Lesson Plan
By Jessica Grandlinard
Lesson: America is Special: The Many Different Cultures in America
Length: 30 Minutes
Age or Grade Level Intended: 1st Grade
Original Idea by Jessica Grandlinard
Academic Standard(s):
Social Studies 1.3.8- Compare cultural similarities and differences, such as family
traditions and customs, and the traditional clothing and food of various ethnic and
cultural groups found in Indiana. (Individuals, Society and Culture)
Performance Objective(s):
After looking at posters of food, clothing, and celebrations of different cultures, the
students will draw a picture showing one custom from their family’s culture.
Assessment:
After the lesson is complete, the teacher will give the students a worksheet where the
students will draw a custom from their family’s culture. Food, clothing, traditions, etc.
are all acceptable. The teacher should look at the pictures and make sure what the
students drew is indeed a custom. No formal grade should be taken, but the teacher
should document any problems seen when looking at the pictures.
An informal assessment will also be taken during the lesson. Each student will get a
green and red card. As the teacher asks questions to the students, the students must
respond yes or no by using the cards. The red card will signify no and the green card will
signify yes.
Advance Preparation by Teacher:
 Whiteboard and Smartboard
 Small box decorated with a map of the United States and the words “Melting Pot”
 Pictures of a Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic child
 3 posterboards. One for food, one for clothing, and one for celebrations. The
posterboards should be labeled and decorated with the appropriate pictures
 Index cards
 Written clues and written explanations for each poster
 America the Beautiful worksheet, one for each student
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Global Wonders hello song. This needs to be minimized and ready to go before
the lesson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjwkMmdqmH4
Checklist of student name for assessment
Green and red cards, laminated (1 for each student)
Procedure:
Introduction/Motivation:
Show students the box. Have students guess what might be in the box. After
several guesses, show students the pictures inside the box. Explain that these pictures
represent people in America. Ask students if they notice any differences between the
people in the picture. Write answers on the board. Tell students that people in America
have come from all over the world and brought their culture with them. Tell students that
we are going to explore what culture is and how it makes people in America so special.
Step-by-Step Plan:
1. Ask the students, “What is culture?” (Bloom: Knowledgde, Gardner:
Verbal/Linguistic)
a. Allow several students to answer. After several answers, tell
the students that culture is features of everyday life shared by
people in a particular place.
2. Tell the students that there are different things about each culture, and
in order to help us learn about these differences we are going to play a
game
3. Go around the room and show each poster to the students. Explain to
students that these are parts of culture that are different (Gardner:
Verbal/Linguistic, Visual/Spatial, Bodily/Kinesthetic).
4. Have the students sit in a circle. Explain to the students that a clue
will be read, and they must match the clue to one of the posters
(Gardner: Verbal/Linguistic).
5. Read clue #1 (food) to the students. After the clue is read, remind the
students of each option and have the students vote for a poster. Go to
the poster with the most votes (Gardner: Verbal/Linguistic,
Logical/Mathematical, Bodily/Kinesthetic).
6. Repeat step 5 for the remaining two clues and posters.
7. After all of the posters have been visited and discussed, have the
students sit in a circle and ask, “why do you think different cultures
have different food, clothing, and celebrations?” (Bloom: Evaluation).
8. Have the students sit in front of the smartboard and tell them that there
is one more thing that is special about each culture. Each culture has a
special way to say hello. Tell the students that a song will help us
learn different ways to say hello (Gardner: Verbal/Linguistic).
9. Play the Global Wonders Hello Song (Gardner: Musical).
10. After the song is over, ask the students, “How are all of the ways to
say hello the same? How are they different?” (Bloom: Analysis).
