A lesson designed by using the ASSURE Method

1. ASSURE Method: Holiday Traditions
1. Analyze Learners:
The class for which this lesson was prepared consists of 20 fourth grade students
ranging from 9 to 10 years of age, of which eleven are girls and nine are boys. Several students
come from diverse backgrounds, as two students identify as Muslim, three identify as Jewish,
and two are African American. There are no known disabilities among the students.
2. State Objectives:
 By placing the fourth grade students in ten groups of two, each group will be assigned a
holiday to research online for 40 minutes, Monday through Wednesday, and will present
it to the class by the end of the week through the use of a PowerPoint. The groups and
their classmates will discover the traditions of each holiday (common foods prepared for
the occasion, the meaning of the holiday, activities performed during the holiday, and
other facts they find interesting) and will present their information to the class with 95%
accuracy. The students will engage their fellow classmates into their presentations by
preparing a traditional food for classmates to try, leading a craft, teaching a dance, or
choosing any other aspect of the holiday’s traditions that can involve all students’
participation.
 Using a short, educational video in a 20 minute time span, the fourth grade students will
witness the holiday traditions of the main holidays celebrated within the world’s three
most practiced religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – and will extrapolate what
they learned about the holidays with 85% accuracy by playing a Jeopardy game. The
students will be divided into teams of four with five students in each group.
 Using art supplies such as markers, paint, crayons, colored pencils, and paper, each of
the fourth grade students will have 45 minutes to create a picture of their favorite holiday
describing their personal family traditions with 100% accuracy. The students will then
present their pictures to the class.
3. Select Methods, Media, & Materials:
 Computers with PowerPoint & Internet – Student groups will use computers located in
a computer lab to research their holidays online. They will then use PowerPoint to create
a slideshow for their presentation.

2.  Handouts – Using Microsoft Word, the teacher will prepare handouts for the holiday
presentation assignment describing in detail the expectations for students’ research,
class activity, and overall presentation. The handouts will ensure students stay on track
and know the expectations of the teacher.
 Projector & Computer – The teacher will need a computer and projector in order to
show a video about religious holidays. Students will also need the computer and
projector to present their holidays. The computer and projector can be found already
supplied in the classroom.
 Art Supplies – The teacher will need to provide art supplies such as paint, paint
brushes, markers, colored pencils, and crayons for students to create a picture of their
favorite holiday. The supplies can be found either in the art room or in the teacher’s
personal supply cabinet.
4. Utilize Media & Materials:
The teacher will preview the video about religious holidays, think of 10 different holidays
for student groups to research, and gather a sufficient amount of art supplies for all students.
The teacher will then reserve the computer lab for three days and create and print her handouts
which outline expectations for the students’ presentations. The teacher will connect the projector
to the computer and arrange desks in four groups of five to prepare for the Jeopardy game. She
will divide art supplies into their respective bins for easier access and cleanup. To prepare the
learners, the teacher will pass out the handouts, explain the schedule for the week, and explain
the proper ways to create a slideshow and present their research.
5. Require Learner Participation:
 Small Groups: Students in groups of two will work together to research a holiday, create
a presentation using PowerPoint, and present their findings to the class. The entire class
will also become involved during the presentations as each group engages their fellow
students with an activity pertaining to that holiday. The small group size will allow
students to split the work evenly and stay on track by not having many group members
to distract them.
 Large Groups: Sitting in groups of five, students will all watch a video about religious
holidays and will then work as a team to correctly answer questions which relate to the
video through a Jeopardy style activity. Knowing that the questions will come from the
video, students will be more likely to pay attention in order to help their team.

3.  Individual Work: Each student will have time to create a drawing of their favorite holiday
and how they celebrate it, and they will then quickly present it to the class by
summarizing what they drew. This activity will give students the opportunity to know
more about their classmates’ beliefs and preferences, as well as allow them some time
for creativity.
6. Evaluate & Revise:
Assessment of Learner Achievement:
 Overall Presentation – 50 points
o Research depth/accuracy - 25 pts.
o Class activity – 10 pts.
o Appearance of presentation – 5 pts.
o Presenting style – 10 pts.
 Jeopardy game – Extra credit points
o 1st
place – 5 pts.
o 2nd
place – 4 pts.
o 3rd
place – 3 pts.
o 4th
place – 2 pts.
 “Favorite Holiday” Drawing – 25 points
Evaluation of Media & Methods:
After each session in the computer lab, the teacher will ask students how their research
is coming along, and will mentally assess whether the activity is too challenging, too easy, or
just right. At the end of the week, the teacher will ask the students what they enjoyed about
researching their holiday and what they disliked. Before beginning the Jeopardy game, the
teacher will have a class discussion about the religious holiday video to see if students found it
interesting and easy to understand. The teacher will also assess the drawing activity by student
involvement and enthusiasm. The teacher will consider the attitudes of the students for each
assignment and will then adjust the activities based on what she discovered.