Comparative Culture
A Year-Long Social Studies
Unit
Big Idea:
(Universal Thematic Lens)
All Civilizations Share Common Elements
Area of Study (Topic):
5th/6th Grade Year-long Comparative Culture Unit
Concept:
People
find ways
to adapt
to their environment
Concept:
People
in a culture
find rules
to protect themselves
Concept:
Cultures interact
and change
each other
Concept: People find ways
to adapt to their
environment
•
Geography/Climate:
Cultural development is
driven by physical
circumstances.

Food/Shelter:
Basic needs are
met with available
resources.

Religion/Ritual:
Belief systems
arise out of
circumstances.

Recreation: Play
is practice for life
Concept: People in a culture
find rules to protect themselves

Government
Systems: Methods
of rule evolve as
circumstances
change.

Famous People:
Leaders arise from
need.

Division of
Labor: Specializing
can improve way of
life.

Social Unit:
Family units
increase the
chance of survival.
Concept: Cultures interact and
change each other

Transportation:
Availability of
transportation affects
development of
culture.

Language
(written and
numbers): People
invent ways to
express
themselves and
communicate more
effectively.

Technology:
Cultures borrow
ideas from each
other.

Arts: People find
expression of
personal identity
and social order in
outward
appearance.
Universal Element
Essential Question
Enduring Understandings
Geography/Climate
What makes a good location
in which to live?
People adapt to their environment to survive
Food
Why don’t we all eat the same
food?
People adapt to the resources available.
Shelter
What are the best houses in
which to live?
Why don’t we all live in the
same kinds of houses?
People adapt to the climate and geography of
their environment, using available resources.
Transportation
What is the best way to get
around?
People use naturally occurring geographical
features and fauna (waterways, animals).
Government
Would life be different
without government?
What is the best way to run a
civilization?
What makes a government?
People find rules to protect themselves and
keep order.
Family Unit
What makes a family?
Family units increase the chances of
survival.
Religion
Why don’t we worship in the
same way? What is religion?
Belief systems arise out of circumstances.
Universal Element
Essential Question
Enduring Understandings
Division of Labor
Is it a good idea to rely on
others for your needs?
Specializing can improve way of life.
Language (written and numbers)
What is the best way to
communicate?
Why do we need to write
things down?
People invent ways to express
themselves and communicate more
effectively.
Famous People
What is “famous”?
What makes people famous?
Is being famous a good thing?
What happens to famous
people?
Leaders arise from need.
Arts
What objects do we value?
Why make beautiful things
when beauty is all around us?
What is beauty?
Human beings are driven to express
themselves.
Clothing/Jewelry
What are the best clothes to
wear?
Why don’t we all wear the
same clothes?
People adapt to their environment, and
find expression of personal identity and
social order in outward appearance.
Recreation
Why do we play?
Is play important?
Play is practice for life.
Technology (Inventions)
Is there such a thing as a new
idea?
Cultures interact and change each other
(cultural borrowing).
Planning Guide
For Project –Based Area of Study
Sensemaking Tasks:
Webquests:
Students research
topics online
through selected
Webquests. Links
are provided on
the classroom
website.


Award Presentation
Speeches
Students select an explorer
and team up for award
presentations, acting as
presenter or recipient. The
recipients are famous
people of history. Students
give speeches that outline
their fame or infamy, and
the award is titled
accordingly.

Artifact Creation
Students build replicas of
artifacts of the culture.
They analyze the link
between available
resources, inventions of
the period, and the effect
on lifestyle.

Jigsaw Team
Teaching
Students take on the role
of teacher, researching an
area of study and
presenting it to the rest of
the class. Focus is on
designing an opening
activity that engages their
peers.

Big Idea Journal
Students keep a journal of
the essential questions
that arise from group
discussion. As more
questions and possible
answers arise, they are
entered in the journal.

Citizen of the
Culture Journal
Students take on the life of
an anonymous person in
history, and record a
period of their life, keeping
the daily life historically
accurate and recording
their reaction to an
important event in history.

Child of History
Portrait/Pen Pal
Letter
Students draw a portrait of
themselves as a child of
the culture of study, and
write a pen pal letter to a
child of the current age,
explaining their way of life.

Architectural
Design
Student teams select a
building to research. The
focus is on borrowed
elements of design. They
teach to the class using a
PowerPoint presentation.
Final Project
“Ideal Island”
Students borrow
elements from all
the cultures they
have studied to
compose their ideal
culture. They
create a three
dimensional model,
map, and poster.