Curated OER
Rites of Passage
Students explore coming of age ceremonies. In this rites of passage lesson, students research spiritual, religious, and secular child and adolescent rites of passage rituals. Students design personal rites of passage.
Curated OER
United We Stand
Students study Muslim wedding celebrations. They explore Muslim culture and wedding celebrations around the world. Students discuss vows, symbols, and traditions. They create wedding costumes and reenact part of a wedding ceremony.
Curated OER
Everything American
Eighth graders complete an American slideshow. In this American culture lesson plan, 8th graders take digital photographs of things they believe contribute to American culture. They create a slideshow showing these photographs.
Curated OER
Death and Dying
Ninth graders examine religious rituals and ceremonies surrounding death and dying. In this cultural studies lesson, 9th graders explore end-of-life care in the United States and consider ways it might be improved.
Curated OER
A Comparative Study on Heroes in Hindu and Anglo-Saxon Cultures
Students research Hindu and Anglo-Saxon religions and cultures. They research legends and myths about Hindu and Anglo-Saxon religious and cultural heroes. They write a comparison and contrast essay on the two cultures and their heroes.
Curated OER
Rituals/traditions with Gullah religion
Sixth graders discuss some of the earliest people who lived in each region in order to comprehend how humans interacted with the environmental conditions at that time. They make connections to present-day regions including...
Curated OER
Chinese And Japanese Tomb Cultures
Students examine burial customs in ancient China and Japan comparing those customs to burial traditions from other cultures. This lesson leads to group creative projects of mock "tombs".
Curated OER
Easter Petal Pathways
Pupils discuss Guatemalan Easter rituals and customs. They comprehend Guatemalan traditional color and design. Students create a mixed-media representative piece using paper mosaics, layered crayon, and glitter glue. They celebrate...
Curated OER
Spirit Mask Ashira/Bapunu, Ogowe River, Gabon
Explore the concept of beauty as it has been seen through the eyes of various African tribal groups. Learners create masks of beauty as they see it, taking the African concept of inner beauty into consideration. This lesson is great for...
Curated OER
Keep Heritage Alive
Youngsters share ideas about cultural and/or spiritual rituals by participating in a fishbowl discussion, which explores the ways rituals have changed over time. They write reflective essays about their own cultural traditions.
Curated OER
Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore
Learners define elements of stories from around the world that include helpful animals. They explore animal character motivations and use graphic organizers to compare and contrast animal stories from different cultures.
Curated OER
Paper Sculpture Headdress
Students examine African masks and headdresses, and create their own.
Curated OER
What is el Dia de los Muertos?
Students explore the Mexican celebration el Dia de los Muertos. In this Mexican celebration lesson, students discuss ways people in the US honor the dead. Students compare and contrast Mexican holidays and American holidays. Students...
Curated OER
The Nacerima
Students explore different cultures by reading an article on the Naceriman culture and then comparing it with various aspects of the American culture. This allows students to create their own ideas about how different cultures address...
Curated OER
Enter Through the Form: Explore Japan Treasure Hunt
Students use the internet to take a virtual treasure hunt to Japan. Using other websites, they gather information on the country's values and beliefs along with its culture and geography. They relate Japan's culture to that of the...
Curated OER
What Masks Reveal
Students explore the cultural significance of masks by investigating the role they play in ceremonies and on special occasions in societies from widely separated regions of the world.
Curated OER
The Seasonal Round and The Cycle of Life
Seventh graders recognize moments of importance in people's lives and asks them to find meaning in the stages of their own and other's lives. They are taught that all cultures have rites of passage for similar stages in the cycle of life.
Penn Museum
Africa
Mask wearing is not just for Halloween! This attractive and informative set of worksheets discusses this important African cultural tradition, as well as a variety of other significant cultural attributes to ancient civilizations, such...
San Diego Museum of Art
Tapa-Inspired Pattern Painting
Middle schoolers are encourage to try their hand at traditional Oceania tapa art by crafting their own cloth using brown paper bags. Included in the resource is background information about the cultures of Oceania and their art.
Curated OER
Destiny Determined: Power & Ritual in Asia
Learners brainstorm a list of symbols that represent our cultural values. They research symbols of China and Japan. Students create a timeline showing how symbols have evolved in these two countries. They view the video "Showing the...
Curated OER
Three Jewish Women In Mourning
Learners conduct an investigation into the life cycle observing the effects of death upon loved ones. They conduct research about the Jewish traditions surrounding the issue of death and then write reflectively about the culture and...
Curated OER
Put on a Happy Face!
Students explore using recycled materials. In this ecology/art lesson, students use recycled materials to create a Halloween mask. Students view folk art made of natural and available resources, and discuss possible cultural uses for...
Curated OER
A Cultural Celebration
Students explore the Mexican ritual of Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. They make sugar skulls using math measurement and artistic expression and become more aware of this Mexican holiday.
Curated OER
Culture Clash
Students watch the movie, Mr. Baseball, and discuss the difference between Japanese and American cultures.