Geography and Culture 1
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Visual Learning Tools Learning Module Activity Guide Geography and Culture 1 Holidays PK-2 SOCIal STUDIES Visual Learning Tools Learning Module Activity Guide Geography & Culture 1 Holidays Learning Activities developed by Keys to Learning, LLC PK-2 SOCIal STUDIES © 2010 Varitronics®, A Brady Business. Brady Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. The purchase of this activity guide entitles the individual school to reproduce copies of the information for use in a single school only. The reproduction by any means of any part of this activity guide for other schools or an entire school district, or for commercial use is strictly prohibited. No form of this activity guide may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any other language in any form by any means without the written permission of Varitronics and Brady Worldwide, Inc. Any school determined to be in violation of this limited permission will be subject to a fine per school in addition to all other available legal remedies. Varitronics® and VariQuest® are registered trademarks of Brady Worldwide, Inc. Other brands and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTENTS Table of Contents The Foundation of VariQuest Learning Modules . 4 Overview . 5 Activity 1: Celebrate the New Year . 6 Activity 2: Our Founding Fathers . 8 Activity 3: I Have a Dream Too! . 10 Activity 4: Secret Valentines . 12 Activity 5: Lucky Me! . 14 Activity 6: Earth Day Awareness . 16 Activity 7: Cinco de Mayo Celebration . 18 Activity 8: Independence Day . 20 Activity 9: Thankful Little Turkeys . 22 Activity 10: December Holiday Traditions . 24 Additional Activity Ideas . 26 Rubric . 27 Content List . 28 Work Order Template . 32 3 THE FounDation of VARIQUEst LEARninG MODulES ariQuest supports educators by providing countless opportunities to introduce a variety Vof visuals and hands-on manipulatives into their classrooms. The use of visuals in the classroom helps students understand and retain information, specifically abstract concepts. Visuals can also help bridge the gap for students who struggle with vocabulary and/or language barriers. Hands-on manipulatives create learning experiences in which students interact with knowledge kinesthetically. Research shows that exposing students to a variety of learning experiences, including visual and kinesthetic, will increase student retention and help students learn to construct meaningful knowledge from information. The VariQuest Visual Learning Tools enhance classroom teachers’ ability to provide learning experiences that meet the learning styles of all students. The aim of the following Learning Activities is to coordinate the VariQuest Visual Learning Tools with lessons and activities that incorporate visual and hands-on learning strategies to reinforce basic skills and provide fun and motivational activities that will supplement your school’s curriculum. For best practices and additional information on how to customize VariQuest posters, banners, flashcards, awards, cutouts and manipulatives, review the VariQuest Implementation Guide prior to use. For the following learning activities, use construction paper for all cutouts unless otherwise specified. Pre-laminating construction paper using a cold laminator adds durability to cut out letters, shapes, numbers and collections. 4 GEOGRapHY & CultuRE 1 OVERviEW This module focuses on holidays celebrated in the U.S. The holidays selected were specifically chosen to represent a variety of cultures and beliefs. Children will understand the reasons for honoring American leaders and commemorating the founding of our nation. Children will also learn about ways different cultures celebrate similar holidays, understand the symbols associated with these holidays, and share family traditions. The learning activities in this VariQuest learning module are designed to meet educational standards in innovative and creative ways. Before turning to the learning activities, familiarize yourself with general information that will guarantee ease of use and flexibility. AssEssmEnt Following the learning activities, you will find a rubric that can be used to guide you in making observational assessments of students’ abilities related to the objectives outlined in the learning activities. It is recommended that you make a copy for each student to guide your ongoing informal assessments, making anecdotal notes on the back when appropriate. VARIQUEst ContEnt You will find a complete list of all of the content included in this module between the Rubric and Work Order template. The content ID #s (ex. VIS001) for content referenced in the learning activities are listed in the materials section for each activity and are color-coded to help distinguish between templates for the Poster Maker (red) and Awards Maker (purple) and cutouts and collections for the Cutout Maker (gold). WORK ORDERS You will also find a work order template on the last page of the Activity Guide. This template can be