We all love teaching about the holidays and creating activities that are fun for our students. But have you ever stopped to think about your goal in teaching holiday-related terms? What do you want students to be able to do when you are finished with the unit? Know a few words related to the holiday? Maybe be able to talk about a family tradition? Let’s talk about planning a holiday unit that includes culture.
Since it is November at the time of my writing this post, I am going to use Thanksgiving as our holiday of choice.
Goals
I like to stick with the I can statements for any unit and when I start to plan, I think about what I want students to be able to do at the end of the unit. Depending on what level you are teaching, your goals may be different. Start with the outcome and work backward.
ASL 1 – Discuss a family meal
ASL 2 – Discuss how to plan for a feast
ASL 3 – Discuss a tradition
ASL 4 – Compare a tradition in the Deaf community to your own
Culture Connection
I want students to be able to talk about a tradition connected with the holiday, but I want to teach Deaf culture too. If we focus on the similarities and differences in how the Deaf community celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday, we not only teach vocabulary but make a connection to how others celebrate Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving, I like to focus on Deaf at the dinner table or what is known as dinner table syndrome.
Research
If you do a Google search on how Deaf people celebrate Thanksgiving, you will find a few written articles and some videos. Give students time to do a search and find out some simple facts. Then have a discussion about what they learned. Try to encourage students to look at sites and videos made by Deaf people so the information is authentic.
Modes of Communication
I try to hit on all modes of communication when planning. Through daily discussions, I can usually get in a lot of interpersonal communication time. I also have to remember interpretive and presentational as well. Some days I can get all three in. Some days I am only able to do one mode on that day. It really depends on what is planned.
For interpretive you can find a 3 part video on being deaf at the dinner table by Sign Duo. Or you can make a story choice board using these signed books about Thanksgiving.
You can teach terms using those same stories by using comprehensible input to teach the stories and vocabulary terms.
Vocabulary
Without vocabulary, you can’t have conversations or talk about the holiday. So, of course, you have to start there. Teach it in the target language. Play some games. Have some fun.
You can find some fun Thanksgiving activities, vocabulary practice, and an escape room that focuses on dinner table syndrome here.
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