Subject Areas Art and Culture    Anthropology Foreign Language    Japanese    Spanish History and Social Studies    World History - Africa    World History - Asia/Far East    World History - Latin America   Time Required     Skills   comparison of primary and secondary resources critical thinking collaborative work library research Internet research

In My Other Life

Introduction

What would it be like to grow up in another culture? One way to explore this question is through memoirs and novels. Now, with the Internet, you can offer your students an interactive means to venture outside the borders of their own experience to try on an alternative cultural identity.

Learning Objectives

1    Introduce this lesson by asking students a series of simple questions about American life that demonstrate how much we take our cultural knowledge for granted: What is the capital of the United States? Who are some famous American authors? What holiday marks the end of summer? What is a touchdown?

2    Have students work in small groups to create a series of questions to guide their research into an unfamiliar culture. Their aim will be to produce a questionnaire that profiles the knowledge and experience of a person their own age. Some topics they might cover include: form of government, political system, national leaders, international relations, economic development, historic milestones, architectural landmarks, great works of art and literature, religious traditions, family life, educational system, trends in popular culture, foods, climate, and environment. Have students share their questionnaires with the class and help them develop a consensus research tool they can all use. Be sure they include follow-up questions that explore the roots of cultural identity - e.g., How did the culture arrive at its form of government? What factors have influenced its cuisine? The final questionnaire should also ask for a map of the country, a photograph showing a typical scene (e.g., family life) and an example of the country's traditional arts.

3    Introduce students to the three regional websites now featured on EDSITEment : African Studies WWW, LANIC, and SARAI. Have students work in research teams to investigate the culture of one of the countries listed on these sites, with different team members responsible for completing different parts of the questionnaire. For country listings, see the "Country-Specific" link at African Studies WWW, the "Country Directory" at LANIC, and "South Asia Resources by Country" at SARAI. All lead to well-organized directories that link to specialized websites on different aspects of national life. If Internet access is limited among your students, have two or three group members at a time explore the Internet under your supervision. To help students prepare for working on the Internet, provide each group with print outs of the directory pages for their countries so they can work out a research strategy together.

4    Advise your students that many kinds of information are available on these websites, ranging from almanac-style summaries to museum-size exhibits, and that their sources of information can include newspapers, magazines and even citizens of the country contacted by e-mail. In planning their research strategy, they may want to mark certain topics (for example, popular music or sports) for exploration beyond the borders set by their questionnaire. Students also might supplement their Internet research by contacting members of their community with a family link to their target country.

5    Have students consult traditional print resources in their research as well. Ask them to compare print and online resources: Which is easier to use? Which seems more reliable and why? Make a list of the virtues and limitations of each.

6    When their research is complete, have each group report their findings to the class. Reports might take several forms: an exhibit, a panel presentation, a web page, etc. Focus discussion of these reports on the similarities and differences that mark teenage life in unfamiliar cultures from teenage life in your community. Build on these points of comparison to help the class formulate some general conclusions about factors that help constitute cultural identity. You might clarify this issue by asking, "What distinguishes two teenagers in two different cultures if both are wearing blue jeans and t-shirts, both listening to the same music, both watching the same movies and both learning about other cultures in school?"

7    Conclude this lesson by asking your students to imagine that they are growing up in one of the countries they have explored and having them write a letter to a pen-pal in the United States explaining what life in their country is like.

Extending the Lesson

Other Information

Standards Alignment

1. ACTFL-2.1
   
   Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied more
   
   
2. ACTFL-2.2
   
   Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied more
   
   
3. ACTFL-4.2
   
   Demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and one's own more
   
   
4. NAES-Dance(5-8) 5
   
   Demonstrating and understanding dance in various cultures and historical periods
   
   
5. NAES-Music(5-8) 9
   
   Understanding music in relation to history and culture
   
   
6. NAES-Theater(5-8) 8:
   
   Understanding context by analyzing the role of theatre, film, television, and electronic media in the community and in other cultures
   
   
7. NAES-VisArts(5-8) 4
   
   Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
   
   
8. NCSS-1
   
   Culture and cultural diversity. more
   
   
9. NCSS-10
   
   Civic ideals and practices. Citizenship in a democratic republic. more
   
   
10. NCSS-3
    
    People, places, and environments. more
    
    
11. NCSS-4
    
    Individual development and identity. more
    
    
12. NCSS-5
    
    Individuals, groups, and institutions. more
    
    
13. NCSS-6
    
    Power, authority, and governance. more
    
    
14. NCSS-7
    
    Production, distribution, and consumption. more
    
    
15. NCSS-9
    
    Global connections and interdependence. more
    
    
16. NCTE/IRA-1
    
    Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. more
    
    
17. NCTE/IRA-12
    
    Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). more
    
    
18. NCTE/IRA-3
    
    Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. more
    
    
19. NCTE/IRA-4
    
    Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. more
    
    
20. NCTE/IRA-5
    
    Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. more
    
    
21. NCTE/IRA-6
    
    Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. more
    
    
22. NCTE/IRA-7
    
    Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. more
    
    
23. NCTE/IRA-8
    
    Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. more
    
    
24. NCTE/IRA-9
    
    Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
    
    
25. NGS-1
    
    How to Use Maps and Other Geographic Representations, Tools, and Technologies to Acquire, Process, and Report Information from a Spatial Perspective
    
    
26. NGS-10
    
    The Characteristics, Distribution, and Complexity of Earth’s Cultural Mosaics
    
    
27. NGS-18
    
    How to Apply Geography to Interpret the Present and Plan for the Future
    
    
28. NGS-2
    
    How to Use Mental Maps to Organize Information About People, Places, and Environments in a Spatial Context