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lenny

seasons of celebration

Davina

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

Festivals Through the Seasons Lesson Plan

Students will explore and locate cultural celebrations from each season around the world, analyzing how environmental factors shape traditions. They will collaborate to map festivals and creatively design their own seasonal celebration to demonstrate understanding.

This lesson fosters global awareness by examining diverse cultural celebrations and highlights how seasonal environments influence traditions. It builds map skills, critical thinking, and creative expression while promoting cultural appreciation.

Audience

7th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, mapping, and creative design.

Materials

World Map Poster or Digital Map Projection, - Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet, - Colored Markers or Pens, - Sticky Notes, and - Plain Paper and Pencils

Prep

Gather and Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Print enough Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet for each student.
  • Ensure the world map poster or digital map is displayed and accessible.
  • Organize colored markers, sticky notes, and pencils on tables.
  • Familiarize yourself with a few example seasonal festivals to guide discussions.

Step 1

Introduction & Hook

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and pose the question: “What celebrations do you know that happen at different times of the year?”
  • Briefly discuss common local festivals and link to seasons.
  • Introduce the lesson’s goal: exploring global seasonal festivals and mapping traditions.

Step 2

Seasonal Festivals Exploration

10 minutes

  • Divide students into four groups, assigning each a season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.
  • Distribute the Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet.
  • In groups, students research or recall a festival for their season, noting location, key traditions, and environmental context on the worksheet.

Step 3

Group Sharing & Mapping

10 minutes

  • Each group presents their festival: name, country/region, and traditions.
  • As they present, a student marks the festival location on the class map with a colored dot matching their season.
  • Discuss patterns: how climate, agriculture, or historical events tie to festival timing and activities.

Step 4

Creative Festival Design Reflection

5 minutes

  • Ask each student to sketch and name their own seasonal festival on plain paper, noting one environmental influence (weather, harvest, etc.).
  • Encourage sharing sketches with a partner and explaining their environmental link.
  • Collect sketches to display as a gallery of global and student-designed celebrations.
lenny

Slide Deck

Festivals Through the Seasons

30-Minute Lesson for 7th Grade
Exploring global celebrations and how environment shapes traditions

Welcome students to today’s lesson. Introduce yourself and the topic. Briefly explain that they will explore festivals from around the world in different seasons and create their own festival by the end of class.

Introduction & Hook

• What celebrations do you know that happen at different times of year?
• How might the season or environment influence a festival?

Learning Goal: Explore and map global seasonal celebrations to understand cultural diversity and environmental influences.

Ask the question on the slide and call on a few volunteers to share local or family celebrations they know. Highlight how these tie to seasons. Then introduce today’s learning goal.

Global Seasonal Festivals

Spring: Holi (India) – Festival of colors celebrating new beginnings
Summer: Obon (Japan) – Honoring ancestors during warm evenings
Autumn: Thanksgiving (USA) – Harvest gratitude feast
Winter: Lunar New Year (China & Vietnam) – Welcoming new year with family gatherings

Present these four examples, pointing out country locations on the map. Invite students to suggest additional festivals they’ve heard of.

Seasonal Festivals Mapping Activity

  1. Form four groups (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter).
  2. Use the Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet to record:
    • Festival name & location
    • Key traditions
    • Environmental context
  3. Present your festival to class; mark its location on the world map with your season color.
  4. Discuss: How does the environment shape when and how we celebrate?

Explain group roles and distribute the Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet. Circulate to support research or recall of festival details. After 5 minutes, transition to mapping as groups share.

Creative Festival Design Reflection

• Sketch and name your own seasonal festival.
• Highlight one environmental influence (e.g., harvest, weather).
• Share with a partner, explaining how the season inspired your festival.

Hand out plain paper and pencils. Set a 3-minute timer for sketching. After sketching, have students partner up to share and explain their design.

Wrap-Up & Next Steps

• Key Takeaways:
– Cultural celebrations vary by season and environment
– Mapping shows global diversity
• Reflection Question: What festival did you find most surprising?
• Display student sketches as a festival gallery
• Extension: Research a new seasonal festival for homework

Summarize the key points and invite final reflections. Remind students their sketches will be displayed as a gallery. Optionally preview an extension activity for next class.

lenny

Lesson Plan

Celebration Seasons Lesson Plan

Students will explore and map global seasonal celebrations to understand how environmental factors shape cultural traditions, then creatively design their own seasonal festival.

