Activities that explore the history of the New Year tradition in the United States and other countries help students gain a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures. (DF)

Ideas for art and drama projects that will help students celebrate the meaning of December traditions and feasts are offered in this article. (DF)

This document consists of the three volume IX issues of "Volunteer Voice," a newsletter of the Tacoma Community House Training Project. The first issue consists of one teacher's personal account of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching and includes the following: an annotated list of ESL text books, a list of activities resources,…

Discusses ways a high school Spanish teacher has increasingly sought opportunities to introduce her students to the customs and traditions of Mexican culture. Notes her goal as a teacher is to present the cultural event and to encourage students to look at the belief system behind it. Discusses a series of class activities involving the "Dia…

An activity book presents arts and crafts projects for the special events and holidays occurring during November and December. The section includes class activities, student activity pages, and directions for making several kinds of bird feeders. (SM)

Presents CyberHunt 3, an interactive, multicultural activity for the holiday season. Students visit a variety of web sites for facts and activities related to Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. A CyberHunt reproducible has students write their answers to nine questions based on information they find at the different web sites. (SM)

Challenges the thinking about planning activities for children around holidays in Head Start programs. Discusses the role of holidays as family events and the difficulties surrounding teaching preschoolers the meaning of holidays. Suggests ways to use holidays as an opportunity to truly expand children's knowledge using child development…

Presents four elementary school crafts that celebrate the cultural heritage of people worldwide. Crafts are a universal means of cultural expression that provide opportunities to explore multicultural understanding. The article describes how to make Russian dolls, Hmong story cloths, Guatemalan hand puppets, and Haitian steel drum cutouts. (SM)

Presents a lesson plan dealing with the Columbian Exposition of 1893 at the Chicago (Illinois) World's Fair. Stresses recognition of (1) the connection between the past and the present; (2) the significance of Columbus Day; (3) the use of photographs as primary sources; and (4) the architecture of historical periods. Includes suggestions,…

New methods are proposed for teachers to increase the cultural knowledge of their students. Rather than emphasizing food, festivals, and famous faces from other lands, there should be an attempt to use culture in the classroom as content in the regular instruction of speaking, listening, writing, mathematics, reading, and science. Teaching…

Described are five halloween season activities. Included are investigations which focus on observing, measuring, creating, and cooking. A recipe for pumpkin bread is given. Ideas for infusing science into a halloween party are provided. (CW)

Asserts that holidays offer excellent opportunities to teach about cultural diversity and enrich the social studies curriculum. Provides five activities for teaching about holidays in elementary schools. Includes three charts keyed to the activities. (CFR)

Describes the activities associated with lesson plan development in an elementary social studies methods class. Recommends developing lessons about "international day" as designated by the United Nations. Includes a listing of International Days and Weeks. (CFR)

Three articles describe methods for teaching library skills. The first presents a song used to teach students the Dewey Decimal system; the second describes a reading program incorporating Halloween and foreign countries; and the third includes short poems designed to teach students to care for library books properly. (CLB)

This document presents Jackson County (Michigan) Intermediate School District's Special Education Early Childhood Center's 1988 curriculum. Sections focus on: (1) the center's program; (2) play observation; (3) eligibility; (4) classroom structure and function; (5) the importance of play; (6) developmental milestones; (7) planning and teaching…