Celebrating Culturally Diverse Holidays in the Classroom
December is a great month to celebrate cultural diversity around the world, and even in your own classroom. Because most classrooms contain samplings of the myriad of cultures, faiths, backgrounds, experiences, and opportunities around the world, this is a great time to explore that diversity! Fostering inclusion and awareness of cultural differences is not only fun, it is beneficial to a student’s social and emotional well being.
I love to pick and choose activities from our Christmas and Holidays around the world products. We have a vast amount of choices, and these vary from year-to-year, because I always start with my students. I want to include materials that reflect their cultures and diverse experiences. For example, my classroom usually includes students who have immigrated from Mexico, so, I usually begin with “Christmas in Mexico.” I love to invite parents to help with the presentations of games, activities, foods and customs, as they are generally very eager to do so! Because our units supply all of the games, songs, and activities that I need to expand each cultural celebration, planning becomes very easy!
Don’t forget grandparents! Grandparents love to travel, so I always ask for extended family to join in the sharing. My students love to have their grandparents come in and talk about a country. For example, one child’s grandparents had been to Russia. They shared with the class photos, songs, activities, and even brought in some food. When we moved to our center activities, students were excited to read, write, play games, and make art about Russia, because they now had a personal connection!
I also make sure to include nonChristian celebrations as well. I have a niece that celebrates Diwali in grand style and she is able to talk about the celebrations with my students via Zoom — she lives in New York, across the entire nation from me. I love how Zoom has expanded the walls of our classroom!
By systematically integrating cultural diversity into your curriculum, you will familiarize your students with perspectives that differ from their own and expand their understanding of the world in which they live. And, you and your students will have a whole lot of fun!
Check out our thematic units below that will connect your students to the world while enjoying some cross-curricular thematic learning!
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Christmas Around The World Thematic Unit. Teach across the curriculum!
Part One of our Christmas Around the World Thematic Unit is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.
Part Two Features The Countries of:
India
Sweden
United States of America
Bahamas
Peru
Israel
Mexico
China
Italy
Scotland
The activities include:
Literacy Activities
Sweden: St. Lucia Reading Nonsens Words
USA: Decorate Away: Blending Phonemes
USA: Decorate Away: Blending Phonemes or Phoneme Segmentation
Bahamas: Junkanoo: Using Common Nouns in Complete Sentences
Israel: Identifying Letters or Decoding Words
Italy: Befana’s Toys: Changing Initial Sounds to Make New Words
Mexico: Poinsettia Race: Naming Letters Quickly
China: Christmas Lanterns: Writing Alphabet Letters
Math Activities
India: Diwali Day: Identifying and Comparing Numbers
Sweden: St. Lucia Day Deliveries: Composing Teen Numbers.
Peru: Fiesta de Navidad: Classifying and Sorting Objects
Scotland: The Mischievous Elves: Identifying Numbers
Songs and Fingerplays
India: Little Clay Lamp
Sweden: Lucia Day
USA: Ring Your Bells
Peru: Fiestas de Navidad
Art Projects
India: Clay Lamp
Sweden: Star Hats, St. Lucia Wreaths
USA: A Gift for Mom & Dad
Bahamas: Starfish Santa
Israel: My Star
Italy: My Ceppo
Mexico: Poinsettia Construct
Scotland: Shape Elf
Kitchen
Australia: Pavlova
Peru: Panettone
Writing
Country Word Walls
Guided Reading
Around The World: Sight Word Reader
Class-Made Book: Around the World
© Kathy Crane
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Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Holidays around the World Thematic Cross-Curricular Activities takes a look at multi-cultural celebrations that are held in the Winter months. It is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.
Part Three Features:
Eid
Kwanzaa
Hanukkah
Diwali
The activities include:
Literacy Lessons
Eid: Reading Sight Words
Eid Variation: Reading Alphabet letters
Happy Kwanzaa: Reading Nonsense Words
Spin the Dreidel: Naming Alphabet Letters
Spin the Dreidel Variation: Decoding CVC Words
Follow the Lamps: Blending and Segmenting Words
Art Projects
Eid: Crescent Moon
Kwanzaa: Kinara
Hanukkah: Star of David
Hanukkah: My Menorah
Diwali: Rangoli
Scrapbook Pages:
Eid
Kwanzaa
Hanukkah
Diwali
Songs/Fingerplays
Eid
Kwanzaa
The Dreidel Song
Diwali is Here
© Kathy Crane
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Christmas Around The World is always an exciting topic for children of all ages. This easy to use product will help your students practice key details and features of text as they research and produce a country's Christmas Around The World Brochure and Craft representing each country.
