Attea Middle School - Patriots Culture Unit

What is Culture?
Mr. Rottman's 8th Grade Social Studies Unit
Guided Notes on Culture

Table of Contents Links
Five Elements of Culture | Development of Culture | Culture Creates Social Organizations | Culture Changes|Websites for Online Research |

PDF Documents to download for this unit:

Culture involves almost every aspect of our lives. It is so close to use that we frequently do not recognize it for what it is until someone points it out to use.Sometimes people are placed in a different cultural environment when they travel to another country and they experience different foods, customs, laws and ways of life. Sometimes different cultural environments are experienced in your country or even within the same city. An example of this is found in large cities that have a multicultural population and are home to people from Italian, Greek, Polish, Chinese Laotian, Indian and many other cultures. Many times, these cultures are found in areas of a city where they have developed strong communities that are devoted to the preservation of their specific culture.

Five Elements of Culture

Symbols
Norms
Mores
Values
Objects

Symbols (examples: languages, flags, art, national identity)
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Norms
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Examples:
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Mores
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Show how important mores are, societies write laws to protect them.
Examples:
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Values
They help people explain and interpret their actions in the world.
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Socializing agents- things that develop your social skills.
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Examples:
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Objects

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Example:
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Development of Culture
All people share the basic needs for,

Food,
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All people in different places meet needs in different ways: Example Masai tribe compared to American
Food___________________________________________________
Water___________________________________________________
Clothing___________________________________________________
Shelter___________________________________________________

Two Factors influence way people meet basic needs
1.History
2.___________________________________________________

Cultures create Social Organizations
All people share the basic needs for,

Form social cohesion
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Sub-cultures
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Generation Gap
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Rules of Behavior
1. ____________________________________________________________________
2. Social practices
Social Memory
1. Religon
2. ________________
3. ________________

Cultures Changes

Acculturation
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Diffusion
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Online Resources:
Cultural Awareness and Country Information Online Resources

Language Translation Website

Intertran Translation Website

General Country Resource Websites

What is Culture: Lizzie's Morning Activities
Kwintessential Language and Cultural Specialists
Go to Resources- Country Profiles
Culturosity.com
Importance of cultural awareness.
Helpful article on India’s culture- Travel articles: Stretching the Comfort Zone in India
C.Tip (culturosity.com)
Part of the Culturosity web site. Several helpful links for cultural studies and information?
CIA World Factbook
General Information
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Center for International Learning
Specific information on a particular country
You will need to go to ‘select a country’ menu and then scroll to culture in the “Country Information Portal”
Chicago’s Field Museum
Countries of the World- (info Please) "Each Country Profile provides information on: Geography · Maps · Flag · History · Current ruler · Area · Population · Capital · Largest cities · Languages · Ethnicity/race · Religion · Literacy rate · Economy · Government"

Country Studies-"Find a comprehensive description and analysis of the country or region's historical setting, geography, society, economy, political system, and foreign policy."

DK World Desk Reference Countries
Kids Links to Nations and Countries (cultures)
Library of Congress- Country Studies
Lonely Planet-World Travel Guide- Search by City
Tourist Offices World Wide Database
United Nations Cyberschoolbus
United Streaming Videos
Attea Online Research Resources

Multi-Culture Recipe Websites

Recipes from Around the World-
-African Recipe
- Asian Recipes
-Brand Name Recipes
-Breads recipes
-Cajun Creole recipes
-Caribbean Recipes
-European Recipes
-Historic Recipes
-Holidays recipes
-Jewish Recipes
-Latin American Recipes
-Middle Eastern Recipes
-North American Recipes
-Oceanian Recipes
Discover Traditional Dutch Food
European Recipes
Greek Cuisine.com
A Romanian cookbook
Vietnamese Recipes- Clays Kitchen
Ethnic Grocer: China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Phillipines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam