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Miranda Springer

Dr. Flowers
EDU 280
15 May 2013
Final Project
Lesson Plan Title: Mix Match
Concept / Topic To Teach: Discrimination
Targeted Grade: Middle to High School
General Goal(s): Understand the effects of discrimination.
Specific Objectives: Student will be able to: (1) challenge their own thoughts and views of
discrimination when faced with it themselves; (2) think before they act on false assumptions
about other people; (3) understand that mistreating people because they are different is
unacceptable behavior in society.
Required Materials (for 30 students):
5 purple baseball caps & 5 purple sweatbands
5 green baseball caps & 5 green sweatbands
5 orange baseball caps & 5 orange sweatbands
3 Mini worksheets to keep students in character in class.
Journal Requirements
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): After students have a unit on American Immigration about African
Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans and the like this activity will be an extension
of that lesson.
Step-By-Step Procedures:

Day 1: Divide class up into thirds, assign colors, assign cap or band, Lay out ground
rules: No interaction between colors for the rest of the week, record daily behaviors and
feeling, other students will be watching to ensure that the exercise in being performed
(Assign 3 per class). Hand out Journal Requirement page.
Day 2: Mini group worksheet 1
Day 3: Mini group worksheet 2
Day 4: Mini group worksheet 3
Day 5: Return caps and bands, Staple typed journal entries with the requirement page and
turn in. Class discussion.
Plan For Independent Practice: Journal entries about individual experiences for days 1-4.
Written so that students will be prepared for a group discussion on day 5 and for individual
grades.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Discuss individual and group experiences.
Assessment Based On Objectives: During discussion and journal grading, student
understanding will be evaluated based on their responses.

Lesson Plan 1
Grade Level: Kindergarten

Have Respect
Teach social and emotional skills and encourage respect for diversity with this lesson plan
featuring Clifford the Big Red Dog.
By Norman Bridwell

Teaching Tip: Encourage your children to come to you when they have thoughts or questions
about how others look or act differently. This will help to instill positive attitudes and prevent
prejudices from forming. Find fun and creative ways to celebrate multiculturalism by presenting
experiences that immerse children into unfamiliar cultures around the world!

Cliffords Big Idea: Have Respect


Children learn respect and acceptance of others by observation and experience. Opportunities to
understand that diversity makes people special and unique can help children appreciate
individual differences early in life.

Activity 1: Now That's Respect!


Objective: This activity nurtures essential:

social and emotional skills

language and literacy skills

tolerance and diversity skills

Introduce the word "respect" to children. Say it, spell it, write it, define it, and use it in oral
language. Share common ways to show an elder, teacher, parent, or caregiver respect. Brainstorm
ways to show friends respect like including everyone in playtime games, and sharing materials at
school. Help children express how they would feel if they were ignored at playtime, or not
invited to a birthday party because of their skin color, size, language, or religion. Discuss why it
is important to give others respect at home and school. Read Clifford the Big Red Dog by
Norman Bridwell (Scholastic). Encourage children to recall story details. Be sure to point out
how Emily Elizabeth unconditionally loved and accepted Clifford, no matter how big he got, or
how many times he found himself in a mess! Now that's respect!

Activity 2: Basket Full of Bread!


Objective: This activity nurtures essential:

multicultural awareness skills

using charts to record information skills

Display a basket full of breads from around the world found at local groceries. Explain that
people from many cultures bake bread, but not everyone's bread looks or tastes the same.
Identify shapes, sizes, colors, special ingredients, baking methods, and which culture each bread
represents. Decorate tables with national flags, art, and maps showing where each bread
originally came from. Divide children into small groups. Move from table to table, tasting
breads. At each table, have children sign their name on a log sheet and check a smiley face or a
sad face icon to indicate their opinion of the bread. Count and record the number of smiley/sad
faces. Chart the results, review, and share opinions. To end activity, take a nature walk and
spread breadcrumbs for the birds to enjoy!

Extend: The more we learn about each other, the better we can all work and play together!

Find local celebrations for children to attend that promote diversity, or ask someone from
a cultural celebration to come share with class.

Schedule a day each month called "Diversity University" to explore an unfamiliar culture.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/have-respect

Lesson Plan 2

We Are Family,
Grades 48
A cross-curricular theme unit with activities, reproducibles, and tips for learning about
families. What's the best way to approach the theme of families for upper-grade and middle
school students? Instructor talked with fifth-grade teacher Sandy Kaser of Tucson, Arizona,
about a family studies unit she developed to encourage her students to explore different ethnic
groups and types of families. Sandy has had a diverse group of students in her classroom,
including Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans and Caucasians, but she's had mixed
reactions from them on past multicultural units. Sandy started talking with her colleagues about a
family studies unit that would draw students in. The following activities were the result of her
search. Sandy says this unit, which has also been spotlighted in If This Is Social Studies, Why
Isn't It Boring (Stenhouse, 1994), was one of the most successful in her 17 years of teaching.

Start with Reading


Begin by assembling a variety of resources into "text sets" focusing on specific family themes,
such as fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, grandparents, family stories, and family issues
(including foster families and families with people with disabilities). Stores the materials for
each themeincluding quick-to-read picture books, arcticles, and poetry, and longer fiction and
nonfiction in separate plastic bins. To introduce the sets, schedule 45 minutes for small groups to
browse through each set and choose one to read more thoroughly. During the next two weeks,
encourage each group to pore through its bin, reading, discussing, and recording responses in

logs before selecting several subjects to research in depth. In the end, have each group present
two of the issues they discussed, which might inspire students to share their own family stories.

Raise the Comfort Level


Kids can feel uneasy when discussing personal issues such as family backgrounds and cultural
identities. To help them feel more comfortable, be willing to share about your own experiences
and family history. You can also use literature to introduce sensitive issues. For example,
introduce a discussion on racism after reading Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria
Surat, a story of a Vietnamese girl who attends an American school. Or begin a discussion of
homelessness with Eve Bunting's Fly Away Home, the story of a father and son who live in an
airport.

Get to Know Each Other


Invite students to interview each other to gather information and to practice these skills for future
activities. Before students ask questions, have them check out interviews on television and in
magazines. Students then can brainstorm what they want to know about each other. Later,
encourage students to publish their completed interviews in a classroom newspaper.

Where's My Name From?


Challenge students to find out the how and why they got their names by distributing the What's
in a Name Reproducible, below, for them to take home and share with their families. Is anyone
named after a famous person in history? A family member? Encourage students to present their
name "mysteries" to the rest of the class. Not only do students like researching their names, but

the activity encourages them to engage their parents in a discussion about other family
memories!

I Remember When...
Invite students to collect family memory stories by asking their parents to relate a memory such
as "I remember when you were born," or "I remember when you broke your foot." Have students
record these stories in writing for their classmates; later, collect the stories into a class book. To
help students present their stories orally, invite a storyteller into the classroom to share drama,
music, and movement techniques. You might also try creating a "story rope," on which students
tie objects that represent their memories; once the items are in place, students take turns telling
the stories behind the objects.

Time Line of My Family


Encourage students to explore their own lives and the lives of their families through time lines.
Have students first do a time line of their life from birth to their current grade, recording such
events as learning to read, learning to ride a bike, losing a first tooth, and starting school.

