National Endowment for the Humanities
Mexican Culture and History through Its National Holidays
Young historians have an opportunity to study the complex history and culture of Mexico by learning about several holidays: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe), The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los...
Curated OER
Stereotyping of Native Americans
Here is a lesson that covers the stereotyping of Native Americans in American culture is here for you. Learners see that there are many instances of stereotyping that are an accepted part of our society. After a lengthy discussion, a...
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Songs the Express American Ideals
First graders will learn the words to two American ideals songs: "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful." They will also learn the Pledge of Allegiance and what it means to recite it. This is a great resource for your...
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"Old Glory"
Youngsters study and discuss the history and importance of the American Flag. They explain the meaning of the Stars and Stripes, the name "Old Glory," and discover when and how the flag is displayed. This well-designed plan has many...
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National Turkey Off to Disneyland
Young scholars share their holiday traditions, then read about an American Thanksgiving custom. For this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the news article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, the students participate...
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Early Congress Proclaims Holidays
Students read about and discuss the historical effects of Congressional decision-making in the establishment of national holidays.
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Federal Holidays
Third graders complete various activities pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day. They conduct research and complete writing and art activities on the...
Teacher Vision
The Wampanoag Indians: A Thanksgiving Lesson
Spark some lively conversation about American holiday traditions and debunk accepted notions about the first Thanksgiving at the same time. After reviewing the mainstream version of the Thanksgiving story with your class, offer some...
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South American Cultures
Students examine South American festivals. In this cultural diversity lesson, students research Spanish cultural festivals and determine their purpose. Students write and conduct a survey about cultural festivals.
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Colonization and American Indian Perspectives
Students investigate the colonization of the United States by researching Thanksgiving. In this U.S. history lesson, students discuss the concept of Thanksgiving, who created it and what it was intended to do. Students...
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Red, White, and Blue Holidays Timeline
Fifth graders create a time line listing six national holidays in chronological order of occurrence. In this historical events lesson, 5th graders research holidays and write a paragraph summarizing each one. They then place each holiday...
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Comparing Cultural Holidays
Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. In this writing and research lesson students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then students...
Teacher.org
The History of Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving is the focus of a lesson that boosts reading comprehension and interview skills. Half the class reads about Pilgrims while the other half reads about the Native American, Squanto. After answering questions, pupils...
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Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means?
Students research the historical inspiration for the lyrics of the "The Star Spangled Banner". They explore websites, read articles and analyze poetry in an examination of America's patriotic symbols and history.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 3—Traditions
Thanksgiving is a treasured national holiday, but it can look different from table to table. Through a reading passage, real-world images, and class discussion, scholars take a look into Thanksgiving's importance to the...
PBS
Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist
Scholars examine the courageous efforts made by civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Discussion questions and a brief writing assignment follows a short film. A photograph and a silent film delve deeper into Park's history and three...
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"Jazz is About Freedom": Billie Holiday's Anti-lynching Song Strange Fruit
Working in small teams, learners 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...
Teaching Tolerance
Thanksgiving Mourning
Two primary sources, a speech, and an article provide tweens and teens with different perspectives of the American Thanksgiving holiday. After analyzing Wamsutta James' suppressed speech and Jacqueline Keeler's article, class members use...
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Holidays: Mother's/ Father's/ Grandparent's Day
In this ESL/ language arts worksheet, students read sentences about Mother's Day, Father's Day and Grandparent's Day. Students then choose the best words to fill in the 12 blanks.
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Kwanzaa
Students examine the holiday of Kwanzaa. In groups, they discuss "The Seven Principles" and the history of the holiday. They explore the objects that are used and what they represent. They end the lesson with a discussion of the...
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Why Do We Have Thanksgiving?
Pupils investigate the change in the Thanksgiving holiday over time. They research the Native Americans and Pilgrims to find out how their relationship affected the holiday. They create a PowerPoint presentation using digital cameras...
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Thanksgiving Mourning
Students examine the way diverse groups can perceive a shared experience in a dramatically different light. Students read commentary written by Native American writers and find examples of different points of view. ...
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Examining the Declaration of Independence
Students examine the Declaration of Independence and its significance to American history. They read the document, identify America's grievances with Great Britain, and restate a part of the document in their own words.
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A Salute to Flag Day
Use Flag Day as a learning opportunity for your classroom. Collect a variety of books and other resources on the subject of the U.S. flag. Have pupils conduct independent research at home and come to class prepared to share some fun...