ASSURE on incorporating various holiday traditions from different religions.

1. Chelsea Stephens
CI 350
ASSURE ASSIGNMENT
9/8/2014
For my ASSURE Assignment, I chose to do the second option which is
provided below:
2- Teaching Holiday traditions to 4th graders. There are 20 students 11
girls, and 9 boys. There are 2 Muslims, 3 Jewish and 2 African
Americans.
A- (Analyze the Learner) For this lesson on holiday traditions, I will be
teaching 20 students at the 4th grade level. Of the 20, 11 are girls and
9 are boys. In that there are 2 Muslims, 3 Jewish and 2 African.
Obviously, they will vary in their religious beliefs, as well as customs
and traditions. There are no known learning disabilities or
impairments, so all senses and various types of learning can be used
at full capacity.
S- (State Objectives) For this step I will use the ABCD method to fully
state my objectives when it comes to learning holiday traditions. By
the end of this week, the students will be able to demonstrate and
describe common activities that are associated with each tradition such
as Hanukah, Kwanza, Ramadan, and Christmas. To obtain this
knowledge and be able to practice it, students will taste different
cultural holiday foods such as fruit cake, etc., look at pictures of typical
holiday activities, as well as recreate many such as decorating a tree,
watch holiday films/documentaries that describe each holiday, and will
also participate in a class discussion where they bring in something
that exemplifies the holiday they personally celebrate. Since many of
the students vary in their traditions, I thought this would be an
excellent way to submerse them in other cultures and also help them
bond with their fellow classmates in the process. By the end of the
week, they will able to this with at least 85% accuracy.
S- (Select the 3 M’s – method, media, and material.)
The method for teaching this lesson will enable all the senses so that
no matter what, each student will encounter a type of learning that
works for them. For sight, I will show pictures and video of holidays
and how they are celebrated, for smell and taste, students will eat
various holiday confections, for hearing, students will listen to
traditional music from each religion, and for touch, students will use

2. their hand to construct symbols that represent each holiday (i.e. and
ornament for a tree for Christmas) I will also take advantage of my
students as a means of show and tell for let themselves be an example
for how they celebrate the holidays. For this lesson I will need various
materials such as, but not limited to, baking supplies for common
holiday treats, various craft material (paper, paint, glue, crayons,
markers, glitter, and yarn) and access to the internet and computer.
U- (Utilize Media and Materials)
I myself will prepare each treat the night before. I will also provide a
list on ingredients as well as permission slips for the parents to sign
before I ever give a student any type of food. I will make sure that
each video I play via You Tube is school and age appropriate before
playing in front of my class. I will also have all craft supplies ready
and organized for each student to use before they come to class that
day. I will give lively interpretations of traditional customs and will as
thought provoking questions to the class to grab their attention before
each lesson. Another way to involve students and spark creativity
would be for them to make a Voki that represents their religion and
also states some traditions of each religion. A poster created on
Glogster would also be beneficial as it would give students a chance to
present this information to fellow classmates.
R- (Require Learner Participation) All of these lessons will be fairly
hands-on. Because of this, students will be required to participate to
some extent. After each lesson and end of the day, I will ask the
students what they thought of each thing we did so far individually.
This will give me one-on-one time with each student to see how they
comprehended the material and what they liked and disliked.
E- (Evaluate and Revise) I would plan on doing this lesson near the
holiday season, so as a way to evaluate what they retained and how
well my lessons were digested, the class will put on a play for parents
in which they demonstrate each holiday with accuracy. This will allow
the kids to brainstorm together on how they want to represent each
holiday and will also act as a team building activity. I’m also hoping
that this peer interaction will help alleviate any confusion some
students might have with some customs/ traditions. By watching their
play, I will be able to determine how well they understood each holiday
and from that will be able to make notes of what worked and what
didn’t.