This set includes the countries:
France
Germany
Italy
Russia
Mexico
Sweden
England
Each country includes a brochure outline, country information card, and a craft to extend the learning.
© Kathy Crane
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Christmas Around The World is always an exciting topic for children of all ages. This easy to use product will help your students practice key details and features of text as they research and produce a country's Christmas Around The World Brochure and Craft representing each country.
This set includes the countries:
China
Bahamas
India
United States
Africa
Israel
Greece
Each country includes a brochure outline, country information card, and a craft to extend the learning.
© Kathy Crane
Follow For Updates and Freebies!
Be alerted as products are updated and/or added to. Get Special Freebies.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Description
Christmas Around The World Thematic Unit. Teach across the curriculum!
Part One of our Christmas Around the World Thematic Unit is filled with time-tested, quality activities that are strategically linked to Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, social studies, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading.
Part One Features The Countries of:
Germany
Australia
Russia
Denmark
Spain
England
France
Africa
Canada
Greece
The activities include:
Literacy Activities
Germany: Reading Sight Words
Australia: Surfing Santa: Segmenting Words
Russia: Land of the Sweets: Comprehension
France: Le Reveillon: Rhyming
Greece: St. Nicholas’ Boats: Naming Sounds
Greece: Nonsense Word Fluency
Italy: Befana’s Toys: Changing Initial Sounds to Make New Words
Math Activities
German Advent Calendar: Solving Problems Using Mental Math Strategies.
Denmark: Nisse The Elf: Subtraction
Africa: Candle, Candle: Decomposing Numbers
Canada: Tree Delivery: Making Combinations for 10
Spain: Spanish Shoes: Writing Numbers
England: Stocking Stuffing: Counting Objects For a Given Number
Songs and Fingerplays
Germany: O Tannenbaum
Australia: Six White Boomers
Denmark: Ten Little Gnomes
Spain: Navidad
Art Projects
Germany: Star Christmas Countdown
Russia: Nesting Dolls/Nutcracker
Denmark: Danish Christmas Heart
Spain: Balthazar & the Wise Men
Africa: Candle Art
Canada: Strip Christmas Tree
England: Christmas Cards
France: Christmas Santons
Greece: Christmas Fishing Boat
Kitchen
Australia: Pavlova
Writing
Country Word Walls
Guided Reading
Christmas Friends: Sight Word Reader
Class-Made Book: Around the World
BONUS: Find more ideas and supporting books, videos, and songs here: http://www.kindergartenkiosk.com/kindergartenkiosk/12/2/christmas-around-the-world
© Kathy Crane
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Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Christmas Around the World Scrapbook enhances the memories of Christmas Around The World Activities and reinforces researching key details. Complete the scrapbook, and then bind into an around the world memento.
This product contains:
An full-color informational card for each country
Two Scrapbook Cover Options: Color or Black and White
A Scrapbook Page for each of the 20 countries Found in our Christmas World Tour Thematic Units.
A Culminating Scrapbook Craft to include into the scrapbook.
An original song adaptation of Let There Be Peace On Earth to sing with your students and include in the scrapbook.
Countries Include
Germany
Australia
Russia
Denmark
Spain
England
France
Africa
Canada
Greece
India
Sweden
United States of America
Bahamas
Peru
Israel
Mexico
China
Italy
Scotland
Norway
© Kathy Crane
Follow For Updates and Freebies!
Be alerted as products are updated and/or added to. Get Special Freebies.
Christmas Around The World is always an exciting topic for children of all ages. This easy to use product will help your students practice key details and features of text as they research and produce a country's Christmas Around The World Brochure and Craft representing each country.
This set includes the countries:
Canada
Spain
Peru
Norway
Australia
Denmark
Scotland
Each country includes a brochure outline, country information card, and a craft to extend the learning.
© Kathy Crane
Follow For Updates and Freebies!
Be alerted as products are updated and/or added to. Get Special Freebies.