High School Lesson Plans: Culture

These resources are appropriate for grade levels 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

Lesson Plans:

Culture and Globalization

In this lesson, students will learn how globalization affects cultures around the world and what some of the responses have been. After suggesting some preliminary discussions and activities which will help students understand the central issues of cultural globalization, the lesson focuses on an actual case study which serves to highlight the main points of the topic and engage students in critical thinking.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Globalization101.
Human Rights Basics
In order to help children explore those issues that are specific to themselves and to children's/human rights, one must first explore the basic similarities and common needs of all people.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
Surviving the Sahara: The Sahrawi People Living in Exile
In this lesson students will learn about a group of people and their desire to return to their homeland, many of whom have been refugees for nearly 30 years.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-4 classes

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
Exploring Freedom of Expression
In order to understand what freedom of expression is (articulated in Article 19 of the United Nations "Universal Declaration of Human Rights") students first need to be able to define expression and recognize its various forms. This lesson focuses primarily on the freedom of speech, but it also examines the right to have an opinion and express that opinion without interference from any person or government.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
Examining Patriarchal and Matriarchal Society and Culture
This lesson provides students with an opportunity to explore different perspectives regarding Patriarchal and Matriarchal cultures. Students will study and understand the basic definitions for the terms patriarchy and matriarchy and will then create their own definitions for these terms.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
Daily Life in the Middle East

This lesson will ask students to focus on the people of Iraq. They will think critically about what the media delivers, why it focuses so heavily on war coverage, and how this may contribute to skewed views of Iraq and its people. Students will explore Iraq's rich cultural history and read online articles or print publications about daily life in Iraq. Finally, in small groups, they will study further one aspect of daily life in Iraq (or another country in the Middle East) and create presentations for the rest of the class.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
That Was Then, This is Now: Comparing the Past and Present-Day Ways of Life of Indigenous Peoples
In this lesson, students will read about the effect of strict fur trading laws on the lives of the Inuit people in Canada, then use print and digital resources to compare the past and present-day ways of life of several indigenous peoples around the world. Students will present their research in the form of original children's books.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.
Connecting U.S. Students' Lives with Those of Maasai Students

Artifacts tell us interesting things about a culture. Remember the story of the Nacirema, a tribe of people living south of the Canadian Cree people with curious body ritual habits? (The Nacirema story can easily be found on the web and is a must-read for teachers of culture and anthropology! Needless to say, the Nacirema people are Americans.) Every culture everywhere has artifacts that have cultural, religious, social, or medicinal purposes, and students can learn a lot of others cultures and their own culture by becoming cultural anthropologists for a day or week.

This lesson is best done in conjunction with lesson 2B. It is important that students know something about the Maasai before they start reaching conclusions based on pictures of artifacts. The PowerPoint slideshow provided in lesson 2B gives students actual pictures of Maasai people wearing jewelry and using instruments that we might consider artifacts in this discussion here.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit World-Affairs.
Cultural Icons: Voices of their Nations
A handful of men and women are important enough that they are remembered for decades, even centuries, after their deaths. This lesson links geography with world issues of the 20th and 21st centuries by identifying cultural leaders or icons from around the world who have impacted the social, political, or environmental views of their countries. Students will explore the definition of "cultural icon" and study at least one cultural leader and his or her part of the world in detail.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Population Issues in China and India

China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, but they have taken very different approaches to population control. Students will gather population statistics for these two countries, read about population issues in both places, and determine whether India should adopt a one-child policy like the one implemented by the Chinese government.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
The Evolution of Cultural Landscape
By the end of the twelfth grade, students should be able to appreciate how cultural change causes people's perceptions of places and regions to change. This lesson focuses on the sequential occupancy of a specific habitat.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Is a Smile Always Just a Smile?
Earth and its people are not only divided by physical formations (such as oceans, mountains and continents), but also by separate nations and cultures. People are often so familiar with their own customs that they become ethnocentric about how people are "supposed" to behave. This lesson introduces students to many subtle differences that must be appreciated in order to function socially, academically and professionally in a multicultural world. [Note: Differences also exist among different cultures within the United States, but this lesson looks at broader international cultural distinctions.]

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Cultural Characteristics Influence a Region's Character
In this lesson students will analyze demographic data and explore relationships between several cultural characteristics of nations.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Weeping Camel: Common Characteristics of Rituals

Ritual has been an integral part of human life in every civilization and every historical era, and the rituals of all cultures have common characteristics. In this lesson, students will identify characteristics of traditional and modern rituals found in different cultures. Through reading articles and watching videos of several rituals, students will identify some of their characteristics. Finally, students will apply their understanding to modern rituals in their own lives.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-5 classes

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.
Calming Tensions Between Arabs and Iraqi Kurds
Students play the role of a U.S. Green Beret in Iraq who must try to keep the peace during a community dispute.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Frontline.
Coping With Genocide in Cambodia
Students write a journal entry about what should be done to help Cambodians feel justice and peace for the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Frontline.
Freedom of the Press Around the World
Students consider the importance of a free press in all societies, investigate how journalists are treated internationally and create a Press Freedom Report Card for Select Countries.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Frontline.
Eyes Worldwide on the Prize: Viewing Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech through a Global Lens

