Curated OER
Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Americas
Native American studies is fun, educational, and highly motivating. Fifth graders will gain a deeper understanding of the six major pre-Columbian culture areas on the North American continent. They will choose one group and conduct...
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Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
Learners explore the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture through the reading of "Help! My Father is Coming" and "The Visit to Vijay's". In this social culture lesson, students carousel brainstorm about...
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Coming to Terms With Cultural Differences
Students consider cultural differences. In this Peace Corps lesson, students read "Help, My Father is Coming," by Jim Toner and then write journal entries about the culture of Sri Lanka.
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How Cultures Differ - Two Different Perspectives on the Same Even
Young scholars explore the effects of culture through the story Running by Peter Hessler. In this geography and cultural lesson, students act as newspaper reporters covering the story of the race. Young scholars write newspaper articles...
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Recognizing How Another Culture Differs From One's Own
Students determine what it means to be on time. In this cultural comparisons lesson, students compare the notion of punctuality between the United States and Guinea. Students read "Being on Time," by Kimberly Ross and discuss the...
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Resolving a Cross-Cultural Misunderstanding
Students explore the concept of cross-cultural misunderstandings. In this communication lesson, students read a scenario involving communication misunderstandings and discuss cultural perspectives.
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Simple Suminagashi
What a wonderful way to meld art and culture! Learners create art work in the Suminagashi style using this detailed lesson plan. This art form, which is Japanese in origin, employs ink to create beautiful results. This will be a hit with...
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How Cultures Differ "Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event
Students read excerpts from Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze and discuss his difficulties in learning the language, cultural clashes and how cultural perceptions shape our understanding of the world.
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Character Nichos
This art lesson also incorporates a study Mexican and South American cultures and art. Students then create Nichos, which are small, decorated boxes commonly found in homes and public places, or displayed on walls or pedestals.
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Resolving a Cross-Cultural Misunderstanding
Students resolve a cross-cultural misunderstanding in a constructive manner. They read about the way in which individuals in the Dominican Republic misunderstood an American Peace Corps Volunteer who was doing something that in the...
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Cultural Celebrations
Pupils create a presentation for their assigned country. In this cultural diversity lesson, students use a WebQuest to research a country. In groups, they decide upon a way to present the information they have learned. Pupils create and...
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The Alphabet of Culture
Students research a global culture following teacher-created guidelines and break the culture into small sections. They link the sections and find the influences that each component of culture has on another component.
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Race, Culture, And Identity in Daughter From Danang (Part 1)
Students examine cultural identity. They watch the PBS documentary, 'Daughter From Danang,' answer discussion questions, and write an essay regarding the characters ethnicities and stereotypes portrayed in the film.
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Africa Colors a Destiny
Young scholars discover the peace corps and the culture of Chad. In this cultural awareness lesson, students watch a slide show and examine various primary sources from peace corps volunteers in Africa. This lesson includes web-links,...
Annenberg Foundation
Mapping Initial Encounters
Picture someone's excitement of seeing a horse for the first time. How about a cow? The Columbian Exchange changed life for not only Native Americans, but also for Europeans and the entire world. The second lesson of a 22-part series...
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On Being Hindu...and American
Students explore the concept of acculturation. In this cultural diversity lesson, students examine how second generation Hindu-Americans have adjusted to life in the United States.
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Immigration Unit
Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...
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Native American Story Necklaces
Combine a study of Native American history and art in this lesson. Learners discuss the importance of fetishes in Native American culture, the history of necklaces, and create their own works of art. Your class will find this to be both...
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Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
Learners study the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture, as illustrated by the author's account of his father's coming to terms with Sri Lankan customs. They reach the enduring understanding, "It is...
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Coming to Terms With Cultural Differences
Learners discover that it is possible to be challenged and "culture-shocked" by the norms of one's own culture when returning home from having been away and living in another culture. They examine and compare the customs of modern...
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How Cultures Differ-Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event
Students examine the author's running race from two different cultural perspectives to see just how different the effects of culture can be. They practice thinking about an issue from different perspectives and create a script that can...
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Recognizing How Another Culture Differs From One's Own
Students identify and understand the significant cultural traits described by the author. They discover how the concepts of time and punctuality can differ markedly in the United States and another country and determine that In some...
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Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
Students read excerpts from Jim Toner's memoir Serendib which chronicles his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sri Lanka. They work in small groups to analyze the excerpts and discuss how the author came to terms with Sri Lankan...
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Canvas Folding Screen
Elementary, middle, and high schoolers design canvas folding screens; much like the ones that are so prevalent in Asian homes. Be warned that this art lesson requires a lot of materials, so it will be expensive to implement. However, the...