photocopied and used for placing orders for customized VariQuest posters, banners, stickers, awards, cutouts and collections. It is designed to be submitted to the primary user of the VariQuest Visual Learning Tools by those who may not have direct access to them. 5 ACT ivi T Y O N E ACTIVITY ONE Celebrate the New Year Happy New Year Rosh Hashanah HDY052 HDY054 Objectives Children will understand personal family heritage through stories and celebrations. Children will compare our nation’s holidays with holidays of other Chinese New Year cultures. HDY026 Materials POSTER MAKER: OTHER: Happy New Year: HDY052 Children’s books about New Year Rosh Hashanah: HDY054 traditions Chinese New Year: HDY026 Preparation Print and display Happy New Year, Rosh Hashanah and Chinese New Year posters. Print 8 ½” x 11” copies of Happy New Year, one for each child. Whole Class In the beginning of January, when class is back in session after the holiday break, ask children if any of them celebrated New Year’s Eve. Collect any New Year traditions from children in your class. Ask if any children celebrate New Year’s at a different time of year, and allow time to share. Explain that some cultures celebrate the New Year at different times. Take some time to read books about New Year celebrations from different cultures. Some examples include: New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, by April Halprin Wayland Gershon’s Monster, by Eric A. Kimmel Sam and the Lucky Money, by Karen Chinn The Dancing Dragon, by Marcia K. Vaughan New Year’s Day (True Book), by Dana Meachen Rau Happy New Year’s Everywhere, by Arlene Erlbach 6 CELEBraTE THE NEW YEar After reading about the traditions and symbols associated with New Year celebrations for the Chinese New Year, Rosh Hashanah and New Year’s MODIFICATION Eve in the U.S., ask for volunteers to share what they learned, recording Have children dictate their resolution. their ideas on the appropriate poster. Then compare the traditions to see Write it lightly in pencil and then have them trace the sentence and illustrate it. how they are alike. Point out some of the similarities among the traditions (fireworks, new beginning). EXTENSION Tell children about the Chinese Lantern riddles that are written on the inside of the lanterns used during the Lantern Festival. Give children the Chinese New Year Craft: CRF014 and have them assemble the lantern. Provide some sample riddles: What is full of holes but still holds water? A sponge. Compare the American tradition of making resolutions at the start of a Have children find a riddle in a book New Year to the Rosh Hashanah tradition of tossing pebbles into water to or come up with one on their own and write it on their lantern. start the New Year off with a clean slate. Tell children that a resolution is a promise to try to improve or do better at something. Take this opportunity to encourage children to think about a resolution, a personal promise to try harder to do things they know will make them better learners, better friends, better family members, happier and healthier. Share a New Year’s resolution of your own with children. Then ask children to think of one or more things they will try to improve in the coming year. Tell children that they will have the opportunity to write and illustrate a New Year’s resolution. Center Activity Distribute Happy New Year copies to children. Have them write a sentence and illustrate a New Year’s resolution in the box. 7 ACT ivi T Y Tw O ACTIVITY TWO Our Founding Fathers Presidents’ Day 2 Presidents’ Day Sticker HDY053 STK288 Objectives Children will understand the reasons for celebrating national holidays, such as Presidents’ Day. Children will identify the achievements of presidents honored on Presidents’ Day. Abraham Lincoln George Washington HOL211 HOL212 Children will understand that history relates to events, people, and places of other times. Materials POSTER MAKER: Theodore Roosevelt: HOL214 Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt Presidents’ Day 2: HDY053 OTHER: HOL213 HOL214 AwaRDS MAKER: Children’s books about the Presidents’ Day Sticker: STK288 presidents: Lincoln, Washington, CUTOUT MAKER: Jefferson, T. Roosevelt Abraham Lincoln: HOL211 Magnifying glasses George Washington: HOL212 U.S. coins: Penny, Nickel Thomas Jefferson: HOL213 and Quarter Preparation Print and display Presidents’ Day 2 poster. Print Presidents’ Day Sticker, one for each child. Cut out the following shapes, custom-sized to 10”: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt, one set for each child. Tip: Cut president faces out of skin-tone construction paper to make them look realistic. 8 OUR FOUNdiNG FATHERS Whole Class MODIFICATION On Presidents’ Day, display the Presidents’ Day 2 poster. Read the title, Have children write the name of each then, ask children where they’ve seen the profiles of these faces before president on the cutout and dictate (U.S. coins). Pass around coins and magnifying glasses for children to look one fact about that president. at the profiles on the coins.