Next, challenge students to create a 100-year time line of their family's history! Since most
students can't immediately recite a century of family history, this project prompts family research
and lots of reminiscences and discussions about cultural heritage. Events students record on their
time lines can include immigration dates, moves across town and across the country, work
history, marriages, divorces, births, and deaths. In addition to dates, have students post objects
such as photos, postcards, and souvenirs on their timelines. Later, ask students to write up the
mini-stories behind at least ten of their dates or chosen objects. After students present their

projects, challenge the class to find similarities in all the timelines. Do several make reference to
other events of the time period, such as "around when we saw the Beatles" or "the year Kennedy
died"? This can become a great prompt for students to learn about historical events.

Let's Eat!
After reading Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooly (Carolrhoda, 1991) and Bread, Bread,
Bread by Ann Morris (Lothrop, 1989), invite students to collect recipes from as many different
cookbooks as they can find, as well as from family members. Then have each student select one
bread recipe and one rice recipe to prepare at home and bring in to share with the class. On the
feast day, have the kids select music, and light candles to create a festive mood. Afterwards, have
your students collect all the recipes in a cookbook that they can take home to their families.

This Is My Place
Share with students My Place by N. Wheatley and D. Rawlins (Kane/Miller, 1992), a collection
of stories about a town in Australia, each narrated by a family member from a different
generation going back to Aboriginal times. Ask students to read a few of the stories each day,
taking notes on how the place of the book's title changes over time. When the class has finished
the book, ask students to review their observations and group their lists into different categories,
such as jobs, historical events, family relations, and Australian words. Divide the class into
groups corresponding to these categories, and have each group re-read the book, looking for
information related to its chosen category. Challenge each groups to decide on a creative way to
share its information with the class, such as a giant map, a word wall, or an in-costume tableax.

Finally, distribute the Our Place, Now & Then Reproducible, below. Invite students to explore
their own personal histories, then share these with the rest of the class.

Biography Browser
Biographies are a perfect way to tie family studies and a literary genre together. Brings in a
collection of biographies and say to students, "Here is a box of people's livesread about
anyone's life you are interested in." Since the students have just written about their own lives,
they will be excited to find out about the lives of other people. Invite them to browse through the
biographies and select at least one to read completely. Then help students organize themselves
into discussion groups focusing on different categories, such as Artists and Authors, People of
Great Courage, Famous People in History, and Western Heroes. While they read and talk,
challenge students to consider: How did this person's family influence him or her? What can I
learn from this person's life that I can use in my own?

Show and Sing


To finish the unit with a flourish, invite parents for an art show and choral performance. Display
all the projects that students have worked on in your unit, including the time lines, "my place"
maps, and "I remember when" stories, and have students perform songs or recite poems about
family.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/we-are-family-grades-4%E2%80%938

Lesson Plan 3

Make Your Own Holiday Scrapbook


Grades: 1-4
Concept: Religious Tolerance
Procedures: For every holiday, students will make a page for their scrapbook. Six total holiday
pages use the front and back for each holiday.
Assessment: Students will be tested on all the holidays in their scrapbook. Grades will be based
on test and scrapbook.
Materials: Hole punch, (30) three prong folders, crayons, markers, scissors, glue sticks,
Scrapbook page instructions.
Closure: Have a group discussion about all religious holidays.
http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?
id=35965&ESP=PRT/ib/20091113/acq/Winterholiday_HolidayScrapbook_Kwanzaa///Winterholi
day_Kwanzaa/txtl////

Lesson Plan 4

Discovering Your Heritage


Students are asked to interview their families about their cultural heritage, create a family tree,
and map their journeys to America
By Genia Connell
Overview
This lesson will give students a better understanding of why America is thought of as a mosaic of
cultures and the role they play in the picture. We will discuss why immigrants have come to the
United States from all over the world and what makes America's diversity special. Students will
interview a family member to learn more about their heritage and what brought their family to
the United States. They will build a family tree and record a part of their family's oral history to
preserve it for generations to come.

OBJECTIVE
Students will:
1. Write at least three interview questions that help them gain important information about
their family background.
2. Interview a family member about their heritage.
3. Listen to and record part of their family's oral history.

4. Correctly create and label a family tree going back a minimum of two generations.
5. Compare and contrast cultural traditions and influences among class members.
6. Use a map to chart the path their parents, grandparents, or other ancestors took from
another country to the United States, leading to the student's current hometown.
Materials
1. I use the following two books when teaching this lesson, but you may substitute an
appropriate title of your own or one from my booklist for this unit: Coming to America:
The Story of Immigration and Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia
2. Family Interview (See Day 1, Step 8)
3. Family Tree (PDF)
4. Large World Map
5. World Map reproducible printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper
6. Multi-colored adhesive circles or small stickers
7. Chart paper
8. Yarn or ribbon (optional)
9. Dry-erase or chalkboard
10. Pencils/paper
11. Computer/printer
Set Up and Prepare

1. Check your school calendar and decide on a date that you would like to hold the
culminating event, Diversity Day. Plan to begin your unit approximately five weeks
beforehand.
2. Read through all of Lesson One's four parts thoroughly before you begin. Set up a time
line for each activity's due date. I recommend approximately two days be given for the
interview, one week for the Family Tree (PDF), and one week for the Page From History.
In the past I have been very successful beginning this unit right before Thanksgiving or
the winter holidays and assigning all three pieces to be due after vacation. This works
well because many students are able to gain insight from the extended family members
they see during the holidays.
3. Prepare the Family Interview questions and Page from History assignment for your class.
(See the sample texts for both of these below.) Cut and paste the text into word
processing documents, then personalize it with your own formatting or clip art. Print and
make a copy of each for all your students.
4. Print and make enough copies of the Family Tree (PDF) reproducible for your students.
Make a transparency if you plan to use this with an overhead for modeling.
5. Using geography resources you have or one from my booklist, make each class member a
copy of a reproducible world map that outlines countries and continents clearly.
6. Display a clean sheet of chart paper you will use to list names of countries.
7. Cut several pieces of yarn students can use to link their hometown with their countries
origin. Coordinate the yarn lengths with the size of the world map you will be using in
Part Four and the distance of the country.

8. Gather colored adhesive dots for the students to use on the maps. Use one color for every
continent you have represented in your classroom. I use small star stickers.
Directions
The directions for Lesson One are divided into teaching days, not consecutive calendar days. For
example, Part One: Discovering Your Heritage is taught in two days, but the duration will be
longer because there is a homework assignment involved that requires a few extra days for
completion. You may also choose to overlap some of the parts in Lesson One.
Part One: Discovering Your Heritage
Duration: 1 day
Step 1: Read and discuss the book Coming to America: The Story of Immigration.
Step 2: Tell your students that for many years America has been called a melting pot. Discuss the
possible meanings of that term with your class. Revisit the book you read in Step 1 to discuss the
differences and similarities in the vast number of immigrants who have come to America.
Step 3: Introduce and read this famous quote from Jimmy Carter: "We have become not a
melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings,
different hopes, different dreams." Introduce the definition of a mosaic.
Step 4: Discuss the differences between a "melting pot" and a "mosaic." Ask students why they
believe the term "mosaic" may or may not be more accurate than "melting pot" when describing
Americans. Inform students that they are an important part of the American mosaic. See the

