrahim’s
sacrifice. They gather in their homes later to feast and to share gifts.”
(http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/eidaladhalesson.htm) The family will slaughter an animal
and eat a third, give a third to friends and give a third to the poor at this time as well.
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
To begin this lesson I believe it will be important to give the students some background on Mulisms and
Islam since many students will have minimal knowledge or only a negative view on these two topics. I
will read any of the books I have provided below (except the first) to give the students background
knowledge on the topic. After we will have a short discussion on how Muslim’s and Islam is different
than some of the things we believe in. I will mention the five pillars of Islam and that Eid al-Adha is part
of the third pillar, Zakat (almsgiving). Next I will read the story Aminah and Aisha’s Eid Gifts. After the
book is finished we will discuss the types of gifts that are talked about in the story, they may be different
than gifts we exchange here in the United States. We will define the terms “generous” and “almsgiving”
and the students will learn that gifts do not always have to be material things, but can also be things we
cannot see. The students will color and decorate a present and write their gift on their. I will encourage
the students to think of a gift that makes the world a better place and makes people more accepting of
others. The students will share their “gifts” and I will display them on the wall in the classroom.
Country of Origin: Islam
Books:
Aminah and Aisha's Eid Gifts : Ramadan and Eid Stories Series by Fawzia Gilani- Williams)
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr by Deborah Heiligman
Islam: Budi’s Story by Holly Wallace
Muslim Child: Understanding Islam through Stories and Poems by Rukhsana Khan
Web Sites:
http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/eidaladhalesson.htm
http://specialed.about.com/od/integration/a/threeholidaysunit.htm
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~msa/aladha.htm
http://www.theholidayspot.com/eid_ul_adha/
Extension Activities:
1. Look more in-depth into the five pillars of Islam and do a small activity for each pillar.
2. Since families on Eid al-Adha give a third of the meat of the animal to the poor our class could do a
food drive and donate the supplies to a local food shelter.
3. Bring in a typical Muslim food, such a kheer which is eaten on holidays like Eid al-Ahda. Have the
students try kheer and discuss if they like it or not.
4. Have someone who practices the religion on Islam come into the class and discuss the importance of
Eid al-Adha and the typical traditions.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
This lesson helps students learn to appreciate others because they are learning about a holiday that
many of the students have not heard of before. They will be learning about another culture and religion
at the same time. By reading the books in the beginning of the lesson the students will hopefully remove
any negative stereotypes they have developed. The students will see that although their traditions and
reasoning behind the traditions are different that they are still similar to us. They spend time together as
a family and feast like we do during many of our holidays. On Eid al-Adha they also donate food which
sometimes people do during the holiday season in the United States.
Hanukkah
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
For this activity a read a-loud will be preformed by the teacher with the students using the books listed
below.
Country of Origin: Israel, Jewish religion.
Books: Polacco, P(1996). The tree of the dancing goats. New York: New York: Simon & Schuster Books
For Young People.
Kalman, B(1993). We celebrate hanukkah. New York: N.Y.: Crabtree Publishing Company.
Web Sites: http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/hanu4.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/holidays/
Extension Activities: The teacher will put the students in groups of fours and ask them to do research on
Hanukkah using the internet. Using the websites listed above and the books that were read each group
will write two facts on an index card and then share their facts with the rest of the class (Tonello).
Lesson in Appreciating Others: The teacher would send home a letter home to the parents of the
students requesting that if they are from the Jewish culture, would they like to come in and speak about
Hanukkah and prepare some of the traditional dishes that accompany the holiday (Tonello). However, if
no family members or students are available from the culture the teacher and students will prepare
some of the traditional food and the students will create a dreidel to take home. The instructions on
how to make a dreidel can be found on the following website.
http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=35979&ESP=SA/ib/20081003/acq/WinterHolliday
Printables///WinterHoliday/img////
References
Kalman, B(1993). We celebrate hanukkah. New York: N.Y.: Crabtree Publishing Company.
http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=35979&ESP=SA/ib/20081003/acq/WinterHolliday
Printables///WinterHoliday/img////
http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/hanu4.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/holidays/
Polacco, P(1996). The tree of the dancing goats. New York: New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young
People.
Tonello, T. Teacher.
Kwanzaa
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
For this activity a read a-loud will be preformed by the teacher with the students using the books listed
below.
Country of Origin: Africa, African American Heritage.
Books: Ford, J(1997). K is for kwanzaa: a kwanzaa alphabet book. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Medearis, A(2000). Seven spools of thread. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Web Sites: http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/kwaa1.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/holidays/
Extension Activities: The teacher will break the students of into groups of four and assign each group
one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa to research using the internet websites and the books read in
class. After each group has researched their principle they will write on an index card what the principle
is. What it means and how they can apply it to the classroom community (Tonello).
Lesson in Appreciating Others: The teacher would send home a letter home to the parents of the
students requesting that if they celebrate Kwanzaa, would they like to come in and speak about
Kwanzaa and prepare some of the traditional dishes that accompany the holiday (Tonello). However, if
no family members or students are available from the culture the teacher and students will prepare
some of the traditional food and the students will create a weaving cloth belt to take home. The
directions for making the belt are located in the back of the story Seven Spools of Thread.
References
Ford, J(1997). K is for kwanzaa: a kwanzaa alphabet book. New York: Scholastic Inc.
http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/kwaa1.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/holidays/
Medearis, A(2000). Seven spools of thread. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Tonello, T. Teacher.
Hanukkah
December 20th – 28th
Brief Description of the Activity:
After reading a book about dreidels to the class, I will teach the students about the symbols on the
different sides of the dreidel. Then I will tell the students the meanings of each symbol. Students will
then construct their own dreidels out of cardstock which will have the dreidel pattern on it. The
students will just need to cut it out and glue it together. Once assembled, the students must draw the
symbols on the sides, and find a partner. Using one of the dreidels, each group of two will play the
dreidel game. This will allow the students to take part in a traditional game that is played during
Hanukkah.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. The name of this holiday translates to “festival of light.” Hanukkah
originated in Jerusalem after the Jews reclaimed their Holy Temple.
Books:
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Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Kimmelman
The Menorah Story by Mark H. Podwal
Papa’s Latkes by Michelle Edwards
The Magic Dreidels by Eric A. Kimmel
One Candle by Eve Bunting
Runaway Dreidel by Leslea Newman
Web Sites:
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http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Hanukkah.htm
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/hanukkah.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/hanukkah
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm
Extension Activities:
While the students are constructing their own dreidels, I will teach them the dreidel song. I will play
Jewish music, and prepare ingredients to make Jewish food such as latkes and sufganiot. After the
students have completed the dreidel activity, I will have them each make their own latke. I will have a
Jewish speaker come in and talk about Hanukkah, and then he/she will show the students how to make
sufganiot. I will also allow any parents/guardians of the students who celebrate Hanukkah to come into
the classroom. This enables the students to learn directly from someone that celebrates the traditions
of Hanukkah every year.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: Students will make paper menorahs, and on each candle, they will write
one thing that they have learned about a student in the class. The students will be allowed to go around
the room and ask each other for one interesting fact about their classmates. Once all of the candles are
completed, I will explain to the students that we are all each other’s “guiding lights.” We will discuss
what they have written down on the candles, and I will hang the menorahs up on the wall, outside of
the classroom, for all to see.
Kwanzaa
December 26th-January 1st
Brief Description of the Activity:
I will start the activity by asking the students what they already know about Kwanzaa. After a classroom
discussion, I will read a book about Kwanzaa to the students. Since seven candles, which represent
seven different principles, are a major part of the holiday, I will have the students make their own seven
candles. I will buy little candles with small wicks on them, and I will set up different stations with various
colors of hot wax. Each student will be allowed seven candles, and they will have to decide what color
each candle is going to be. For each candle, they will have to come up with their own principle which
they feel will make them a better person. The student then needs to record the reasons as to why they
chose certain colors to go with certain principles. Once each student has seven finished candles, they
will decorate a small block of Styrofoam. This block will represent the Kinara, or wooden candleholder,
that is used during Kwanzaa.
Alternative: If it is too difficult for the students to dip existing candles in wax, you can bring in all
different types of birthday candles. The students can come up with seven principles, and then choose a
candle to go with each principle. There must be a reason for the pairing of the principle and candle.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Kwanzaa is an American holiday which is inspired by African traditions. Kwanzaa was founded in 1966
by Dr. Maulana Karenga, who worked at California State University as a professor and chairman of Black
Studies. The purpose of this holiday is to celebrate the values of our ancestors. The name Kwanzaa is in
the African language of Swahili. The English translation of this word, however, is “first fruits of the
harvest”.
Books:
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Imani’s Gift at Kwanzaa by Denise Burden-Patmon
Kwanzaa by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
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Let’s Get Ready for Kwanzaa by Joanne Winne
Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Seven Days of Kwanzaa by Ella Grier
Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis
The Gifts of Kwanzaa by Synthia Saint James
The Story of Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington
Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford
Web Sites:
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http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
http://www.history.com/topics/kwanzaa-history
http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/kwanzaa.html
http://www.kwanzaa.com/
Extension Activities:
I will invite someone into the classroom that celebrates Kwanzaa, so that they may help us make some
authentic Kwanzaa dishes such as Popcorn Nut Crunch, Date and Peanut Salad, Muhindi (corn), or
Jambalaya Salad. I will also open the classroom up to any parents/guardians that celebrate Kwanzaa. I
will have students bring in a cultural food from their own cultures so that everyone would get to try
different types of food. This potluck meal will allow them to celebrate their cultures, as well as learn
about Kwanzaa. I will ask our classroom guest and all of the students to bring in the recipe of what they
have brought in, so that I can compile all of the recipes into a recipe book for each student.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
I will give each student a square of fabric. On their own piece of fabric, each student will draw, with
fabric markers, something which demonstrates at least one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. This
should be something that they have learned throughout the Kwanzaa unit, as well as something that
they have encountered at one point in their lives. The seven principles are unity, self-determination,
working together, sharing profit, purpose, creativity, and faith. Once the squares are completed, I will
have them assembled into a quilt. I will give the students the opportunity to choose which African
fabric, which I have purchased, will go around each of their squares. Once the quilt is complete, I will
show the students that all of their separate squares, which represent their knowledge and experiences,
came together to complete a quilt, which represents the unity of the classroom. I will have some of the
students share what they have created. We will discuss how even though all of the students do not
have identical backgrounds, they still can form a united class and learn from each other.
DECEMBER 21st, 2011: CHANUKAH/ HANUKKAH
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The teacher can read a story about Hanukkah/ give a lesson on the history of Hanukkah and then have
the students make a dreidel. It will be a 3-D dreidel and the students can decorate them using the
Hebrew letters: Nun, gimel, hay, and shin. It can be a fun activity/game for them, but it can also be used
as a decoration. The dreidel represents the phrase “A great miracle happened there” and will be a constant
reminder of this holiday, its traditions and its beliefs.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: JUDAISM
“Chanukah is celebrated every year by Jewish people around the world. It is observed starting on the
25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight days and nights. It is a festive holiday to
commemorate miraculous events that happened many centuries ago” (Essortment.com).
Books:
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Hanukkah by Kate Ohrt and Lily Karr
Hanukkah Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig
Light the Candles: A Hanukkah Lift-the-Flap Book by Joan Holub
Chanukah Bugs by David A. Carter
Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert
Happy Sparkling Hanukkah by Elizabeth Spurr
My First Chanukah by Tomie dePaola
Light the Menorah Jannie Ho
Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book by L aura Krauss Melmed
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel Amy Cartwright
Web Sites:
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http://www.essortment.com/history-hanukkah-21194.html
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/hanukkah/teacher-resources/6627.html
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http://www.101kidz.com/holidays/hanukkah/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/hanukkah-books-for-kids?startat=41&store=book
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/jewish/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/hanukkah/dreidel/
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.)
This activity can be connected to the Kwanzaa activity because they are two holidays that share similar
traditions. For example, the teacher can compare the candle activity from the Kwanzaa activity to the
candles in the Menorah. Also, the teacher can discuss how both of these holidays are celebrated over
numerous days. In addition, the students can connect the dreidel activity by continuing this activity at
home with their families. They can bring their dreidel home and play the game/give their families a
synopsis on what they learned in class. It will be a great way for them to reiterate what they learned and
be an opportunity for them to compare/contrast these ideas to their family beliefs/traditions. A third
activity that the teacher may include is teaching his or her class about the Star of David. It is an
important Hebrew symbol and can be a great way to bring together a unit on Judaism.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
I will assist my students in accepting and appreciating others by making sure they feel welcomed by their
peers. By incorporating the ideas of Judaism, the teacher could create a classroom Menorah in which
each day the students could light a candle and devote their day to finding value in their peers. It would
not be an activity that would force the students to change their familial beliefs, but rather, appreciate
their peers for their diversity. The teacher can also allow the students to do reports on their classmates
and truly learn about the community that comes together to make up a classroom. They will get to know
their peers on a first hand basis and can take the time to appreciate their own beliefs as well.
DECEMBER [26th]: KWANZAA
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The teacher will read a story about Kwanzaa and the students will create an origami candle that
represents the seven- day celebration focused around giving. The students will be given the supplies,
and shown how to create an origami candle. On the candle the students can write a fact about the
holiday/decorate it based off of the lesson. After completing the assignment, the students will then be
able to give the candle to someone they love. It will reiterate the holiday as well as teach students the
true meaning of Kwanzaa. If the students are having trouble making the candle, the teacher can provide
pre-made candles, which then can be decorated.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRATION
“Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long
Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to
bring African-Americans together as a community. He founded US, a cultural organization, and started
to research African "first fruit" (harvest) celebrations. Karenga combined aspects of several different
harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa”
(History.com)
Books:
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Web Sites:
The Children’s Book of Kwanzaa: A Guide to Celebrating the Holiday by Dolores Johnson
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah Chocolate
Kwanzaa by Trudi Strain Truet
Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis and Daniel Minter
It’s Kwanzaa Time! by Linda Gross
The Gifts of Kwanzaa by Synthia Saint James
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http://www.history.com/topics/kwanzaa-history
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/kwanzaa_for_kids.htm
http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/kwanzaa/kwanzaa-crafts.html
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/kwanzaa/
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/kwanzaa/teacher-resources/6638.html
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.)
To connect this activity to my students’ lives, in addition to giving their origami candle to someone they
love, I may also have the opportunity to ask them to bring in can goods for the less fortunate. It will
reiterate the idea of giving and coming together as a community. It could also incorporate the idea of
harvesting fruits and vegetables. The students can come together as a class, and whether they celebrate
Kwanzaa or not, they can give to others who are less fortunate.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
I will assist my students in appreciating/ finding value in others by truly stressing the importance of
diversity. Each student can share with the class their December traditions, whether it is Kwanzaa,
Christmas, or Chanukah and they can help others understand their family celebrations. It is important
that students do not judge their classmates, but rather try to understand/ welcome them into the school
community. A teacher can even create a holiday dinner party (potluck) with his or her class and have
each student bring in a dish from their culture. It will give them an opportunity to share their beliefs, but
also an opportunity for their classmates to listen and appreciate their diversity.
PONGAL
January
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The students will take a virtual trip to India through this series of lessons surrounding the
Indian/Hindu Thanksgiving, Pongal. The first day of the festival is dedicated to the Sun, the second day
to the rain and the third day to the cattle who have helped them plow their fields. We will spend three
days celebrating Pongal because that is how long the tradition lasts, beginning on January 14th. We will
read legends of Pongal that are traditionally read during this holiday as a reminder of the origin of this
festival, such as the Legend of Mount Govardhan and the Legend of Lord Shiva. We will also draw our
own henna designs representing one of the 3 themes (possibly transfer them onto our hands) and learn
a traditional Hindu dance.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
India/Hindu
Books:
-Kids Around the World Celebrate: The Best Feasts and Festivals from Many Lands by Lynda Jones
-Do! By Ramesh Hangadi
-The Ghost Catcher- A Bengali Folktale by Martha Hamilton
Web Sites:
General Information- http://hinduism.about.com/od/pongal/a/pongal.htm
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/pongal.htm
http://blessedmom.hubpages.com/hub/Pongal-activities-for-kids
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24057665/Pongal-The-Harvest-Festival-e-book
Dances- http://festivals.iloveindia.com/pongal/dance.html
Henna Designs- http://www.hennapage.com/henna/what/gallery/index.html
Extension Activities:
An extension of this activity would be to connect the Indian Thanksgiving to our tradition of
Thanksgiving in the United States. Students could even explore how other countries other than the US
and India celebrates Thanksgiving. It would be interesting to create a venn diagram or other kind of
organizer to display the similarities and differences between the two holidays.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
These activities will help students to appreciate the cultures of other people because they will
be learning about another religion that people celebrate on the other side of the world. People often
stray away from things that they do not know much about, but if they learn about the religions that exist
in the world I think they will in turn become more tolerant of the traditions that people practice even
though they are different than their own.
SOLNAL/SOELLAL
Korea
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The Korean New Year is centered on family and the community, but is based off of the phases of
the moon. This would be a good time to teach the students about the phases of the moon and allow
them to track it for themselves. Solnal begins on the lunar New Year, which varies, but usually occurs
between mid-January and early February. Students will track the phases of the moon leading up to
Solnal. On solnal, we will have a small celebration in which we play the traditional Korean board game
Yut Nori. We will also try a dish from this celebration and read about the things children do when
celebrating this holiday.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Korea
Books:
-Green Frogs: A Korean Folktalk by Yumi Heo
-New Clothes for New Year’s Day by Hyun-Joo Bae
-This Next New Year by Janet Won
Web Sites:
General Information:
http://www.123newyear.com/2011/korean-new-year-2011.html
http://www.atesk.org/pages/holiday.htm#solal
http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Article/1037355
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/korean_new_year.htm
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/06/203_38330.html
Games:
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/indoor-crafts6.htm
Crafts:
http://4crazykings.blogspot.com/2009/01/sol-nal-happy-lunar-new-year.html
Extension Activities:
Students can draw pictures of the people that they normally spend New Year’s with as they
celebrate in their own ways. They may also wish to challenge their parents and other family members
to a board game night like the tradition of playing family games on Solnal.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
Students can compare the New Year’s celebrations of the United States in to other countries.
Partnered students can research a specific country’s New Year celebration. They can then find a way to
bring the celebration to life in front of or by involving their classmates. In this way, students learn about
other New Year’s celebrations and then teach each other what they have learned. The students then
wind up learning about many different New Year’s celebrations and can appreciate the traditions of
other countries.
January
January 23, Chinese New Year
Brief description of the activity:
We will learn about the traditions of the Chinese New Year (The “Spring Festival” in China) and all of the
different events that take place. Shooting firecrackers, withholding the consumption of meat, gift
exchanges, red envelopes, lighting candles and praying are a few things that take place during the
Chinese New Year. We will then read Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn to introduce the
students to the events of a Chinese New Year outside of China. Then we will have our own celebration
of the Chinese New Year (with music, dancing and coloring in pictures with red, gold) and then the
students will reflect on the celebration of the Chinese and how it may be similar and different to our
New Year celebration. The students will also figure out their zodiac sign for the Chinese New Year. They
will also create their own red envelopes and instead of including money in the envelope, they will write
down something important to them and we will share them with the class.
Country of Origin: China
Books:
Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn
Web Sites:
http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/chinesenewyear.aspx
Extension Activities:
In order to connect this lesson to the students’ lives, they will reflect on the Chinese New Year and how
it may be alike or different from our New Year celebration. Having the opportunity to reflect further on
what they have learned and relate it to our culture and tradition will tie together the lesson and provide
them with information they will remember throughout their education. Also, reading the book and
answering questions (What would you do with 4 dollars? Why do you think he gave his money away?)
will help them apply what they have learned to real life situations.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
I will bring up the story again, and remind the students how Sam did not originally appreciate the money
he was given for the Chinese New Year. I will then ask them to tell me what made him change his mind,
and why they think it caused the decision he made. Then we will talk about appreciating others and
helping people who cannot help themselves, similar to the way Sam helped the homeless man by giving
him his money. Even the Chinese seem like a “different type” of people so when the students learn
about their traditions, they will hopefully appreciate the Chinese as well.
January
January 7, Rastafarian Christmas (Lidät)
Brief description of the activity:
Ethiopians celebrate Christmas just like we do, but they celebrate it on January 7. Because of their
religion and beliefs, they celebrate their Christmas differently. It is against their religion to eat meat,
so they celebrate with a vegan or vegetarian feast. They do not celebrate with trees or snow, and
only children receive presents. To introduce this holiday, I will ask them to reflect on the way they
celebrate Christmas. Then we will talk about Rastafarian Christmas and their traditions. We will
listen to Rastafarian music, burn frankincense incense, and discuss the similarities and differences
between a Rastafarian Christmas and the way we celebrate Christmas. They will be introduced to
new vocabulary words (vegetarian, vegan, feast, Genna, etc.) and they will be asked to make
sentences about this holiday using the new words they just learned, tying everything together. After
they form their sentences, we will post them on the wall and make a collage about Rastafarian
Christmas.
Country of Origin: Ethiopia
Books:
Websites:
http://www.santas.net/ethiopianchristmas.htm
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/christmas-traditionsaround-the-world-ga4.htm
Vocabulary:
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Genna
Vegetarian
Vegan
Feast
Worship
Incense
Extension Activities:
What do we do on our Christmas day that the Rastafarians do as well? We go to church, we have a
nice dinner with our family (Rastafarians don’t eat meat, but they still celebrate with their family!),
we enjoy the company of others and we enjoy sports. Giving them the opportunity to see that we do
some of the same things may also provide them with a chance to apply what they are learning to the
real world. We will then watch a short video of the Rastafarians playing “Genna” or “Leddat”, which
is their version of traditional hockey. This will also help them make real-world applications from
this lesson.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
The students will have an opportunity to reflect on what their favorite part of Christmas is and
what they think is most important. Similar to the Rastafarian Christmas, the most important part of
Christmas for us is family. Although the Rastafarians have a different religion than us, we are all
alike in the sense that we just want to be around family during Christmastime. We should
appreciate all other because although they may look different or celebrate differently than we do,
we all work toward the same goal and beliefs: Family is important and we all just want to be loved.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
JANUARY
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
In this activity, the students will be read the
In this activity, the students will learn the traditions of the Chinese New Year by enacting the
parade of the dancing dragon. The students will read the books about the holiday and learn about the
“dancing dragon.” Then the students will work in groups of 4 and create a dragon costume that will fit all
of them. The students will show off their costume while creating a dance and taking turns under the
head of the dragon.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
This holiday is part of the Chinese culture and it celebrates the beginning of a new calendar year. The
traditions of this holiday originated from a myth of a beast call Nian. “Nian would come on the first day
of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the
villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after
the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the
Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was
afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would
hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten
away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by
Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.”
Books:
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Tikki Tikki Tembo
By Arlene Mosel
The Dancing Dragon
By Marcia K. Vaughan, Stanley Wong Hoo Foon (Illustrator)
Dim Sum for Everyone
By Grace Lin
Web Sites:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/kids-books/
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/chinese-new-year/teacher-resources/6603.html
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
An activity that would connect this holiday to the student’s lives would be creating red paper
cuts and couplets. The Chinese use these to hang on their doors during the new year festivities. A
couplet is a vertical line of poetry that a usually printed on scrolls and hung from doors. On the couplet,
the children will create a poem that explains what fortunes they desire in the coming year. Then these
poems will be hung from the doors on the day of the holiday, January 26.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
In this activity I will assist the children in understanding and appreciating different people’s
cultures, beliefs, and religions. The Chinese culture is very different from many found in the U.S. so it is
important for the children to realize other children’s backgrounds.
AUSTRALIA DAY
JANUARY
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
An activity that can be done for Australia to teach the students about Australia’s, geography, culture,
animals, people, etc. would be to use the jigsaw teaching technique. There will be different stations
that teach facts about Australia. Each person in a given group will go to different stations, then return to
their original groups and share what they have learned with their group.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Australia's holiday to look back proudly on their achievements and celebrate the prospect of a successful
future. the date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the
proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland. This day is
celebrated similarly to the United States Fourth of July
Books:
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Are We There Yet?: A Journey Around Australia
by Alison Lester
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Why I Love Australia
by Bronwyn Bancroft
My Farm
by Alison Lester
Possum Magic
by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas
Web Sites:
http://www.jewishaustralia.com/australiaday.htm
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/australia.html
http://australia.mrdonn.org/index.html
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
To extend on the original activity, students will be able to compare Australia to the Unites
States. They can compare the animals that are considered “wild” and the resources available in the
different regions. Also, they will be able to compare the countries as originally British settlements, but
understand that before the British settled, there were indigenous people living there, many of which, do
not appreciate and celebrates Australia Day and the Fourth of July.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
In this lesson, I will assist the students on understanding the indigenous people that lived in
both countries before the settlement, that now live on reservations.
Valentine’s Day
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
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Discuss ways that students’ families observe special days. If holidays are observed in the school,
discuss ways that this is done in school as well. Elicit the exchange of Valentine’s Day cards as
an example.
Discuss the ways that different cultures celebrate Valentine’s day. Asian countries have two
Valentine’s days- Feb. 14 and March 14. February is the time when females send males
chocolate and in March the males return the favor and send white chocolate to their Valentine.
In other countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and India, not everyone is allowed to celebrate this
day. In Spain only people in love get and give presents. Friends or families do not exchange
notes or presents. (http://silverinternational.mbhs.edu/v202/v20.2.02a.Valentine.html)
In Denmark, February 14 is mainly a day for the young. It's a time for romance and exchanging
of love tokens. Here, the festival is celebrated in a very conventional manner. Young people
send to their beloveds a valentine card on this occassion. The Danish valentine card is famously
known as a "lover's card". Earlier, these came in the form of transparent cards which, when kept
before light, reflected the picture of a lover handing over a wonderful present to his beloved.
Nowadays, many newer varieties of lover's cards have come up and every year before
Valentine's Day card shops all across the country are seen to be stacked up with colorful and
musical lover's cards containing lovely Valentine messages. Another Danish Valentine's Day
custom is to send pressed white flowers called Snowdrops to friends. The season of love is also a
time for fun what with many Danish men sending to their ladylove a form of valentine known as
a gaekkebrev (or "joking letter"). This gaekkebrev is a type of romantic letter that contains a
rhyme penned by the sender himself. The fun part of this custom is that the letter doesn't have
the name of the sender. Instead, the lover signs the message with dots...one dot for each letter
in his name. If the lady whom he sends the gaekkebrev correctly guesses his name, he rewards
her with an Easter egg during Eastertide.
In Germany, it is customary for a young man to present his beloved with flowers on February 14
(http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/around_the_world.htm)
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
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Ancient Rome (Saint Valentine)
Books:
Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda- a story about how Valentine’s day began
I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse- a great story about loving people the same amount
Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli- a story to show how much people can really just
need to be loved
Web Sites:
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Suggest that nowadays we often send ecards (electronic greetings) instead of paper cards.
Review previous discussions of internet safety. Tell students that they will be able to take turns
sending greetings to their parents.
Valentine’s day around the world: http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valworld.html
History of Valentine’s Day http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day
Math related Valentine’s Day activities http://www.math-drills.com/valentines.shtml
More Valentine’s Day vrafts, activities, printables, etc. http://www.edhelper.com/valentine.htm
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.

Have each child draw a name out of a basket. Each child is to decorate a large heart with
the child’s name written in black. After they decorate the large heart, they hand them in.
Every morning for 20 days (the number of days depends on class size) the children come
in and have a heart on their desk. They have to write one positive thing about the name
on the heart. They cannot repeat a comment. It does get difficult but if they really think
about the person they can come up with something.
When all the hearts have 19 comments, they make a great bulletin board for all to read
and feel great about!
This is a great way to show students how important it is to show love and positivity to
each other all the time.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
Valentine’s day is a very widespread holiday that is celebrated around the world in almost every
country. Each family celebrates it differently, though, depending on their culture. The important
message that children should gain from this lesson is that it is important to show our love throughout
the year. although Valentine’s day is a significant holiday in our culture, we need to show love ever day
of the year.
Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad)
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
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I will inform students on the significance of Muhammad and the significance of this
celebration in Islamic culture. This date is important to Muslims because the birth of the
Prophet Muhammad is regarded as a great blessing for the whole of humanity.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
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Islam
8th Century Mecca
Books:
Eid Milad An Nabi: (Birthday of the Holy Prophet) - Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam
Web Sites:

Information about Muhammad
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/muhammad_1.shtml

Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
One major component of this celebration for Muslims is donating to charity. I think that charity is
important to teach to students as well. This can carry over to other holidays as well. If we celebrate the
holiday and find a way to give back to the community, students thereby gain a connection between the
holiday and charity.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
I think it is important that this is a holiday that I knew nothing about before searching for it. This lesson
can be taught to the students as well. Students should seek knowledge about other cultures and
religions in order to understand who they are as people. Even if it is not a religion that is typically
celebrated in their home, having a respect for other religions and having knowledge about other
religions will help to bridge the gap between differences and sameness.
Ayyam-I-Ha
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
With the children I will read some stories about Ayyam-I-Ha and explain that this holiday is about
gift giving, much like Christmas and Hanukkah, but it also it very important to give and share and
celebrate service for others. The children can brainstorm ideas how to help someone in the
community i.e. decorate cookies for the nursing home, make a mitten tree for the local children’s
home, or make cards for veterans or sick patients. Also, we can make an Ayyam-I-Ha countdown
chart filled with fun facts and quotes, which is something that Baha’i families often do.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Baha’i
Books: Maggie Celebrates Ayyam-I-Ha Patti Rae Tomarelli
The Ayyam-I-Ha Camel Cher Holt-Fortin
The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving Ellen Sabin
Web Sites:
http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=54
http://bahai-invitation.com/feast/ha/ayyamiha00.html
http://www.incultureparent.com/2011/01/ayyam-i-ha-craft-advent-stylebanner/
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your
students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.)
I think that bringing this idea of service into the classroom during various holidays around the
world will help students relate the gift-giving holidays back to giving to others that are really in
need. I.e. for Christmas, we can learn about the holiday and then go sing carols at a nursing home or
hospital. The idea that everyone needs to give back will be reinforced by a number of holidays from
all different religions and cultures.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating,
and finding value in others who are different than they.)
I think that teaching about the camel that brings the Baha’i children’s presents is important. By
comparing this back to the gifts children receive from Santa, we can see the similarities between the
two religions. This holiday has such intrinsic value in it and by teaching its roots and about why
giving is important and should be celebrated by everyone we can see that not only Baha’i people
have celebrations like this one.
El Dia Del Amor Y La Amistad
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
I will begin by introducing children to key words that have to do with the holiday in Spanish.
(Amistad, amor, te quiero, te amo) These words will be written on the board along with “El Dia Del
Amor Y La Amistad” which means “The Day of Love and Friendship”. I think that the about.com
description of the holiday is very good, so I will read that out loud to the class. The holiday is very
much about telling the people you love and care about that you appreciate them, and I think it is
important that it is also about friendship. For an activity we will make handmade cards for loved
ones using our new Spanish vocabulary. Another possible activity (for older children) would be to
use Spanish/English dictionaries to write poems in the cards.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Mexico
Books: Franklin Dice ‘Te Quiero’ (Franklin Says ‘I Love You’) Paulette Bourgeois
Adivina Cuanto te Quiero (Guess how Much I Love You) Sam McBratney
Everyone Says I Love You Beegee Tulpa
Web Sites:
http://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/p/valentines_day.htm
http://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2011/02/feliz-dia-del-amor-y-laamistad/#axzz1XtUSEDxX
http://www.temelink.com/holidays/How_To_Say_I_Love_You_In_Severa
l_Languages.htm
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your
students’ lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.)
I think that an “I Love You” Around the World game would be helpful because all cultures say “I
Love You” and celebrate their loved ones. One good way of doing this would be assigning different
locations to students and having them do a web quest on how to say “I Love You” in that language.
Then the class can label a big map with all the different ways to say “I Love You”. I think this would
help students apply it to their own lives because they will see how maybe their ancestors or even
relatives say “I Love You” in native languages.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating,
and finding value in others who are different than they.)
The entire celebration is about appreciating the people we care about, so by learning that other
cultures celebrate holidays that are similar to our own, we can see that this appreciation for love is
spread over the world. The students will be challenged to use a new language to tell the people they
love, that they love them and will become proud that they can say it in a new language (which some
of their classmates may speak).
Chinese New Year
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
First I will explain to the children what that just like their classmates celebrate New Years differently
from one another, so do different cultures. I then will break the class into two different groups. Each
group will have an activity to complete then they will switch and complete the other activity. The first
activity will have the children decorating a “dragon” to parade around the classroom. There will be a
worksheet at the station explaining the importance of the dragon to the Chinese. The students will then
take a sheet and decorate it together to make a dragon of their own. In the second activity the students
will learn that the Chinese identify each year with an animal. The year 2011 was the year of the rabbit
and the year 2012 will be the year of the dragon. The students will have a template of a dragon to
decorate using sequins, crayons, tissue paper, pipe cleaners and glitter. After both groups have
completed each station they will come back together as a class and parade their sheet dragons around
the room and hallway.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
China
Books:
Dragon Dance Chinese A New Year
By: Joan Holub
Web Sites:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/chinese-new-year/teacher-nresources/6603.html
This website has many different resources on it, but what I liked most was the music links that you could
play while the children were working in their groups.
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
Before breaking the kids into their groups I will have them meet me the floor in front of the board. Here
I will ask the students, “A month ago was our New Years, how did you and your family celebrate New
Years?” This will get the students thinking about the topic. I will make a list on the board of the
different ways to celebrate New Years and show the students that there so many different ways to
celebrate something and we need to appreciate these different ways. Then use this to introduce the
children to the Chinese New Years.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
The extension Activity could also be used as a lesson in appreciating others.
Mexican Flag Day
February
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
First I will have an American flag next to a Mexican flag and ask the children to compare and contrast
the two flags. After talking about the flags I will read the book Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the
Mexican Tradition to give the children a better idea of the Mexican culture. Then I will have the children
listen to Mexican music while creating paper plate maracas using two paper plates and dried beans. The
Mexican flag will be incorporated on the maracas. Once the maracas are completed the children will
create their own Mexican song using their maracas.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Mexico
Books:
Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition
By: Connie McLennan
Web Sites:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/mexico/
This website has many different resources going along with not just the Mexican Flag Day, but Mexico in
general. There are tons of great activities that can be used.
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
As an extension to broaden the children’s knowledge about Mexico, I could have the children go home
and ask their parents what type of Mexican foods they eat as a family and have them bring in their
recipes to create a classroom cook book of Mexican food they enjoy.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
To do this I could explain to the children that Mexicans have a different way of life than we do, but they
have a lot of similarities to us also. For example they have a flag day like we do, they celebrate like we
do, they may do things differently, but they do the same things we do and we should appreciate
everyone’s differences.
World Day Of Prayer
March (First Friday of March)
Brief Description of the Activity:
One of the mottos for the World Day of Prayer is “What are your gifts? What can you
share?” To keep this activity relevant to prayer, we will start by talking about prayer and asking
if anyone has heard of it, what it means to them, if their religion has a prayer they know, if they
want to share, etc. We will then talk about the motto of the World Day of Prayer and how this
day unites people all over the world because no matter what religion, they can pray in their own
way to their own god/s.
Instead of asking the students to write a prayer or come up with their own, in case of
parental disagreement, I will create an extension off of the motto. Each child will write down two
or three things that they can share with the classroom ie: talented artist, singer, very organized,
can keep track of homework, etc. We will then discuss how everyone is special and can share
and influence our classroom positively. We will also create a set of classroom rules promoting
peace and respect within the class. They will be positive and affirmative rules, however, and
will not start with “no” or “do not”. As a class we will go over our rules, agree upon them, and
hang them somewhere to be seen for everyone.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
All over the globe, some read about were Australia, Chile, all different religions, not just
Christian
Books:
“I'm Like You, You're Like Me: A Child's Book About Understanding and Celebrating Each
Other” by Cindy Gainer
Web Sites:
http://www.worlddayofprayer.net/wdp11.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_7655644_classroom-activities-individuality.html
Extension Activities:
Taken from the above website, take each student’s thumbprint and put it on a white sheet of
paper titled, “I am Thumbody!” Then have each student write two or three more details about
themselves that make them unique or that they can share with the classroom. This will again
emphasize the individuality of each student but still bring the entire classroom together.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: After each of us share our thumbprint facts about ourselves, I
will lead the class in saying, “We celebrate you in all your individual differences”. The first time I
say this, I will ask the students what they think that means, then going into a class discussion on
why we should celebrated differences in one another.
Unity Day, Sudan
March 3
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
This activity will help emphasize and promote unity within the classroom, while learning
about unity day in Sudan. The first website I give has information on what takes place on Unity
Day in Sudan every year and what it stands for. We will read about the day together and learn
about why this holiday takes place.
As a classroom activity, I will have the children each make a tile for a wall mosaic that
we will create. Each student will receive a pre-cut piece of white paper that they will start with,
but they will be given plenty of materials to use such as tissue paper, construction paper, paint,
glue, stickers, pom poms, pipe cleaners, etc. The only rule is that there is to be no white paper
showing. No names will be put on their tiles so that when we put them up, we make a sort of
mosaic quilt that is hung up on a bulletin board and all meshes together. I will not make a model
of what I am looking for just so that the students do not try to follow my example and then in turn
we have 20 of the same tiles. I will, however, make my own to show that I am part of the class
too. When the children are done, I will collect the tiles and wait until the end of the day to hang
them up in random order. The next day when the students come in, all of their tiles will be on the
wall and we will point out how everyone’s is different, but they all work together to make up our
mosaic quilt on the wall. We will relate this to how people are all different, but all still make a
difference, and how everyone in our class is unique, but is part of the class as a whole.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Sudan
Books:
Soder, R., J. I. Goodlad, and T. J. McMannon, eds. Developing Democratic Character in the
Young. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc., 2001.
Tomlinson, C. A. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1999.
Web Sites:
http://www.ehow.com/info_7900644_classroom-unity-activities.html
http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/issues/unity/explore.html
Extension Activities: Another activity to extend the previous one is to have a unity day within
our own classroom. We will start the day off by looking at our mural/mosaics on the wall and
describing what we like about each specific tile. Out unity day could include many activities
throughout the day to correspond to unity and bring our classroom together. The students would
each get a sheet of paper and a partner and would write something nice about their partner. We
would read them aloud and applaud for earch person. This way, the entire class could see
something special or unique about one of their classmates. As the day goes on, we would
participate in group projects, problems that only groups can figure out together, play group
games, and again talk about what kind of classroom we might have if no one got along or if we
did not respect everyone in the class.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: In our activity above about writing down something nice or
special about one of their classmates, students learn to look for the positives in people and
learn to respect others’ differences. As the teacher, I may make statements during our unity day
about students’ special talents ie: “Johnny really did a great job drawing that picture. He helps to
make our art project complete”, “Wow, Sara really took a different spin on how to dance to that
song. Why don’t you show us what you were doing so we can all try?” These comments would
just be to show that even though students are different, we can all respect each other’s
differences and learn from each other.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Greek Independence Day – March 25th
To celebrate their Independence Day, towns and villages in Greece hold a school flag day parade
where the school children march in traditional Greek costumes carrying the Greek flag.
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
To get the students thinking about Independence Day, I will ask the students how they celebrate
the 4th of July, which is America’s Independence Day. I will explain to the students that other countries
celebrate in similar ways.
