Description
What our Holidays: Kwanzaa lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Holidays: Kwanzaa is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn about the origins of this fairly new holiday. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For the activity, you will need construction paper sheets, strips of paper, tape or glue, and scissors.
Teacher Notes
The paragraph on this page provides a little more information or guidance on what to expect from the lesson. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. You can use the blank lines to record any thoughts or ideas you have as you prepare.
HOLIDAYS: KWANZAA LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
What Is Kwanzaa?
The Holidays: Kwanzaa lesson includes three pages of content. There are many holidays throughout the year across the world. One of the more recent celebrations in the US is called Kwanzaa. For over 50 years, it has primarily been celebrated by African Americans, though people of many backgrounds also observe the holiday. It is a seven-day non-religious celebration that begins December 26 and ends January 1. It is not an alternative to Christmas or any other holiday. Instead, it is meant to be an addition to religious and other celebrations.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. After a series of riots took place in Los Angeles, he wanted to find a way to bring African Americans together as a community. He combined African harvest celebrations to form the basis of Kwanzaa. It is a celebration that honors the values of African cultures and inspires African Americans who work toward progress and unity. The name comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which translates to “first fruits.”
Symbols and Principles
At the heart of the Kwanzaa celebration are seven symbols and seven principles. The symbols are Mazao (Crops), Mkeka (Mat), Kinara (Candleholder), Mishumaa Saba (Seven Candles), Kikombe cha Umoja (Unity Cup), Zawadi (Gifts), and Muhindi (Corn). The principles are Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). The lesson provides two charts that explain the meaning of the seven symbols and seven principles.
Together, the seven symbols and principles of Kwanzaa represent values rooted in African culture. Such values contribute to building and reinforcing community among African Americans. From the lighting of the black candle in the kinara to the karamu feast, millions of people each year celebrate Kwanzaa to honor the values of African cultures and strengthen community.
Colors of Kwanzaa
In addition to the special principles and symbols are the colors. The three colors of Kwanzaa—red, black, and green—are known as the Pan-African colors. Pan-African means bringing together and celebrating people of African heritage everywhere. These colors represent the people, their struggle, and their future. Green represents the fertile land of Africa, black is the color of the people, and red represents the blood that is shed for the struggle for freedom.
The colors are often displayed during the great feast of karamu that takes place on December 31 at home, at a church, or at a community center. The feast includes traditional African foods, as well as dishes made with ingredients that Africans introduced to the United States, such as sesame seeds, peanuts, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and spicy sauces.
Celebrating the Holiday
Like many holidays, every family celebrates Kwanzaa in their own way. Most celebrations include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry, reading, and a large traditional meal. It also includes the lighting of the kinara. A kinara is a special candleholder with seven candles—three green, three red, and one black. The green candles represent the future, the red candles represent the struggle for freedom, and the black candle represents unity. Someone, usually a child, lights one of the seven candles each night. After the candle lighting, families and friends discuss one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Celebrating Kwanzaa provides a meaningful time to reflect on values that strengthen individuals, families, and communities. By honoring the seven principles, the holiday encourages people to connect with their heritage while building a stronger future. Its symbols and traditions act as a bridge that connects the past to the future. Ultimately, Kwanzaa can inspire pride, togetherness, and a deeper understanding of the values that bring people together.
HOLIDAYS: KWANZAA LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Holidays: Kwanzaa lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. Refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.
MKEKA WEAVING ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For the activity, students will create their own mkekas using construction paper and paper strips of different colors. After they finish, they can draw and cut out pictures of the other six symbols of Kwanzaa and glue them to the mkeka.
HOLIDAYS: KWANZAA REVIEW PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 10 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.
Worksheet Answer Keys
At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
