People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Getting Started Lesson 2: Traditions? Big Ideas P How are people from different cultures the same and different? P How does a person's culture affect his or her life? P Why do cultures have traditions? P What do the traditions, jobs, and foods of a culture tell us about the culture? & Facts and Definitions P A tradition is a repeated activity that holds special meaning for a family or group of people. 8 Skills P Explore the benefits of diversity in the United States (SS) P Compare and contrast similarities and differences among individuals and families (SS) P Recognize and describe religious and secular symbols or celebrations associated with special days of diverse cultures (SS) P Explore and cite reasons for observing special days that recognize celebrated individuals of diverse cultures (SS) P Recognize and describe the historical events associated with national holidays (SS) P Trace the historical foundations of traditions of various neighborhoods and communities (SS) P Connect ideas and themes across text (LA) P Share personal experiences and responses to experiences with text (LA) " Materials "Holidays" "Directions for Making a Maraca (Option 1)" "Directions for Making a Maraca (Option 2)" "Chinese New Year Dish" "Make a Kwanzaa Placemat" "Celebrating Christmas" "Celebrating Christmas" "Holiday Math" "My Favorite Holiday" Christmas Around the World by Mary D. Lankford P 3 or 4 bright colors of construction paper P acrylic paint* (Activity 2 - Option 2) P Chinese New Year foods P crayons, colored pencils, or markers P flour* (Activity 2 - Option 2) P library books on holidays of different cultures P masking tape P plastic egg* (Activity 2 - Option 2) P rice P scissors P strips of newspaper and paper towel for paper P Introduction mache* (Activity 2 - Option 2) P toilet paper roll water* (Activity 2 - Option 2) P world map P Page 1
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Ask your child if he can think of any special activities your family does in the same way at the same time on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Explain that these special activities are called traditions. Families and/or groups of people around the world can practice traditions. These traditions keep the culture alive because they are passed down to the next generation. They bring people together and help them remember important people or events. Ask your child if he can think of any traditions the people in his community practice. Activities Activity 1: Holidays Tell your child that holidays are special days celebrated in a culture and often involve traditions that have been passed down over the years. Explain that every culture in the world celebrates holidays. Ask your child to name the holidays he knows about. Explain that holidays can come from beliefs in a culture, or holidays can celebrate events or famous people in the history of a culture. For example, the 4th of July is a holiday when we celebrate the time when America became a nation (many years ago). Then explain that many holidays have special symbols associated with them. Read about the holidays from the descriptions below; in addition, you can find books at the library about the holidays: Christmas happens in December. It is a time when friends and family gather to eat holiday foods and exchange gifts. Most families decorate a Christmas tree, and Santa Claus brings gifts for the children. Many people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on this special day. Thanksgiving is when Americans celebrate with family and friends, eating turkey, pumpkin pie, and other special foods. Thanksgiving has been celebrated since the first families came to live in America. These people were called Pilgrims. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Native American Indians who first lived on the land we now call America. Chinese New Year does not fall on the same date each year but is determined by the calendar and the new moon. It is a celebration that lasts three to five days, and families and friends come together to eat foods like noodles and oranges, which hold special meaning in their lives. For example, noodles are seen as a symbol for long life. The Chinese people engage in activities that symbolize new beginnings, like cleaning their homes and buying new clothes. They remember relatives who have passed on and are no longer with them. They also have special parades where people dress up in dragon costumes. The people wish for good luck and wealth. During this time, gifts are exchanged. Sometimes people exchange money in red envelopes. Mexicans in Mexico and America celebrate Cinco de Mayo on the fifth of May. The phrase Cinco de Mayo is the Spanish way of saying "May the fifth." On this day, they remember the brave Mexicans who fought in the Battle of Puebla long ago in Mexico. The celebrations on this day include many fiestas (parties). A sombrero, a large straw hat, is often seen as a symbol of Cinco de Mayo. During the holiday Kwanzaa, the African-American community celebrates their African culture and their sense of community and pride. It has a history based on the African celebration of the first harvest of crops in Africa. Kwanzaa means "first fruits" in Swahili, an African language. During Kwanzaa, African-Americans celebrate special community principles such as unity, responsibility, and purpose. Show your child the sheet called "Holidays." Ask him to draw the symbol for each holiday and to write about why the holiday is important or write about an important activity that people practice to celebrate the holiday. After your child has completed the "Holidays" page, he can cut out the symbols, holidays, and cultures. You can mix them up and then let him match them. Activity 2: Cinco de Mayo Music Ask your child what type of music is a tradition in your family or culture, for example, special bedtime songs or Christmas music during the Christmas season. Explain that music is very important in cultures, and all cultures have unique music. Find Spanish music on the radio or on the Internet. Explain to your child that music is made with instruments. Ask him if he can name any instruments. Tell your child that he is going to create a maraca, an instrument that is used to play music in the Latin culture. Follow the instructions on one of the "Directions for Making a Maraca" sheet; Option 2 is more difficult to Page 2
