Research how seasonal changes in Louisiana affect learners' lives and the folklife of their communities and the state. They investigate differences in the seasonal round in the regions of Louisiana, including celebrations, festivals,...

Learners investigate the traditions associated with winter holidays. They examine why most of the holidays are associated with light. They examine the origins and customs of these holidays before creating an original holiday.

Sixth graders gain an appreciation for the traditions and vast contributions of the Chinese culture in this unit of lessons.

Class members select a culture from a provided list and research the customs, beliefs, traditions, clothing, and environment of this group. They then create an idea web and craft this information into a poem. The lesson is short on...

Share the history and traditions of Valentine's Day with your ESL class. Providing numerous facts about Valentine's Day, including information about gifts, cupid, and February 14th, this presentation is a good way to introduce a lesson...

Students become aware of the history behind pizza and how it was adapted to the economic and geographic conditions of the United States. They have a basic understanding of the concepts of supply and demand.

What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...

In this set of five lessons, students analyze the important of food traditions, identity, and history. Students analyze how food traditions contribute to family identity, investigate family food traditions through interviews, and compare...

Learners explore the role of traditions in world cultures. They read a New York Times article dealing with recent changes in the traditional clothing worn in England's House of Lords

Students discover details about ancient Egyptian funerals. In this ancient Egypt lesson, students compare and contrast modern funeral rites to those practiced by ancient Egyptians. Teachers may also access the suggested print and online...

Students discuss various ways families and communities pass down oral and visual art forms to younger generations. This multi-subject introductory lesson prepares students to create a project about their own families.

Learners discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast lesson, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Learners create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...

Students identify the concept of occupational folklife and learn about occupations in their community and the state. Then they collect examples of occupational folklife such as special terms, equipment, or gestures, as well as stories,...

Your class members will each explore a European country of their choice and report back to the class using a creative PowerPoint or Prezi. They will not only include a basic introduction to the country, but also what they discovered...

Pupils identify and describe the importance of U.S. holidays and social customs. In groups, Students write a detailed description of a U.S. holiday and how it is celebrated. Descriptions are presented to the class. This lesson plan is...

Student groups create slides on one of the cultures listed. They view videos that show United States families celebrating Christmas based on their native countries' traditions and a video which tells the story of La Bafana, the old woman...

Second graders explore the holidays of different cultures. For this culture lesson, 2nd graders knowledge about various holidays. Students play a matching game with the name of the holiday and the description. Students research one of...

Students experience Colonial life and explore the customs of the 17th century. In this colonial America lesson plan, students play dress up, barter items, author pledges, and review 17th century etiquette.

Students investigate Inuit customs. In this cultural traditions lesson, students read about religious customs of the Inuit including Shamanism. Students discuss the role of Shaman and create Inuktitut-English dictionaries with terms...

Fifth graders compare and contrast the cultures of American culture with that of the other cultures of North America. Using traditional and Internet research, 5th graders gather data on one element of culture for comparison. Data...

A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...

Learners compare and contrast communities.They explore factors that influence how people live, the roles of adults and children, and the interaction of people who live and work within a community. The lesson focuses on the country of...

Art and architecture go hand-in-hand. Kids watch clips from the Hayo Miyazaki film Spirited Away to better understand Japanese customs and architecture. The discussion questions included are very good, and will help you lead the class in...

Under construction, this instructional activity focuses on Canto Familia, a collection of poetry about Gary Soto's experiences growing up in California's Imperial Valley. Representative of the experiences of many Latinos, the poems also...