Parades, ceremonies, and rituals are common to most traditional cultures. Kids analyze a carved piece entitled, Death Cart to understand the significance of these events. They then create floats, carts, and costumes for a class parade...

Learners use their higher-order thinking skills to understand how visual images have been used to tell stories. They analyze a Lakota tipi that tells a story through paint and artistry. They then make miniature tipis using butcher paper...

Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...

Students participate in a simulation that explores how groups of two radically different cultures might interact. They, in groups, represent the different cultures and, after interacting, describe the opposite group's cultural norms and...

Young scholars use a variety of media to explore culture as the accumulation of beliefs, learned patterns of behavior, institutions, and values. They examine how to identify, compare, and appreciate the traits of various regions and...

Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...

Students create living artifacts dealing with different times and cultures. They explore Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, Islam, Africa, and the United States.

Students explore what they thought they knew about "Indians." They examine the Hopi, Abeneki and Kwatiutl tribes in a game-like activity using archival documents.

Use your tablets to participate in a culture-sharing project with a class in a foreign country. Your class can communicate and share ideas with a class in another country, swapping information regarding language and culture. Together you...

Engage your learners in a cross-cultural study by having them read, compare, and contrast various Cinderella stories from different cultures around the world. From this exercise, they will learn that plot element can seem different, but...

Fifth graders choose a country associated with a family member and research its location, government, language, economy, history, holidays, foods, sports, and famous people. They write to inform using this data and draw a map identifying...

Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...

Fourth and Fifth graders will recognize that different cultures have different types of music. They will be responsible for finding a piece of music that represents their personal culture or nationality, playing that piece for the class,...

Spark an animated debate in your class! Young adults consider some of the fads or trends that are prevalent at their school, as well as their own level of participation in them. Just how much of a role does popular culture play in their...

The Day of the Dead is an important part of Mexican culture and some other cultures around the world. Introduce your class to the altars of The Day of the Dead with an online activity. Class members follow the link and explore the altar...

Peru really is a place that has it all! This video details the customs, food, and interests of the modern people and tours both the historical sites as well as the modern towns. Let's travel to Peru!

Take the journey of a lifetime, and travel to Thailand! This video breaks down into categories like Thai life, Thai flavor, culture, adventure, etc. It is non-narrated but provides both videos and stills that depict life in Thailand.

Death is a difficult topic that we often choose to avoid discussing. Dr. Peter Saul, however, encourages his audience to begin a conversation on what dying means to each of us and how we see its place in our lives. Use this as a way to...

Welcome to the land of contemporary sophistication mixed with rich ancient heritage: Malaysia. A blend of Malay, Indian, and Chinese cultures, one will never see so many sights, sounds, and tastes in any other country, or so they say!...

The history and tradition of the samurai are analyzed as cultural norms that changed to reflect the times. The class will examine sets of samurai armor and clothing to describe how their role changed over an eight-hundred year period....

Students develop an understanding of the interrelatedness of technology, culture, and environment as illustrated by the Chumash culture. They research the tribe and complete a table for the Chumash people describing their environment,...

Students focus on determining what the characteristics of culture are. They look for these characteristics in a set of photos. They complete a worksheet imbedded in this plan.