| This unit deepens students understanding of human geography by focusing on culture and cultural diversity. Students learn that culture is the way of life of a particular nation or group of people. Evidence of culture can be found in the values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects people use for economic, social, political, or aesthetic purposes. Students engage in a categorization exercise in which they group components of culture (such as food, music, art, architecture, rituals, language, etc.) by the functions they serve. After exploring how a culture is connected to both geography and history, they consider cultural universals such as the need for shelter, raising children in some sort of family setting, and playing games. Students use metaphors and proverbs to broaden their understanding of the concept of culture. They investigate cultural clues and draw inferences about a mystery culture that is revealed during the unit. In doing so, they learn that culture is both shared and learned, dynamic, adaptive, integrative, and elastic. Students then explore cultural adaptation and how the geography of a place can influence the culture of the people living there. They engage in a brief research project to learn about the different ways in which people have adapted cultural components such as food, housing, clothing, etc. to a variety of challenging physical environments. Specific attention is paid to Mongolia and the nomadic herders living there as students continue their investigation of culture. Students also examine how people shape their natural environment through cultural landscapes and compare cultural landscapes around the world. Students then examine the causes and consequences of cultural change. They consider the role of local invention and cultural diffusion in cultural changes. Students explore the role of conflict, migration, trade, technological improvements, and communication in accelerating the pace of cultural diffusion. Next, students consider both barriers and responses to cultural diffusion by investigating the origin and spread of chess sets and McDonald’s restaurants. They consider how corporations seeking to spread cultural traits in other countries often have to make modifications to reflect the new cultures. Through a lesson on fads, students distinguish short and long term cultural change and design an experiment related to starting a fad in their school. Through informational texts, including a section of a textbook from Japan, students examine the impact of globalization on cultural diversity. They consider both sides in the debate as to whether humanity is moving towards one global culture and discuss their position on the issue. The unit concludes with students exploring how and why people should work to protect their cultural heritage with a focus on world heritage cultural sites. After developing a list of criteria for choosing world heritage cultural sites, they compare their list to the one that the United Nations uses in designating sites. Students then consider factors that are placing some of these sites in danger and debate whether or not this is a global problem. Adolescent literacy practices continue to be integrated throughout the unit. Students engage in a variety of scaffolded note-taking activities and read a selection of informational texts and visual data. Research opportunities, reading strategies, and writing exercises are deliberately placed to support students’ growing independence. |
| MI: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects 6-12 Reading: History/Social Studies Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. RH.6-8.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. RH.6-8.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. RH.6-8.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. RH.6-8.7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. WHST.6-8.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research. MI: Social Studies (2007) H1.2 Historical Inquiry and Analysis
Use historical inquiry and analysis to study the past. 6 – H1.2.3 Identify the point of view (perspective of the author) and context when reading and discussing primary and secondary sources. 6 – H1.2.5 Identify the role of the individual in history and the significance of one person’s ideas. H1.4 Historical Understanding
Use historical concepts, patterns, and themes to study the past. 6 – H1.4.1 Describe and use cultural institutions to study an era and a region (political, economic, religion/ belief, science/technology, written language, education, family). 6 – H1.4.2 Describe and use themes of history to study patterns of change and continuity. 6 – H1.4.3 Use historical perspective to analyze global issues faced by humans long ago and today. G1.2 Geographical Inquiry and Analysis
Use geographic inquiry and analysis to answer important questions about relationships between people, cultures, their environment, and relations within the larger world context. 6 – G1.2.4 Use observations from air photos, photographs (print and CD), films (VCR and DVD) as the basis for answering geographic questions about the human and physical characteristics of places and regions. 6 – G1.2.6 Apply the skills of geographic inquiry (asking geographic questions, acquiring geographic information, organizing geographic information, analyzing geographic information, and answering geographic questions) to analyze a problem or issue of importance to a region of the Western Hemisphere. G1.3 Geographical Understanding
Use geographic themes, knowledge about processes and concepts to study the Earth. 6 – G1.3.1 Use the fundamental themes of geography (location, place, human environment interaction, movement, region) to describe regions or places on earth. 6 – G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of Earth by using knowledge of spatial patterns. 6 – G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in which places are connected and how those connections demonstrate interdependence and accessibility. G2.2 Human Characteristics of Place
Describe the human characteristics of places. 6 – G2.2.1 Describe the human characteristics of the region under study (including languages, religion, economic system, governmental system, cultural traditions). 6 – G2.2.2 Explain that communities are affected positively or negatively by changes in technology (e.g., Canada with regard to mining, forestry, hydroelectric power generation, agriculture, snowmobiles, cell phones, air travel). G3.2 Ecosystems
Describe the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on the Earth’s surface. 6 – G3.2.2 Identify ecosystems and explain why some are more attractive for humans to use than are others (e.g., mid-latitude forest in North America, high latitude of Peru, tropical forests in Honduras, fish or marine vegetation in coastal zones). G4 Human Systems
Explain that human activities may be seen on Earth’s surface.
