Transnational & Global Studies Center

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Our Cultural Classroom

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Instructor: Deborah Libengood

Workshop: The Cross-Cultural Classroom

Targeted Grade Level: 2nd Grade

Content Area(s) Covered: Social Studies, Geography

Anticipated Duration: About 1 week

Rationale:

Introduce the children to the cultural diversity within their own classroom and relate this diversity to community, country and the world.

Objectives:

Students will understand how they are alike and different from their classmates.
Students will create a visual family culture poster containing different aspects of their personal culture.
Each student will present their poster to the class.
Using individual world maps, globes and wall maps students will represent our “class culture” as a global visual.

Sunshine State Standards:

LAE 211: Students use personal perspective to respond to works of literature
LAD 213: Students recognize that the use of more than one medium influences how they think or feel.
LAD 211: Students’ work choices shape ideas, feelings and actions.
LAC 314: Students use eye contact and gestures to enhance oral presentations.
LAC 311: Students speak clearly and with volume.
LAB 112: Students draft and revise simple passages.

Resources:

Books & Websites

HARCOURT SOCIAL STUDIES Textbook:
a) “A Family History” (pgs. 246-257)
b) “Life in Different Places” (pgs. 56-59)
c) “One for All, All for One” (pgs. 258-261).
Don’t Gross Out the World Website http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf
Moehn, Heather. (2000). World Holidays: A Watts Guide for Children. NY: Franklin Watts.
Onyefula, Ifeoma. (1996). Objo: Sharing Life in an African Village. San Diego, California:Gulliver Books.
Prez, Amanda Irma. (2000). My Diary From Here To There. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.
Sheth, Kashmira. (2004). Blue Jasmine. NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
Helmer, Diana Star, (2003). The Cat Who Came For Tacos. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Co.
International Children’s Digital Library website: http://www.icdlbooks.org
Reading Basal: Harcourt Reading Trophies, second grade
Books from classroom library that apply

Other Materials

poster board
photocopied picture frames
glue
crayons
colored pencils
chart paper
overhead projector
manila envelopes.

Procedures:

Lesson 1:

Gather children into an informal discussion of how we are alike and different within our own classroom.
Make a chart or an overhead of the things they talk about. Label one side, ALIKE, and one side, DIFFERENT.
Give children an 8 ½ x11 in. piece of paper, have them fold it in ½ and label it like the chart.
Review the list and discuss differences as, “good” or “bad”, leading, hopefully, to the conclusion that it is just “different.” Children will copy down 3 things from each side on their charts.
Children will make a folder for themselves out of large, colored construction paper to keep their chart in.

Lesson 2:

Spend the next few days reading stories, fiction and non-fiction, about children from different cultures.
Conclude each lesson, story, using a Venn diagram to compare the child in the story to themselves. You can use the following stories in the Trophies basal: Abuela, China Town and Anthony Renoso, if desired.

Lesson 3:

Prepare ahead of time a “My Culture” poster about yourself (teacher). Use drawings or photographs to depict yourself in the middle. Around this picture put pictures or drawings, from the attached back-line master, that depict: Family, relative, pets, food, fun, media, hobbies, ancestors, dress, community, religion, peers, sports, school, or holidays. Use 6-8 of these topics.
Model a presentation to the class explaining your “Culture”.
Explain to children that they too are going to make a poster about their “Culture”. Supply each child with a posterboard, 6-8 photocopied picture frames and a list of topics they can use to complete their poster. Have children pick 6-8 topics from their list they would like to put on their poster. Color and cut out frames and label with topics.
Classroom pictures may be taken for each child and than printed to place in the center of their poster. At this point the unfinished posters can be sent home or put away until the next date you plan to work on them in class.
- If this is going to be done in class allow the children a few days to collect pictures and information from home. A letter to parents, explaining the project and what the children need and when it needs to be returned should be written and sent home. An example is provided at the end of this lesson plan.
- If this is going to be a “homework” project, a letter of explanation should be sent home with clear directions and due dates. A sample letter is provided at the end of this lesson plan.

Lesson 4:

Spend this time in class working on posters. Use photos or let the children draw in each picture frame an example of the topic that it is supposed to illustrate. If the project is done at home, this time could be used to help children complete posters who did not complete it at home having classmates help.

Lesson 5:

Children present their posters to classmates. Presenter may ask for “Questions and Comments.”
Display children’s posters in the classroom or maybe around the school.

Assessment:

Revisit our ALIKE and DIFFERENT chart. Can we add to it? Can we take some things off it? What part of each child’s culture might be related to cultures in other parts of the world? Use a large wall map, a globe, and individual maps to mark places where our personal culture and other countries cultures connect.

Evaluation:

I plan on using these activities at the beginning of the year as a way to get the children to know one another better and as in introduction to more cross-cultural activities. Such activities would include, cooking, art projects, speakers, and literature.