Your name,

Grade level,
Date of lesson

Cassidy Roth

Central Focus
The core concept(s) and
important understanding(s)
you want your students to
learn

The central focus of this lesson is for students to recognize and understand
that families have different traditions and customs from one another.

Lesson Overview
Purpose of the lesson
Application to real-life

The purpose of this lesson is for students to reflect on how they celebrate
cultural traditions, such as Thanksgiving, and how that may be similar or
different from the way other people celebrate a cultural tradition.

Standards
Include Ohio SS Academic
Content Standards and
NCSS Themes (and
Common Core & C3-if
applicable)

History Strand / Topic: Heritage

Kindergarten 11/18/14

7. Heritage is reflected through the arts, customs, traditions, family

celebrations, and language.
ELA
Writing research to build and present knowledge
8. With guidance and support form adults, recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a
question.

Objectives/Outcomes
Actions that are observable
and measurable
(Students will be able to .)

Students will be able to

Classroom Environment
Description of the room set
up for this lesson

25 children will be sitting around the carpeted meeting area in a large circle
for open discussion. The smartboard and whiteboard are located next to the
carpet for children to easily see. There are four rainbow-shaped tables where
students are assigned seats and can work individually or collaboratively.

Explain and reflect on their own family traditions

Compare and contrast the way people celebrate cultural traditions
Analyze various family traditions in relation to their own and explain
how they differ or are the same through verbal discussion or writing

Materials
Include technology;
Provide a brief, but detailed,
list of all materials to be used
in the lesson and the
quantity of each (including
technology). Where
applicable, indicate source of
the material

Smart board / White board

1-2 dry erase markers
13 sheets of blank white paper

25 Question Sheets

25 pencils
13 clipboards
Assorted crayons and markers (cups at each table)

Academic Language
List terms and meanings.
How will you help children
understand and use the
vocabulary?

Tradition: When we do something over and over again; How we do or

celebrate something

Assessment
How will you document
student
understanding/learning?
Include both formal and
informal assessments.

Informal Assessment

This description needs to

identify evaluation criteria
(i.e., what specific things are
you looking for in students
actions, etc.).

Venn Diagram: Two circles that overlap in the middle. Both circles represent
different things and the middle is when they are the same

Observation of class discussion and student dialogue - Do students

understand terminology? Can students verbalize their traditions? Do
students recognize similarities and differences?
Observation notes will be taken along with a checklist listing the
questions above

Formal Assessment

Venn diagram comparing and contrasting two family traditions

Students can use a Venn diagram or other method to show

similarities and differences among traditions Can the students
write/draw/explain their traditions? Do students recognize similarities
and differences?

Procedure

What the teacher will do;

What specific questions &

sequences of questions
are used to solicit student
thinking; be sure many
are higher-order
thinking...

What you expect students

to do/say in response to
teacher actions and
questions.
Identify points where the
lesson may not go as
planned, AND describe
how you will monitor and
adjust (e.g., potential
misconceptions).

Describe these details in a

way that a substitute teacher
could pick up your lesson
plan and teach the same day
simply by reading it.

Students will be gathered in a large circle in the meeting area for a

whole group discussion

I will have the words written on the Smart board Thanksgiving

Traditions

I will begin discussing our upcoming holiday and how I have many
plans. Then, I will prompt the students to help me read the board,
Thanksgiving Traditions.
o

Students may share the following

o

What do you think the word tradition means?

Something a family does, what you believe, I dont know,

something about the holidays, when you do something

With the students, we will craft a definition or what the word means
for the word tradition that follows along the lines of Something you
do every year or all the time.

Then, I will ask students to share some of their thanksgiving traditions

that they do every year with their family
These are some amazing traditions, I want to show this somehow, so
we can keep track! Next, I will create two large, overlapping circles on
the Smart Board and create a Venn diagram. I will tell students that
this is called a Venn diagram I will put my name on one side and
say that my traditions go on this side and pick another student to
write their name on the other side.
o What do you think should go in the middle where these two
circles overlap or cross?
o

Students may respond with stuff that is the same or stuff

that is different

MODELING: The student listed on the other side will give one
tradition, such as, I eat a giant turkey! If my tradition matches, we
put it in the middle, if not the tradition goes on his/her side. This
repeats two three times to model the diagram for students.
o

Ask questions for prompting if necessaryWhat do you eat

for Thanksgiving dinner? What do you do with your family? Do

you stay home? Where do you go? What do you do after
dinner? Etc.
Next, ask the class to look at my Venn diagram and ask the following
questions
o
o
o

What differences do you notice between our two traditions?

How could you compare our two traditions?
How did I use this Venn diagram to show those comparisons?

Can you design another way to show our two traditions on

one paper?
Now, you all have the chance to share your traditions with a friend
like Me and blank did!
Partner students (mixed ability) with one another and distribute
clipboards with one piece of paper for collaborative partner work
Have students chart their family traditions with words/ sentences/ or
pictures with their partner by using a Venn diagram or other
proposed method with their partner, like modeled!
o Students will be provided a list of questions to ask their
partner, if they cannot think of a tradition.
o

What do you eat for Thanksgiving dinner? What do you do

with your family? Where do you go for Thanksgiving? What
do you do after dinner? How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
Etc.

SS Lesson Plan Template

For differentiation, please fill out the chart with the specific supports, etc. you will use in THIS particular
lesson plan. You may also want to add a short paragraph at the end explaining how you are differentiating for
multiple intelligences, interests, etc.
Children with Specific Learning Needs
IEP/504 Plans:
Classifications/Needs

Number of
Children

Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications, Pertinent IEP Goals

Other Learning Needs

Number of
Children

Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications

ELL Students (Japanese)

Using visual cues/ pictures to explain

thinking, directions, and terminology