optional Mosaic Americans activity in the Extensions section below. Choosing to do this activity
may add one extra day to your timeframe.
Step 5: Ask students to share the country their ancestors originally came from. Record answers
on chart paper. From my experience, those in the lower grades will often give you the name of a
state or the name of any country they have heard of regardless of their heritage. Redirect students
who do not name countries, but record names of all countries given. Save this chart.
Step 6: Tell students that in order to find out more about their heritage they will need to conduct
an interview with an expert source, and the most informed expert would be a member of their
very own family. Brainstorm different questions students could ask their parents or another
family member in order to gather facts about their family background. Explain to students that
they will gain the greatest information from open-ended questions.
Step 7: Distribute copies of the Family Interview to all students you created. Provide class time
for students to write three to five more questions they want to ask a family member. Allow
approximately two days or a weekend for the interview to be completed at home.
Step 8: Have students share their interview findings with the class after they're completed.
Family Interview Sample Text
Students,
Pick an adult in your family to interview. Tell that person the purpose of the interview is to
gather information about your heritage and ancestors. Ask your questions and write down

their responses. If the person you are interviewing is unable to answer the questions, try to
find another family member who may have the information you need.
Name of person being interviewed:
Relationship (mother, grandfather, etc.):
1. Tell me about my relatives/ancestors. What country/ countries did they come from
and when?
2. What is my heritage? (Example: African-American, Italian-American, ChineseAmerican, etc.)
3. Tell me about the path one of our relatives took from another country or another
part of the United States. How did that lead to us living in our hometown?
Make up at least three more of your own questions to ask. Each question should help you
gain more information about your family's cultural background. Make sure you do not ask
questions with yes/no answers.
Part Two: Your Family Tree
Duration: 1 day
Step 1: Draw a large picture of a tree on the board. Include roots and branches that extend
outward.

Step 2: Ask students if they have ever heard of a family tree. Discuss what a family tree is and
why the name is fitting. Make reference to the concepts of family roots and branches. Model the
creation of a family tree by writing your name near the bottom of the tree trunk. Above your
name write the names of your mother and father, explaining what you're doing. Continue
labeling your tree back another generation or two in order to illustrate how these trees "branch
out" with each prior generation.
Step 3: Distribute copies of the Family Tree (PDF) reproducible. Together, have students fill
their names in the very bottom blank at the base of the tree. Students can then fill in names of
their brothers and sisters. Next, tell the class to fill in the first and last name of their father and
mother on the appropriate blank line. Students may provide maiden names if possible. Stop
students at this point.
Step 4: Establish a due date and have students complete the tree at home with the assistance of a
family member. The expectation is that it will be carefully filled in to the best of their ability and
neatly colored. I always keep extra copies of the Family Tree (PDF) on hand and give students
the option of using the first one as a rough draft and the second as their final copy. If you have
students whose family situation leaves them unable to fill in a name at any level, modify the
assessment of this activity to allow for only one side of the tree to be completed or for some
blank lines to be acceptable.
Part Three-Your Family's Oral History
Duration: 1 day

Step 1: Introduce the book Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia or another book of your choice
that depicts distinct family traditions. Activate prior knowledge and ask for volunteers to define
the word "tradition." Discuss the author's childhood traditions in her rural Hispanic-American
community as described in the story written in both English and Spanish. Point out that in
writing this book, the author was recording her family's history.
Step 2: Ask students to share any of their family traditions with the class. Compare and contrast
cultural influences in holiday traditions, the area in which most students are likely to have
customs and traditions.
Step 3: Tell students that as they grow older it can be important to pass along family stories and
traditions. Let them know that their own family has many valuable memories and stories that
should be preserved for future generations.
Step 4: Inform students that they are about to become family historians. They will be listening to
a story about their family and transcribing it for posterity. Hand out the assignment, A Page from
History. Go over the directions with the class. Establish a due date for the assignment to be
completed at home and returned in a timely manner.
Step 5: Allow students to share their stories with their classmates when they are completed and
returned to school.
A Page from History Sample Text

In many families stories are handed down from generation to generation by word of
mouth. Ask someone in your family -- a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, etc., to tell you
a story about a relative or ancestor who came to America. Listen closely to the story.
The story should be of importance to your family and be related to your being here today.
Examples include: how your grandparents met, why your family settled in your hometown,
or why someone came to the United States in the first place.
Rewrite the story in your own words. Try to remember as much as you can about what you
heard. You are recording your family's oral history. You may publish your story using the
computer or in your neatest handwriting. This project will be due ______________.
Part Four: Charting Their Course
Duration: 12 days
Step 1: After the interviews and Page from History stories have been returned, discuss with your
class what they have learned about their family's heritage. Revisit the country list that was
created on chart paper in Part One, Step 5. Ask the class to once again share the countries in their
cultural background. Add or cross off countries on the original list as needed.
Step 2: Using a large world map, work with students in small groups, having each child put one
adhesive sticker on every country listed in their interview as part of their heritage. You may
choose to color code the dots, one color for each continent. For an even stronger visual impact,
have students attach yarn or ribbon to one end of their dot and secure the other end of yarn to
your current hometown with a second sticker.

Step 3: Compare and contrast where the stickers have been placed. Which countries and
continents have the most stickers? Do members of your classroom seem to have similar or
different backgrounds? Discuss how the map may look if this activity had been done in
classrooms in other parts of the world or even in other parts of the country or your state.
Step 4: Using a transparency of a world map, or a large write-on wall map (without stickers on
it!) model how they are going to chart the path that a member(s) of one side of their family took
from a foreign country to their hometown. For example, I would make a dot in Krakow, Poland
where my grandfather was born, because he was the nearest family member born outside of the
U.S. I would explain that he immigrated to New York, so I would put a second dot there. Next,
he moved to northern Michigan where my father was born, so I would plot a point there. My next
dot would be in Detroit where my father moved to from northern Michigan and met my mother. I
grew up in Romeo, Michigan so I would put a dot there. I currently live in Rochester Hills,
Michigan, so my final "hometown" dot would be placed there. Finally, I would take a ruler and
"connect the dots" in order to show the class how my ancestry has led me from another country
to where I live today. While you're modeling, remind students not to include every city where
their family has lived, only those of significance.
Step 5: Hand out the world map copies and ask students to use the information they've learned to
mark their plot points on the map, and then connect them with a ruler. When completed, these
lines should lead from a foreign country to the child's hometown. Some students in your
classroom may have very few dots to plot on their maps if they immigrated recently. Because
those children will be complete their maps quickly, have them act as peer coaches.
Supporting All Learners

I have had great success teaching this lesson with students at all ability levels and learning styles.
While teaching the different parts of this lesson, please be sensitive and accommodating toward
varying family structures in your classroom. When the unit begins, I let my students know that
heritage is defined as the customs and traditions that are passed on from generation to generation.
Never allow children who are adopted or from a non-traditional family setting to think for one
moment that they do not know their true heritage. Make it clear to all students that your heritage
comes not from your bloodlines, but from the cultural traditions you are brought up with.
Lesson Extensions
There are multitudes of extras you can do with your students when teaching a multicultural unit.
Some ideas include:
Bilingual Students: Your students who speak a second language may want to publish their Page
from History in both of their languages just like the author of Family Pictures did. It would also
be appropriate for students to write the story in one language and for their parents to translate the
story to a second language.
Classroom Dcor: When teaching this unit, I have students decorate our room and the school
hallways with crafts from around the world. Working with parents or your school's art teacher,
consider introducing your class to multicultural crafts such as Native American sand painting,
Oriental scroll painting, Scandinavian quilling or Columbian weaving. See my booklist for
resources you can use to bring out the creative side of your students.

