Smithsonian Institution
Jamaican Song, Dance, and Play: Experiences with Jamaican Musical Traditions
Young musicians experience song, dance, and play of the Jamaican culture. Scholars listen for and recreate beats, they play tunes, make up original dances, and play a game that challenges pupils to pass stones to a specific beat.
Global Oneness Project
Cultural Heritage: Recording a Native Language Dictionary
How do you rebuild a language that has been banned for years? A short video introduces high schoolers to Marie Wilcox, A Wukchumni Native American from Central California who, for over 20 years, worked on comprising a dictionary of the...
August House
The Archer and the Sun
Reinforce reading comprehension with a instructional activity about The Archer and the Sun, a Chinese folktale. Kids learn some background information about Chinese culture before reading the story, and answer literacy questions as they...
VIF Learning Center
Languages as Reflection of Cultures and Civilizations: French Speaking Countries
Expand your class's vision of the French-speaking world by conducting this research project. Pupils focus on building 21st-century skills while they look up information about a French country and put together presentations.
Folger Shakespeare Library
Essential Everyday Bravery
Shakespeare's plays may be old, but they still have relevant lessons for today's world! A collection of lesson plans uses examples from The Merchant of Venice and District Merchants to teach about bravery. In addition to learning...
PBS
Religion in Culture & Politics: Women’s Empowerment in Syria
Learners determine their perspective on women's empowerment and then compare it to how it is seen in Syria. They watch four documentary clips, discuss what they've seen, and answer two short essay questions. Excellent resource links and...
Curated OER
Political Culture: A Self-Evaluation
Learners explore the concept of popular culture. In this popular culture lesson, students take the provided survey on their opinions of political culture and beliefs. Learners graph the survey results and discuss them.
Curated OER
Art and Artists: Multicultural Awareness and Appreciation Adaptation
Each student receives a piece of artwork representing a unique culture and artist. They work in with two other young scholars who have art representing a different culture and artist. They participate in a scavenger hunt to determine...
Curated OER
Jewish Culture Through Food Recipes
Young scholars engage in studying Jewish culture through the experience of tasting and eating different foods. They answer key questions that are used to guide the lesson. The foods of Americans is contrasted with the Jewish foods.
Curated OER
Cultural Background
First graders pick out cultural details from the story The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. In this culture lesson plan, 1st graders discuss how legends come from cultures that have traditions.
Curated OER
Cultural Recipe Book: Food for Thought
Students research typical dishes in their country. They also examine the origin of the ingredients and any stories behind them. They discuss the different types of foods and cultures. They can also create a recipe book.
Curated OER
Mayan Culture
Pupils use RAFT prompts to write about Mayan society. In this lesson on Mayan culture, students research and then explain the Mayan hierarchy and social structure. As a culminating activity each student will write a newspaper article...
Curated OER
Culture, Crisis and Population Explosion: A Deweyan Approach in the Classroom
Young scholars read various arguments posed by John Dewey when it comes to population growth. In groups, they use magazine articles and the internet to find issues related to populations and complete experiments to identify the...
Curated OER
Greek Mythology: Cultures and Art
Students examine literary arts. For this Greek mythology lessons, students read Greek myths and select characters from the myths to study. Students create watercolor illustrations of the characters, write short stories about the...
Curated OER
America's Future Culture
Seventh graders research the past and present policies in the United States regarding immigration. As a class, they read "Immigration Timeline" to examine the various groups who came to America for a better life. To end the lesson,...
Curated OER
A Native American Cultural Exchange
Fourth graders communicate with members of Native American tribes via email, exchange original poems with epals, and create multimedia presentations to share with classmates.
Curated OER
Canada: A Land Rich in Beauty and Culture
Third graders in groups research the different regions of Canada. They create a timeline to put the major events of Canada's history in order.
Curated OER
A Christmas Celebration in the Black Culture
How much does your class know about Kwanzaa? Using the Internet, pupils practice using the Internet to find information. They then compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Kwanzaa and Christmas.
Curated OER
How Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Culture and Environment as Sources of Ideas
Students share the difficulties they have in determining what to write or draw for a project. In groups, they view examples from three different artists and discuss how their personal experiences affected their art. They brainstorm a...
Curated OER
The Mother Culture of Mexico: The Olmecs
Sixth graders study the Olmec civilization. They develop a map of Mexico and a map of the area of the Olmec civilization. They research Olmec art, religion, and architecture. They construct Olmec symbols including giant heads, altars,...
Curated OER
Books for Teaching about Cultural Diversity Through Celebrations
Learn about different holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, La Posada, by listening to stories. After reading about each holiday, they participate in a discussion and complete a fun activity.
Curated OER
Heroes and Sidekicks from Popular Culture
Students discuss familiar fictional characters. In this fictional characters instructional activity students practice pronunciation of adjectives. They describe the personality of popular characters by answering questions about those...
Curated OER
African Artist El Anatsui as a Reflection of African Culture: Human Rights Issues and Activism Through Art
Students explore global issues through visual art analysis. In this African art lesson plan, students examine works by El Anatsui and discussing their human rights themes. Students then design lesson plans based on their findings.
Curated OER
Holidays and Observances: Looking at Diversity and Culture
Students share their own knowledge and experiences of holidays they observe. They research a holiday of their choice and write a report. They also create art of their holiday to complete as a pre-writing activity.