I will show them pictures and videos of the parade and celebrations from last year, and explain
we are going to have a parade of our own. Instead of holding a Greek flag, we are going to make a flag
they will create and decorate themselves to carry just like the Grecians. However, their flag will be twosided. One side of their flag will be the American flag, but on the other side of the flag they will draw the
flag of their heritage (Italian, Spanish, German, etc.)
Books:
Joint Resolution Designating March 25, 1993, as "Greek Independence Day: a National
Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy." By: U.S. National Archives and
Records Administration
Web Sites:
http://www.explorecrete.com/history/march25.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1436276/Greek-Independence-Day
http://www.greekschoolusa.com/2010/02/25-greek-independence-day.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12vXWNIjlg
- Here is an example to show the children of last year’s parade.
Extension Activities:
As an extension of this activity, I would have the children find out the Independence Day of the
country of their heritage. Since we already know the Independence Day of the American side of their
flag, we can share with each other the other side of our flags we created for this activity. It could be a
group project, or individual, but the students can share with the class a little bit about their country’s
Independence Day and culture, on the specific day it is celebrated.
This could also be a way to get the parents or grandparents involved in their child’s education. If
the grandparents or parents were born in that country, they could come in and talk to the children
about their background or traditions. If they wish, they can make an authentic meal for the students to
try.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
Making the connection to the Fourth of July, something we all celebrate and can relate to, helps
the students create a better understanding of other cultures and their traditions. Through this activity,
they can see that, yes, they are from a different country, but they celebrate in the same ways we do. On
the Fourth of July, all of us wear authentic American costumes when we put on a shirt with the
American Flag on it, and we also have parades where we wave our country’s flag. By showing the
students the video of the parade, they will be able to make the connection to their own traditions in
America and how similar they are to us.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Holi Festival (Hinduism) – March 20th
In places such as India, the Hindu people celebrate the Holi Festival or “Festival of Colors” to
commemorate the Hindu gods Radha and Krishna. But most all it celebrates the coming of spring. In this
celebration the Hindu people paint each other with bright colors.
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
To get the students thinking about the holiday, I will ask the students what they usually
do to celebrate spring? I will read Here Comes Holi: The Festival of Colors, by Meenal Atul Pandya and
show them the YouTube clip of how people in Indian celebrate spring.
Since we can’t paint each other like the people in the video, we are going draw ourselves and
trade with our friends so we can paint each other. I will have a few templates (attached below) for the
children to share so they can trace on heavy card stock paper and cut them out. After they have cut out
their bodies, they can decorate it to make it look like them. Once they are finished creating themselves,
and they have put on their smocks, they can trade with someone or everyone at their table so they are
painting each other without making mom and dad mad. The teachers can also participate in this,
because in India, no one is safe from being painted!
Books:
Here Comes Holi: The Festival of Colors, by Meenal Atul Pandya
A Calendar of Festivals: Celebrations From Around The World, by Cherry Gilchrist
Web Sites:
http://www.holifestival.org/holi-in-india.html
http://indiafairs.dgreetings.com/holi/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPTlfa5LYYE
-
This video shows exactly what goes into making the Holi
Festival so much fun!
Extension Activities:
This celebration of spring is similar to the way we celebrate spring. We color eggs, and people of
Hindu religion color each other. We can make colored water and dip the eggs in one color, or many
different colors like the Hindu people do. This is also something the students can do at home with their
parents to involve them in what they are learning in school.
Another extension activity could be looking at different religions and how they celebrate spring.
We know Christians celebrate by coloring eggs, and Hindus celebrate by coloring each other, but how do
the Buddhists celebrate spring? Do they use colors as well? Maybe if there someone in the class who is
not Christian or Hindu and would like to share with the class how they celebrate spring, they could show
the class differences in celebrations. Looking at all different religions and finding similarities and
differences between them will help the students realize we are not all the same, but we are not as
different as we think either.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
By making the connection between typical Easter, or spring, traditions that are most commonly
celebrated and the way the Hindu people celebrate, we are learning as a class, community, that there
are similarities between those of different religions and backgrounds. For one, we all celebrate the end
of winter, or more importantly the different seasons. By showing the students the video of the Holi
Festival, they are able to experience something they have never seen before, but just because they have
never seen it before does not mean it didn’t look really fun! It shows them that something different is
not bad.
Child Template
Japanese Doll Festival
March 3rd
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
To begin this lesson, I will tell the students that in Japan March 3rd is Girls' Day, which in Japan is known
as Hina Matsuri. Hina means small doll and Matsuri means festival in Japanese. It is a holiday that
celebrates traditional female values. The people make dolls of their girls and pray for their future,
health, growth, and happiness. The doll displays go up around mid-February, and families will take
down the platforms immediately after the festival. It is their belief that leaving the dolls out past March
4 will result in a late marriage for the daughter of the house. We will then make our own dolls out of
eggs. The instructions can be found at this site: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/spring-holidaycrafts2.htm.
Country/Religion of Origin: Japan
Books:
Girls' Day by Minako Ishii
Web Sites:
http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/teaching-kids-about-japanese-festivals/
http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/japan's-hina-matsuri-festival-lesson-plan/
http://www.japteach.com/hina-matsuri.html
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/kimono-doll-bookmark-coloring-page/
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/march/hinamatsuri.html
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/march2.html
Extension Activities:
1. Set up a doll display for the children to place their dolls on.
2. Bring in/make Japanese snack. http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jshoaf/Jdolls/hinafood.html
3. Teach the children the Hina Matsuri song:
Let's light the lanterns
Let's arrange the peach flowers
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a joyful Dolls' Festival
4. Teach some basic phrase words of Japanese –
•Hello - Konnichiwa. (kon-nee-chee-wa)
•How are you? - O-genki desu ka? (o-gen-ki-des-ka)
•Yes - Hai (hah-ee)
•No - Iie (eeee-eh)
•Thank you - Domo arigato (do-mo ah-ree-ga-toh)
•Good Morning - Ohayou (o-ha-yu)
•Good Night - Oyasuminasai (o-ya-sumi-nasai)
•Good Bye - Sayonara (sa-yo-na-ra)
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
This lesson helps students learn to appreciate others by learning how other cultures appreciate each
other. By doing this the children will find it easier to adapt to other cultures traditions. They are
learning about a tradtion that they otherwise would not know and the girls will get to feel special on this
day, while the boys can make a girl in their life feel special. (Boy’s day is May 5th)
Purim
Beginning of March
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
To begin this lesson, I will give the children a little bit of background knowledge of the Jewish culture. I
will then read the book Purim Play by Roni Schotter. After we finish the book, we will discuss the story
of Ester and what freedom meant for the Jews. Once the children understand what it means to be free,
why it is so important, and what would have happened if they were not freed. We will then discuss if
there was ever a time if another group of people had to fight for their freedom. (African Americans, the
Colonists, etc)
Country/Religion of Origin: Jewish
Books:
Purim Play by Roni Schotter
A Costume for Noah: A Purim Story by Susan Remick Topek
The Jewish Lights Book Of Fun Classroom Activities: Simple And Seasonal Projects For Teachers And
Students by Danielle Dardashti
Queen Esther The Morning Star by Mordicai Gerstein
Web Sites:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm#Hamentaschen
http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/354749/jewish/Purim.htm
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/jewish/purim/index.htm
Extension Activities:
1. Make the masks at http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/361581/jewish/Mask.htm and put
on our own version of the play.
2. Make the cookies from the back of the book or from this site:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm#Hamentaschen
3. If there is a Jewish family in the class, they can come in and talk about their tradition and how they
celebrate Purim.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
This lesson helps students learn to appreciate others by showing that many cultures and types of people
that have had to fight for their freedom. They will learn that freedom is not something that comes free
and that we need to be thankful for the people that fight for us to live this way.
Kurt Zimmermann
Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday
April 8th
The Children will begin by watching a Youtube video that provides an overview of Buddha’s life.
The teacher will occasionally pause the movie to lead a discussion about what the video shows about
what Buddhism teaches, specifically focusing on how it finds all aspects of life (including people) to be
connected. After the video the students can Think Pair Share about at least three aspects of their
world that displays some level of sameness or connectedness to the rest of the world.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Buddhism originated in India and since then has spread throughout Asia and the rest of the world.
