Young scholars 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.

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...

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...

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 instructional activity on family traditions and visual art. The instructional activity 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...

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

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...

Students 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 short...

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 lesson, students sing and dance to "Smile at your Neighbor." Students write down their favorite food, holiday, family...

Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...

What better way to learn about different economic systems than to participate in them? An engaging bead game highlights the differences between market, command, and traditional economies. In small groups, 6th graders work through three...

When slavery took Africans from their land, they were separated from the rich musical and oral traditions native to each country and region. While working as slaves, Africans found they had two places where they could use these musical...

Fourth graders explore Japanese customs and history. They create their own works that reflect these traditions. They identify and use primary and secondary sources to learn and communicate about the past.

Students define the terms fable and folktale. They write a fable to illustrate a Latino proverb. Students are explained that a folktale is a story passed down through the oral tradition of a particular culture. A fable is a type of...

Click here to download a PDF of this lesson. (2.8 MB) Overview This lesson will enable teachers to use the blues to explore selected topics in African American folklore. Students will learn about some of the African American cultural...

Students get to know each other better and research their family and community history. After students research their own and their parents' names, they notice names in literature, history, and other studies and know more about these names.

Ninth graders work together to brainstorm an idea to focus on the similiarties and differences between various cultures. Individually, they interview family members using questions they created based on their topic. They use their...