Grade: 5
Unit: 6
Essential Question
How does literature provide
clues to a culture?
Title: Clues to a Culture
Key Content: The student will…
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Define “culture.”
Compare fiction and nonfiction books about cultural experiences
during Westward Expansion (19th century America).
Create a multimedia presentation on a Latin American nation of
choice.
Write responses to a variety of literature and poetry.
Find similarities and differences in trickster tales from various
cultures.
Participate in group discussions.
Unit Focus
Define and discuss the word “culture.” Compare 19th
century America from the Native American and
American pioneer points of view to determine
similarities and differences. To do this, students read
trickster stories and informational text, as well as listen
to music and examine art from a variety of Latin
American cultures. Class discussions should reinforce
awareness of how perspective can affect how they
view events and people.
Code
RL.5.1
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension (e.g., grade level text
fluently, prose/poetry orally with fluency, and use context to confirm, or self-correct).
Write opinion piece by introducing topic/text clearly, stating opinion and organized structure with
logically ordered reasons (supported by facts/details) and information, grouping related ideas
together to support purpose, link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses
(consequently, specifically); provide conclusion related to opinion.
Produce text that explores a variety of cultures and perspectives.*
Summarize points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by
reasons/evidence.
Fluency
L.5.1
Use standard English grammar in writing/speaking (conjunctions/prepositions/interjections;
perfect verb tenses; verb tense to convey time/sequence/state/condition; correct inappropriate
shifts in verb tense; use corrective conjunctions).
Grammar
L.5.4
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5
reading, using multiple strategies (context, cause/effect, comparison, Greek and Latin
affixes/roots, and reference materials).
Vocabulary/Structural
Analysis
RI.5.7
RF.5.4
W.5.1
*Indicates standard specific to NY only.
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Concept
Quoting Text
SL.5.3
personification
perspective
point of view
sound imagery
trickster tale
Standard
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences.
Use information from multiple print or digital sources to locate an answer quickly or to solve a
problem efficiently.
Vocabulary and Terms to Emphasize
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Dates of Instruction: _______________________
Research
Writing Opinion
Cultural Literacy
Summarize
Grade: 5
Unit: 6
Title: Clues to a Culture
Dates of Instruction: _______________________
Suggested Activities/Investigations/Demos:
…
Strategies
1.
CLASS DISCUSSION: Ask students, “What is meant by the word ‘culture’? For which elements does one look when learning about a culture?
Direct students to write their ideas down on a note card, which can be shared among students. (Teacher Notes: Answers may include: language,
social organization, customs/traditions, arts, religion, symbols, etc.) Create a class T-chart of elements to look for and inform students that the
group will look to find examples in texts read during this unit.
2.
LITERATURE RESPONSE: Choose a book, such as The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich, a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of a Native
American culture during the period of westward expansion. Compare life as presented from a Native American’s perspective and a pioneer’s
perspective, such as Laura’s perspective in Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder or If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie by Anne
Kamma. Have students question/discuss with a partner
Question/Discuss
3.
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION: Direct students to read all they can about the Latin American nation of their choice including drawing on
information from multiple print or digital sources. Then have them write a short informative/explanatory piece about their nation of choice, quoting
accurately from the texts. Publish it and present it in a multimedia format to the class.
Multimedia Presentation
4.
CLASS DISCUSSION: Discuss how trickster stories can reveal insights into a culture different from one’s own. Ask what students learned about
the nation from a trickster story the class has read. What does a story/poem reveal about a culture that reading solely from an informational text
does not? Ask students to write ideas down in their journal prior to class discussion.
Discuss
5.
WORD STUDY: As an individual and as a class, maintain index card files of words studied (e.g., tribe, tribute; nation, nationality, nationwide,
culture, cultural, etc.). Keeping the words on index cards will help students when they sort words by prefix, suffix, root words, meaning, etc. Ask
how do the prefixes and suffixes help students understand the meaning of the words while changing the part of speech? (Note: This should be
an ongoing activity for the year.)
6.
ESSAY/ART CONNECTION: View the works from one of the selected tribes. Ask students what they can learn about the tribe by viewing the
images. Ask the students to write an essay describing what they have learned by viewing the images/art.
Graphic Organizer: T-Chart
Grade: 5
Unit: 6
Title: Clues to a Culture
Dates of Instruction: _______________________
Cross-curricular Connections
Resources
Religion/Values: The Apostles’ Creed is a statement of our Catholic beliefs. How does a culture reflect the beliefs
of its people? What are the examples in signs and language within a culture that express religious beliefs?
Online trickster tales for children (click on “Children’s Stories”):
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/tricksters/
Art: Students will look closely at the art of various cultures to determine what the art communicates about the
culture.
View Pacific Northwest Native American Art on you-tube. Once there, click
on “315 videos” to see other Native American art.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IspcYtCV0oA&feature=channel
Science Connection: All living things need food to stay alive. How do different cultures prepare, experience, and
share food? Examine the foods of different cultures for their nutritional composition.
Social Studies: How is culture expressed during holiday celebrations?
3-minute video history of Native Americans (good introduction to unit):
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/history-kids/nativeamericans-kids/
Assessing Student Understanding
 Choose an event from one of the Native American stories read, and write about what was
the most surprising about their experiences.
 Have students write an essay response to the essential question, “How does literature
provide clues to a culture?”
 Think about how art and music can provide insight or understanding about a culture. Write
an essay about what was learned about Native Americans from viewing their Native
American art or listening to their music.
Teacher Notes/Reflections
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