Students in kindergarten and first grade at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School learned how winter holidays are celebrated across the globe through a classroom-based cultural unit in the North Bellmore School District.
First graders in Kelly Navin’s class examined a variety of holidays, including Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Lunar New Year and St. Lucia Day. The unit was broken into daily lessons, with each day dedicated to a different celebration. Students engaged with videos, music and stories and completed related activities such as crafts and word puzzles.
As part of the lessons, students discussed the origins of each holiday and the regions where the traditions are commonly practiced. They tracked their learning by locating countries on a world map and receiving stamps in personal “passports” for each holiday studied.
Students also extended the project beyond the classroom by working with family members to write and illustrate short pieces about their own holiday customs, which they later presented to their classmates.
In Stephanie Meehan’s kindergarten class, the focus was on Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah and Lunar New Year. Students collaborated to share what they already knew about each celebration, creating a classroom chart of key facts. Each student was also given a paper suitcase to represent their travels to countries that observe the holidays.
The unit encouraged students to build cultural awareness while learning about traditions celebrated by people
