Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Culture is Like an Iceberg Lesson PlanCulture is Like an Iceberg Lesson Plan
Publisher
Peace Corps
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
6th - 12th
Subjects
Social Studies & History
1 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
1 more...
Usage Permissions
Fine Print
Lesson Plan

Culture is Like an Iceberg

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Culture is Like an Iceberg lesson plan also includes:
  • Features of Culture
  • Iceberg
  • Join to access all included materials

What influences the way you dress, or celebrate holidays, or connect with your friends? Explore the cultural traits that are not easily seen with an engaging discussion. Using the model of an iceberg, learners place features of culture that are visible to others, and the ways that invisible traits, such as religious values and social beliefs, may influence the details above the surface.

184 Views 154 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

cultural awareness, cultural diversity, cultural values, cultural traditions

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Use during a multicultural novel unit, or when addressing cultural identity in social studies
  • Have learners synthesize their discussions into a short reflection essay
  • Encourage class members to complete their own iceberg drawings, indicating which of their own personality traits would be above or below the water's surface

Classroom Considerations

  • The second part of a unit on cultural identity
  • This resource is only available on an unencrypted HTTP website.It should be fine for general use, but don’t use it to share any personally identifiable information

Pros

  • Encourages open discussion and supporting peer connections
  • An ideal way to discuss bias, prejudice, and stereotypes in any class setting
  • Provides another version of the lesson plan for a real-world example

Cons

  • None

Common Core

SL.6.1.a SL.7.1.a SL.8.1.a SL.9-10.1.a SL.11-12.1.a

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

Exploring Cultural Sustainability

Global Oneness Project
Small groups learn about a present-day nomadic culture in Mongolia and the threats to its existence by exploring a photo essay. The resource includes thoughtful discussion and writing prompts about cultural sustainability, the...
9th - 12th Science
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

Why Is Cultural Diversity a Positive Thing?

University of the Desert
From more empathetic individuals to greater tolerance in government, learners explore the benefits of a culturally diverse world through a series of collaborative, discussion-based activities. 
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

How Do I Feel That My Culture Is Misunderstood by Others?

University of the Desert
Using video clips of young adults from around the world describing their cultures and how they can be misunderstood, learners compare their own cultural point of view to that of others through discussion and writing.
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Diversity Quilt: A Lesson on Culture

K20 LEARN
After brainstorming the various aspects of cultural identity, class members interview each other, examine video clips, and read stories to discover how these aspects reveal one's cultural identity. Individuals then craft a quilt square...
10th - 11th English Language Arts
Lesson Plan

What Are the Possible Causes of Cultural Misunderstanding?

University of the Desert
Why do cultural misunderstandings happen? What causes stereotypes, and what is dangerous about them? After viewing some possible explanations to these questions provided by young adults around the world, your learners will discuss how...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

What Is Culture?

Anti-Defamation League
Explore the complexity of culture with this rich and comprehensive lesson plan, which will prompt your learners to think critically and respectfully discuss our current definitions of culture, and how those definitions might...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Defining Popular Culture

Media Smarts
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Defining Culture

Peace Corps
How has culture shaped you? Middle and high schoolers examine different aspects of one's culture, including religious beliefs, social customs, and family traditions, and discuss the ways that their personalities have been formed by these...
6th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Video

14th Amendment Discussion Starter: The 39th Congress Debates

National Constitution Center
The ratification process for the Fourteenth Amendment that granted citizenship to everyone male born in the United States was contentious. The video reenacts a portion of the 39th Congressional debates focusing on the ratification of the...
6 mins 7th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Introducing Culture

Peace Corps
Growing up within a culture leaves a lot of ideas and values unspoken. Take a closer look at the cultures in which your learners live with a discussion activity that addresses cultural identity and traits of those living within the...
6th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use