Social Studies - World Geography
Lesson Plans

WG Strand 3: CULTURE

Culture is the total sum of human expression. A culture's purpose, as well as how and where cultures originate, diffuse, and change, are all topics worth studying. Students will explore religion, language, ethnicity and other cultural characteristics by looking at patterns and processes. As students explore what people care about and care for, they can learn not only about other cultures but also about the unique attributes of their own culture.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• How does culture manifest itself on the landscape of the earth?
• How does culture influence social structures and gender roles?
• What effect does globalization and emerging technologies have on the divergence and convergence of culture?
• How do cultures maintain their identities and traditions?
• How are humans shaped and influenced by their own cultures?
• How can learning about other cultures teach us about our own?

WG Standard 3.2:

Students will explain how the physical environment influences and is influenced by culture.

• Creating DOK Pamphlets Using iPad
  This lesson plan aims at incorporating technology, in this case the Pages app on iPad, to create pamphlets that demonstrate depth of knowledge of social studies content. 
• Part 1: Travel Guide Video Project
  This is the first step in a series of lessons that would ultimately lead to the creation of a travel guide video.  Students will be researching a country's dominant culture using the Utah Online School Libraries' access to CultureGrams.Image from Pixabay, accessed 2/18/2022.  
• Reclaiming Rivers
  Rivers are woven into cultural history. With rising pollution and climate change, the health of many rivers around the world are in danger. In this article, author and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Robert Hass writes about the physical state of rivers around the globe. He points to the historical significance of rivers as well as to their cultural and environmental importance. Lesson plan and article. (English and Spanish).

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.