Mapping: Students can extend the Charting Their Course Activity by plotting points on both the
maternal and paternal sides of their family. The plot points from the two different lineages would
come together wherever their mother and father settled together.
Mosaic Americans: During this project, students create one "American" made up of several
different people the students find in magazines. In the top half of a sheet of construction paper,
have students draw a large oval that will be the head of their "Mosaic American." On the bottom
half of the paper students draw an outline of their person's body, including arms, legs, hands and
feet. Going through magazines, students tear out several pictures of people. Tell your students to
search for as many different skin tones as they can find. Have students cut out the prominent
facial features they will need for their person such as two eyes, a nose, mouth, and ears. Instruct
the students that no two features should come from the same person's picture. Next, have
students cut the skin colored pieces they have found into small squares (anywhere from between
one half to one inch wide.) Working with one small part of their person at a time, students should
spread liquid glue over a small area then cover it with the cut pieces of varying skin tones. The
facial features should be glued on top of the skin that has been laid down. Once the face is
completed, students can use other colors from the magazine to design an outfit, shoes and/or
hairstyle for their person. After their Mr. or Mrs. Mosaic American is finished, have students cut
them out and name them. Before displaying these multicultural people, I have students write a
brief personal narrative explaining what it means to them to live in country that is like a
"beautiful mosaic."
Persuasive Paper: Students can write a persuasive paper taking a stand on whether the United
States should limit the number of immigrants who can enter America each year.

Home Connection
You will need more than usual parental support for this lesson. Students must be able to find a
reliable family member/adult who can give them accurate information about their ancestors.
With each piece of homework that goes home with your students during this lesson, provide a
note for the parents explaining exactly what their child is expected to do and how they can help.
You may want to ask parent volunteers to come in to help students during Part Four while the
students plot their ancestors' path to America. Many students may have geographical questions
and parent volunteers will allow more students to be assisted in a timely manner.
Assignments
1. Write a minimum of three interview questions about their heritage.
2. Conduct an interview with a family member and transcribe all answers on their paper.
3. Work with an adult to label at least three generations on a family tree (PDF).
4. Listen to a story about their family history, write it down and publish it.
5. Chart the path their ancestors took before them that has led them to their hometown
today.
Evaluation
1. Did you model each part of the lesson enough?
2. Do students understand that the ethnic backgrounds in this country are more diverse than
in many other countries of the world?
3. Do students understand the importance of family traditions and customs?

4. Are they more aware that they their lives have been touched by cultures from different
countries?
5. Do they know why one or more of their relatives came to America in the first place?
6. Did you schedule the timeframes appropriately?
7. Did students have enough knowledge of geography to use the world maps correctly?
8. Did they have enough time to work with family members on the homework assignments?
9. Did parents need more information concerning how they were to help with assignments?
Reproducibles
Family Tree
Assess Students
1. Were students able to write questions that would provide them with important
information about their families?
2. Were students able to use follow directions and use the family tree template effectively?
3. Did the students choose an appropriate story to publish for their Page from History? Was
the story clear, sequential, easy to understand and relevant?
4. Did students correctly locate the countries of their heritage on a world map?
5. Was the work that was completed the student's own? Once the assignments became
homework were the student's responsible for their own learning?
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/discovering-your-heritage

Lesson Plan 5

A Trip to the Homeland


By Genia Connell
Overview
After discovering where their ancestors and cultural traditions have come from, students will use
resource books and the Internet to research a country from their heritage. After all of their
research is complete, they will take an imaginary trip to that country, using what they have
learned to write a travel log (PDF). Students will also create passports that help serve as a selfassessment tool.
Objective
Students will:
1. Gain geographical and cultural knowledge of a country of the world.
2. Skim reference books and Internet articles to find important information about their
country.
3. Understand that cultural differences exist between the country they study and America.
4. Gain real life experience as they plan their trip using actual airline and hotel information.
Materials
1. 8.5 x 11 inch white paper
2. Color printer paper
3. Research Note Organizer (PDF)
4. Travel Log (PDF)
5. Passport (PDF)
6. One small photo of each student for passport

7. Lined paper and pencils


8. Collection of resource books on countries of the world
9. Paper cutter
10. Long neck stapler
11. Computer and color printer
12. Lamination machine, if desired
Set Up and Prepare
1. Before you begin Part One, prepare a note to send home with students explaining that the
class will be taking part in a country study. Request that students select a country from
their heritage that they would like to study, write it down, and have parents sign and
return. Experience taught me to do this after one boy completed a beautiful project on
Italy and his mother later told me their family was not the slightest bit Italian!
2. Print and make enough copies of the Research Organizer (PDF) and Travel
Log (PDF) printables for your students.
3. Print and make enough copies of the Passport printable (PDF) for your students. Using a
paper cutter, trim the edges around each passport.
4. Using a favorite publishing program, find a graphic of a passport cover. Size it to
approximately the same width and height as the Passport. Print enough color copies for
each member of your class.
5. Visit your school or public library and gather a large collection of expository material that
your class can use to research countries of the world.
6. Preview Internet sites you may want your students to use for research. Preview
the Research Organizer printable (PDF) to ensure that the sites will provide the most

comprehensive information. You may also want to find a site that will calculate time zone
differences around the world and sites that will translate English to other languages.
Bookmark a limited number of appropriate sites you want the class to use when doing
research.
7. Preview your favorite Internet travel sites. You will be helping the students find airfare to
and a hotel in the capital city of the country they visit. You may use direct links to airlines
or hotel chains but I find multi-service Internet companies provide one stop shopping.
8. Procure one small ID-style photo for each student in your class. I use the extras that are
sent with school photos. If you do not have these available, take a small headshot photo
of each student to use.
9. Prepare the booklets students will use to publish their Travel Log (PDF). Using landscape
view on the computer, I line the paper across the page simply by holding down the
underline key. Copy this paper back to back. You will need two pages for each student.
Put one copy on top of a second and fold down the middle, book style. Use a long neck
stapler to put one staple in the middle to hold the pages in place while the students
publish. Students will create a cover and staple that on later in the lesson.
Directions
Part One: Researching the Country
Introduction: This lesson is a continuation of Lesson One. If you are not planning to do Lesson
One, simply adjust the directions accordingly.
Day 1
Step 1: Tell students they will have the opportunity to learn more about one country that plays a
role in their family background. Discuss what criteria they should think of when choosing a

country. Questions to bring up include: Is this a country that influences some of their family
traditions? Will they be able to find up to date resources on this country? Is this a country
currently in existence? Are any other people studying this country in the class? Weigh the pros
and cons of choosing a "popular" country. The advantage would be having a partner or small
group to work with, but the disadvantage is scarcer resources when they are spread out among
many. Can they plan an imaginary trip to this country from the United States or do travel
restrictions exist?
Step 2: Allow students to spend some time looking through resources on countries in order to
help them narrow in on their research topic. This may be done in your classroom or your school's
media center. At this point you may want to send home a note with students asking for parental
approval of the country their child plans to study.
Days 2-4
Step 1: When all students have picked a country, distribute copies of the Research
Organizer (PDF) to each student. Review your expectations. For each section, discuss and help
students decide the best resource to use for each area. Model for students how they can skim
books, articles, and other reference information to look for important facts.
Step 2: Provide two to three class periods for your students to research and fill out their
organizer. At least one of those class periods should be spent using the computer for research.
Have students visit the sites you have bookmarked. Monitor students work to ensure they stay
focused and on track with their research.
Step 3: While students are researching, work with small groups of 2-4 kids to help them find
flight and hotel information for the capital or largest city in the country they are studying. Use a
travel site you're familiar with for this. Type in the name of the capital city when asked for

