Grades:

Grade 3-5

Subjects:

Social Studies

Overview

Students rarely realize the impact of other nations on the United States culture. With the controversial influx of asylum seekers and refugees, students need an opportunity to examine the broad spectrum of information about our complex relationships with overseas friends and foes.

Suggested Time Allowance:

1 hour

Objectives:

Students will be able to:
-Define culture
-Understand the cultural differences in different geographical locations

Materials:

-Student journals
-Pens/pencils
-Computer with internet connection  

Lesson Plan:

In most U.S. communities you can find people who have visited, worked in, or served military time in other countries. These individuals are a valuable source of information. Ask your students to interview one such person about his experiences in a foreign country. You will be surprised at the variety and sheer depth of information they unearth. Ask them to ask questions like:

• Which country have you lived in? For how long?
• Did you live with foreigners?
• What local customs do you most remember?
• In what ways were they different from us?
• How were they similar to us?
• What were their attitude towards Americans in general?
• What kind of houses did they live in?
• How was their food? Clothing?
• What was their dominant religion?
• What is their favorite sport?

Encourage students to listen a lot when the person being interviewed is talking. Tell them how people usually enjoy discussing their experiences overseas and will go to interesting depths if they find an avid listener.

Once the interview is over, the students should write a detailed essay about the life of people in the country as perceived by the person they interviewed. They should add more details about the country in question by referring to the country profile. Ask them to click the country name in the Countries Page to get all the information about their country of interest.

Ask them to find out how many people of that country immigrate to US every year? How many are already residing in US? If large numbers are already present, maybe their distinct culture has already been assimilated into American culture. Can they describe that phenomenon? e.g. Large Italian population has led to pizza and pasta being considered almost as American food.

Assessment:

Students will be evaluated based on the quality of the interview and subsequent essay. Give better grades if students have done a deep research on the country's culture and cultural intermingling of the immigrant population.

Source:

NationMaster