Eduardo J. Cabret
Houghton Middle School
Thursday, March 25, 2010
PCMI Program Volunteer Teaching
Spring 2010
Lesson: Learning to see through a different cultural lens!
Course: Middle School (6-8) Civics, Citizenship, or Social Studies subjects
Topic: Cross-cultural understanding
Duration: 1 class period (~50 minutes)
Purpose:
Have students discover that while other cultures may seem strange or odd in some ways,
their own culture can seem similarly strange or odd to those in other cultures. This lesson is
designed to guide students to the understanding that individuals from other cultures may not see
the world in the same way that Americans do. What Americans may regard as different or
strange may be considered perfectly normal in another culture. Students will realize that
understanding someone from another culture can sometimes be hard because people see the
world, themselves, and others in fundamentally different ways.
Students will explore answers to the questions:
 How does it feel when others see you as different or as an outsider?
 How do others feel when you see them as different?
 How do beliefs, values, and cultural upbringing influence the way people behave?
 What is cultural stereotyping, and how can it be avoided?
As students explore these questions, students will achieve a broader perspective on their
own culture and an increased sensitivity to the customs, values, and beliefs of other cultures.
This new awareness should help them become more understanding of students in their own
school who may have come from a culture other than their own.
Learning objectives:
 Students will be able to explain why understanding someone from another culture can
sometimes be hard.
 Students will be able to give examples of how people see the world, themselves, and
others in fundamentally different ways.
Vocabulary: (Go over this list with students to assess prior knowledge – OPTIONAL)
 Culture
 Cultural upbringing
 Cultural stereotyping
 Behavior
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
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Beliefs
Values
Customs (Use an example of specific customs of cultures unknown to students)
Materials:
 Paper and pencil
 "Home Alone in the Dominican Republic"
o Anecdote by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Krystal Williams, Dominican
Republic
Opening Activity: (~10 minutes)

Give students about 5 minutes to write answers to the following:
o How does it feel to be seen by others as different—as an outsider? Describe such
an experience.
o Describe an instance when you considered someone else to be different—or an
outsider. Explain what led you to that judgment.

Ask students to compare their written responses to the second question with those of a
partner.

Ask for volunteers to share their responses with the whole class.
o Summarize the responses on the board and point out or ask students if they think
that these differences might be culture related or simply behavior related.
 Have a short discussion on the relationship between these two terms.

Commence with today’s lesson!
Lesson content and structure:

How do we know when people we encounter here are from another culture?
o Have students provide examples (~1 minute)
 Differences in language, clothing, customs, behavior, or beliefs.

Make the point that people from the other culture may think that people like us, U.S.
citizens, are different for the very same reasons.

Activity #1: (~10 minutes) – Read Aloud
o Before you pick a student to read "Home Alone in the Dominican Republic"
(below) aloud to fellow classmates, explain that this reading is an anecdote, told
by a RETURNED Peace Corps Volunteer (Krystal Williams), that illustrates how
American behavior can be seen as different or strange in another culture.
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Home Alone in the Dominican Republic
I was sometimes considered odd or strange in the Dominican Republic in terms of my being used
to having private space. For example, there would be times when I would want to sit down by
myself in my own room and just read a book. And anytime I was reading a book, my Dominican
neighbors always assumed I was studying. It was completely outside of the realm of possibility
for them that anyone would choose to sit alone, all by themselves, and read for pleasure. Often
they would stop by with some food to "help me study." This would inevitably lead to long
conversations. From the Dominican point of view, this was a gesture of hospitality. And
Dominicans place a great value on hospitality. Another example of my being considered "odd"
was the fact that I lived alone and that, at times, I wanted to be by myself. It was hard for my
Dominican neighbors to understand this. Very few, if any, people live by themselves in the
Dominican Republic. Everyone has a family or is connected to a family or lives with a family or
an extended family. If I wanted to be alone, they would think I was sick and send someone over
to stay with me. If I wanted to be alone much of the time, they would think I was rude or ignoring
them, and their feelings would be hurt.
o Ask students to describe what they think are one or more cultural values in the
Dominican Republic, based on what they learned from this passage.
o Ask students to imagine that they are a Peace Corps Volunteer in Krystal
Williams' situation. How would they handle the cultural differences respectfully?


List students' responses on the board.

Mention a number of alternatives for handling a delicate situation with
respect if you need to.
Activity #2: (~20 minutes)
o Have students form groups of four by having them repetitively count off from 1 to
3, or 1 to 4, depending on your classroom size, until each student has a number.
 Have students with the same numbers gather as a group.
o Ask students to write and perform a brief skit about some aspect of Krystal's
situation.
o Ask a volunteer from each group to play the role of Krystal or someone like her.
The other three members of each group will play the role of Dominicans.

Have all four members of each group write the skit together.

Give students the following guidelines:
o The skit should illustrate exactly what the cultural
differences are, and why.
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o The skit should contain a respectful resolution of the
conflict caused by individuals from each culture seeing the
same situation in a different way.
o The skit should not oversimplify the problem.
o Ask for a group to volunteer and act out their skit! Have more groups volunteer if
time allows.
Conclusion/Assessment: (~10 minutes)

What have you learned from the skit(s)?
o Have students come up to the board and write things they realized from the skit
that they did not think of before.

What should we do first to understand another culture?
o You first need to understand your own culture and see yourself as others might
see you.

How many people say, with a show of hands, that it can be hard to understand someone
from another culture?

Why do people behave as they do?
o Because of the things they believe in and value.

How can these beliefs vary?
o From person to person and culture to culture.

Quote for thought: (Have students try to guess who said this quote - Give them hints!)
o “The things that we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that
divide us” – Walt Disney
Resources:
 This lesson plan was adapted from the “On Being Seen As Different” lesson plan found
within the Peace Corps website, provided by the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise schools:
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/lessonplans/lesson.cfm?lpid=349&gid=2
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