This social studies activity celebrates the African culture using the help of adapted books. Kwanzaa is an annual week long celebration on December 26th to January 1st. Kwanzaa is a holiday that celebrates the African culture and its heritage. There are many traditions associated with Kwanzaa such as lighting 1 candle a day on a kinara, drinking from a unity cup, mkeka mat, Kwanzaa flag, giving gifts, symbolic fruits and having dinner. This cultural holiday activity can be used for Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 or beyond! I created this resource for a special education class (SK to Grade 8) and they were all able to benefit! Finding simple ways to celebrate different holidays in the classroom can create a culture of inclusion, acceptance and respect of their peers' different cultures and traditions. It is important to educate students at a young age, of what other cultures celebrate even if it is different from their own. The key is just educate, support and build and understanding, without imposing beliefs that they may not practice. This printable Kwanzaa activity covers: Who celebrates Kwanzaa? When is Kwanzaa? What does “matunda ya kwanza” mean? What is a Kinara? What does each candle on a kinara represent? What is a unity cup and what does it represent? What is a mkeka and what does it symbolize? What is the importance of corn during Kwanzaa? What do families do together? (Story telling, dinner and gift giving) Adapted Book: Different Cultural and Religious Holidays This adapted book include descriptions of key features of the African heritage and traditions surrounding Kwanzaa. Students can actively participate by matching the PEC picture with one that matches the page. There are many uses of this adapted book: Teacher reading the adapted book in front of the class and students taking turns moving the PECs Add to your class books set to include diverse cultural holidays and celebrations Printing the package and each student in the class and assemble it and bring home to parents to show their learning Students reading the book independently (Especially great for non-verbal students to actively participate in reading the book) After reading, it can be hung and displayed on bulletin boards among art projects your class has made. Other students around the school and flip through and learn something new about the holiday! Reading Comprehension Pages The Reading Comprehension page can be photocopied for the whole class to complete, or it can be laminated and included at the back of the adapted book. This will show the level of understanding the students have on the lesson. ----------------------------------------------------- What are adapted books? Adapted Books for Special Education are activities that are modified to fit a child's specific needs and is often found in special education or autism classrooms. They usually include visual supports and tactile objects that allow the student to actively participate in the book. By incorporating these activities in your special education literacy program it increase attention due to the familiar stories/pictures & hands-on nature and also increases phonemic awareness by the use of high frequency words. The reading comprehension page is a great way to assess the student's understanding of the story. ----------------------------------------------------- Who would benefit from Adapted Books? Speech therapy, autism, developmental delay, special education or preschool & primary classrooms Students who lack interest in reading regular books or worksheets Students who LOVE movies and animated characters Hands-on learners Students who often rip papers or put papers in mouth (due to lamination) Students who thrive on repetition Students who need visual supports when learning ----------------------------------------------------- Adapted Book Benefits: Increased story comprehension Higher engagement Matching pictures practice Build fluency with frequently used sight words or personally meaningful words to the child Build vocabulary Could be used to teach a skill (ex. Social Story) ----------------------------------------------------- Find more similar resources here: Cultural Holiday & Celebration Lessons Adapted Books Literacy Activities I really hope you enjoy this activity :) I would love if you can give me a FOLLOW, all your support is so appreciated <3 I will continue to upload more resources and FREEBIES soon! Thank you so much! I appreciate all your support :) Terms of Use
