To begin the unit on the Feast of the Epiphany, an instruction session is an ideal way to introduce the topic. Explain to your students what the Feast of the Epiphany is, why it is celebrated and its significance to the church calendar. Use a religion book, if desired, to help ensure that you touch on all the important aspects of the topic. Allow time for questions before moving on to the other activities involved with the lesson.
Give your students a variety of activities to reinforce the topic and ensure comprehension and retention. Use worksheets that allow your students to answer questions, or match or fill in the blank. Re-enact the Feast of the Epiphany by having a mini-version during class. Offer traditional foods, such as a king's cake, fresh fruit and nuts, and talk about why the event is celebrated in such a way. The king's cake is baked with a bean or pea and the person who gets it is dubbed king or queen of the celebration. Students can place a bag on their desk the day prior to the Feast of the Epiphany and you can deliver small treats for them to find the next morning, which is a fun mini-version of the event. Divide your class into groups and have them create a skit that tells the story of the Feast of the Epiphany. Assign each student a small portion of the story to illustrate and compile the entire collection into a book that each child can take home and share with her family.
Assigning homework allows students to use the information from class and build on it with additional activities. Send home worksheets, crossword puzzles or reading assignments that broaden the topic and cover information that wasn't covered in the classroom. Providing study guides that outline the important aspects of the Feast of the Epiphany helps students prepare for a test at the end of the unit. Essays or research papers are other options for older students to do at home.
An age-appropriate test is an ideal way to end a unit on the Feast of the Epiphany. This allows you to assess where your lesson plan could use improvement and ensures that your students understand the material presented. Test options include fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, essay questions or an oral question and answer period where each student answers one question in front of the class.