High Holidays Lesson Plan: Geography- Global Interconnections
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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic High Holidays, and supports the standard of analyzing the ways in which cultural characteristics vary among different regions of the world. Students demonstrate understanding through a range of projects.
Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Prompt students to think of a holiday they celebrate, and brainstorm traditions they observe as part of the holiday. Ask:
- Where might your traditions have come from?
- What are some other ways people might celebrate that holiday? Why might some traditions be different from yours?
Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE
- Read the description on the High Holidays topic page.
- Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS
Assign High Holidays Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND
Students express what they learned about the High Holidays while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.
- Make-a-Movie: Produce a documentary about the High Holidays describing their significance for those who celebrate.
- Make-a-Map: Create a concept map comparing and contrasting High Holiday traditions in different parts of the world.
- Creative Coding: Code a museum with artifacts representing different High Holiday traditions.
More to Explore
Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of cultural characteristics around the world with these topics: Religion, Diwali, Lunar New Year, and Winter Holidays.
Teacher Support Resources:
- Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.
- Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