G4.1 Cultural Mosaic
Describe the characteristics, distribution and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaic. 6 – G4.1.1 Identify and explain examples of cultural diffusion within the Americas (e.g., baseball, soccer, music, architecture, television, languages, health care, Internet, consumer brands, currency, restaurants, international migration). G4.2 Technology Patterns and Networks
Describe how technology creates patterns and networks that connect people, products, and ideas. 6 – G4.2.1 List and describe the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies used to move people, products, and ideas throughout the world (e.g., call centers in the Eastern Hemisphere that service the Western Hemisphere; the United States and Canada as hubs for the Internet; transport of people and perishable products; and the spread of individuals’ ideas as voice and image messages on electronic networks such as the Internet). G4.4 Forces of Cooperation and Conflict
Explain how forces of conflict and cooperation among people influence the division of the Earth’s surface and its resources. 6 – G4.4.1 Identify factors that contribute to conflict and cooperation between and among cultural groups (control/use of natural resources, power, wealth, and cultural diversity). C4 Relationship of United States to Other Nations And World Affairs
Explain that nations interact with one another through trade, diplomacy, treaties and agreements, humanitarian aid, economic sanctions and incentives, and military force, and threat of force.
C4.3 Conflict and Cooperation Between and Among Nations Explain the various ways that nations interact both positively and negatively. 6 – C4.3.3 Give examples of how countries work together for mutual benefits through international organizations (e.g. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Organization of American States (OAS), United Nations (UN)). H1.2 Historical Inquiry and Analysis
Use historical inquiry and analysis to study the past. 7 – H1.2.3 Identify the point of view (perspective of the author) and context when reading and discussing primary and secondary sources. 7 – H1.2.6 Identify the role of the individual in history and the significance of one person’s ideas. H1.4 Historical Understanding
Use historical concepts, patterns, and themes to study the past. 7 – H1.4.1 Describe and use cultural institutions to study an era and a region (political, economic, religion/ belief, science/technology, written language, education, family). 7 – H1.4.2 Describe and use themes of history to study patterns of change and continuity. 7 – H1.4.3 Use historical perspectives to analyze global issues faced by humans long ago and today. W3.2 Growth and Development of World Religions
Explain how world religions or belief systems of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism and Islam grew and their significance. (Islam is included here even though it came after 300 C.E./A.D.) 7 – W3.2.2 Locate the geographical center of major religions and map the spread through the 3rd century C.E./A.D. 7 – G1.1.1 Explain and use a variety of maps, globes, and web based geography technology to study the world, including global, interregional, regional, and local scales. G1.2 Geographical Inquiry and Analysis
Use geographic inquiry and analysis to answer important questions about relationships between people, cultures, their environment, and relations within the larger world context. 7 – G1.2.3 Use observations from air photos, photographs (print and CD), films (VCR and DVD) as the basis for answering geographic questions about the human and physical characteristics of places and regions. 7 – G1.2.6 Apply the skills of geographic inquiry (asking geographic questions, acquiring geographic information, organizing geographic information, analyzing geographic information, and answering geographic questions) to analyze a problem or issue of importance to a region of the Eastern Hemisphere. G1.3 Geographical Understanding
Use geographic themes, knowledge about processes and concepts to study the Earth. 7 – G1.3.1 Use the fundamental themes of geography (location, place, human environment interaction, movement, region) to describe regions or places on earth. 7 – G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of Earth by using knowledge of spatial patterns. 7 – G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in which places are connected and how those connections demonstrate interdependence and accessibility. G2.2 Human Characteristics of Place
Describe the human characteristics of places. 7 – G2.2.1 Describe the human characteristics of the region under study (including languages, religion, economic system, governmental system, cultural traditions). 7 – G2.2.2 Explain that communities are affected positively or negatively by changes in technology (e.g., increased manufacturing resulting in rural to urban migration in China, increased farming of fish, hydroelectric power generation at Three Gorges, pollution resulting from increased manufacturing and automobiles). G3.2 Ecosystems
Describe the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on the Earth’s surface. 7 – G3.2.2 Identify ecosystems of a continent and explain why some provide greater opportunities (fertile soil, precipitation) for humans to use than do other ecosystems and how that changes with technology (e.g., China’s humid east and arid west and the effects of irrigation technology). G4 Human Systems
Explain that human activities may be seen on Earth’s surface.
G4.1 Cultural Mosaic
Describe the characteristics, distribution and complexity of Earth’s cultural mosaic. 7 – G4.1.1 Identify and explain examples of cultural diffusion within the Eastern Hemisphere (e.g., the spread of sports, music, architecture, television, Internet, Bantu languages in Africa, Islam in Western Europe). G4.2 Technology Patterns and Networks
Describe how technology creates patterns and networks that connect people, products, and ideas. 7 – G4.2.1 List and describe the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies used to move people, products, and ideas throughout the world (e.g., opportunities for employment, entrepreneurial and educational opportunities using the Internet; the effects of technology on reducing the time necessary for communications and travel; the uses and effects of wireless technology in developing countries; and the spread of group and individual’s ideas as voice and image messages on electronic networks such as the Internet). G4.4 Forces of Cooperation and Conflict
Explain how forces of conflict and cooperation among people influence the division of the Earth’s surface and its resources. 7 – G4.4.1 Identify and explain factors that contribute to conflict and cooperation between and among cultural groups (e.g., natural resources, power, culture, wealth). © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. |
