November 2016

Teaching about holidays is a great opportunity for students to learn about different cultures and traditions from their classmates, whether they celebrate the same holiday or different ones. But it can be tricky - I will never forget my first year of teaching elementary school when I had children who were Christian, Muslim and Jehovah's Witness in one small class.
I wanted to share a fun writing activity that will get all kids writing, no matter what holiday they celebrate. This can done in class or taken home to be complete with family.

I will list the steps to below for easy to follow directions :)

Step 1: Fill out the Graphic Organizer. It may be helpful to have kids share aloud to remind others of their own celebrations. This is also a good time to remind them of the meaning of the word "tradition."

Step 2: Students will fill out the sheets provided for their flip book: "My Holiday", "Decorations", "Food" and "Traditions". Instructions are included for the students that explain how to cut and staple their flip books. (It's pretty easy - Just cut out each page along the black line, place each page on top of each other from biggest to smallest, and staple three times across the top.)