Social Studies
Resource Unit
1st grade
Cultures of the World
By: Stefanie Stanley & Ricky
Terrell
Cultures of the World
Introduction
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The theme of this resource unit are the different
cultures of the world. This unit will focus on specific
cultures and how they are different than ours. The
students will explore through discovery, reading and
discussion. This unit will last one week in the class
room, (5 days). It will take place in the classroom
and outside.
Cultures of the World
Content
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Subject Matter:
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Learn about one’s own culture
Learn about other cultures relating to family
Compare and contrast different cultures around
the world
Re-tell or explanation of culture as a whole
Cultures of the World
Vocabulary
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Culture
Country
Tradition
Customs
Roles
Language
Cultures of the World
Objectives
 Learn about one’s own culture
 Compare and contrast cultures focusing on food,
clothing, shelter and language
 Describe family and community customs and traditions
 Understand life in other countries regarding family
roles, men, woman and children.
 Identify cultural practices through music created by
people living in that culture
Cultures of the World
Introduction Activities
Day 1
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Teacher will read a book to the whole class on one
certain culture.
During silent reading time, students will choose a
different book on culture to read.
After silent reading time, students will write in their
journals about what they have learned about the culture
they read.
Students will make connections to previous journal
entries about their culture and others.
Cultures of the World
Student Resources: Books
Understanding
Differences
by Rebecca
Weber
People all around the world,
now and long ago, do
different jobs, have different
cultures and customs, and
live in different family
structures. Learn about our
diverse world and how we
work and live.
Celebrate
Connections
among
Cultures
by Jan
Reynolds
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Colorful, inviting
photographs introduce readers to
connections among cultures from around the
world. The book looks at celebrations among
the Tibetans and Sherpas of the Himalaya,
Tuareg of the Sahara, Aborigines of
Australia, Sami of the Arctic Circle,
Yanomami of the Amazon, Inuit of North
America, and Balinese of South Asia, have
much in common–people gather together,
eat and drink, decorate themselves, make
music, dance, and use fire.
Cultures of the World
Student Resources: Books
People all around the
world, all have
different clothing and
jewelry. This book
shows the different
materials that cultures
use to make these
items.
This book explains the
different songs,
instruments and dance
in a variety of cultures.
This book explains
how cultures in the
past lived, ate and
survived. It also
shows the troubled
times each culture
may have had.
Cultures of the World
Development Activities
Day 2
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Students will interview one family member of choice and ask
about their family traditions and important parts of their culture.
In class students will draw and cut out themselves.
In their cutout, student will write three-five things they learned
about their family (holidays celebrated, traditions)
After the students have completed their cutout, all the cut outs
will be placed together on the wall for all the students to see.
Students then should write in their journals about the different
cultures in their class.
Cultures of the World
Development Activities
Day 3
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Students will taste each food from different culture.
If student refuses to taste, ask if they will smell the
food.
In student’s journals, students will write the
similarities they taste or smell from their food and the
differences.
Students can discuss with other students whether or
not they have had this food before.
Cultures of the World
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Resources
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Disney’s Aladdin- Will help students see a different
culture, with singing (student)
Write a song -have students write a song about a
culture different than their own (student)
Educating for Cultural Diversity in the Elementary
Schools. To understand the current emphasis on
multicultural education, it is necessary to examine recent
events (teacher)
Cultures of the World
Development Activities
Day 4
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Students will be introduced to new types of
music/instruments.
Along with the music student will also learn and
watch a dance that goes along with the music.
Students will perform different dances culture. Also
playing instruments and singing songs.
Cultures of the World
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Resources
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Dancing- Students will have multi-cultural dances available
to learn (student)
Instruments- Teaching will bring in different instruments
from various cultures for students to explore. (student)
http://pbskids.org/arthur- This site launched new features to
help kids understand their neighbors, near and far, and gain
a better appreciation for the world around them. (student)
The Diversity Game: Teaching World Cultures to Students
and Communities.- Discusses the need for students
to become more aware of other cultures (teacher)
Cultures of the World
Culminating Activities
Day 5
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Students will look back in their journals over all the cultures
they have wrote about.
Students will then choose one culture to describe by making
clothing from that culture.
The cultures can be their own or one studied.
Students will then line up and have a parade through the
school.
Students will make one last journal entry about how it felt to be
in that culture and what aspects they enjoyed the most.
Cultures of the World
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Resources
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Sunwatch!- A field trip to sunwatch to help students
understand Native American culture. (student)
The Spider and the Fly- Teachers can use this book when
discussing different forms of the English language. (teacher)
Dress up- Students will have a large variety of different
Ethnic clothing to explore (student)
Classroom Play- Students can put on a play for their
classroom explaining different cultures (student)
Posters- Students can make a poster for each culture they
have discussed
Cultures of the World
Evaluation
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Checklist:
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Did the students write in their journals about the different cultures?
Were they able to tell about a specific culture through the parade?
Did they participate in discussion and answer open ended
questions?
Were the students able to make connections to self, text and
world?
Cultures of the World
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Additional Resources
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Bridging Cultures in Early Care and Education- This book is a
resource designed to help pre-service and in-service early
childhood educators (teacher)
Transition Is More Than a Change in Services- The needs and
preferences of families from culturally and linguistically
diverse groups pose additional challenges. (teacher)
Early Childhood Teacher Preparation for Developmentally and
Culturally Appropriate Practice - presents Developmentally
and Culturally Appropriate Practice (DCAP) as an extension of
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) which combines
the goals of multicultural and anti-bias education with those
of early childhood education. (teacher)
Cultures of the World
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BaFa'BaFa‘ (game)- Build awareness of how cultural
differences can profoundly impact people in an organization.
(student/teacher)
 Art and Creative Development for Young Children- Compare
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and contrast two major cultural typologies (teacher)
Carillon Park- Students will understand the culture of a
younger America (student)
Language Cartoons- Students could watch their favorite
movies in different languages (student)
Spanish/English dictionaries- Beginner picture dictionaries
can be easy accessible through-out classroom
(student/teacher)
Cultures of the World
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Mexican food day- Students can taste different Mexican
dishes (student)
Italian food day- Students can taste different Italian dishes
(student)
American food day- Food from all parts of the USA will be
available for students to taste. (student)
Mexican Hat Dance- Students will learn to Mexican hat
dance (student)
Foreign Language Read aloud- A read aloud in a different
language will help student identify other languages
(student/teacher)
Cultures of the World
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Piñata- Students will see how Spanish and Mexican children
celebrate (student)
Cultural themed birthday parties- Use students with near
birthdays, and do a birthday theme from somewhere around
the world. (student)
Music from around the world- have a variety of ethnic music
playing throughout the day in the classroom
(student/teacher)
Show and Tell- Have students bring in pictures and explain
different cultures they have visited (student)
Family Awareness- Have each student make a poster and
explain things that make their family different
Cultures of the World
Movies
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Charlotte's Web- help understand the culture of living on a
farm (student)
Freedom of Movement- Considers the right of people to
move within and between countries, including issues of
nationality, immigration, and refugees, referring to relevant
clauses in the universal declaration of human rights.
(student)
Freedom of Belief- Explains the freedom each person has to
believe what they want (student)
Equal Rights- Considers equal rights issues, including those
that involve race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and
physical disabilities, with reference to the universal
declaration of human rights. (Student)