Unit 1, Lesson K:

What makes a culture?

Enduring
Understanding:
Content Aim:
NYS Standard:

Agenda:

Larry Cerretani
Social Studies Unit #1: Indigenous Inhabitants of NYS

Cultures are complex and although each one is unique, they can share some similarities and
differences.
Students will be able to create Venn diagrams to demonstrate how specific Native Indian tribes are
similar and different to other tribes.
New York City Department of Education K-8 Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
Standard 4.2: Native American Groups and the Environment (4.2a, 4.2b and 4.2c)
1. Hook: When I was growing up, every Sunday I would have my whole family (cousins, aunts,
uncles) come over for Sunday dinner. We would eat pasta and homemade bread that my
Nonna made and when we were done eating, we would take out a few games and play
Tombola, Pokeno and Briscilla all different Italian games. This tradition that I remember
doing with my family every Sunday was something my parents did when they were children, my
grandparents did when they were children, etc. In fact, this is a very common tradition within
Italian culture; many Italians would have Sunday dinner with their family. The Italian culture
is heavily oriented around food and family, and these Sunday dinners mesh those two aspects
of Italian culture together! (2 minutes)
2. Introduction: Similar to what I just talked about, I want you to think about traditions you
might have with your families, or maybe cultural traditions you might have. On a Post-It, write
down a tradition that your family does or maybe even a tradition that is common amongst
members of cultures you might identify with. On the Smart Board, project the image
associated with what the aspects of culture include. Encourage students to think about the
different aspects (religion, food, language, etc.) and identify how these traditions manifest in
their immediate families and perhaps among a larger culture. Students will stick their Post-It
into their NYSIN on the Culture page when they are done. Lastly, call on 3-5 student
volunteers to share with the class some filial or cultural traditions they identified. (5 minutes)
3. Teaching Point: Native Indians tribes, just like each of you, have their own unique cultures.
Its important to think about Native Indians not just as one cultural group because each tribe
is very unique.
4. Instructions: Today, we are going to do research with our reading partners and look
through our class Native Indian Texts to fill out Venn diagrams to compare and contrast two
different tribes. You and your reading partner can divide the work up however youd like,
maybe one person can research one tribe and the other person can research another tribe and
then together, you compare the two and put them in the middle circle of the Venn diagram;
thats up to you. You will have plenty of time to complete a Venn diagram for two tribes today
but if you finish one diagram, what would make sense to do next? [Students would say, Keep
reading and make another Venn diagram]. When you are done with your diagrams, be sure to
glue them into your NYSIN we will have a share at the end of the workshop. (2 minutes)
5. Model: Teacher will chose a text and demonstrate for students how he/she identified two
pieces of information about two different tribes and filled out the Venn diagram. For example,
teacher might write The Lenape tribe: lived in wigwams. The Onondaga tribe: lived in
longhouses. Similar: they both used a form of shelter to sleep and protect themselves.
6. Active Engagement: In partnerships, students will read texts from the class bin and chose two
different tribes to compare and contrast. If students are done comparing their first set of Native
Indian tribes, they will chose another two tribes to compare/contrast with a Venn diagram.
Teacher will circulate around the room and support individual students or partnerships, as
needed. (30 minutes)
7. Share: With a separate partnership, share your findings with each other. For example, if
[Student A and Student B] are a partnership, they will pair up with another group such as
[Student C and Student D] and they will share their Venn diagrams with each other. Be on the
lookout for similarities and differences you might notice between multiple tribes. (8 minutes)
8. Closing: Were there any similarities or differences that you found between multiple tribes?
Teacher will chart student responses on chart paper. The goal here is to have students identify
that while tribes are very unique, they can share similarities and differences among other
tribes. (5 minutes)

Assessment:

Informal: Teacher will listen to, and support students (when needed) as he/she circulates around
the room to formatively assess students how grasping the academic demand of filling out a Venn
diagram but also the content-specific assessment of comparing and contrasting two tribes.
Formal: Teacher will collect the NYSIN from students and provide feedback, when necessary, to
formatively assess students on how theyre retrieving and analyzing information about different
Native Indian tribes.

Vocabulary
Culture

Complex

Unique

Materials
What makes a culture [to be projected onto the Smart Board in the Introduction]
Venn diagram templates for each student
Texts in our class Native Indian Tribes book bin

Similarities/Differences