Some consider Buddhism to be a religion but others maintain the belief that it is simply a philosophy.
Books:
A Pebble in Your Pocket – By: Thich Nhat Hanh
Web Sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOTPCcATaAc&feature=fvsr
Extension Activities: The class will make a Bulletin board that will keep track of the number of times the
students do something selfless in the class during the month of April. Also as a homework assignment,
every day a different student will be responsible to go home and discover something about their life that
somehow shows connectedness to the rest of the world.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: Buddhism is all about respecting others. The students will observe in
this lesson how this is not always the case. Specifically we will focus on the caste system in India by
analyzing pictures and identifying a class of people in India known as the untouchables. We will then
connect how it was meeting this class of people for the first time that shocked the Buddha into a life of
understanding and compassion.
Emancipation Day
April 15th
The holiday will be introduced to the students by asking if they know what the word Emancipation
means. If they do not know, then as a class we will look up the word on the internet. The purpose of
this will be to demonstrate proper internet use to the children. Once we have established what
emancipation means. Following this, as a class we will discuss why this holiday may be important in
respect to community and humanity. We will then briefly observe the long ordeal that has taken place
from the time of Emancipation to our first African American President. In order to briefly cover this long
historical time period we will begin by looking at primary sources from the Gettysburg Address. This will
demonstrate for the students how long the fight for racial equality has been. After this we will have a
reader’s theatre of the book Martin’s Big Words. This book has many powerful utterances that children
will appreciate more hearing from their peers as opposed to the teacher. Finally if there is time we will
watch a video clip of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural address.
Country: United States of America
Grade Level: 1st-6th
Possible Books:
Martin Luther King Book Martin’s Big Words By: Doreen Rappaport, Bryan Collier
Follow the Drinking Gourd By: Jeanette Winter
The Color of Us By: Karen Katz
Web Sites:
www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/platform.jpg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4
Extension Activities
The students will write and draw in their journals about why they are happy to be free. Also they will
write about something that they are thankful for that they wouldn’t be able to have if they were slaves.
The purpose of this is to allow the students to take what they have learned and put it in their own words
and/or image. This will help solidify the information as it will be in a context they relate to.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
The story Martin’s Big Words is truly a wonderful piece of children’s literature. It addresses the issue
of civil rights in a very vivid and historically accurate lens. It mentions and depicts tragic times of
violence in America; Violence that came about as a result of the fight for civil liberties. In the end of the
book, Martin dies. I feel like this will sincerely hit home with children, particularly if we ask them at
some point in the book if they feel Martin is a likeable man, and someone perhaps they would like to be
friends with.
Heroes’ Day
April 11th
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
We will have a discussion about what a hero is to us. What makes a hero? We’ll then talk about why this
holiday is celebrated in Costa Rico. I will have the children create an illustration of their hero and write
under the illustration why they consider this person a hero.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Costa Rico
Books:
50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet by Dennis Denenberg and Lorraine Roscoe (Sep 2005)
Heroes by Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee (Apr 1997)
The Children's Book of Heroes by William J. Bennett, Michael Hague and Amy Hill (Oct 6, 1997)
George Washington -- Soldier, Hero, President (DK Readers, Level 3: Reading Alone) by Justine Fontes
and Ron Fontes (Jan 17, 2001)
Web Sites:
http://www.kidsareheroes.org/index.html
http://www.surfnetkids.com/heroes.htm
http://www.educationworld.com/a_sites/sites002.shtml
http://www.911forkids.com/
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
I would ask each of the kids to be a hero in their own life. I want them to help someone in their
community or volunteer in their community. I would then have a class discussion about what the
students did. We would create a chart of the hero qualities each of our good deeds possessed and ask
why what we did was important and how it made a difference.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
The extension activity would help the students to appreciate people and their needs. It will help them to
understand that everyone needs help at time and being a good person and citizen
Passover
April
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?




Students will learn about Passover by watching the video from the BBC website called A
Passover Story
An important member from the Jewish community (such as a priest) would be asked to
come into the classroom to show the items from the Seder meal and explain why each is
important
After the demonstration students will complete the matching activity (website provided
below)
With the help of this person and myself, students would create their own Seder meal in
groups and understand its significance to this Jewish holiday
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
Jewish
Books:
Miriam’s Cup by Fran Manushkin
Celebrate Passover by National Geographic
Web Sites:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/judaism/passover_activities.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/worksheets/pdf/judaism_passover_matchact.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/worksheets/pdf/judaism_passover_whatis.pdf
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
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Miriam’s Cup by Fran Manushkin will be read to the students. The lesson in the story is
that Miriam was encouraged by her faith. The cup which is a symbol of Miriam’s
strength and perseverance is often used in the Seder meal. Therefore, students would
decorate their own plastic glasses with things that encourage them in life written on them.
They would then use these glasses during the Seder meal which will be held in the
classroom.
Students will fill out the worksheet (see attachment) including at least one traditional
food they enjoy during the holidays.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
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Through the demonstration, students will get a firsthand look at the Seder meal. They
will be able to understand that other cultures and religions have traditions as well
although they may be different
Students will share what they have written on their glasses as a class. This will help them
understand that just like Miriam, they each have something that encourages them to do
good in life
Throughout the activities the book Celebrate Passover will be passed around for students
to see pictures of what celebrating Passover looks like. We will have a discussion for any
questions which students may have about the holiday and how it may or may not be
similar to anything holidays they have celebrated
Name _____________________________
The Seder Meal is eaten as a traditional holiday meal for Passover. Fill
out the lines on the plate below explaining atleast one traditional food
which you enjoy eating during the holidays!
Qing Ming
April
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
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The blurb from the book Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats by Nina Simonds
will be read to the class
To reflect on the reading, students will create kites in groups just as the Chinese culture
does during this festival. They fly these kites and cut the strings. This represents the
release of bad luck from their lives
Once students have created their kites they will have a chance to fly them and cut the
strings exactly as they do at the Qing Ming Festival
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
China
Books:
Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats by Nina Simonds
Web Sites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-o8yPQJ-L8
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
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Students will watch the video of the Qing Ming Festival
They will have an understanding that it is a festival which pays respects to ancestors
which have passed away. Pinwheels are often made at the festival (as explained in the
reading) just for decoration or to play with. Students will create their own pinwheels and
write on at least three sections what aspires them to succeed in life as the Chinese culture
believes their dead ancestors help them succeed (one of the reasons for celebration).
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
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The extension activity along with the main activity will develop a greater understanding
for students of the Chinese culture. They will see that certain cultures follow
superstitions that they may not and that this culture is like most in that they honor the
dead. They will understand that it is different in that they have a specific day to do so. I
hope they will find value in this by relating it to their own lives while writing on the
sections of the pinwheel.
Yom HaShoah
May 1st
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
Students will set up and create a blog, supervised by the teacher and write as if they are a child their age
living at the time of the Holocaust. They will do research using books mentioned below and outside
sources as well and write the blog from the perspective of themselves at that time. Students will also be
asked to comment on at least one other student’s blog as well. The idea behind this is that students will
understand and empathize with the children who lived at that age and what they went through.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
This celebration originated in the religion of Judaism as a way for Jewish people to remember those who
had been killed in the Holocaust by the Nazis. It is celebrated on the 27th day of the month Nissan, which
this year falls on May 1st. Traditionally, ceremonies of remembrance and other events are held to
remember those lost in the Holocaust.
Books:
Diary of Anne Frank by, Anne Frank
Number the Stars by, Lois Lowery
Who Was Anne Frank? by, Ann Abramson
Otto, the Autobiography of a Teddy Bear by, Toni Ungerer
Six Million Paper Clips by, Peter Schroder and Dagmar Schroder-Hildebrand
Web Sites:
Teacher Vision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/holocaust/europe/2307.html
Anti-Defamation League: http://www.adl.org/holocaust/Holocaust_memorial_day.asp
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
Students will also write a letter or a few journal entries to themselves to be opened ten years in the future.