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions make than Option 1. Let your child play the instrument with Spanish music playing in the background. Note: For Option 1, use masking tape instead of rubber bands to secure the construction paper more securely to the toilet paper roll. Activity 3: Chinese New Year Dish Review the idea that food is an important part of a culture and its traditions. Explain to your child that foods prepared and eaten on Chinese New Year have special meanings. Give your child the "Chinese New Year Dish" sheet. Look at each food label and ask your child to draw the food in the box. Then discuss the significance of each food. Let your child help you prepare one or more of the foods served on Chinese New Year. Let him serve the food to his family and explain the meaning of each food during the Chinese New Year celebration. Now ask your child to think of a food that symbolizes happiness for him. He can draw a picture of the food on the back of the page and write about why it means happiness to him. Activity 4: Kwanzaa Discuss the idea that art is an important part of a culture. Through art, people can add beauty to their culture and express their feelings to others. Every culture has art with special meaning. Tell your child that many colorful fabrics and artwork are found in African cultures. Many African cultures take great pride in their weaving. People in Africa weave clothing, rugs, and blankets with beautiful patterns and colors. Weaving is usually done with yarn, but today your child is going to weave with construction paper. Follow the directions on the "Make a Kwanzaa Placemat" sheet. Day 2 Activity 5: Christmas Around the World Tell your child that many cultures celebrate Christmas, but they can celebrate it in different ways, with their own special traditions. Read about the Christmas celebrations of at least three or four cultures from around the world in the book Christmas around the World. Read about the following countries (and any others your child is interested in): Australia (Remind your child that Australia is the name of the continent too.), Ethiopia, Italy, Mexico, and the Philippines. Help your child locate each country on a world map and identify the continent where it is found. As you read through the book, talk about the similarities and differences among the different celebrations. After you have read about the different countries, ask the following questions: P How is Christmas celebrated differently from the way we celebrate it? P Which country was most similar to our celebration? Why? P Which country's Christmas was most different from ours? Why? P Which country would you enjoy celebrating Christmas in? Why? Activity 6: Celebrating Christmas Give your child the sheets called "Celebrating Christmas." For each culture, ask him to write a sentence that describes a unique way the people celebrate Christmas. He can also draw a picture of a symbol or object that represents an aspect of the holiday in the country. Australia has been done as an example. On the second page, he can make a Venn diagram that compares the way his family celebrates Christmas to that of a different culture. Activity 7: Holiday Math On the page, "Holiday Math," your child will solve each math word problem. Activity 8: My Favorite Holiday On the "My Favorite Holiday" sheet, your child will write about his favorite holiday and then illustrate himself celebrating that holiday. Remind him that each sentence should have subject (noun) and predicate (verb). Review that all sentences begin with capital letters and end with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. Discuss how to know if a sentence needs a period (a statement), question mark (a question), or exclamation mark (strong feeling). Wrapping Up Ask your child why traditions are important to cultures. Explain that one reason traditions are important is that they bring people together to enjoy one another. Another reason that traditions are important is that they help young people Page 3
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions understand the history or beliefs of their family and culture. Page 4
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 1 Page 5
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 1 Page 6
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 2 - Option 1 Page 7
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 2 - Option 1 Page 8
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 2 - Option 2 Page 9
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 2 - Option 2 Page 10
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 3 Page 11
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 3 Page 12
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 4 Page 13
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 4 Page 14
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 6 - Page 1 Page 15
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 6 - Page 1 Page 16
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 6 - Page 2 Page 17
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 6 - Page 2 Page 18
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 7 Page 19
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 7 Page 20
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 8 Page 21
People Around the World -> 2: Traditions Activity 8 Page 22