Click here to go back to The Lesson Plans Page for over 3,000 more lesson plans!

Title - Holidaymakers
By - Joan M. Diez
Subject - Social Studies, Other
Grade Level - Grades: 4 - 10
Holidaymakers should plan their trips carefully and pack their bags intelligently. And they should not forget to buy a few souvenirs for the family and friends who stayed at home! The following activities, related to the three steps mentioned above, are independent from one another, so you can do them all or just two or one...or none at all :) The choice is yours!

a) The Travel Agency

Using pictures and information from encyclopedias, magazines and travel guides, the students make info cards, brochures and/or posters for interesting landmarks, cities or countries and in turns try to convince one another that they are selling the best holiday that money can buy. Don’t forget to vote for the best holiday ever! (Just in case...emphasize that the students should be honest and not vote for their own.)

b) Bye, bye, Blackbird!

Pack a case with all sorts of objects (make sure to include something unusual, for fun!), carry it to class and let the students open it and describe its contents. Ask questions like...What is this? What is this for? What is this made of? What make is it? You can also refer to the objects' color, shape, price...Ask the students what they would pack in their cases for a trip to the Caribbean, or the North Pole, or the Saharan desert... Alternatively, think of different professionals (i.e. doctor, reporter, thief) and decide what things they would need to carry out their work. (Holidays do not last forever, do they?)

c) Souvenirs

Collect a few souvenirs you have bought (or friends have given you) e.g. T-shirts, keyrings, mugs, flags, dolls, CDs, pins...and display them on your desk. Ask the students to describe the items. Can they guess where the different things are from? You may take the opportunity to revise countries and nationalities and maybe teach a memorable lesson on world geography...seeing is believing!

E-Mail Joan !