Lesson Plan : Intro. to Holidays in December

Teacher Name:
 C.Long
Grade:
 Grade 6
Subject:
 Social Studies

Topic:
 Holidays in December(Christmas, Hanukkah ,Kwanzaa)
Content:
 
Goals:
 
Objectives:
 -Students will learn what the three main holidays celebrated in the month of December are.(Christmas, Hanukkah ,Kwanzaa) -Students will learn the names of these three holidays & will be expected to know the correct spelling of each. -Students will learn what cultures celebrate each holiday. -Students will beable to name at least one country in witch each holiday is observed.
Materials:
 History Channel Website www.historychannel.com -specifically the articles on Christmas, Hanukkah & Kwanzaa Hallmark Greetings Website www.hallmark.com -Specifically the information provided about each holiday, give the specific dates of the celebrations, the countries where they are observed and different cultures which celebrate each holiday Other materials: All students will need a note book, pancil/pen & colored pencils or markers.
Introduction:
 The teacher begins with a class discussion, to assess the students prior knowledge of the subject. As the students give answers to the questions write them down either on the board, white board, overhead, etc., so that everyone can see the info. The teacher should facilitate the discussion by asking the students questions to help engage them in the discussion. Ask questions like: -Can anyone name a holiday that is celebrated in the month of December? -Can anyone name any other holidays other than Christmas? -Does anyone know that name of the holiday that begins with the letter "H" or the letter "K"? -Can anyone tell me what Hanukkah or Kwanzaa is? -Tell me what you know about these three holidays? -Do you know what cultures celebrate these holidays? -What holidays do you celebrate in December? -Do you know anyone who celebrates a different holiday than you? *Keep in mind that depending on their answers, the questions will vary. Also, this a great time to address any misconceptions that the students may have and a great time to present them with new information. Use questions that will lead the disscussion into what countries observe these holidays and what cultures.
Development:
 When talking about the countries these three holidays are observed in, show the students on a large world map where each of these countries actually is. Explain to them that even though these holiday are celebrated in various countries around the world, there are people in their own country (Canada) who also celebrate these days.
Practice:
 At this point, partner all of the students up. Provide each student in the class with a hand out of the world map and an info. sheet about each of the holidays from hallmark.com. Ask the students to work with their partner to locate some of the countries that you had discussed as a class on their own map. When they find a country, ask them to color it in. Also ask them to create a legend on their sheet of what color they have used to represent each of the three holidays and their corresponding country. If the students are having trouble remember some of the countires they are looking for, encourage them to use the info. sheets that you provided them from hallmark.com. *During this activitiy the teacher should walk around the class and monitor the students progress and provide assistance when needed. After the students have had a few minutes to work on their task, bring them all back together and review. Ask for volunteers to come up and point out and mark the countries on the large map(use a post-it note to stick on the map to mark them). You may also call on students so that the some students are not coming up all of the time. *This is a great way to monitor the student and see if they can name some countries.
Accommodations:
 
Checking For Understanding:
 -Mark the handout that they were required to anwswer -Monitor the students in class while they are doing the various activities, provide assistance where needed. -Mark the spelling quiz
Closure:
 
Evaluation:
 
Teacher Reflections:
 

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