1. by Savannah McGinnis ED 417
Holidays

2. Holidays 2ND Grade Lesson

3. Objectives
Students will learn about some major U.S. holidays.

4. Objectives Continued:
Students will learn about some holidays from other cultures.

5. For Example:
Halloween
Christmas
Kwanzaa
Hanukkah
Holidays

6. Activity 1 Materials Needed:
The book The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
Computer(s)
Paper
Pencils

7. Activity 1
Have a class discussion about Halloween. What are some of the traditions associated with it?
Read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams.
Go to the Second and Third Grade Holiday Activity Page
“Pumpkin Memory Game”
“The Scary Skeleton”
Have children reflect on what they know about Halloween through writing.

8. Activity 2 Materials Needed:
Paper
Pencils
Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers, etc.
Author’s Chair

9. Activity 2
Have students brainstorm their ideas about how they celebrate the holiday season through webbing. (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)
Have students write their ideas into sentences.
Let students draw/color picture(s) to go along with their written words.
Draw names out of a cup to determine who will share their ideas and pictures with the rest of their class. (Use the Author’s Chair.)
Discuss there are no “right” and “wrong” traditions-just different.

10. Activity 2 continued
Create a graphic organizer template. Go to Eduplace www/eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/graphorg
“T Chart”
“Cluster/Word Web 3”
Make a graphic organizer displaying characteristics of holidays celebrated by children in the class. (Venn diagram, chart, etc.)
Make a bar graph of holidays the class celebrated. Allow students to do the work; you’re just the facilitator. (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)

11. Activity 3 Materials Needed:
Computer(s)
Pencils
Paper
Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers, etc.
Poster boards

12. Activity 3
Find out if any of the students celebrate Kwanzaa. Ask the students if any of them know what Kwanzaa is.
Divide children into groups of 3-4
Direct them to Kaboose
“About Kwanzaa”
“Printable Activities/Beginner Crossword”
Students will write a report on what they learned about Kwanzaa (in groups).
Students will design a poster that goes along with their report. (in groups)

13. Activity 4 Materials Needed:
Paper
Pencils
Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers, etc.
Colored Construction Paper
Access to internet, books about holidays
Stapler
My favorite holiday is...

14. Activity 4 My favorite holiday is...
Students will select their favorite holiday.
Students will make a “My Favorite Holiday” book. Books must contain a page for”
Front cover/title page
Why this is my favorite holiday?
Family traditions for this holiday
Facts about my holiday
History behind my holiday (help as needed)
Creative pictures throughout book
Note: to be done over time, not just in a day.

15. Activity 5 Materials Needed:
The book Holidays Around the World by Joan O’Brien

16. Activity 5
Students will read Holidays Around the World by Joan O’Brien
Students will reflect on the book through class conversation, writing, etc.

17. Activity 6
At the end of this unit, have a class party celebrating holidays around the world.
Every student brings in a treat or an idea for a game or craft. (Can be from any culture discussed.)
Student should have adult supervision while researching the internet.
Student can go to

18. Activity 6 Continued
Go to

19. Books that can be used: Seven Days of Kwanzaa by Melrose Cooper
My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah Chocolate and Cal Massey
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis and Daniel Minter
Kwanzaa Fun: Great Things to Make and Do by Linda Robertson

20. Books that can be used continued:
The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry and J. P. Miller
A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe
Olivia Helps With Christmas by Ian Falconer
Christmas Around the World by Chuck Fischer

21. Books that can be used continued:
Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simont
Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting and Jan Brett
Who Stole Halloween? by Martha Freeman
One Halloween Night by Mark Teague

22. Books that can be used continued:
Hanukkah Moon by Deborah De Costa and Gosia Mosz
Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah by Maida Silverman and Carolyn Ewing
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Hanukkah: With Lights, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman
Mrs. Greenburg’s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser and Nancy Cote

23. The End