"destination." Follow the links to find flight information on a flight from your nearest major
airport to the foreign capital. Non-stop flights work best for this. For those unfamiliar with
booking travel online, you will only be viewing a schedule and you will not need to purchase
anything. Print the flight itinerary using the "current page" command so you do not receive
several pages of airline information. After you have found flight information, search for hotels in
that same city. Explain to children what the stars mean and how may people pick their hotels
based on amenities and star rankings. After each student has chosen a hotel, the print this
information. In the younger grades, it would be appropriate for the teacher to "man" computer
while students provide you with pertinent information. In the upper elementary grades, you will
probably only need to supervise while students follow your directions to find the information
they need.
Part Two: Travel Log
Days 5-7:
Step 1: After they've completed the research, tell students that they have worked so hard that
they deserve a vacation! Provide one copy of the Travel Log (PDF) to each student. Explain how
they will take the information they've learned to write about an imaginary trip to their country.
Step 2: Work as a whole group to complete the first page of the Travel Log (PDF), modeling
how students will need to go to their completed Research Organizer to find the information they
need for the blanks. Allow students approximately two class periods to complete the fill-in-theblank travel log.
Step 3: Once students have finished their Travel Log (PDF), they're ready to publish it. Give
each student a blank lined booklet you have prepared. See Set Up and Prepare above. Students
should neatly transcribe what is in the fill-in-the-blank travel log to their own booklet. I always

tell students to personalize the book by changing the wording, adding pictures to border the
sides, etc.
Step 4: Complete the Travel Log (PDF) by asking students to create a cover and staple it on top
of the booklet using the long neck stapler. I have students use the "greeting card" function on our
school's publishing program to quickly create a half-page size document for their cover. My only
requirements for the cover are that it includes the student's name, country name, and a picture
related to their country.
Step 5: Allow students to share their Travel Logs (PDF) with the class when they're finished
Part Three: Creating a Passport to Learning
One Day
Step 1: Explain that when you travel to most foreign countries, passports are required. Provide
details on their purpose, who looks at them, and when. Distribute the inside of
the Passport (PDF) to students. The covers will be added later.
Step 2: Direct students to fill out the inside of the Passport (PDF) n their neatest handwriting.
Students should use a glue stick to adhere their picture in the square. The last step is for students
to glue the inside to the cover so that it looks more like a real passport. The last step I follow is to
laminate the passports so that they don't come apart. Use students' answers to the question to help
you gauge their feeling about the project and what they may have learned from a cultural
standpoint.
Supporting All Learners
The process of completing the travel log and then publishing it may be quite challenging for
some students in your class. I have adapted the travel log in the past by using the word processor

to cut and paste it into two columns. Then I fold it in half and staple it into book form. After the
student fills in the blanks, have them staple the cover on top.
Lesson Extensions
The best extension of this country study lesson is to expand upon it by combining it with the
elements of Lesson One and showcasing all the work from Lesson Three.
Postcard: Have your students write a postcard home from their country. They can write a short
letter describing the day's activities and draw a picture of a famous landmark on the front.
Finally, students can draw on the stamp that has the postage price in their country's currency.
Pack Your Bags: Have students bring in a small shoebox. Cover the lid and bottom in brown
paper, and then decorate it to look like an old-fashioned steamer trunk. Inside, students can put
artifacts related to the culture of their country. During a show and tell style period, students can
share the contents of their trunk with the class, explaining the significance of each item.
Home Connection
If your school population is diverse, you have a valuable resource at your fingertips. Have
parents from different countries come in to help students research. They may be able to give first
hand accounts of the culture in a country or provide language translations for students. Parents
can also be very helpful when you are using the Internet or creating the Travel Log covers. I
always feel it is important to have as many mature eyes and ears as possible when students are
using the Internet so the students stay focused.
Assignments
1. Take notes in a research organizer (PDF) while doing research.
2. Use their notes to fill in the blanks in their travel log.
3. Accurately fill in the blanks of their travel log.

4. Publish their travel log in their handwriting.


5. Create a cover for their travel log (PDF).
6. Complete the reflections inside the passport (PDF).
7. Glue the cover to the inside sheet.
Evaluation
1. Did your students have enough information about their country to fill out the
research organizer adequately?
2. Did the students have enough time to research their country?
3. Were students able to publish their own travel log in a timely manner? Would parent
volunteers be helpful for publishing the covers?
4. Did students answer all the questions in the passport thoroughly and thoughtfully?
5. What would you do differently next time to improve this lesson?
Reproducibles
Research Note Organizer
Travel Log
Passport
Assess Students
Teacher Observation: Were the students using the research time effectively? Did students
working on the same countries work well together? Were students able to make the passports
independently? Did the students understand the geographical terms used in the research
organizer? Written Outcome: Were students able to transfer information from the notes they took
to the travel log? Did they understand what information was needed where? Did they edit and

change sentences appropriately when needed? Did students write sentences with details in their
passports?
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/trip-homeland

Lesson Plan 6

The Heritage Project


By Genia Connell
Overview
In the first two lessons of this unit, students created several interesting and informative pieces
related to their family history. In Lesson Three, students assemble those pieces together in an
attractive display. The classroom community then celebrates with the unit's culminating event,
Diversity Day. On this special day, parents share their cultural expertise with the students, we
hold a multicultural food festival, and students proudly display their completed Heritage
Projects.
Objective
Students will:
1. Follow project guidelines to complete their Heritage Project.
2. Use reference material to locate flags from each country in their family background.
3. Reflect on what they have learned and accomplished after the project's completion.
4. Taste foods from different cultures.
Materials
1. Project Guidelines for each student. See sample text below.
2. Letter to parents informing them of Diversity Day and the Heritage Food Festival. See
sample text below.
3. Students' completed Family Tree (PDF), Page from History, and Charting their Course
world map from Lesson One.
4. Students' completed Travel Log (PDF) and Passport (PDF) from Lesson Two

5. Small United States flag students have colored in or drawn.


6. 2 x 3 inch flags for each country in students' heritage
7. Scoring rubric for grading Heritage Project. (See sample text below)
8. Optional: Letter to parents regarding Class Heritage Cookbook. (See lesson extensions
below)
9. Reference books which include pictures of world flags
10. Thank you notes for parents who speak or lead an activity at Diversity Day.
11. Assorted colors of construction paper
12. Posterboard or tri-fold display boards
13. Re-sealable sandwich bags
14. Paper/pencils
15. Colored pencils/markers/art supplies
16. Stapler/gluesticks
17. Scissors
18. Rulers/yardsticks
19. Computer/printer
Set Up and Prepare
1. Read through all directions for Lesson Three before you plan your
timeline. Many of the steps can be done simultaneously. For example,
one small group of students can be using reference books or the computer
to find flags while another group is working on creating their title
banners.

