Comparing Cultures Teacher Resources

Young readers compare two stories/cultures, identifying how they are alike and different. They share their own version of a well-known story and adapt it to another culture. They explain their adaptations.

Using informational text to make cross cultural comparisons is a great way to build a global understanding and comparative analysis skills. With several handy worksheets and a Venn diagram the class will read to make cross textual...

Learners explore cultural myths in America by collecting images and characteristics of stereotypical Americans. They read a primary source document, discussing the views of the author in class. Next, they compare the terms used to...

All cultures express similar thoughts, feelings, and ideas. But, often times those things are expressed differently. Learners compare and contrast traditional dances from two cultures. They watch videos of each performance, stop to...

Students explore Native American cultures. In this cultural comparisons lesson, students participate in several activities that compare and contrast the culture of the Hopi and Comanche Tribes.

A lesson examines the holidays, Día de los Muertos and Halloween. After an exciting clip from the movie Coco, class members review vocabulary and discuss what they know about Halloween. The conversation leads into the history of Día de...

Students examine the nature of culture, and compare/contrast various cultures and their artifacts and ceremonies. They develop a class list of artifacts, complete a worksheet, and create a poster or diorama describing an object that is...

Students use the program SKYPE to speak to a pal in a Latin American country and describe their life and compare and contrast it to the other's. In this SKYPE lesson plan, students create digital presentations about life in North...

Fourth graders read and look at maps of the Hopi Indians and compare and contrast their lives with the Hopi Indians. In this Hopi Indians lesson plan, 4th graders learn about different cultures and answer short answer questions.

Students read a New York Times article in order to examine the importance of cultural artifacts. They create essays from the point of view of one cultural artifact to demonstrate the knowledge they gained by doing research.

Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast lesson plan, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...

Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. In this writing and research lesson plan students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then...

Students interview a family member about their heritage. They listen to and record part of their family's oral history. Students also create and label a family tree going back a minimum of two generations and compare and contrast...

Fifth graders compare and contrast the cultures of American culture with that of the other cultures of North America. Using traditional and Internet research, 5th graders gather data on one element of culture for comparison. Data...

Identify and analyze deductive reasoning through genuine texts. Compare cultural practices and beliefs about national ID cards. Look for another example of a deductive argument and prepare a brief paragraph analyzing the audience,...

Students explore cultural features.  In this multicultural acceptance activity, students define and discuss "culture," and distinguish the difference between individual characteristics and cultural characteristics.  Students complete a...

Two slide shows, viewed side-by-side, permit middle schoolers to compare and contrast the lives of the Pilgrims of the Plimoth colony and the Wampanoags. Four videos take learners on virtual field trips to the Plymouth plantation. And an...

Family traditions are the focus of a lesson that explores the lives of children in India and those in your classroom. Scholars examine their own family roles and traditions, then respond to an informative text detailing a young girl's...

Class members explore cultural diversity through a variety of texts that showcase the importance of traditions. Then, they interview their family members to research their own cultural background and write their findings on quilt pieces....

Students examine symbols used by the Plains Indians. Using examples of African art, they discuss what symbols they use that relate to the Native American symbols. They compare and contrast the two cultures and discuss as a class to end...

Explore cultures from around the world with an engaging pen pal resource. Through a series of classroom activities and written correspondence, children learn about the favoritec pastimes, schooling, geography, and weather that is...

Fourth graders are introduced to the different cultural groups that have settled in Ohio. In groups, they research and describe the products and cultural practices of each group. Using the information, they create an accordion book for...

This cross-curricular assignment could easily accompany a religious studies or imperialism unit. Prior research is required, as historians compare and contrast major religions and describe religious expansion with regard to contributors...

Students examine cultural differences in picture books. In this cultural diversity lesson, students identify cultural differences in picture books about children from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and minority...