Teaching Ideas

Ramadan, St. Patrick’s Day, Holi, and Cesar Chavez Day

Ramadan begins March 10th

Ramadan is an important monthlong time of fasting, prayer, and reflection observed by Muslims across the globe.

  • Celebrate and learn about Ramadan with the titles and resources on these two lists:

  • Learn about the lunar cycle, Ramadan-related vocabulary words and more in this teacher guide for Night of the Moon.

  • Explore the principles and practices that make up the month of Ramadan with this lesson plan for Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting.

  • Share Ramadan coloring sheets and try the craft idea in this activity kit for Aliya’s Secret.

St. Patrick's Day – March 17th

St. Patrick’s Day observes of the death of the patron saint of Ireland and has become a festive celebration of Irish culture filled with parades, food, music, dancing, and the color green!

  • Share the video book trailer for The Great Leprechaun Chase with your students, then enjoy a jigsaw puzzle and complete a word search together!

  • Watch this complete video reading for The Night Before St. Patrick's Day. Ask students what they do for St. Patrick’s Day and explore together the meaning behind some traditions such as wearing green or eating certain food.

Holi – Monday, March 25th

Holi, also known as the festival of colors, is an ancient tradition and one of the most popular festivals in Hinduism.

  • Watch the complete video book reading for Festival of Colors, then take inspiration from these activities. Take your students on a nature walk to look at objects in nature that could be used to create different powders.

  • Make a colorful book cover jigsaw puzzle of Holi Hai!, then create a word search using the games on this resource page.

Cesar Chavez Day is March 31st

Cesar Chavez Day is a U.S. federal commemorative holiday that celebrates the birth and legacy of civil rights and labor movement activist Cesar Chavez.

  • Celebrate and learn more with titles and resources on this Legacy of Cesar Chavez list.

  • Explore questions and activities to learn about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta using this lesson plan for Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez.

  • Listen to the Meet-the-Author Recording for Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez to hear a little about how Cesar Chavez became a fighter for justice. Harvest compound words, decipher quotation codes, and more with this lesson plan.