2. Prepare the Project Guidelines and Grading Rubric you will use
with each student. Print and make enough copies for your class.
3. Prepare the Diversity Day Letter to parents. Print and make enough
copies for each member of your class. Make arrangements to use your
school's gym, cafeteria, or another large space for the food festival.
4. Check the Internet or professional resources for a black-line master
of a U.S. flag that students can color. I found several online by
typing the words "color the United States flag" into a search
engine. Make enough copies for your class. If you prefer, students
can simply draw their own flags on white paper.
5. If you plan to make a class cookbook of multicultural recipes,
prepare and send home a letter to parents. See Lesson Extensions and
sample text at the end of this lesson.
6. Gather enough pieces of posterboard for your students. If you are
going to have students supply their display boards, send home a note
giving them enough notice to have the boards in class when you are
ready to begin Part One.
7. Cut 12 x 18 sheets of construction paper in half the long way for
student's title banners. Skip this step if you plan to have students
create their banners on the computer.
8. When preparing for Diversity Day and the Heritage Food Festival:
Contact all of your parent volunteers and presenters at least two
days before the event and let them know when they should arrive. Send

reminder notes home to all parents regarding the Food Festival. Include
the time, place, and what to do with the food they are bringing. Remind
students of manners to use with guests before parents and family members
arrive.
9. Following Diversity Day, send thank you notes to any parents who
spoke with your class, led an activity, or helped with setting and/or
cleaning up.
Directions
One Week: The steps below will take approximately 2-3 class periods. The actual duration is
dependent upon your due date.
Step 1: Send home the letter to parents regarding Diversity Day. You may also want to ask for
volunteers to set and/or clean up.
Step 2: Tell students that they have worked so hard learning about their family background that
they need to show off what they have accomplished. The way they're going to do this is by
putting together a display of their finished pieces.
Step 3: Distribute a copy of the Project Guidelines to each student. Go over the guidelines and
expectations for a successful outcome. Inform students they still need to complete a few
components of the project before they can begin putting it all together.
Step 4: Provide one copy of the blackline American flag to each student and allow time for them
to color it. Before starting, have students look at the flag in your classroom to review the color of
the top stripe and the shade of blue used behind the stars. This seems like a common sense step
that you could skip. However, speaking from experience, without referring to this minor detail,

you may have many rather undesirable brick-red, white, and teal flags. This would also be the
perfect time to review the meanings of our flag's stars and stripes.
Step 5: Visit your school's computer lab or allow students to use classroom computers to find
flags from every country that's a part of their heritage. This can be done easily by cutting and
pasting clip art from popular publishing or word processing programs. Students should resize the
flags identically, (2x3 inches each works well). Students should print and cut out the flags they
need. If you prefer, ask students to draw the flags on white construction paper you've pre-cut.
Step 6: Tell students to choose theme colors for their project that coordinate with the flag colors
of their country. Using computers or on pieces of 6x18 inch construction paper, have students
create the title banner for their projects. Remind students the title needs to include the name of
their country. Give various ideas for titles such as "Katie's Trek through Scotland" or "Charlie's
Visit to Venezuela."
Step 7: Once all of the components of the project are finished, model how to put it all together.
Using a student's completed pieces, demonstrate how to neatly organize and lay out the Family
Tree, Page From History, world map, passport, travel log, flags, and title. Because there are so
many parts, I show students how they can staple two sandwich bags to the bottom of the
posterboard and use these as clear holders for their passport and travel log. Once again reinforce
importance of a project's appearance and the need for all students to use their personal best effort
while completing the project.
Step 8: At this point if there is still more to be done, send the project home to be completed. I
normally will not send projects home with students until I feel the major portion of the work has
been done by the students. Once projects go home, many parents begin to feel a sense
responsibility to "help" their children. Although the children may welcome the help at home,

your students will feel a greater sense of accomplishment when the work is their own, and they
can stand by it proudly. Personally, I also prefer to grade the work of an 8 year old than the
artistic styling of a 38 year old!
Step 9: While you are waiting for the projects to be returned, check in with students daily to
determine if they need any guidance or extra materials such as construction paper.
Step 10: Once projects have been returned to school, allow time for the students to share what
they have learned with their classmates. Provide time at the end for students to receive
compliments from their classmates.
Step 11: Grade your students' projects using a rubric that follows the point values established in
the Project Guidelines. Whenever grading the final product of a unit, I always provide many
personal comments. The compliments you pay your students acknowledging their successes are
remembered much longer than the point values you assign them.
Step 12: Proudly display your students' completed projects in a place for all to see.
Sample Texts: You may cut and paste these sample texts into a word processing document of
your choice. After doing so, you can personalize each note to suit the needs of your classroom
and to match your personal style. Changing the font size and/or style and adding clip art make
big differences in the attractiveness of your notes.
Diversity Day & Heritage Food Festival Sample Text
Dear Parents/Guardians,
On December 14, we will have a special event to help bring our heritage study to a close.
Diversity Day will be a chance for students to share and celebrate their background and heritage
with classmates and their families. We would like to invite parents and family members to join us
that morning to share a cultural connection with the class. This may be information about the

country, its music, dance, dress, food, art and recreation. If you like, you may even plan a brief
activity for the class to take part in.
After a morning that gives us a taste of cultures around the world, we will hold our Diversity
Day Heritage Food Festival in the afternoon, featuring foods from around the world. We are
asking each family to bring in a ready-to-serve dish related to their family-background. It does
not have to be a food from the same country your child has researched. We are unable to heat any
foods, so foods served cold or at room temperature are best if sent in the morning. Parents are
welcome to bring in any hot dishes to the school between 2 and 2:30. Please label each dish with
your name and include any necessary serving utensils.
All parents, grandparents and other family members you would like to bring are invited to attend
our Heritage Food Festival on December 14 from 2:30 to 3:30pm. You and your children will be
able to sample appetizers, breads, cookies, desserts, and tastes of main courses from nations
around the world, contributed by our families, while admiring the projects our class has so
diligently worked on these past few weeks. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Heritage Project Guidelines Sample Text
Due _____________
You have been learning about your family's heritage and researching a country over the past few
weeks. Now it is time to put everything together into an attractive display so you can share what
you have learned with your classmates and others. Follow the guidelines below to get 100% of
the possible points!
Your display should include the following:

An eye-catching title that includes your name (5 points)

Family tree (10 points)

World map showing your ancestor's/family's path of immigration and settlement leading
to Troy. (10 points)

Flag/Flags: Your display should include the American flag and smaller flags representing
other areas of your heritage. (5 points)

Page from History: Your written account of family history taken from an oral story. (10
points)

Maps: Include a map of your country. Put a star or dot the city or cities you visit during
your imaginary trip there. (5)

Passport (5 points)

Travel Log (45 points)

You will also receive 5 points for turning your project in on time.

Remember appearance and neatness count! It is okay if parts of your display neatly extend over
the edges of your posterboard.* You can use clear re-sealable sandwich bags to hold your travel
log and passport. Attach these bags to the poster so your log and passport can easily be removed
for viewing.
Optional Ideas: You will earn 100 points if your display has all the necessary requirements
listed on the front. You can earn extra points, if you like, by including anything else you like
related to your family or heritage. Some ideas include:

Copies of photographs of relatives/ancestors

Copies of immigration or other interesting documents such as birth or marriage


certificates

Samples of traditional arts/crafts/clothing

Common phrases in your country's language with translations

A coat of arms

Anything else you can think of!

