Activity 4: Using Existing Sources

Model 1 – Using existing sources to get a baseline of the culture(s) you are trying to examine

Go to the website: http://www.everyculture.com/
Here you will find a basic overview of every culture of the world. It is useful to look at both pages that exist on the culture. One is under “World Cultures” and one is under “Multicultural America”. (Tibetan culture is only found in the Multicultural America section, but can be compared to the “China” page.)
This is a great place for students to either do basic knowledge work or it can be the lesson in itself. I have seen teachers use this site to make posters, “them and me” comparisons and presentations.
For the purpose of this unit it should simply be used as a launching point for deeper understanding and the creation of a base upon which the sections that follow can extend into a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between cultures as well as those places and situations where there is no easy translation between cultures.
In order to do this, I have students read about the cultures that they are going to study and make an outline or graphic organizer of the information that is presented. They are then expected to use those notes to help them through the activities and discussions that follow.

Lesson extension: If you are specifically using this unit and/or lesson to study the culture(s) of Tibet you will find amazing resources at:

here students can explore the arguments of both China and Tibet. Students should converse and debate about who has the stronger argument and why.