LESSON 3: CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS
Extension Activity: Looking at Your Heritage
Ask students to write or illustrate a celebration or tradition from their own cultural, ethnic or religious community through a
short story, poem, collage or drawing. Have them try to answer the following questions with their story or poem. Or if a collage
or drawing is created, have the student prepare a short written or oral statement to answer the questions:
• What is the historical origin of the tradition, including when and why it began?
• If this tradition has originated in another country, has it changed in any way in order to be celebrated in the United States?
• Why is it important for your community or family to preserve this tradition?
• What background information would you explain to a friend from outside your cultural community if you were to invite
him/her to join you in the celebration of this cultural tradition, if any?
• Would you continue this tradition when you have your own family? Why or why not?
LESSON 4: CULTURAL TRADITIONS
Lessons 4, 5 and 6 were written at a 4–9th grade level; however, teachers of all grade levels are encouraged to modify the
lessons to fit the needs of their specific students.
Journal Reflection
Write the statement below along with the following questions on the board. Give students 15–20 minutes to write a reflective
and thoughtful response. Tell them they will be sharing their answers with the class.
Traditions can change or become lost over the years, but sometimes they are resurrected in successive generations and become
accepted by the larger community. Because of the rich diversity of Americans, many people today are going back to their ethnic
roots and are becoming more accepting of other cultures.
• Do you agree or disagree with the statement above? Why or why not?
• Do you have an example of this situation happening in your own family? Please describe.
• What is your definition of a tradition?
• How can traditions change or become lost?
• Do you think it’s difficult for people to bring back lost traditions? Why or why not?
• Do you think America will ever reach a level of complete tolerance towards different traditions? How can we, as a nation,
get there? How long do you estimate that taking?
Class Discussion
Discuss the questions and answers together as a class.
Extenstion Activity
Comparing and Contrasting Cultural Traditions
Ask students to compare the differences and similarities between traditions from their own cultural, ethnic or religious
community and compare it to one of the other ethnic traditions studied in Chapters 1–3. Include the following information
or answer the following questions in your comparison:
• How is the cultural tradition that you are focusing on similar to one of the cultural traditions you learned about in
your reading?
• How are the traditions different? Is either cultural event considered a mainstream American tradition or observed
on a U.S. calendar?
• If so, how long has it been considered a mainstream American tradition?
• If not, do you foresee that it could ever be considered a mainstream American tradition? Under what circumstances?
would this happen?
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