Objectives

• Create an ever-expanding scrapbook that chronicles their family's celebrations of secular and sacred occasions
• Write narrative accounts based on family traditions
• gather historical information

Time Required

Grade Level

Curriculum Fit

• 113.22.b.17.A. Explain aspects that link or separate cultures and societies.
• 113.22.b.17.C. Analyze how culture traits spread.
• 113.22.b.17.D. Explain why cultures borrow from each other.
• 113.22.b.19.B. Explain the significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah in selected contemporary societies.
• 113.22.b.22.D. Create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines, and bibliographies.
• 113.22.b.22.E. Use standard grammar,spelling, sentence structure and punctuation.

Resources

• Research holidays on the Internet using Search Engines
• The Multi Cultural Calendar
• The Earth Calendar
• U.S. Holidays on the Web

• Family interviews

Materials

• cardboard
• construction paper
• stickers
• rubber cement
• markers

Preparation

• Create a sample scrapbook
• Crate guidelines for students' narratives

Procedure

Step A: Getting Started

1. Ask students to list sacred and secular celebrations their families observe during the school year
2. Now have students put them in chronological order
3. Using their lists, students should prepare a table of contents for their scrapbook
4. Finally students can create and organize their scrapbook including the table of contents

Step B: Before and After the Big Event

1. Prior to listed events, discuss with you class the procedures for investigation, data collection and picturing taking as well as possible topics and slants.
2. Students should bring their collected information to school each six weeks.
3. Set aside a day to update scrapbooks with newly collected information
4. Ask students to write rough draft narratives relating the important information regarding the celebration
5. After conducting a peer revision session, have students complete final drafts to be added to the scrapbook.

Evaluation

Below is a sample grading rubric for this lesson.

Score 4	Score 3	Score 2	Score 1
Highly effective table of contents & scrapbook organization	Effective table of contents & scrapbook organization	Moderately effective table of contents & scrapbook organization	Ineffective table of contents & scrapbook organization
Consistently collected appropriate data & photos	Frequently collected appropriate data & photos	Sometimes collected appropriate data & photos	Rarely collected appropriate data & photos
Highly effective narratives relating each event	Effective narratives elating each event	Moderately effective narratives relating each event	Ineffective narratives relating each event

Conclusion

• What have you learned about your family's celebrations?
• How do celebrations differ from family to family?
• How have your family's celebrations changed from your grandparents' time to your own time?
• Which traditions will you like to continue when you have a family?

Extension

1. Science
   • Discuss astronomy and lunar phases and their relationships to celebrations.
2. Math
   • Determine a budget for celebration spending and calculate how much your family spends in relation to that.
3. Reading/Writing
   • Write a poem or short story about your favorite celebration to be included in the scrapbook.
4. Art
   • Create illustrations to accompany you poem or short story.
   • Create greeting cards for different celebrations to share with the elderly. Try using patterns, colors or even languages that your family uses in their celebrations.