Abstract:

Using the video and accompanying curriculum unit, students will describe events they see in the video, identify key activities which take place during different festivals, identify aspects of the celebrations which are traditional and others which appear more recent in their origins, draw comparisons with American celebrations which are familiar to them, analyze the psychological effects of participating in a festival, and create and discuss hypotheses about why some festivals, holidays, and celebrations take root in countries other than where they originated. Module themes include: tradition and change, festivals and holidays as a reflection of cultural values, and transmission of culture from one country to another. || For Grades 5-12 || The video contains several shorter segments that can be used individually or together. The teacher's guide contains background essays for the teacher, a video transcript and discussion guide, two complete lesson plans, and a list of relevant Web resources.