Craft Lesson #1: Apple Pie 4th of July

Appreciating Diverse Classroom Traditions

Targeted age Group
First Grade

Introduction
Every family is different and every family has a wide range of unique traditions that they engage in whether it is culturally, politically, or simply family based rituals. In the book Apple Pie 4th of July we see a young girl’s realization of that. She is dismayed at the thought that her family eats Chinese food on an American holiday but comes to understand that it is ok to have a different tradition than other people. Children can learn about differences in traditions and customs and learn to appreciate differences in others.

How to teach it
Start off the lesson reading the book Apple Pie 4th of July to the students. Asking them question while reading the book like, “why do you think the girl in the book doesn’t want to eat Chinese food?” , “who is she talking about when she says ‘no one wants to eat Chinese food on the fourth of July’?”, and “In the end who turns out wanting to eat Chinese food on the fourth of July?”

Then after reading the book the whole class will be broken up into small groups of two or three students who will discuss and write down a tradition that their own family does. You can give the students an example of your own personal family tradition as a starting point as well as refer back to the example in the book. Then come back together as a large group and share family traditions. Discuss and call to the students attention all of the different traditions and customs that are present in their own classroom and remind them that differences in others are interesting and worth learning about. You can post the family traditions in the classroom to remind students of their differences in traditions.

Resources
Wong, Janet S. Apple Pie 4th of July. Illus. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando, FL:Voyager Books Hardcourt Inc., 2002.