Date: Day Two Subject: Social Studies Topic: Whats Your Culture?

What are the Different Cultures Around You?

Remember to send home parent letters of the unit, the outcome and their role as a parent.

Objectives: Students will be able to: Work collaboratively in a group of four to five students Discuss topics to research about their country of interest Create an organized list of the topics (using a graphic organizer) STANDARD 2 WORLD HISTORY Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives. Key Idea 2.1: 1. The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives. 2.1a: read historical narratives, myths, legends, biographies, and autobiographies to learn about how historical figures lived, their motivations, hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses 2.1b: explore narrative accounts of important events from world history to learn about different accounts of the past to begin to understand how interpretations and perspectives develop 2.1c: study about different world cultures and civilizations focusing on their accomplishments, contributions, values, beliefs, and traditions Materials: o Large chart paper o Student social studies notebooks o Markers o Pencils o List of groups o Copy of each countrys flag Motivation: Review the information from the previous lesson by having the students recall out loud the different cultures that are in the room. Encourage students to associate the culture with the student and one or two things that were said about that culture.

Procedure: Note: Before the lesson arrange students in groups of four to five. Try to group students in a group in which they would learn about a different culture from their own if possible. Say Now that you know the different cultures around you, you are now going to be placed in groups base on a culture that is not your own. o Purpose: for each child to embrace and appreciate different cultures. o You will be learning more about your own culture when the other students are presenting it. Place students in groups/Tell each group the country that they are researching Have students take out their social studies notebooks. After students are placed in groups, explain to them that their task as a group is to create a list of things that they want to learn about the given country. To start things off and get their ideas going, use a chart paper and brain storm together as a class a few key/important things that must be in their research such as geography, meaning of the symbols or colors on the flag, population, government, food, and music.

Students work in their groups for thirty minutes Closing/Summary After students have worked collaboratively brainstorming the outline of their research, have each group share their information to give other groups information to add to their list. Explain that the next step will take place in the computer room where they will begin their research Day: 3 Research (the computer lab) Note: If you do not have access to a computer lab, bit you have one or two computers in your classroom, have each group use the computers within the classroom at separate times. If you have you do not have a computer lab or computers in your classroom, schedule a trip to the local library where they can use encyclopedias and the computers within the library. Prior to the lesson, demonstrate how to use the computer for research and what sites they should use for best results To save time: In each group, have students divide the research questions among each other so that everyone is not researching the same questions

Have students sit according to the country that they are researching. Using the questions that they gathered within their groups, they can begin their research using google or ask.com

Print at least two copies of the flag for each country for the students to draw and color. Back in the classroom, have students draw and color their flags. Closing: Ask students how far they got with their research? Which group needs more time? What was challenging, what was easy? Depending on where your students are in the research, you may need to give them another day to conduct their research Day 4: Getting it all on paper Task: Have students sit within their group. Using large post-it pagers, have students write down the information that they found out about their country. Each paper should have a title, geography, food, music and dance, holidays and celebration, flag, government, schools, and other important history. Remind students and parents about the celebration in which each student is to bring in a plate from their culture or the country in which they researched

Day 5: Presentation and celebration: Students will present their information about the country they researched to the class (you may invite parents as well). Arrange the classroom so that the presentation area, the food area, and audience area are separate but visible. Have each group present for 3-5 minutes then give the audience 5-7 minutes to ask questions, comment or add information.

Choose one person in each group to be the recorder while the other students share their information