This curriculum unit is designed to be used in a special education classroom within a small inner city public secondary school located in an urban community. The school provides an alternative academic setting for pregnant teens and young mothers. Students, ranging in age from twelve to twenty, are enrolled in grades six through twelve. Instruction is provided through a selection of academic subjects, as well as through courses offered in home economics, life skills, and computers. All students participate in parenting, prenatal and postnatal classes.
Students transfer into the school throughout the year, depending on individual circumstances. Most students stay for at least two marking periods, others remain until the end of the year and then return to their sending schools. Because of the ongoing population flux, curriculum planning needs to be elastic as well as flexible.
The special education population attending the school includes students who are mentally retarded, learning disabled, brain damaged, and or seriously emotionally disturbed. Ability levels within the special education classes cover a wide range. Most of the students have limited reading and writing skills. Some students tend to exhibit negative behaviors, which are best addressed in small groups within a highly structured setting. Many of these students have a history of poor school attendance, which has resulted in significant gaps in their learning. Whole sections of information may be missing from their fund of knowledge. Individual educational plans, which address specific strengths and weaknesses, are implemented in teaching the curriculum to the special education population attending the school.
Although the unit is designed to be used in a special education setting, it could be modified for use in regular classes as a unit of study to be included in an English class, history class, social development program, or as part of an arts curriculum. Various outcomes may be achieved by building on the core holiday background information. The unit may be presented to students in its entirety, or as separate mini units which explore individual holidays. Presentation and study should be based on the particular needs and interests of the population being served.