Holidays and Seasonal Observances
National Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month
According to the official government website, National Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month was created to recognize the positive impact that Hispanic and Latine Americans have left on the country.
Zinn Education Project (Use "Theme" category dropdown menu, and select Latinx)
QUIZLET - Be The Change Lesson Plans
Learning for Justice - Unmaking "Hispanic": Teaching the Creation of Hispanic Identity
Scholastic - A Month of Ideas for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
Terry Blas's Comics/Cartoons:
Indigenous Peoples' Day / Italian Heritage Month / Native American Heritage Month
President Biden has proclaimed, Monday, October 11th, as Indigenous Peoples' Day, becoming the first U.S. president to formally recognize the day.
October is also Italian-American Heritage Month. In tribute to all Italian Americans, the US Congress designated the month of October 1989 as "Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month." The month-long celebration recognizes the many achievements and contributions of Italian-Americans in the U.S. According to the National Today, "Over 26 million Americans of Italian descent currently resides in the U.S. — making up America's seventh largest ethnic group."
Here are some links for your references:
www.npr.org
Goodbye, Columbus? Here's what Indigenous Peoples' Day means to Native AmericansSmithsonian Magazine
Rethinking How We Celebrate American History—Indigenous Peoples’ DayNew York Public Library
Celebrating Italian-American Heritage MonthNew York Post
NYC schools try to save face with ‘Italian Heritage Day’ after dumping Columbus DayABC News
NYC schools try compromise on Columbus Day, displeasing some
🍁 November is National Native American Heritage Month.
Día de los muertos
🍁 Día de los muertos (The Day of the Death)
While October 31 is Halloween, November 1 is “el Día de los Inocentes,” or the day of the children, and All Saints Day. November 2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead.
🍁 Read more about Día de los Muertos and how to sensitively teach it in the classroom with this blog post from the PBS Teachers Lounge.
🍁National Geographic - Classroom Resource: What is the Day of the Dead?
🍁npr.org: Why marigolds, or cempasúchil, are the iconic flower of Día de los Muertos
🍁Teach this poem: November 2, Día de los muertos by Alberto Ríos
Diwali
🍁 Diwali: Festival of Lights - Diwali 2021 is on Thursday, November 4, celebrating the Hindu holiday - Festival of Lights. Learn about India's biggest holiday of the year.
🍁National Geographic Kids
Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
🍁 Learning for Justice - Diwali in the Classroom: A Parent's Perspective
Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, is celebrated by more than a billion people all over the world. Here are a few ways you can teach your students about Diwali—and promote multicultural understanding.
New Year's Celebration
Here are resources for January's Holidays and Observances:
📌 NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION
BrainPOP movie - New Year's Celebration and Customs Around the Globe
In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby wish you a Happy New Year as they take you on a tour of some New Year’s customs around the globe. You’ll learn why not everyone celebrates New Year’s at the same time, and what most New Year’s celebrations have in common. Discover which culture burns a doll stuffed with things representing the new year; which culture eats twelve grapes at midnight; and which culture celebrates the new year for fifteen days! You’ll also learn what country to visit if you want to celebrate with donuts...and what country to avoid if you want to steer clear of burning tar barrels. Happy New Year!
Three Kings Day
📌 THREE KINGS DAY
Museo del Barrio - Three Kings Day with El Museo and Comedian Suni Reyes
Virtual Celebration on Thursday, January 6th. El Museo will present a Virtual Celebration at 6pm, featuring our Honorary Kings, Madrinas and Padrinos, along with performances by Kinto Zonó, an 11-piece ensemble group dedicated to keeping the musical traditions of Puerto Rico alive; Legacy Women and Alma Moyo, New York’s leading ladies of Afro Boricua Bomba and Afro Dominican Palos; and more!
