This document outlines a lesson plan to teach students about four major religious holidays - Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Ramadan. It notes that the class has 20 students from various backgrounds, including different religions. The plan is to have students research the holidays online, interview people, and explore music to identify and explain the holidays with 90% accuracy. The teacher proposes grabbing students' attention with interesting facts and using YouTube videos featuring people from different cultures. Evaluation of the lesson is emphasized to ensure all aspects are effective for the students.

1. Assure Method
Shane Stevens
In this class there are 20 students; 11 girls, 9 boys, 2 Muslims, 3 Jewish, and 2 African
American students. They are in fourth grade so I know their age as well (between the ages of 8-10). I
know there are several differing religions, therefore several different holidays that need to be taught.
Among these would include Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Ramadan.
This being said, the students will be able to identify and explain four differing religious holidays
after researching online, interviewing someone from the culture, and/or exploring the musical aspects
that surround that holiday with 90% accuracy.
My method would be to introduce all of the holidays with a startling attention grabbing fact,
such as something like the picture of the jolly fat Santa Clause is from a Coca-Cola ad. So far as media
goes, there is untapped power in YouTube. There are so many videos that can provide such well
informed facts along with the benefit of having someone from a different culture teach the class rather
than me (a white male). Materials will differ depending on where I am and what/who I can pull
resources from.
Before teaching any of this information, I need to make sure I follow the 5 P's and rehearse my
delivery. I know that if I am uncomfortable with a subject then I tend to get nervous and inhibit a
student from learning, which is something that is inexcusable in this profession.
Next to last, I need to require learner participation by making the information culturally
important to them. Why is it important for a white Christian male to understand the culture of a Muslim
female? Why do we need to know about how Kwanzaa came about? Why is Hanukkah important to
Jewish culture? All of these questions students will find by doing this lesson and by participation in
class.
Finally I need to EVALUATE EVERYTHING. If I don't evaluate, then something wrong might
slip through the cracks, or I might not find a better method to teach something, or I might bring in a

2. guest speaker that is used to giving seminars to adult students instead of fourth graders. Without
evaluation and revision of the lesson, then it will never reach its full potential.