Vanderbilt University
Dia de Los Muertos
To honor El Dia de los Muertos, scholars work together to create Day of the Dead displays—paper sugar skulls and banners—that bring a festive and memorable flare to the classroom.
Curated OER
Winter Holiday Celebrations
Students understand how holidays revolve all around light. In this winter holidays lesson, students find the similarities and differences between the winter holidays. Students discuss the winter solstice and how it relates to the holiday...
Penn Museum
Africa
Mask wearing is not just for Halloween! This attractive and informative set of worksheets discusses this important African cultural tradition, as well as a variety of other significant cultural attributes to ancient civilizations, such...
San Diego Museum of Art
Tapa-Inspired Pattern Painting
Middle schoolers are encourage to try their hand at traditional Oceania tapa art by crafting their own cloth using brown paper bags. Included in the resource is background information about the cultures of Oceania and their art.
Curated OER
M.C. Bard: Hip-Hop and Shakespeare
What is poetry? Does hip-hop qualify as poetry? Do Shakespeare's monologues qualify as poetry? Class members grapple with these questions as they examine the poetic elements and themes presented in different texts. Groups of four study...
Curated OER
Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Explore Hanukkah and its origins with a social studies lesson. Learners discover the history of Hanukkah and its traditions. They locate Israel on a map, hear the story of the menorah and create their own...
University of Manchester
Thanksgiving and Being Thankful
Students share with the class what they are thankful for. In this Thanksgiving lesson, students create place-mats for Thanksgiving. Students discuss ways we honor and celebrate Thanksgiving. They then make a list of things they are...
Curated OER
Heritage and Citizenship: Traditions, Celebrations and Cultural Diversity
Second graders explore the concept of cultural diversity. In this traditions lesson, 2nd graders investigate the cultures of Canada as they discuss traditions within the country. An extension mathematics activity is included.
Curated OER
Family Customs Past and Present: Exploring Cultural Rituals
Learners examine cultural traditions. In this cultural studies instructional activity, students conduct interviews and research online digital tools that allow them to discover their family's cultural traditions. Learners prepare...
Curated OER
Different Ways We Celebrate
Students examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. Students...
Curated OER
Carnival Celebrations: Masks and Vejigantes
Learners explore Carnival. In this Puerto Rico Carnival activity, students discover the history of the cultural celebration as well as the significance of the elaborate masks worn for the festivities. Learners create their own Carnival...
Curated OER
Kokeshi Dolls
Students study the Japanese holiday Hina Matsuri and its traditions and celebration. They explore the history, location and cultural significance of Kokeshi dolls.
Curated OER
Celebration and Satire- Beginning Level
Students examine art elements in a late-19th-century self-portrait painting. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze the painting "A Centennial of Independence" and identify the color, shape, and symbols in the art...
Curated OER
Celebrations
In this celebrations worksheet, students choose the correct word to complete the sentences about different celebrations. Students complete 10 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
New Year Celebrations in Japan
Students are introduced to the way the Japanese celebrate the new year. Using the internet, they compare and contrast the celebrations in Japan with those in Korea. After being read a story, they complete a worksheet on the series of...
Curated OER
Creating and Preserving a Tradition
Students explore folk art and tradition. They work in small groups and produce an essay about folk art or traditions practiced in their community. Students discuss the creation and preservation of a tradition. They discuss various...
Curated OER
Family traditions
Second graders discuss family traditions. In this family tradition lesson, 2nd graders identify traditions in their family that have been passed down and bring in 3 things to share that have to do with these traditions. They...
University of Northern Iowa
Additional Folklife Information
Use a packet packed with ideas for how to celebrate the traditions of your country, state, community, and pupils's families. Suggestions for how to draw on oral and material traditions, customs, beliefs, music, and stories all find...
ESL Library
Mardi Gras
Learn about the festivity of Mardi Gras with a series of reading and writing assignments. As class members read a passage about the history of Mardi Gras and the way it's celebrated around the world, they answer comprehension...
Peace Corps
Family
Family traditions are the focus of a lesson that explores the lives of children in India and those in your classroom. Scholars examine their own family roles and traditions, then respond to an informative text detailing a young...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Diversity Day
Party time! Here's a resource that suggests celebrating diversity by organizing a school-wide event that features performers and speakers that represent the various cultures and traditions. The packet includes a list of suggested...
Smithsonian Institution
The Music of the Mardi Gras Indians
The traditions, costumes, and the music of the Mardi Gras Indians, African-Americans and those with African American or Native American Heritage are the focus of a unit that introduces class members to a little-known group that...
Jersey Heritage
A Victorian Christmas
In many ways, Victorian Christmas is alive and well today! Class members read an informative passage to learn more about traditional Christmas gifts, decorations, crackers, and visits from Santa Claus in nineteenth-century England—as...
ABCya
Christmas Present Hunt
An interactive game of hidden pictures challenges scholars to locate hard-to-find gift boxes. The number of presents increases and becomes harder to find as levels progress. A joyful reindeer praises players for a job well done.