Bodhi Day (Buddhism)
📌 BODHI DAY (BUDDHISM)
Makar Sankranti (Hinduism)
📌 MAKAR SANKRANTI (HINDUISM)
Makar Sankranti is famous for its sesame sweets and kite flying. But there is much more to this festival that is a celebration of the Winter Solstice. Sadhguru looks at the significance of this festival of movement, and explains how it is based on a profound understanding of cosmic and human geometry.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
📌 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
BrainPOP - Mr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby introduce you to the inspiring life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! You’ll learn what the Civil Rights Movement was, what was different about the United States in the first part of the 20th century, and what segregation had to do with it. You’ll learn about King’s family background and how he helped begin the Montgomery bus boycott. You’ll also discover who inspired King, and how his non-violent protests lead to Supreme Court decisions banning segregation. Plus, you’ll find out some of the dangers King faced in his fight to end segregation — and how he met an untimely death. Need a hero? You couldn’t find a better one.Learning for Justice - The Best of our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Resources
Supplement your lessons on Dr. King's words and actions with these resources.Learning for Justice - Teaching the Life and Legacy of MLK
Schools across the country are preparing to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The resources in this edition of The Moment will help you teach beyond the simplified story and help your students learn about this civil rights leader's life and legacy.
Lunar New Year
📌 Lunar New Year
Chinese Chunjie, Korean Seolnal, Vietnamese Tet, Tibetan Losar, Mongolian Tsagaan Sar, also known as Spring Festival.
Other Winter Festivities
📌 Super Bowl Sunday
📌 Valentine's Day (Feb 14)
📌 International Mother Language Day (Feb 21)
📌 Daylight Savings Time Begins
📌 Lakeshore - March Writing Prompts
Holi (Hinduism)
Black History Month
Explore a collection of Be The Change lesson plans, study sets and original articles relevant to Black History Month — spanning topics from the transatlantic slave trade and prisons to racial injustices in economics and healthcare.
Learning for Justice - Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History Month
How do you ensure students get the most out of Black history and Black History Month? Here are some suggestions.
Women's History Month
AAPI Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.
Here are some things to consider as you teach and celebrate:
The month of May was chosen to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month because it marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the United States in 1843, as well the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, mostly built by Chinese immigrants.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) belong to a diverse and multicultural community, and have contributed to the United States in countless ways. (Newsela)
According to the United Nations, there are 48 countries and 3 territories in Asia. Include South, Southeast, West, and East Asians in your celebration.
PI should not be grouped into AA history. There are 15 independent Pacific Island nations, as well as thousands of islands through the region. Do not erase PI history and identity from your teaching and learning. (Teach and Transform)
Know the differences between race and ethnicity.
Being Jewish is not a racial identity.
There are Jewish people of many races.
According to Teach and Transform, there are many religious and ethnic subgroups within the Jewish community. The majority of mainstream Jewish culture in the US is Ashkenazi, yet there are far more communities of Jews worldwide (Sephardic, Mizrahi, Lemba, Cochin, and many more.)
Below you'll find some resources for both teachers and students. Enjoy!
PBS - Asian Americans (five-hour film series)
Explore the impact of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing population in the United States, on the country’s past, present and future, told through individual lives and personal histories.
Teachers may utilize these lesson plans which are drawn from the series to explore the ways that Asian Americans have shaped our nation's history.
Brainpop - AAPI Heritage Month
Press "play" to join Tim and the gang for a quiz show about some pretty impressive Asian Americans.
83 Best Asian Middle-Grade Books
Jewish American Heritage Month
May is also Jewish American Heritage Month.
Jewish American Heritage Month
Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.
Familiarize yourself with The Jews of Kaifeng: China's Only Native Jewish Community Tolerance and assimilation led to the hear-disappearance of a Chinese Jewish community over 1,000 years old.
Pride Month!
Quick video about the history of the Pride flag (Class 6 and Class 7)
Quick video LGBTQ+ Pride | History Time (Class 4 and Class 5)
Toolkit for being there for nonbinary youth.
History.com Articles about LGBTQ history
Newsela Article (account needed): black-lgbtq-liberation-pioneers