Alabama Department of Archives and History
Strange Fruit: Lynching in America
To continue their study of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, class members watch the YouTube video of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" as an introduction to an examination of lynching in...
Curated OER
Holidays Around the World
Students explore how different holiday traditions are celebrated around the world. Scholars write a paper describing how they celebrate their own favorite holiday. Email partners, from different states and countries, share their...
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Thanksgiving Holiday
First graders explore American culture by participating in arts and crafts activities. In this Thanksgiving lesson, 1st graders listen to music based upon the Thanksgiving tradition and examine images of the first Thanksgiving. Students...
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Students explore the origins of a traditional Christmas song. They adapt historic lyrics to have meaning in their lives today and fabricate, write, and illustrate an accordion book or card. They compare this song to the words of other...
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Turkey Strut
Students begin moving around the general space using the locomotor movement which you call out, while avoiding stepping inside the hoops. When the music stops they need to find a hoop to stand in, a la "musical chairs"
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Habari Gani: What is the News?
Display creative works of art after learning about Kwanzaa. Kindergartners hear stories about the history of Kwanzaa and its celebrations. They then create artwork, practice African dances and listen to African music.
Curated OER
Spanish Culture Lesson - Cinco de Mayo
Young scholars role play the characters and events which led to the holiday of Cinco de Mayo. In this Cinco de Mayo activity, students dance the "La Raspa" dance. Young scholars complete a Cinco de Mayo word search.
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Winter Wonderland
Students explore various pieces of holiday music. They select a piece of music, record an introduction that describes the style, and record a section of the music.
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Maracas
Students create Maracas out of various supplies while learning about percussion instruments in this Art and Music lesson for the elementary and middle level classroom. Detailed directions for two different methods are given.
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering
Help scholars understand the history, geography, traditions, and art of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Find background information for your reference as well as a detailed cross-curricular lesson plan. Learners compare...
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Celebrate Kwanzaa in the United States
Explore the components of the African American celebration of Kwanzaa in the United States. Complete with learning objectives, a materials and preparation list, and eight days of lesson plans, the resource incorporates the principles of...
Curated OER
Re-Name That Tune: A Vocabulary Activity
Students build vocabulary skills by rewriting the names of some popular holiday songs, and create a fun "Holiday Tune" bulletin board display.
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Holiday Flier in Publisher
Students use Publisher in this lesson to make a holiday flier. In this technology lesson, students create a holiday flier. Students choose fonts, use clipart, use grammar and spelling check, and save to their work to a flash drive or...
Curated OER
Singin' Around the Year
Students explore performing arts by singing with their class. In this music appreciation lesson, students collaborate in groups to read and sing songs based on specific holidays such as the Fourth of July or Christmas. Students define...
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Fourth graders investigate the holidays by performing a song with their class. In this Christmas instructional activity, 4th graders recite some of their favorite Christmas songs and read the lyrics to the song "The Twelve Days of...
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Cinco de Mayo - What is it?
Young scholars, after examining why the fiesta Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, plan a fiesta that includes invitations, games, music, paper flowers, flags and a menu of authentic foods. By completing this assignment, they enhance their...
Curated OER
Frosty's Freeze Tag
Students improve their chasing, fleeing and dodging skills in a cooperative, fun, holiday game using white (fleece) snowballs.
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Making Music and Playing the Blues
Students research how musical instruments have changed over time. They discover how math is used in music. They describe musical instruments from photographs as well.
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The Meaning of Passover Story Through Songs and Traditions
Students explore the meaning of Passover. In this holiday lesson, students participate in various learning centers that focus on the Passover holiday. The learning centers include simulating the feelings of slavery, listening to music by...
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Winter Holiday Stations
Young scholars reinforce skills already learned in a fun activity before the Holidays. They participate in such games as Candy Cane Bowling, Stocking Stuffers, Jingle Bell Basketball, and Candy Cane Lane.
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Clay Gargoyles and Grotesques
Grotesques or gargoyles are wonderful subjects for stories or art projects. Here is a simple "how to" for creating a lesson about sculpting clay gargoyles. Tip: Have learners research gargoyles throughout history.
Curated OER
Music And The Related Arts / Fiesta
Second graders investigate the concept of a celebration through the experience of music and culturally relevant conversation. They have a class discussion about thankfulness and tie it the tradition of celebration. Then students listen...
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Billie Holiday's Song "Strange Fruit"
Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...
Curated OER
Around the World in 180 Days
Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...