In this lesson, students learn about the production of "Passages of Martin Luther King Jr." at the National Theater in China, and the ways in which the words of Dr. King have impacted the Chinese people and government. They then examine cases of discrimination around the world and respond to Dr. King's famous 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech from the perspective of these marginalized populations.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.
Taking It to the Streets: Investigating Student-Led Protests Around the World
In this lesson, students learn about the nationwide protest in France on March 28, 2006, led by students and unions against the government's labor laws targeting youth. They then research student-led protests that have occurred around the world over the past fifty years and role-play the positions of student protesters, reporters and government officials during those given time periods.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.
Making the Global Local: Creating a Children's Television Character for Your Community

In this lesson, students learn about the marketing and production of the children's television program "Sesame Street" in various countries around the world. They then create a character for a children's program that reflects the current issues and values of their communities.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 classes

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.
Causes and Effects: Creating a Resource Guide to International Volunteer Organizations
In this lesson, students learn about one family's volunteer tourism experience. They then research international volunteer organizations to create a community guide to helping those in need around the world.

Time needed for lesson plan: 1-2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.
Exchange Students: Making Cultural Connections with Kids in War-Torn Lands
In this lesson, students learn about the increasing popularity and importance of cellular phones among Iraqi youths. They then create informative guides and compose letters to send to students living in countries currently experiencing turmoil that address topics such as popular culture and daily life.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit New York Times.

Units:

Commanding Heights
This site offers a comprehensive overview of global economic history from the beginning of the First World War through 2002. Along with a six-hour video narrative divided into short chapters, it includes extensive interviews, essays, charts, reports, an interactive atlas of history and economic data related to the topics of globalization, economic development and international trade.

The Commanding Heights Storyline provides a complete netcast of the six-hour television program as originally broadcast -- in three two-hour episodes. Each episode is subdivided into chapters listed in the chapter menu, together with links to additional related content on the site. This site is designed for students of economics, modern world history, political science and international relations at the college and university undergraduate level. It can also be useful in upper-level high school courses associated with the same topics. The site can be used both as a primary teaching "text" to introduce students to important events and ideas related to political economy, and also as a secondary resource to foster critical thinking about economic issues through structured research and comparison of outcomes.

The six-hour video series presents a specific viewpoint on economic affairs (based on the book Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, 3rd edition, 2002). However, the information contained within the site is sufficiently comprehensive and capable of supporting a wide range of interpretation and analysis.

Time needed for unit plan: Varies

To link to the actual unit plan, please visit Commanding Heights.

Ethnic and National Identity In Africa

Students will research modern African nation-states to investigate their colonial background, their ethnic demographics, and their historic and current ethnic relations. The lesson has a two-part introduction. First, the lesson begins with a discussion of individual identity and group affiliation, with a focus on ethnicity and nationalism. Next, students are presented with an overview of the history of Africa's modern political geography. Then, after an investigation of Nigeria as a case study, students conduct research on various African nation-states. Teachers may choose to assign these or to let students pick their own. The research may be done individually, in pairs, or in small groups. The students will prepare and deliver oral presentations on their nation-states. The lesson ends with a chance for the students to discuss the merits of redrawing Africa's political map. An optional extension asks students to conduct interviews with African people to benefit from a first-hand perspective.

Time needed for unit plan: Varies

To link to the actual unit plan, please visit World-Affairs.

The Muslim Experience in Modern-Day Europe
This unit is organized into four lessons. Each lesson can be taught separately from the others. Each lesson contains specific objectives that on the one hand strive to broaden the students' knowledge and understanding, and on the other, have the students practice their writing, reading, listening, observation and communication skills. This unit, therefore, provides a variety of lesson materials, activities and assessments, as well as extension ideas.

The unit starts with an inquiry into the students' knowledge and ideas about Islam and Muslims in Europe. They record notes on a KWL (Know, Want to Learn, Learned) chart that can be evaluated and compared with their understanding at the end of the unit.

In the first lesson, entitled "Muslim Communities in Modern-Day Europe: An Introductory Look at their Background," the students identify and describe the background and profile of Muslim communities in eight Western European countries. The lesson begins with a multiple choice quiz to assess the students' general factual knowledge about Muslims in Europe. The students then use the Internet to conduct research about Muslim communities in one specific European country.

They discuss their findings in small groups and present what they have learned to the rest of the class.

The second lesson, "Integration Issues," examines the many critical issues that play a role in the integration process of Muslims/immigrants in Europe. The students listen to a radio program about Muslims in Great Britain and watch a PowerPoint™ slide show about Turks in Berlin. Based on this auditory and visual information they fill out a bubble map to define which different aspects play a role in the integration process and how. The students come to understand that this is a two-way process in which Muslims/immigrants, as well as their host society, have responsibilities to each other.

The third lesson, "Current Debates: The Headscarf in France," focuses on one of the current debates related to Islam in Europe, namely, the ban on headscarves, particularly in France. The students broaden their understanding of this complex issue, as well as of secularism in France. They practice their reading skills by analyzing various articles and quotes which provide opposing views on the wearing of the headscarf. They also practice their communication skills by holding a debate in class and by discussing the central question: "Is banning headscarves in France a restriction of freedom of choice or a protection against oppression?"

The final lesson examines the "Future of Islam and Muslims in Europe." The students listen to a radio program and analyze a text to reflect on various perspectives. Based on this auditory and textual information, and on the knowledge they gained throughout the former three lessons, the students argue their views on the future of Islam and Muslims in Europe, in a comprehensive and clearly argued text.

Time needed for lesson plan: Varies

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit World-Affairs.

To return to the main Global Envision lesson plan page, please click here.
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