Connecting to Utah's Diversity

Summary

Students will learn about their own heritage by filling in an outline and then creating a poster.

Enduring Understanding:

• Students will understand that each person's background is diverse and contributes to Utah's culture both past and present.
• We enjoy a much richer culture because of the diversity of our heritage.

Enduring Question:

• How does our diverse heritage and culture help shape Utah's culture.

Materials

A poster board for each child or access to other tools for displaying information collected.

Background for Teachers

"Culture includes a society's arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, inventions, language, technology, and values." Kottak, Conrad Phillip. "Culture." World Book Online Reference Center. 2009. [Place of access.] 25 June 2009 .

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to value their own heritage and culture as well the culture and heritage and culture of others. Students will be able to connect their cultural heritage to Utah's culture.

Instructional Procedures

1. Give preactivity questionnaire. Share responses as a class.
   
2. Become familiar with vocabulary such as: heritage, ancestor, ethnicity, culture, diversity, tradition, and background.
   
3. Give an example of how ethnic groups have impacted Utah i.e. Italian miners, Chinese railroad workers, Jewish shop owners, etc.
4. Introduce the Family Heritage Outline. Teach changing topic questions into topic statements and adding supporting details. Discuss poster expectations and set due date.
5. When the students have finished the posters, have them write three questions that can be answered from their poster to be used in a class scavenger hunt. Assemble an information sheet with the students' questions.
6. Display posters and allow adequate time for students to read them and answer questions on the scavenger hunt information sheet.
7. Postactivity Questionnaire. Share responses as a class. Discuss how our diverse heritage helped shape Utah's culture.

Extensions

Look up student heritage by looking at Culture Grams on Pioneer Online Library CultureGrams Online Edition. Create a circle graph of represented cultures in the class. Write a paragraph describing ethnic contributions to Utah. Write a Utah Historical Figure Essay for the Sons of the Utah Pioneers Essay Contest.

Assessment Plan

Use the Pre/Post Activity Questionnaire (see materials) to demonstrate learning. Use a rubric to score posters.