Curated OER
Basket Making
Young scholars create a basket. In this basket making lesson, students explore the Ojibway culture and discover the history of basket making. Young scholars design and construct a basket.
Roald Dahl
Matilda - The Reader of Books
The titular Matilda from Roald Dahl's famous novel adored books above all things. Discuss why it is important to read stories from across cultures and around the world using the first chapter from the ever-loved story Matilda.
Curated OER
Brief Encounter (Looking at Ourselves and Others)
Students participate in a simulation game in which they realize what it is like to be from another culture. They observe and describe different behaviors. They also examine values from other cultures.
Curated OER
Israel
The class creates and performs a movement performance of the creation story found in the Jewish tradition. This lesson begins with the research of Israeli culture and culminates in a performance of the narrated creation story....
Film Space
Whale Rider
Ready for an educational movie day? Use a resource based on the movie Whale Rider to learn more about the Maori culture. Class members answer a variety of questions and listen to music from the soundtrack to further analyze and...
Curated OER
Jazz and World War II: A Rally to Resistance, A Catalyst for Victory
Students examine the impact of WWII on the development of jazz music and consider how jazz music helped to boost morale of both soldiers and those left at home. They identify the function of jazz as a cultural export and discuss its...
Curated OER
To the Beat of a Different Drum
Students describe the sounds, moods and styles of two different types of music. After reading an article, they discover how a journalist uses language to describe and give feelings to the music. They review a type of music of interest...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Comparing Cultural Dances
All cultures express similar thoughts, feelings, and ideas. But, often times those things are expressed differently. Learners compare and contrast traditional dances from two cultures. They watch videos of each performance, stop to...
Curated OER
Cultural Impact on Development of African Kingdoms
Ninth graders consider the impact of development on African kingdoms. In this cultural diversity lesson, 9th graders conduct independent research to determine how development has changed Africa. Students write research papers based on...
Curated OER
Global Music Patterns- Islamic Art
Students compose music using Islamic patterns. In this cultural arts lesson, students examine Islamic art and analyze the patterns. Students incorporate various Islamic patterns into a musical composition.
Little Kids Rock
The Influence of Latin Music in Postwar New York City
Music has often been called the international language that transcends cultures and regions. Scholars analyze the impact of Latin American music on New York City culture in the years following World War II. They research music, video,...
Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Curated OER
Aesthetics and Affect in Music from Around the World
Students explore traditional music of different societies around the world by listening to number of different musical recordings, discuss how music makes them feel, examine how music is central to cultural traditions, and compose short...
Curated OER
The Impact of Islamic Culture on the Arts of the Renaissance
Eighth graders examine the linguistic and cultural impact of the Arabic language and Islamic culture on the Spanish language. They analyze and label maps, listen to and differentiate between Spanish and Arabic music, and compare and...
Curated OER
Christmas Around the World
Learners demonstrate an understanding of how different cultures celebrate Christmas by participating in artistic, musical, culinary and role play activities.
Curated OER
Thrilling Information: Music and Reading
Here’s a cross-curricular program music activity that uses Peer Gynt to engage class members. Groups take one section of “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” choreograph their section of the tune to represent the story as they imagine it,...
Smithsonian Institution
Affirmation, Assimilation, and Acculturation: Middle School
Latin American culture is deeply embedded in American culture as a whole. From the Latin rock scene in San Francisco to the hip-hop world of New York, Latin American artists have influenced every genre of modern music. Learn about the...
Curated OER
Cultural Characteristics
Students are introduced to the various types of cultures found in the world. Using the internet, they research a culture they are interested in and answer comprehension questions. In groups, they demonstrate in a PowerPoint presentation...
Curated OER
Dance: Cultural Dance Festival
Pupils participate in a folk dance presentation. In this multi-cultural lesson, students and their families work together to learn and perform folk dances at a school sponsored festival. The teacher acts as facilitator, working with...
Curated OER
Island Culture: Puerto Rico
High schoolers explore the culture of Puerto Rico. They create maps of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. They work in small groups to research a decade in history and add drawings and pictures to a timeline of their decade. They practice...
Curated OER
Famous People and Cultural Diffusion
Young scholars use the internet to identify cultural traditions throughout the world. In groups, they examine each culture and determine the effect they had on life in the United States. They use this information to write a family...
Curated OER
Cultures of Our Nation
Young scholars bring in family items that represent their culture and present them to the class. In this culture lesson plan, students can bring in food, music, dance, pictures, and more.
Curated OER
What is Culture?
Learners explore the concept of culture. They discuss the Washoe culture, create a word web, develop a family tree of their own family for a class book, and complete a writing assignment.
Curated OER
Celebration of Cultures
Pupils create a multimedia project to represent their own culture and personal identity. They design a personal Coat of Arms using a computer graphics program and digital camera, write a script and film an interview, and contribute a...