Both children and adults learn best when they are engaged, challenged and excited --- and cross-cultural learning can provide exactly that. The World Culture USA website offers educators and students a highly accessible window into a world at once exotic and close to home, which can be easily adapted to a variety of exciting lesson plans.

Advantages include:

Reading is encouraged by stimulating text in manageable sections.
Writing prompts can include essays, reaction and related original work.
Social studies and history lessons are relevant, inclusive and vibrant.
Content is adaptable to a wide range of ages and abilities.
Related field trips may be as close as a local museum or festival.

To explore lesson plan ideas, hover over a content area below.

Great literacy programs need content in which the writing is simple but the topics appeal to all ages. Lessons about neighboring cultures meet this challenge, thanks to the lively festivals, art, and history that celebrate each. A basic lesson may include reading a culture page aloud and discussing vocabulary, grammar and content. Quiz games can reinforce content in a fun, lively format (see sample game). More advanced students can work in groups to research, write and present on local cultures.

Reading & Writing

(Literacy)

ESL students benefit from exploring the wide mix of cultures in the U.S., including the many immigrants who have both struggled and thrived. The website text is accessible to intermediate English learners and of interest to all age levels. A basic lesson may include reading aloud, discussing vocabulary, grammar and content, and a game to review (see sample game). More advanced students can work in groups to research, write and present on specific cultures.

English as a

Second Language

(ESL)

A curriculum which presents and celebrates our nation's diversity, in a positive manner which affirms the heritage of all, can enrich a U.S. history curriculum. This website can serve as a resource, with its cultural summaries, short readings, media spotlights, games, crafts, and in-person field trip options. Because a wide variety of cultures are represented, all students can feel included. Students can also research, write and present on additional cultures of interest to them.

History &

Social

Studies

Factors based on grade level and setting include:

College, high school, and adult education classes will benefit from the attention-grabbing, accessible website text, which can then be enhanced by use of linked resources offering a higher reading level and more scholarly analysis. Students may be knowledgeable about their own cultural backgrounds, enhancing classroom discussions and adding new perspectives.

Middle school classes will find the reading level of the website accessible, and more in-depth classes may also use some linked resources. Many students may be interested and even eager to discuss their own cultural backgrounds, while others may be less comfortable or knowledgeable.

Elementary classes may need help reading some of the website text, with the teacher reading to younger students or assisting others to read aloud. The Media Spotlight feature found on most culture pages, especially its Books for Kids box, offers fun resources at elementary student reading levels.

Scout groups, religious youth groups, and other community organizations will find resources to enhance their own existing programming promoting intercultural awareness. For example, several Girl Scout and Boy Scout badges feature intercultural understanding, as do traditions such as the World Scout Jamboree or the World Thinking Day.