WHEN TO DO: November is a great time, however this can be done any time of year.
PURPOSE: Understanding cultures and holidays. This is as close as I will get in brining up religion in the classroom. However, since many holidays have religious backgrounds, this allows an open discussion about different cultural and religious beliefs around holidays.
MATERIALS: Internet, Encyclopedia, books on various holidays, paper and pencil.
SKILL: RESEACH.
SUBJECT: WRITING/SOCIAL STUDIES/READING.
SLO: The student will pick a holiday and write a paper on why it�s celebrated. (The need not have to celebrate the holiday they pick or celebrate holidays at all).
ANTICIPATORY SET: How do you find out why a holiday is celebrated?
ACTIVE TEACHING: One way to find out is to put the holidays name in a search engine on the Internet and see what comes up. Another way would be to look in the Encyclopedia. A third way may be to find a book about that holiday. A fourth way (though not as accurate) may be to interview a person who celebrates that holiday.
GUIDED PRACTICE: Look up Christmas on the Internet and try to find the history behind it. Ask students why they celebrate Christmas. Look up Christmas in the Encyclopedia.
INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE: Have the students pick a holiday and write a paper on the history of it. There are many holidays and celebrations from cultures may also be used. Such as Kwanzaa, Malcolm X day, Christopher Columbus day.
ASSESSMENT: The history of their holiday is clearly and accurately explained and documented. References are included.
EXTENTIONS/ADAPTATIONS:
Who Celebrates what holidays and why (collect and represent this data using a bar graph).
Make the History of Holidays into a class book and give one to each student to take home to share with his or her parents.
Make or draw replicas of holiday items.
Shapes used in different holidays � geometry.