Different varieties of Christmas trees provide an interesting way to combine social studies, science, math, and technology. Class members not only research the history of the Christmas tree holiday tradition, they compare and...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of holidays celebrated by a majority of people in the United States. They each select an American holiday from the list as well as another country that may have a holiday that is similar. Next, they...

Who wouldn't want to create their own holiday? Use the 12 elements of a holiday to have learners of all ages create their own holiday. These days, it seems like we make any excuse for a holiday! Consider having some fun with your kids...

There are so many holidays celebrated around winter that it can be difficult to keep track. Consider having your class members design a newsletter highlighting a particular holiday, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Martin Luther King Jr....

Students create their own holidays, describing them in booklet form. They develop the holiday's name, symbol, colors, food, and historical significance.

Class members use the Internet to research the history of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, as well as the traditions surrounding the Thanksgiving-style celebrations of the Hebrews, the Chinese, and in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Students explore word sounds by participating in a visual relay game. For this vocabulary identification game, students create holiday themed images and cards based on the different holidays in a year. Students place the cards and images...

First graders explore American culture by participating in arts and crafts activities. In this Thanksgiving lesson, 1st graders listen to music based upon the Thanksgiving tradition and examine images of the first Thanksgiving. Students...

A lesson looks at the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe during the first Thanksgiving. Scholars compare and contrast information presented by an online activity then discuss their findings. Learners examine the two group's daily routines and...

Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...

A lesson on the holiday known as Boxing Day is here for you. In it, middle schoolers read a passage about the history of the holiday, then complete some reading comprehension worksheets embedded in the plan to reinforce what they have...

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...

This lesson is a culminating lesson which follows students researching, collecting citations, evaluating and selecting text, graphic materials and visual aids. In this concluding lesson, 5th graders discuss the assessment task and how to...

Thanksgiving—is it a national celebration or the National Day of Mourning? That depends on the point of view. Young historians analyze a speech written by Wamsutta James that presents a Native American view of Thanksgiving. The...

Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take...

Research Christmas traditions and the December climate in Australia. Discover Australia's custom of lowering postage rates at the holiday season and creating a yearly stamp. Realize that Christmas in Australia is during the summer season...

Students examine their family's particular spending habits for a holiday they celebrate, research the financial expectations of retailers during the holiday season and at other times during the year.

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...

Students share their holiday traditions, then read about an American Thanksgiving custom. In this current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the news article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, the students participate in...

Sixth graders investigate Veteran's Day. In this holiday lesson, 6th graders conduct interviews with veterans and create an oral presentation to share the results of their interview.

Students investigate the colonization of the United States by researching Thanksgiving.  In this U.S. history instructional activity, students discuss the concept of Thanksgiving, who created it and what it was intended to do. ...

Fourth graders explore three cultural holidays and compare and contrast the ways varied cultural groups celebrate their heritage. They participate in activities that promote cultural understanding and good citizenship.

Prior to this lesson, 5th graders will have collected notes from several sources. Students extend their note taking to include at least one example each of summarizing and paraphrasing. They record bibliographic information for each...

Fifth graders write about a holiday. In this language arts instructional activity, 5th graders write about a holiday they choose. Students write comments and questions for their Chinese colleagues using a blog site.