Students examine and explore cultural traditions that make their own families unique. In groups, they discuss traditions, write about the similarities and differences in the group, and interview other students.

Various genres of oral tradition are outlined and defined in these slides. Give your class examples of folk tales, fairy tales, parables, fables, legends, and myths before reading an example of one of these stories. This overview acts as...

Are you are considering a unit on Beowulf or Superman, on myths, or tricksters? Here's a great overview you can use to launch a study of universal themes and archetypes. The focus here is on the oral tradition, but the concepts apply to...

Youngsters share ideas about cultural and/or spiritual rituals by participating in a fishbowl discussion, which explores the ways rituals have changed over time. They write reflective essays about their own cultural traditions.

Everyone celebrates traditions in different ways. Young writers share the ways their families celebrate Thanksgiving with a journal writing prompt and discussion activity.

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...

Folklore is composed of stories that convey cultural heritage and traditions. Many types of tales are listed as well as what they portray in various contexts and situations. Give your learners a brief description or definition of...

Engaging your class in African culture and traditions, this presentation provides photographs, historical contexts, and societal structures from different African tribes. It poses discussion topics about the benefits and disadvantages of...

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...

Posing an introductory question about the reflection of culture within art, this lecture on African art forms will garner intrigue and imagination. From oral tradition (the African griot), to images of African masks and Western...

Students research local history of agriculture using books, internet and local Elders. They conduct an interest survey for a community garden, using information gathered through interviews with Elders. A graphic organizer may be used to...

Students are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...

It's important for young people to learn about their ancestry and the role of storytelling as a means of passing along traditions, information, and lessons. Based on what they already learned about Native American oral tradition,...

Students practice the techniques of weaving and braiding in this introductory lesson on family traditions and visual art. The lesson includes a video and other resource links.

Part of studying Spanish is learning about the customs, food, and traditions of other countries. Use the links provided (and some of your own) to study Venezuela, Uruguay, Guatemala, and Peru. Elementary learners will get a glimpse of...

What's the best resource to use when looking up words? Use Visual Thesaurus to see a word's meaning. The class accesses the interactive website and then compares and contrasts the difference between using a traditional dictionary and the...

Students examine the lives of the Aboriginal peoples of Saskatchewan. In this talking stick activity, students discover dance, art, music, and traditions of the First Nations people.  Students design and create a talking stick to...

In this naming tradition worksheet, middle schoolers pose the 8 short answer questions to an interviewee with regards to the history of their name.

In this traditions vocabulary worksheet, students choose the vocabulary word concerning traditions that does not fit in with each group of words.

In this Hanukkah research worksheet, students go to the specific Internet site provided and read about the history and traditions of Hanukkah. Students answer 5 multiple choice questions.

First graders complete a unit on families and family structures. They create a family tree for their own family, construct a family mobile, sort and discuss photos of families from around the world, create a banner of ways to say "I...

High schoolers explore traditional music of different societies around the world by listening to number of different musical recordings, discuss how music makes them feel, examine how music is central to cultural traditions, and compose...

Fourth graders participate in reading comprehension activities associated from a teacher's guide. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, 4th graders read Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp and...

Students discuss the similarities and differences in their cultural traditions. In this quilt of cultures instructional activity, students sing and dance to "Smile at your Neighbor." Students write down their favorite food, holiday,...