It might not even occur to many people that a Christmas tree in the corner of the room excludes all the students that don't celebrate Christmas. St. Whatever is done for one should be done for the others so that certain holidays don't come across as unusual or exotic. In this series, Mike focuses on how to use Morning Meeting to set a positive tone for the day during the build-up to winter holidays and school vacation. Dec 31, 2020 - Teaching holidays to kindergarten, first grade, and second-grade students. For young students, you can ask parents to come into the classroom and talk about their family traditions and how they celebrate at this time of year. Even if our holiday celebrations look different within our classroom there's no denying the whismy of the bright lights on people's homes and the songs we hear. Many holidays include the motif of light, which you can use to begin to discuss what they have in common: Teachers sometimes focus on the winter holidays just to provide cover for discussing Christmas. As Hanukkah comes to a close and Christmas approaches, many teachers will decorate with candy canes, glittered Christmas trees and construction-papered dreidels. Use the Celebrate Winter Holidays multimedia activity to help your students learn about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays around the world. One can teach about the holidays from October all the way through May, beginning with the harvest and the holidays of Halloween and Diwali and ending with the rituals of … Having taught about holidays for the better part of 15 years in four schools, I have rarely been questioned but know there’s always the potential concerned parent. It happens every year. Be sure to celebrate holidays that are relevant to the children in your care. One can teach about the holidays from October all the way through May, beginning with the harvest and the holidays of Halloween and Diwali and ending with the rituals of Passover, Easter, and May Day. Jul 21, 2020 - Explore Kelley Phillips's board "School: Holidays", followed by 481 people on Pinterest. We also walk in a slow procession to the Santa Lucia Song, and read books about the holiday such as Hanna’s Christmas by Melissa Peterson. Statistically speaking, it falls below the national average for religiosity, with just over 20 percent of the population officially affiliating with a specific church, temple, or mosque. Read on to learn how to create an inclusive holiday celebration in your classroom. GTBE publishes three Holiday Restoration Cards (booklets) to help teachers understand how the religious aspects of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter can be taught in the classroom. We apologize - Miami is experiencing an unexpected disruption to services. secular [ se-kyə-lər ] adj.,Not religious or spiritual; controlled by the government rather than by the church Teacher Essentials. If the majority of your students are of one religion, it can be easy for classroom decorations to start leaning that way. Every year I ask myself, what do these children understand about their relationship to their holidays? I'm super fortunate that my classroom has always been incredibly diverse. At my school, this lines up with our “four pillars”: knowledge, community, effort, and kindness. Technicians will be restoring service as quickly as possible. Unless you’re actually teaching a whole curriculum about religions, you’re going to end up with religious tourism at best. by TeachThought Staff. This exposes students to different traditions even among the same religion. “Christmas is the reason for the season,” he said. Then, after I ask students to identify what date is exactly six months later (May 1), they see that across the circle is May Day, the ancient beginning of spring. In May, I teach the children English Morris dances, which date back to springtime planting celebrations of more than a thousand years ago. Anti-bias teaching requires critical thinking and problem solving by both children and adults.” To me, what that definition boils down to is that anti-bias teaching respects and embraces inclusion and the differences amongst all of us. Bird Day. St. Nicholas Day is observed on December 6th. Make a face that looks like a cartoon Santa using fruits. Many of our students do celebrate these holidays, and they are important. Encourage students to bring in a dish related to a holiday they celebrate. If you need other ideas for holidays outside of December, Teacher.org presents a list of major American holidays, and Study.com offers a lesson on major holidays around the world. Celebrating holidays in the classroom inclusively is an opportunity for educators to teach students about different belief systems, including atheism. See more ideas about school holidays, teaching holidays, christmas classroom. Students that are a bit older can take an information sheet home to ask their parents about their family traditions. Make a Wreath. Then you'll have an idea of when you can incorporate holidays into the classroom January through November. Gateways to Better Education (GTBE) Phone: (800) 929-1163. ... Make Your Own Scrapbook: A classroom activity for students to share their own holiday traditions. While teaching a multicultural curriculum may not be too challenging most of the year, December brings the holidays, when one or two holidays are usually much more visible than the others. Services, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Learn about how certain materials can create bath bombs when mixed together. Years ago, following a holiday concert I had just conducted at a small Vermont elementary school, a parent approached me with a complaint. This annual celebration highlights the need to protect our nation’s birds, … I avoid sacred topics but honor the stories, characters, and rituals of holidays as symbols of positive values. The holidays are a wonderful time to talk about winter events and traditions from other parts of the world that students may not have heard of before. A collection of the best holiday activities, printables, and worksheets. Most religions and cultures celebrate holidays all 12 months of the year, not just in December. When beginning a lesson about the winter holidays right around Thanksgiving, I ask the question, “What is one thing many of the winter holiday traditions have in common?” Among many correct answers, the one I am looking for is “light.” The stories, traditions, and lore of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and even Chinese New Year contain things like stars, fireworks, lamps, candles, and fire. Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the year, make sure that all holidays are important will! Something that represents their holiday teachers whose many students celebrate many different holidays work... Board `` school: holidays '', followed by 481 people on Pinterest their relationship their... “ four pillars ”: knowledge, community, effort, and.. Project, as suggested above the commonalities in holiday stories reinforces cultural.. 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