This letter should detail what is going on in their lives and anything they deem important or worth
remembering or noting for the future. The letters will them be sealed in an envelope and given to the
teacher to be passed on to future teachers.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
Students will also brainstorm ways that we can remember those killed in the Holocaust similar to the
book Six Million Paper Clips. We will also play Walk the Line to help students to see that even though
we may be different, there is always something you can find in common with someone else.
Cinco de Mayo
May 5th
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
After covering some background information and traditions surrounding Cinco de Mayo, students will
create a comic strip depicting either what happened in 1862, or celebrations that occur in modern day
honoring this event. Students will brainstorm and create a rough draft of their comic strip; it should be
able to fit on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper. After the rough drafts have been created and reviewed, students
will create and color a final copy that will then be put in a class comic book in chronological order.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin:
This is a holiday celebrated in Mexico to celebrate the expulsion of the French militia from Mexico in a
city called Puebla in 1862. It is traditionally celebrated with traditional Mexican food, music and dance
such as Mariachi and Folkloric.
Books:
El piñtero/The Piñata Maker, by George Ancona
Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating Hispanic Pride, by Carol Gnojewski
Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo, by, Diane M. MacMillan
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson
The Complete Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz
Web Sites:
Apples 4 the Teacher: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/cinco-de-mayo/
Kaboose: http://holidays.kaboose.com/cinco-de-mayo/
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
I will communicate with another teacher in a younger classroom and arrange for my students to go and
read their comic book to the younger class and teach them a little about Cinco de Mayo. We can also
connect this to our whole school community by organizing a school wide celebration of the Mexican
liberation from France with traditional Mexican food, music and dance.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
As a class, we can talk about why this day is significant in Mexican history and focus on the oppression
that preceded it.
I will ask students to identify one thing they would have felt if they lived during that time in Mexico on a
sheet of paper to put in a jar. On another sheet of paper, students will write one thing they could have
done to help, one thing they like about the celebrations, or one question they have about the Mexican
culture to put in another jar. Together we will explore these feelings and create a wall of ways in which
we can care for others.
June Multicultural Activity 1
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The teacher will ask the students if they have a favorite holiday? Why people hold celebrations and
what kinds of events are worth celebrating? The teacher will then read the story “Juneteenth Jamboree”
written by Carole Boston Weatherford. The students will then each make a poster advertising the
celebration and the events that will be taking place during the celebration. The class will then put on
their own Juneteenth celebration. They will eat Texan food and listen to African Gospels and then create
dances that they feel slaves would dance.
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: African Americans in Galveston, Texas USA
Books: “Juneteenth Jamboree” Written by Carole Boston Weatherfield
Web Sites:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2301014_hold-juneteenth-picnic.html
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/juneteenth_tg.mhtml
Extension Activities
The teacher will ask the students what is the day that celebrates the United States of America’s
Independence? The teacher will then ask them what they do to celebrate the 4th of July? The teacher
will then talk about what it means to have freedom. Afterwards the teacher will then explain to the
students that they are going to make a bulletin board. The teacher will ask the students, “What freedom
means to them.” The students will then write their responses on their own personal heritages flag. The
students will present them and then the flags will all be hung up.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
The teacher on the front board will make similarities and differences chart between African American
Culture back in the 1800’s and them selves. The class will work as a whole to fill it out the chart by what
they learned about the culture. The teacher will start off the task by asking probing questions. Family
traditions? What they enjoy doing with their family? Foods they eat? The way you dress? The music you
listen to? Etc…
June Multicultural Activity 2
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
The teacher will start off by asking the students these questions and will put the answers on the
board. Have you ever noticed how the Sun moves across the sky during the course of a day? Does the
Sun change its path through the sky from month to month? Are there certain times during the year when
you know through which part of the sky the Sun will travel? The teacher will then go to the website
http://solar.physics.montana.edu/ypop/Classroom/Lessons/Sundials/winter.html and go through each
stage that the sun goes through. After the students have learned about the four stages of the Sun’s
movement the teacher will explain that the summer solstice is celebrated in Sweden on the Eve of the
summer solstice and is called Midsommar. The students will then read “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Country (Culture) (Religion) of Origin: Religion - Lutheran, Sweden
Books: Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Web Sites:
http://solar.physics.montana.edu/ypop/Classroom/Lessons/Sundials/winter.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/381655/Midsummers-Eve
Extension Activities
After reading “Midsummer Night’s Dream” the teacher will talk with the children about the holiday
Midsommar. This holiday happens on the eve of the summer solstice, which is usually celebrated on the
Eve of June 21. The teacher will ask the students to research how people in Sweden celebrate this
holiday and she will ask them if it is similar to the way it was celebrated throughout Shakespeare’s play.
Afterwards the class will celebrate Midsommar in the classroom just like they do in Sweden.
Lesson in Appreciating Others:
The teacher will have the students look up how people celebrate festivals all around the world. The
teacher will use a world map and will pin post it’s to the different areas and the characteristics of their
festivals. (For example: What they eat, entertainment, dress…) The festivals and areas the class will look
at are: Carnival in Brazil, Day of the Dead in Mexico, Chinese New Year in China, May Day in England,
Trung Thu in Vietnam, and finally 4th of July. After going through all of these countries the students will
compare them with our own festivals and celebrations. Thus then students will be able to see how
similar all of the world’s festivals are.
Bastille Day
July 14
Background:
Bastille Day is usually compared to America’s Independence Day which is celebrated ten days before.
Bastille Day is the French celebration of a new form of government. Before the French Revolution,
France had a monarchy where the king ruled the country. On this day in 1789, a group of French citizens
stormed the Bastille where a large number of prisoners were kept that often just didn’t agree with the
king so were imprisoned. The French citizens now held the power in politics instead of the kings and
queens. Every year fireworks are displayed, just like Americans do on the fourth of July as a sign of
celebration.
Brief Description of the Activity: What will you do with the children?
I would open this activity holding an American flag- asking the students to explain to me why we
celebrate the Fourth of July. Once we came to the conclusion that we celebrate the fourth because it
was the day the colonists had won their independence from Great Britain and that America was now a
free country, and free from the king’s control, I would move on. I would then explain that before France
was ruled by kings and queens, just like America was before the American colonists had fought for their
independence. I would then connect this to the French Bastille Day. I would do a mini lesson on the
significance of Bastille Day was and then I would ask the students to decorate French flags to hang in the
classroom. They could include phrases such as “Vive le France.”
Country/Culture of Origin: France
Books:
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelman- Due to the fact that the story takes place in France, you could connect
what the students had just learned to the setting of this story.
Web Sites:
http://www.bry-backmanor.org/holidayfun/bastilleday.html
http://www.helium.com/items/1090617-bastille-day-for-kids
Extension Activities: (Describe a specific activity that will connect this celebration to your students’
lives. Use these activities to reinforce and follow up the original activity above.
I would directly connect this holiday to the Fourth of July because most students in the United States
celebrate every year. They at least understand the idea that this is a celebration that they see during the
summer, every Fourth of July and this directly relates to their everyday lives. They can directly relate to
the French because they too celebrate their country’s independence or freedom by a firework display.
This will allow them to understand the holiday a little better.
An extension of this activity could be to have the students act out the storming of the Bastille. I would
decorate large boxes to look like a jail, and then let the students act out this historic event. The
significance of letting the students act it out allows them to learn by doing. They will hopefully take on
the roles and emotions felt by the French citizens and they will then understand why it was such a
historic and significant day in French history, and also why it is still celebrated today.
Another extension that would tie right into the original activity would be to create a Venn Diagram
comparing and contrasting France’s Bastille Day and America’s Independence Day. Students could then
discuss these two holidays and gain a deeper understanding about each individual holiday and how
similar these two holidays really are.
Lesson in Appreciating Others: (Describe how you will assist children in accepting, appreciating, and
finding value in others who are different than they.)
After connecting Bastille Day to something that the students are familiar with celebrating yearly- the
Fourth of July, it will be easier to get them to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of this
holiday. Students will learn to appreciate their own country, as well as France because they had just
learned that every country has their own special holidays in which they celebrate things, some of which
are similar to America- such as this particular holiday. I will explain to students that it is important to
take time to learn about other cultures and countries because not everybody celebrates the same
holidays as they do.