*Note: If you would prefer to use a tri-fold display board you may do so. These offer more room
but are more costly.
Supporting All Learners
When Lesson Three begins, your students have already completed the most difficult parts of the
unit. At this point they only need to put everything together and much of their success is
dependent on the support they receive in the classroom. Show your students what an attractive
project looks like by modeling what you would expect a finished product to look like. You will
find your visual learners benefit a great deal from your modeling how the project should be
assembled. Those students with spatial abilities will likely be able to nicely design and layout
their projects. Use those students as peer coaches to help others who may not be able to visualize
how all of the different parts can be compiled attractively.
Lesson Extensions
Flags of the World: Have your students recreate the flag of their country on an 18x24-inch sheet
of white construction paper. Using markers, rulers and a reference book with flags of the world,
students draw and color the national flag of the country they studied. When these flags are
completed I hang them, banner-style, from the ceiling of the school hallways. These make a
wonderful display to welcome the parents on Diversity Day.
Family Heritage Cookbook: Many of our students are growing up in households where
traditions have been formed from blended cultures. Each year, with the help of parent volunteers

I put together our Family Heritage Cookbook. This book contains two recipes from each family.
The first is a recipe that has cultural ties to their heritage, perhaps a dish served only on special
occasions. The second recipe is simply a family favorite; a recipe that is enjoyed by all and has
become a modern tradition in their family. Below you will find sample text of the letter I send
home that you can use to help you prepare your letter.
Once the recipes have been returned, I organize them into categories such as appetizers, soups
and salads, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts. Next the recipes are photocopied back to back.
Each book is given a laminated, personalized front and back cover. Parents then bind the
cookbooks and they are handed out to families on Diversity Day.
Family Heritage Cookbook Sample Letter to Parents
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we continue to study families and communities, we understand that food plays a major role in
every culture. To celebrate the diversity we find in our classroom and our community, we will be
putting together a Family Heritage Cookbook.
We have discussed many family traditions and traditional foods we may eat at different times.
Each class member has been asked to bring in 2 recipes.

One should be a favorite recipe derived from your child's heritage, perhaps something
made for special occasions, holidays or just family dinners.

The second should be a recipe for a family favorite, a dish, or dessert that is always a
family pleaser!

These recipes should be neatly printed or typed on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Remember to
include a name on each recipe. If you like, feel free to add a few lines about the food, such as its
origin, when your family eats it, or why it is a favorite. You may also add graphics or a

decorative border or have your child decorate/illustrate the recipes appropriately. All recipes
should be turned in no later than _______________________________ Thank you for your help,
Sincerely,
Home Connection
It is imperative that parents are kept informed of what is going on during a project such as this
one. Send home all notices and reminders well before the event. Try to set a day and time for
your food festival that will allow the biggest portion of your parent population to attend. Recruit
as many parents as you can to present at Diversity Day. Let parents know they do not have to do
a huge presentation; it is simply a multicultural themed "show and tell" style way for adults to
share what they know with children.
Assignments
1. Color or create an American flag.
2. Use the computer to find and print small flags representative of other nations in their
heritage. Students may also draw these flags.
3. Create an attractive title banner which includes their name and the country name
4. Display all of their finished products on a display board.
5. Write a reflective paragraph on the scoring rubric after their project has been graded.
Evaluation
1. Did you model enough?
2. Were students able to follow your directions or did they seem confused about how to
lay out their finished pieces?
3. Was there enough time given for all the parts to be completed?
4. Were more parent volunteers needed for Diversity Day?

5. Was there enough food?


6. Did the time of day work well for parents or would the food festival work better after
school or during lunch?
7. What would you do differently to improve this lesson for next year?
Reproducibles
Family Tree
Travel Log
Passport
Assess Students
Were students able to follow the guidelines to put their project together?Did the student complete
each of the required parts? Was the student able to use reference materials to find the flags that
were needed?Was the work the student's own?
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/heritage-project

Lesson Plan 7

Let's Celebrate Ramadan!


By Gayle Berthiaume
Too Many Holidays
By Angela Shelf Medearis
About this book
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.1
Lexile Measure: 510L
Guided Reading Level: P
Age: Age 8, Age 9, Age 10
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Subject: Character and Values, Culture and Diversity, Friends and Friendship
Ramadan
By David F. Marx
About this book
Grade Level Equivalent: 1.9
Lexile Measure: 350L
Guided Reading Level: H
Age: Age 6, Age 7, Age 5
Genre: General Nonfiction, Dictionaries, Series
Subject: Islam, Holidays, Ramadan
Overview
Students learn about Ramadan.

Objective
Students will:
1. List prior knowledge of celebrations.
2. Listen to books.
3. Compare and contrast various celebrations.
4. Create a project for each lesson.
Materials

Too Many Holidays by Angela Sheif Medearis

Ramadan by David F. Marx

Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi (Author), Omar Rayyan (Illustrator)

Kidspiration by Inspiration Software, Inc. (Mac or PC version), or chart paper, or a


blackboard for brainstorming

Computer

Large screen TV or projector system

Quart size jar for Ramadan penny jar

Tempera paint or acrylic paint

Set Up and Prepare

Have Kidspiration ready to use on the computer.

Check paints and brushes

Directions
Step 1: As a group, list what the children already know about Ramadan. I use Kidspiration as a
brainstorming tool. I use a computer connected to a large screen TV or projector system so that

all students can easily see. If you do not have Kidspiration, you could use chart paper or a
blackboard.
Step 2: Read Ramadan by David F. Marx.
Step 3: Using Kidspiration, list what the children learned about Ramadan.
Step 4: Create a class penny jar to collect pennies to give to a charity. Use a glass quart jar and
decorate it with paints. I let each group of four children add a detail to the jar decoration.
Step 5: As a class, create a letter to parents explaining about Ramadan and the penny jar. (Each
lesson will have a similar assignment. Sometimes, I have the students copy the letter as a
handwriting exercise, or I duplicate what they have composed as a class and have them practice
reading it before they take it home.)
Lesson Extensions
Read Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi (Author), Omar Rayyan (Illustrator). After reading this
beautifully illustrated book, have the children use watercolor to illustrate their favorite part of the
book.
Assess Students
Teacher observation will assess student participation in listening to the book and contributing to
the discussion.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lets-celebrate-ramadan

Lesson Plan 8

Let's Celebrate Diwali!


By Gayle Berthiaume
Diwali
By C. Gardeski
About this book
Grade Level Equivalent: 1.9
Lexile Measure: 380L
Guided Reading Level: H
Age: Age 6, Age 7, Age 5
Genre: General Nonfiction
Subject: Social Studies, Diwali
Overview
Students will learn about multicultural celebrations.
Objective
Students Will:
1. List prior knowledge of Diwali.
2. Listen to books.
3. Compare and contrast Diwali to other celebrations.
4. Create a project.
Materials
1. Diwali (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Christina Mia Gardeski, David F. Marx
2. Here Comes Diwali: The Festival of Lights by Meenal Pandya

3. Self-hardening clay for Diwali Diya


4. Sandwich-size Zip Lock baggies
5. Tempera paint
6. Brushes
7. Tea candles (one per child)
8. Kidspiration software and computer
Set Up and Prepare
1. Check paint and brushes for condition
2. Divide up clay into bowl size balls and put in Zip Lock baggies
3. Check computer connection to large screen monitor
Directions
Step 1: As a group, list what the children already know about Diwali. I use Kidspiration as a
brainstorming tool and add a new part to the chart we made about Ramadan. We continue on this
chart with each celebration.
Step 2: Read Diwali (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Christina Mia Gardeski, David f. Marx
and Here Comes Diwali: The Festival of Lights by Meenal Pandya, et al. As an alternative, you
can also read about the festival online at diwalifestival.org .
Step 3: Using Kidspiration list what the children learned about Diwali.
Step 4: Compare and contrast Ramadan and Diwali.
Step 5: Create a Diya. Using self-hardening clay the children create a small bowl to hold a tea
candle. Or you could have the children create the candle out of clay also to avoid a fire hazard.
After the clay has hardened, paint the Diya and the candle.

Step 6: As a group, create a letter to parents explaining about Diwali and the Diya. Ask that an
adult light the candle at home.
Assess Students
Teacher observation will assess student participation in listening to the book and contributing to
the discussion.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lets-celebrate-diwali

Lesson Plan 9

Let's Celebrate Hanukkah!


By Gayle Berthiaume
A Picture Book of Hanukkah
By David A. Adler
About this book
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.5
Lexile Measure: 560L
Guided Reading Level:
Age: Age 8, Age 9, Age 10
Genre:
Subject: Hanukkah
Overview
Students will learn about multicultural celebrations.
Objective
Students will:
1. List prior knowledge of Hanukkah.
2. Listen to books.
3. Compare and contrast Hanukkah to other celebrations.
4. Create a project.
Materials
1. A Picture Book of Hanukkah by David Adler
2. Computer, Kidspiration software

3. Colored cellophane or tissue paper for Hanukkah lights


4. Candle pattern
5. Pencils
6. Glue
7. Scissors
Set Up and Prepare
1. Cut enough candle patterns out of heavy tag board so the class can share. If you are using
centers, seven patterns should be enough.
2. Cut cellophane into candle-size pieces.
3. Check glue bottles for condition of use
4. Check Kidspiration connection to large screen monitor
Directions
Step 1: As a group, list what the children already know about Hanukkah on the chart.
Step 2: Read A Picture Book of Hanukkah by David Adler (Scholastic)
Step 3: Using Kidspiration, list what the children learned about Hanukkah.
Step 4: Compare and contrast Ramadan, Diwali, and Hanukkah.
Step 5: Create a candle window decoration. Take two pieces of black construction paper. Trace a
candle shape (See Candle Stick Shape PDF) onto one of the pieces. Cut the shape out of both
pieces at the same time so they line up. (An adult volunteer could help with this.) On the inside
of one paper, glue colored cellophane or colored tissue paper. Then glue the other black cut out
to the backside. Hang in a window to allow the light to shine through it for a festival of lights.
Step 6: As a group, create a letter to parents explaining about Hanukkah and the candles.
Assess Students

Teacher observation will assess student


participation in listening to the book and contributing to the discussion.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lets-celebrate-hanukkah

Lesson Plan 10

Let's Celebrate Kwanzaa!


In this Kwanzaa lesson plan, students will make a decorative mancala game, listen to relevant
readings, write a letter to parents, and compare and contrast Kwanzaa with other holidays.
My First Kwanzaa Book
By Deborah Newton Chocolate
About this book
Grade Level Equivalent: 1.9
Lexile Measure: 910L
Guided Reading Level: I
Age: Age 6, Age 7, Age 5
Genre: General Nonfiction
Subject: African American History, Africa, Family Life, Holidays and Seasonal Themes,
African American
Overview
Students will learn about multicultural celebrations.
Objective

Students will list prior knowledge of Kwanzaa.

Students will listen to books.

Students will compare and contrast Kwanzaa to other celebrations.

Students will create a project.

Materials

My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah Newton Chocolate and illustrated by Cal Massey

Egg carton for each child for the Kwanzaa Mancala game

Stapler

48 plus 2 extra (50) small rocks or beans for Mancala game (red beans work well)

Plastic zip baggies to store each child's beans

Instruction sheet for the game

Computer and Inspiration software

Setup and Preparation

Cut rectangles of construction paper

Make enough bulb patterns out of tag board so that students can share

Cut a length of yarn or roving on which to string the lights

Plan where to display them in the classroom

Check glue bottles

Check computer connection to large screen monitor

Directions
Step 1: As a group, list what the children already know about Kwanzaa on the Celebration chart.
Step 2: Read My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah Newton Chocolate and illustrated by Cal
Massey
Step 3: Using Kidspiration, list what the children learned about Kwanzaa
Step 4: Compare and contrast Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.
Step 5: Make a decorative Mancala game

Remove the lid from an egg carton.

Cut two separate egg sections from another carton and staple one on each end of the
carton.

Count out 50 beans and store in baggie

The directions for playing Mancala can be found


at: http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/mancala.html

Step 6: Teach children how to play the game. (Suggestion: Invite 10 older students to your
classroom during a recess and teach them the game. Arrange with their teacher to have them visit
your classroom for an hour in the afternoon to work with your students. Have one older student
for every two of you students.)
Step 7: As a group create a letter to parents explaining about Kwanzaa and the Mancala game.
Lesson Extensions
As a class, write a final note to parents. Have the children say what they have learned about the
fall and winter celebrations and about multiculturalism.
Evaluation

How well do the children understand the similarities and differences between Ramadan,
Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas?

Was the use of Kidspiration an effective tool for brainstorming?

Should I do more with the geographical origin of these celebrations?

What was the most difficult part of this unit? What was most successful?

Assess Students

Teacher observation will assess student participation in listening to the book and
contributing to the discussion.

The teacher will also observe how well the children play the game, Mancala.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lets-celebrate-kwanzaa

Lesson Plan 11

Let's Celebrate Christmas!


By Gayle Berthiaume
Overview
Students will learn about multicultural celebrations.
Objective
Students Will:
1. List prior knowledge of Christmas.
2. Listen to books.
3. Compare and contrast Christmas to other celebrations.
4. Create a project.
Materials
1. The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans (Author), Daniel Craig (Illustrator)
2. Christmas (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by David F. Marx
3. Construction paper black, red, green, yellow
4. Bulb patterns for tracing
5. Glitter or hologram sticky paper for Christmas lights
6. Yarn or roving for hanging Christmas lights
7. Hole punch
8. Scissors
9. Glue
10. Computer and Kidspiration software
Set Up and Prepare

1. Cut rectangles of construction paper.


2. Make enough bulb patterns out of tag board so that students can share.
3. Cut a length of yarn or roving on which to string the lights.
4. Plan where to display them in the classroom.
5. Check glue bottles.
6. Check computer connection to large screen monitor.
Directions
Step 1: As a group, list what the children already know about Christmas on the Celebration
chart.
Step 2: Read The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans (Author), Daniel Craig (Illustrator)
and Christmas (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by David F. Marx
Step 3: Using Kidspiration, list what the children learned about Christmas.
Step 4: Compare and contrast Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas.
Step 5: Create Christmas lights. Trace around a large Christmas light bulb pattern
(See Christmas Light Shape (PDF) onto colored construction paper. Add glitter or hologram
sticky paper to the screw end of the bulb. Punch a hole in the screw end and hang. Connect all of
the bulbs with yarn to look like a string of Christmas lights.
Step 6: As a group create a letter to parents explaining about Christmas and the Christmas lights.
Reproducibles
Christmas Light Shape
Assess Students
Teacher observation will assess student participation in listening to the book and contributing to
the discussion.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/lets-celebrate-christmas

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