This lesson builds global and cultural awareness by linking seasonal science concepts with real-world traditions. Students develop map skills, collaboration, and creative expression while appreciating diversity.

Audience

7th Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, mapping activity, and creative sketching.

Materials

  • World Map Poster or Digital Map Projection, - Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet, - Colored Markers or Pens, - Sticky Notes, and - Plain Paper and Pencils

Prep

Gather and Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Print enough Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet for each student.
  • Display the world map poster or set up a digital map projection.
  • Arrange colored markers, sticky notes, and pencils on student worktables.
  • Review a few example seasonal festivals (e.g., Holi, Obon, Thanksgiving, Lunar New Year) to guide discussions.

Step 1

Introduction & Hook

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and ask: “What celebrations do you know that happen at different times of year?”
  • Briefly discuss familiar local or family festivals and connect them to seasons.
  • Present the lesson goal: exploring global seasonal celebrations and mapping their traditions.

Step 2

Seasonal Festivals Exploration

10 minutes

  • Divide students into four groups, assigning each: Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter.
  • Distribute the Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet.
  • In groups, research or recall one festival for your assigned season; record on the worksheet:
    • Festival name and location
    • Key traditions
    • Environmental context (weather, harvest, climate)

Step 3

Group Sharing & Mapping

10 minutes

  • Have each group present their festival’s name, country/region, and main traditions.
  • As each is presented, a student places a colored dot (matching their season) on the class map at the festival’s location.
  • Lead a discussion on patterns: How do climate, agriculture, or history influence festival timing and activities?

Step 4

Creative Festival Design Reflection

5 minutes

  • Ask each student to sketch and name their own seasonal festival on plain paper.
  • They must note one environmental influence (e.g., spring rains, autumn harvest).
  • Pair up students to share sketches and explain how their season inspired their festival.
  • Collect sketches for a classroom gallery display.
lenny

Slide Deck

Celebration Seasons

A 30-minute exploration of global seasonal celebrations

Welcome students to today's lesson. Introduce the topic and explain that they will learn how seasons shape cultural festivals and create their own celebration.

Learning Goals

• Identify festivals tied to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter
• Map global celebrations and examine environmental influences
• Design an original seasonal festival

Read the learning goals, emphasizing exploration, mapping, and creative design.

Seasons & Examples

Spring: Holi (India) – Festival of colors celebrating new beginnings

Summer: Obon (Japan) – Honoring ancestors under warm skies

Autumn: Thanksgiving (USA) – Harvest feast of gratitude

Winter: Lunar New Year (China & Vietnam) – Welcoming the new year

Briefly describe each example, pointing out seasonal features that inspired traditions.

Activity: Mapping Seasonal Festivals

  1. Form 4 groups: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
  2. Use the Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet to record:
    • Festival name & location
    • Key traditions
    • Environmental context
  3. Present and mark festivals on the world map with season-colored dots

Explain the steps and distribute worksheets. Walk around to support research and mapping.

Creative Festival Design

• On plain paper, sketch and name your own seasonal festival
• Note one environmental inspiration (e.g., spring bloom, autumn harvest)
• Share with a partner: describe how your season shaped your festival

Set a timer for sketching. Encourage students to think about environmental factors. Facilitate partner sharing.

Wrap-Up & Reflection

Key Takeaways:
• Seasons influence cultural traditions worldwide
• Mapping reveals diversity and patterns

Reflection: Which festival inspired you most?

Extension: Research a new seasonal celebration for homework

Summarize the lesson, prompt reflection, and introduce optional extension activity.

lenny

Worksheet

Seasonal Festivals Mapping Worksheet

Use this worksheet to record details about your assigned seasonal festival. When your group presents, mark the festival location on the class map with your season’s color.

Group Name: ________________________ Season: ________________________

Festival Information

Festival Name:




Country/Region:




Location (City/Region on map):




Key Traditions (list at least 3):







Environmental Context
(Describe weather, harvest, climate, or natural events tied to this festival):







Reflection Questions

  1. How does the environment (weather, harvest, climate) influence this festival?






  1. What patterns or connections do you notice between this festival and its season?






  1. One question you have about a festival from a different season:






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