TEACHER GUIDE Exploring the World s Cultures 90 Minute Social Studies Lesson Gallery Program Grades: 3-7 Exploring the World s Cultures Description Travel the world and connect with cultures with which you may not be familiar. The natural environment still plays a large role in traditional lifestyles, but lifestyles and cultures do change and adapt as new ideas and technologies are brought in. We will concentrate on traditional lifeways as well as how changes have affected these cultures. Objectives Visit at least three areas of the world to compare and contrast cultures Describe biomes or environmental areas on continents covered including climate, geography, plants and animals, and how they influence human settlements. List food, housing, clothing, tools and artistic expression from the Museum displays of each cultural area, and state how these may represent gender roles, beliefs, customs and traditions. Predict how cultures could change with outside influences and new technologies. Give examples of how contact with different cultures led to changes. Ohio s Learning Standards Grade 3: History Historical Thinking and Skills Primary sources, such as artifacts, maps and photographs, can be used to show change over time. Grade 3: Geography Places and Regions Daily life is influenced by the agriculture, industry and natural resources in different communities Grade 3: Geography Human Systems Evidence of human modification of the environment can be observed in the local community Systems of transportation and communication move people, products and ideas from place to place
Ohio s Learning Standards Continued Grade 5: History Early Civilizations Early Indian civilizations (Maya, Inca, Aztec, Mississippian) existed in the Western Hemisphere prior to the arrival of Europeans. These civilizations had developed unique governments, social structures, religions, technologies and agricultural practices and products. Grade 5: History Heritage European exploration and colonization had lasting effects, which can be used to understand the Western Hemisphere today. Grade 5: Geography Spatial Thinking and Skills Globes and other geographic tools can be used to gather, process and report information about people, places and the environment. Cartographers decide which information to include in maps. Grade 5: Geography Places and Regions Regions can be determined using various criteria (e.g. landforms, climate, population, cultural, economic). Grade 5: Geography Human Systems Variations among physical environments within the Western Hemisphere influence human activities. Human activities also alter the physical environment. American Indians developed unique cultures with many different ways of life. American Indian tribes and nations can be classified into cultural groups based on geographic and cultural similarities. Grade 6: History Historical Thinking and Skills Events can be arranged in order of occurrence using the conventions of B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. and C.E. Grade 6: Geography Spatial Thinking and Skills Globes and other geographic tools can be used to gather, process and report information about people, places and environments. Cartographers decide which information to include and how it is displayed. Grade 6: Geography Places and Regions Regions can be determined, classified and compared using various criteria (e.g., landform, climate, population, cultural, or economic).
Ohio s Learning Standards Continued Grade 6: Geography Human Systems Variations among physical environments within the Eastern Hemisphere influence human activities. Human activities also alter the physical environment. Political, environmental, social and economic factors cause people, products and ideas to move from place to place in the Eastern Hemisphere in the past and today. Grade 7: History First Global Age Empires in Africa (Ghana, Mali and Songhay) and Asia grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes. The advent of the trans-saharan slave trade had profound effects on both West and Central Africa and the receiving societies. European economic and cultural influence dramatically increased through exploration, conquests and colonization. The Columbian Exchange (e.g., the exchange of fauna, flora and pathogens) between previously unconnected parts of the world reshaped societies in ways still evident Grade 7: Geography Spatial Thinking and Skills Maps and other geographic representations can be used to trace the development of human settlement over time. Grade 7: Geography Human Systems Geographic factors promote or impede the movement of people, products and ideas. Trade routes connecting Africa, Europe and Asia fostered the spread of technology and major world religions. Before Your Museum Visit If this will be your first trip to the Museum for your students, you may want to review the following: What is a Museum? What is our purpose for visiting The Cleveland Museum of Natural History? How should we handle objects at the Museum? Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below. Vocabulary anthropologist - a scientist who studies how people live. Arctic Circle (66 o 33 44 latitude). Long day length in the summer, short day length or no daylight in the winter. Treeless (but there is other vegetation). Poor, cool, wet soil. artifact - any object people have made or modified. biomes - geographic zones defined by climate (temperature and precipitation) and other physical
factors. Each biome has distinctive plants and animals living in those particular conditions. World biomes include arctic tundra, grassland, desert, tropical rainforest, etc. culture - the customs, skills, tools and art of groups of people. desert an area of the world which receives less than 10 inches of precipitation in a year manioc - a starchy root planted and grown by rain forest people and processed for food tropical rainforest - dense forests in tropical areas noted for heavy rainfall. savannah - large areas of open grassland with occasional trees. shaman - a person who has special contact with the spirit world. Extension Activities 1. Discuss the basic needs of all people: food, water, clothing and shelter. 2. Review a map of the world and discuss different biomes, such as desert, tropical rainforest or arctic. Begin a mural of a particular biome and research information on the climate, geology, plants and animals. Consider how native people use their environment in order to live. 3. Listen to music or stories of various cultural groups. Read stories or tales from different cultural groups. 4. Learn about foods of different cultures and visit a grocery store selling these food items. Purchase some for the class to prepare and/or sample. 5. Have the class or each individual student correspond with a class or pen pals from other countries. Remember that not all people have access to electricity or the internet all the time. Online Resources for Teachers and Students Click the link below to find additional online resources. These websites are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information. CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please notify us if any links have issues. Please note that aside from our own Museum website, the Museum is not affiliated with and does not endorse these online resources. Cleveland Museum of Natural History https://cmnh.org/edlinks
Educator Resource Center (ERC) The Educator Resource Center offers educator workshops, thematic teaching kits, animal dioramas, and more for loan to area teachers. Contact the ERC at 216-231-2075 for information on individual or school membership. Materials for Loan If you re interested in additional resources be sure to check out the following ERC materials or browse ERC materials online at http://l4u.cmnh.org Related ERC kits for this topic include: African Cultures: Includes many artifacts, textiles, carvings, games, and more to study the diversity and richness of African cultures. Visit the Museum s ERC website for more information on workshops https://www.cmnh.org/erc Hours o Monday, 2 to 5 PM o Wednesday, 2 to 6 PM o Friday, 2 to 5 PM o Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM o Closed Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday