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Lesson 1: Essentializing Culture

Location: Powel Elementary


Grade: 4th grade
Subjects: Social Studies & Literacy
Anticipated time: 50 minutes

Goals & Objectives


Essential Question
How can learning about other cultures help us better understand ourselves?
How do we learn about other cultures?
Unit long understanding goal
Students will evaluate the ways in which their own culture impacts how they view
the world in order to make non- judgmental observations of other cultures.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of Senegalese culture be
researching a component of it and selecting a way to present that information to their
classmates.
Content objective
Students will be able to define what it means to essentialize a culture
Students will identify ways to talk about a culture with impartial language
Students will demonstrate the importance of multiple perspectives in their
research of Senegalese culture

Standards
Literacy
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with
diverse partners
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through
investigation of different aspects of a topic
Social Studies
NCSS Students need to comprehend multiple perspectives that emerge from within their own
culture and from the vantage points of the diverse cultural groups within that society

Materials & Preparation


Student writing notebooks & pencils

Student responses about culture


Culture anchor chart
Class KWL chart on Senegal
SMART board
Student research notes
2-3 laptops per group
Class Google Doc with website URLs for good information about student topics
(pre-selected websites based on graphic organizers of groups interests)
Group graphic organizers with research topics & my feedback written
Student responses to survey about lives & interests
Classroom Arrangement & Management
Whole group instruction takes place on the carpet. Each student has an assigned rug spot. At
the end of reading workshop, I will ask students to transition to the carpet and get started writing
in their writing notebooks in response to the quick-write on the board. For the second part of the
lesson, students will move into their research groups. I will call groups to get their research
notes from me, get laptops from their desks (brought in by students from the other fourth grade
section), and continue working in a spot of their choosing throughout the room. If there are
management issues due to the spots groups have chosen (i.e. too close to another group), I will
assign a different spot. I will be walking around to check in with groups. I will use the classroom
clip chart to monitor behavior, allowing those groups who are working well together and on task
to clip up and asking any students who are not following the established classroom norms to
move their clips to the side or down. At the end of writing workshop, I will ask students to return
laptops to the cart in the other fourth grade classroom.
Plan 50 minutes total (10 min quick-write & pair share, 10 min activity, 25 min workshop time, 5
min reflection)
Launch (10 min)
Quick-write: What are some pieces of your own culture that may seem strange to
someone else? OR Imagine a new student joined our class from a different part of the
world. What would you want that student to know about our classroom culture?
(depending on student understanding)
Connect to reading The Sacred Rac earlier in the morning
Students share responses with people around them
Ask partners to share out some ideas with the group, record on SMART board
Activity & debrief (15 min)
Explain to students that were going to be sharing information about the culture of
205 with a classroom of students in Senegal
Tell students well be constructing a letter based on student responses to survey
about their lives & interests (filled out the previous day)
Allow students to help start letter by coming up with a greeting
Select one survey from the pile and begin writing letter based on information
For example:
Hello from around the world!

Were fourth grade students in room 205 at Powel School. We love to eat
macaroni and cheese and grapes! When were not in school, we play basketball
and read books. Harry Potter is our favorite! .
Students will protest when Ive written something they dont agree with
Continue to write the letter based on their one classmates experience
When finished, Ill ask the students if were ready to send it
Pose the question whats wrong with the letter? Students may respond with
things like not everyone plays basketball, I hate grapes, etc.
Pose the question how do you think this connects to our study of Senegalese
culture? Students may respond with things like not everyone in Senegal likes the same
thing, they have different interests and experiences, etc.
Highlight the fact that Senegal is much bigger than our classroom and, just like
inside our classroom, the people there may listen to different music, eat different foods,
have different experiences, etc. Also talk about the fact that there are some things
people in Senegal may have in common, just like there are things in our class that
people have in common.
Write term essentializing on board. Ask students if they can say it and what part
of the word theyre familiar with
Get student ideas and then define essentializing as taking one
persons experience and saying that everyone else experiences the same things
Brainstorm sentence starters for how to talk about culture & record on SMART
board. For example:
_____ is common
Many people ______
_____ is one thing that people eat/do/wear
In some parts of the country, ____
Workshop (25 min)
Pose question what can we do in our research to make sure that were not only
telling one persons story? Students may say look at many different sources, find
information about different areas of the country, etc.
Talk about ways to expand one groups topic to make sure multiple perspectives
are incorporated
For example: if a group is doing animals and they wrote on the
graphic organizer that theyll research giraffes, lions, elephants and other big
African mammals, get ideas for what else they could research, like pets, farm
animals, animals that are eaten, in order to get a more rounded view of life in
Senegal
Return graphic organizers to groups and have them begin research
Laptops will be on student desks, website URLs of resources with
good information will be posted on the class Google Doc. Students will be
instructed to only go to links on that Google Doc to begin.
Help groups individually to ensure theyre finding information on their topics and
are researching multiple perspectives
Close (5 min)

Ask groups to share a few interesting facts that they learned


Continue the new learning section of class KWL chart, ask students if they can
identify any misconceptions from the what we think we know column
Students return materials & hand in graphic organizer

Assessment of Goals & Objectives


I will be assessing two things through this lesson. The first is whether or not students
understand the importance of multiple perspectives when studying a different culture. I will
assess this based on student participation in the discussion, as well as student quick-writes. I
will be looking for students to identify that writing the classroom culture letter based on one
students survey isnt representative of the entire class. Additionally, I will be listening for
students to suggest sentence starters for their research that avoids generalizing. Additionally, I
will look at notes on graphic organizers to see if students actually used this language.
The second thing I will be assessing is student research. I will be talking to groups individually
as well as reading graphic organizers. The things I will be looking for is each group to be
answering one specific question through their research. Additionally, I will be looking for facts
and examples that support that question. In our discussion, I will be listening for students to
describe how they are seeking multiple perspectives in their research.

Accommodations
Some students might have trouble with the term culture, there will be an anchor
chart of the classs ideas and a definition of culture from the previous days discussion.
Ill refer students to this poster as theyre answering the quick-write.
Some students may not be able to identify pieces of their culture that others may
think are strange. Ill remind them of our discussion after The Sacred Rac and see if
that helps them come up with ideas. However, its okay if students cannot think of
anything. Culture is still an abstract idea and thinking about how other people perceive it
may be even more difficult for students. I will adjust the quick-write to Imagine a new
student joined our class from Africa. What would you want that student to know about
our classroom culture? for students who have trouble. If it seems like the entire class
will have trouble with the initial quick-write based on prior discussions, I will only pose
the second one.
Group discussion is a large part of my assessment information. For those
students who dont feel comfortable participating in a large group setting, I also
incorporated quick-writes and pair shares so that they can contribute as well.
Some students may have trouble knowing where to find information for their
research topics. I will have found possible sites based on students graphic organizers
and they will be posted on the class Google Doc. Other groups may have a more
specific question that isnt answered fully by my resources. I may allow some groups to
search for information on sites other than those provided if I think they will be successful.

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