Web Quest

What is Your Favorite Holiday?

Halloween Christmas Martin Luther King Jr. Valentines Day St. Patricks Day Easter

~Introduction~
Why do we celebrate holidays? Where did they come from? Exploring different holidays and what they are about can give you a better understanding and a greater appreciation of different cultures and traditions. When we learn about the history of different holidays, we learn about different people around the world. The following activities will guide you through a learning experience about holidays we celebrate in America. You will work in a small group of classmates who choose the same holiday as yourself, and explore important and interesting facts about a specific holiday we celebrate in the spring, winter, and fall seasons.

~The Task~
Your goal is to promote your holiday! You will have to retrieve information about your holiday from the following websites, and present it to the class. You will try to convince your classmates why you think that your holiday is the most important. Also, you will need to discuss your holiday's historical importance and different activities associated with your holiday.

~The Roles~
~The Holiday Historian~ Where and why your Holiday started
~Holiday Cheermeister~ Convince your classmates that your Holiday is the best
~Holiday Party Animal~ Fun things that are involved with your Holiday (arts, crafts, cooking, traditions)

~The Process~
~ You will be given a list of Holiday's that are celebrated in the spring, winter and fall
~Select your favorite Holiday
~Small groups will be formed according to your Holiday of choice
~Your group will choose and assign different roles for each member
~Now, your team will research your Holiday with the websites provided, and other available resources
~Next, each team member will assumer their role and do as much independent research as possible
    ~The Holiday Historian may want to view films, research the internet, and take out books from the library about the holiday they're researching
    ~The Holiday Party Animal may search the internet for their holiday activities, interview grandparents, create a game, or collect items for their classmates to make ornaments or decorations
    ~The Holiday Cheerleader will convince their classmates and schoolmates that their holiday is the best holiday of the year. This can be done through newspaper articles, posters, conducting a sing along or making a catchy jingle to advertise their holiday
~Finally, you and your group will organize your findings to present to the class

~Evaluation~
You will be graded on your individual work, teamwork, overall presentation, creativity, and accuracy of your presentation.

~Websites~

~Lesson Plan~

~Conclusion~
You have learned all about holidays; how they began, what they mean, and the countries and peoples that started them. When you celebrate your next holiday, it will have much more meaning for you. Make sure you share all of your new information and finding with your family and friends. Happy Holidays!