Holidays Throughout the Year
by Cara Johnston
Developed for kindergarten classes to learn
about various holidays throughout the year. They will gain an understanding
of why we celebrate the different religious and secular holidays and they
will learn the symbols that are associated with each of the days. Students
will use Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Computer/Technology skills
through exploring this topic page.
Father Time is the symbol people usually think of for
New Years Day. This is the first day of the new year when people think
about the past year and what they can do differently.
Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans, Louisiana
47 days before Easter. It is always on a Tuesday and for this reason it
is called Fat Tuesday.
The Fourth of July is a celebration of American's Independence from
England
Labor Day is celebrated on the first
Monday of September. It is a holiday to honor the working people
Halloween is a time to go around the neighborhood and get lots of candy,
but have you ever wondered why you do that...
Veteran's Day is a holiday to honor the
men and women who have fought in the United States armed forces. It is celebrated
November 11th
Thanksgiving was first celebrated with the Indians
who helped the Pilgrims make it through their first winter in America
The Festival of Lights, known as Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday celebrated
for eight days, which commemorates the miracle of the oil.
We all
know the story of Christmas, but do you know why we hang stockings?
Kawanzaa is a holiday that begins on December 26th and lasts for seven
days. African Americans celebrate black culture and their history.
Teacher Page:
I would use this topic page to teach the NC SCOS SS objectives
for goal 7 in the kindergarten curriculum. These include: 7.1
Identify religious and secular symbols associated with famous people, holidays,
and special days. 7.3 State reasons for observing special days
and religious and secular holidays. The learner will elaborate on religious
and other traditions in the community.
By using this page I will also
overlap into the computer/technology skills curriculum and the english language
arts curriculum. For the first area students
will use the following competency goals (1-3): The learner will understand
important issues of a technology-based society and will exhibit ethical behavior
in the use of computer and other technologies. The learner will demonstrate
knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies. The learner
will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize,
apply, and communicate information. For the second area
they will use the following competency goals (2,3): The learner will
develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard,
and viewed. The learner will make connections through the use of oral language,
written language, and media and technology. The students will
also use writing to communicate their ideas and the conventions of written
language that apply to this technique.
I think it would be a good way to supplement the topic
of various holidays throughout the year. Besides getting their knowledge through
books, students can do "research" using the computer and internet to find
out more information about the different holidays. I would have a parent
volunteer or teacher assistant sit with the student as he/she searches the
websites. The adult would read the information to the student, but the child
would lead the investigation through the pages. This way the student is able
to work on the computer, but they have a more complete understanding since
the information is being read to them. The topics are not too hard for them
to understand, just too hard for them to read. I have also written a description
for all of the graphics for students who are visually impaired. Having someone
read to them would also be helpful so they could still use the topic page
as another resource.
Activity 1:
Students will choose one of the
holidays they have just searched on the internet. They will write two things
they learned from the website. Then they will find a book on the same holiday,
from the class library, and write two more facts they found in the book.
One of the sentences should include the reason why we celebrate this particular
holiday.
Rubric for Assessing/Evaluating
Student Work for Activity #1
Requirements
|
Needs Improvement
|
Good Work
|
Outstanding
|
2 sentences
from website
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
2 sentences
from 2nd source
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
having a sentence
explaining
the purpose of the holiday
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
Activity 2:
Students will pick
three different holidays from the websites they just explored and draw a
symbol to represent each of the holidays. It does not have to be the icon
on the topic page, though they may choose to draw that one. For additional
references, students may look in the class library of holiday books and pick
a symbol to identify with the religious or secular holiday.
Rubric for Assessing/Evaluating
Student Work for Activity #2
Requirements
|
Needs Improvement
|
Good Work
|
Outstanding
|
chose 3 different
holidays
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
drew a symbol
for each holiday
|
1
|
2
|
3
|