Eid al-Fitr—also known as the Festival of Breaking the Fast—is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. People celebrate this holiday over two or three days with special morning prayers, exchanging gifts, and preparing and eating delicious meals.

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You can teach your students about this important Islamic holiday in ELA and social studies classes to help them build background knowledge, learn more about other cultures, or see themselves reflected in your course material.

• See how people celebrate Eid al-Fitr with ELA activities
• Discover the history and traditions of Eid al-Fitr with social studies activities

[See how people celebrate Eid al-Fitr with ELA activities](id-ela)

How much do your students know about Eid al-Fitr celebrations? Whether they celebrate it at home or are learning about it for the first time, you can add the following lesson to your ELA classroom to explore and discuss its significance.

• First, have students read an article explaining the significance of Eid and the ways Muslims celebrate.
• Next, assign an interactive video that explains the holy month of Ramadan, which happens before Eid.
• Finally, add writing practice to your lesson by asking students to create a short story about Eid al-Fitr using what they learned, plus any background knowledge they have on the topic.

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Level up your writing activity with Newsela Writing, and ask students to complete a personal narrative, informational, or expository writing assignment and get instant, personalized feedback!

[Discover the history and traditions of Eid al-Fitr with social studies activities](id-ss)

Build students’ background knowledge about Eid al-Fitr, and other spring holidays, and start discussions about diverse perspectives in your social studies classes:

How do countries around the world acknowledge Eid al-Fitr?

Show students different ways countries, organizations, and people around the world acknowledge, respect, and celebrate Eid with resources on topics like:

• Why the College Board expanded Advance Placement testing options for students in 2021 to respect the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
• Whether public schools in the United States should recognize and accommodate more Muslim and Jewish holidays in their calendars.
• How and why fasting and prayer are such important parts of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

What do your students know about Islamic culture?

The Muslim religion is popular with people from Middle Eastern, African, and some European backgrounds. Teach students about how this religion got started and spread across the world by assigning texts on topics like:

• How Islam spread in Africa starting in the seventh century and made an impact on African culture.
• How Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God in different belief systems.
• An explainer article about the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

What other religious celebrations happen in the spring?

Give your students an overview of the histories and traditions of various religious celebrations that happen during April:

• Discover the similarities and differences among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim holidays like Passover, Easter, Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr. 
• Break students into jigsaw groups, assign each group a holiday to study, and create a presentation for the class.
• Have students share their presentations with the class using the information they learned. Encourage the listeners to ask questions and take notes about information they find interesting.

Teach about all the spring holidays with Newsela

Use Newsela’s knowledge and skill-building products to create timely, engaging lessons for all the spring holidays this year. Teaching about different celebrations and cultures can introduce students to diverse perspectives and share their experiences from the holidays they celebrate.

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