11. Pass out the green and red cards. Tell the students that soon, they will
be asked some questions. If the answer to the question is yes, they
need to hold up the green card, and if the answer is no, they need to
hold up the red card. Practice this until all students understand
(Gardner: Verbal/Linguistic)
12. Ask the following questions to the students. (Gardner:
Logical/Mathematical, Intrapersonal)
a. People eat different foods in different cultures (yes;green)
b. Everybody in America is the same (no; red)
c. People from different cultures wear different clothes
(yes;green)
d. All of the cultures celebrate the same way (no;red)
13. Give the students the America is Beautiful worksheet. Tell the
students that they must draw a custom from their families (Bloom:
Application). Ask students for some examples. As the students are
working, walk around and make sure they are on task (Gardner:
Verbal/Linguistic). When the students are finish, have them share
with a partner what they drew. Collect the drawings.
Closure: Ask the students, “Who remembers what culture is?”,”Where did the
people in America come from?”, “What things are different in cultures?” (Bloom:
Knowledge), “Can you remember a way to say hello in another language?” Praise
students again and administer post-test. Read the post-test questions to all of the students.
Adaptations/Enrichment:
Student with Learning disability in reading comprehension
 This student will not need any specific modifications because no reading is
required by students in the lesson. However, they should still be closely
monitored through observations.
Student with ADHD
 This student needs to be seated in an area away from distractions, such as doors,
windows, and other students who may cause distractions.
 Repeat directions multiple times if the student gets off task.
Student with Gifts and Talents in Creativity
 Allow this student to develop their own clues for the posters.
Student with Autism
 This student will struggle with social interaction, and should be encouraged to
listen and participate during the lesson.
 Repeat directions multiple times.
 Provide an incentive for good behavior.
Self-Reflection:
 What part of the lesson did the student enjoy the most?
 What part of the lesson did the students enjoy the least?
 Did I make concepts clear to the students?
 Were all of the students engaged?
 What was the most difficult concept for students to understand?
 How did the students react to the posters?
Post-Test
Name:______________________________________
1. People come to America from_____________.
a. nowhere. People that lived in America have always lived in
America.
b. outer space.
c. all over the world.
2. We eat different ________ because many people brought
special foods to America.
a. cups
b. foods
c. plates
3. Each culture has __________.
a. different clothes
b. the same foods
c. the same language
4. Each culture has a special way to say hello.
True
False
Pre-Test
Name:______________________________________
1. People come to America from all over the world.
True
False
2. We eat different food in America because people
brought special foods to America.
True
False
3. Each culture has special clothes.
True
False
4. Everybody says hello the same way.
True
False
Clothing
Special Celebrations
Hamburger and French Fries- America
Spaghetti- Italy
Tacos- Mexico
Sushi- Japan
Kilt- Scotland
Kimono- Japan
Sari- India
Thanksgiving- America
Bar Mitzvah - Jewish Faith
Quinceañera- Hispanic Culture
Clue #1
People need this to live. People enjoy this because of its many tastes. You
may like some, and you may not like others. (Food)
Food
People in different cultures eat different kinds of foods. For example,
people in America like to eat hamburgers and fries while people in Japan like
to eat sushi. You may have heard or even eaten some of these foods
because people that came to America brought food from their culture with
them. What are some of your favorite foods? Can you think of any foods
that you like that come from different cultures?
Clue #2
This is something that you put on your body. It also helps you keep warm
when it is cold outside, and protects you from the sun when it is hot.
Clothing
People in different cultures wear different kinds of clothes. These special
types of clothes are worn for special occasions, like weddings or holidays.
Can you think of a time when you wear special clothes?
Clue #3 (Celebrations)
These are special events that people in different cultures celebrate.
Celebrations
People in different cultures celebrate special events in different ways.
Thanksgiving is celebrated only in America. Birthdays are also celebrated
differently in cultures. For example, the Bar Mitzvah and Quinceanera are
two birthday celebrations. The Bar Mitzvah is for Jewish boys who turn
thirteen and a Quincenara is for Hispanic girls when they turn fifteen. How
do you celebrate your birthday? How is it the same or different from a Bar
Mitzvah or a Quinceanera?
Food
Clothing
Celebrations
Student Checklist
Student name
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4