| Summary: | Part of a series of curriculum guides created by the Institute of Texan Cultures: Educational Programs Department. What Is Culture? IIT~I Touring the Institute of Texan Cultures What Is Culture? IT~ The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio ./ @2000 ITC, one of the three campuses of The University of Texas at San Antonio, is an educational center concerned with the history and diverse cultures of Texas. The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 801 South Bowie Street San Antonio, Texas 78205-3296 :' Rex H. Ball, Executive Director f l Funded by the Ellwood Foundation of Houston, Texas Printed in the United States of America ~ INTRODUCTION~ Welcome to the Institute of Texan Cultures! You have recently scheduled a field trip for your students to the Institute of Texan Cuftures (ITC). ITC is a museum featuring the history and diverse cultures of the people of Texas. In this booklet you will find instructional activities to help you and your students get the most from your visit. At the Institute of Texan Cultures, your students will see real objects and hear tales and stories about the diverse peoples and events of Texas history. The sights, sounds, buildings, and artifacts provide information that words alone cannot communicate. Not only will your students have a rich experience, but they also will acquire TEKS-related information. The learning will be fun. This booklet is organized by the various grade levels of most student visitors: K-2 early elementary, 3-5 upper elementary, and 6-8 middle/junior high. Within each of the three grade-level sections, there are instructional activities that address the 4 P's of a f ield-trip experience: prepare, participate, process, and produce. Instructional activities in this booklet done before your field trip incorporate the TEKS and address the concept of culture to help prepare the students for their field trip and faci litate rich and varied learning regardless of their age or grade. Several of the activities evoke a response to the basic question, "What is culture?" Culture is a very abstract concept for most students and forms the basis of many exhibits at the Institute. Prior to the field trip, it is important for your students to have an introduction to the concept. Additional activities are to be completed . after the students participate and interact with the displays on the Exhibit Floor and the bui Idings and artifacts of the Back 40/ The activities done back in the classroom after the field trip encourage students to process, or analyze, what they have experienced, and to produce products which demonstrate their learning. Although the instructional activities are grouped by grade level with the appropriate grade level TEKS, most of them can be modified for use at other grade levels. For logistical information such as directions to the Institute, the parking area for buses, etc., call (210) 458-2300 or visit our Web site at www.texancultures .utsa .edu/ new/ info/ITC_detailedmap .htm. 1 FACTS ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES "Culture" is the beliefs, attitudes, values, and customs that a group of people learn. Culture changes over time because of environmental factors, conflicts, contact with others, and invention. Aspects of Culture Transportation Religion/morals . Ceremonies Recreation Music/dance Food Education Shelter Clothing Government Relationships Visual arts Work attitude Environment Relationships & family Space orientation Time orientation Customs/habits Rules/laws Communication Jobs/economics Holidays/ celebrations Cultural Groups African American Belgian Danish Filipino Greek Italian Lebanese Scottish Tejano 2 American Indian Chinese Dutch French Hungarian Japanese Norwegian Swedish Wendish f \ , Anglo-American Czech English German :' Irish Jewish Polish Swiss Early American Indian Tribes of Texas Coahui Itecans Lipan Apaches Comanches Karankawas Tonkawas Jumanos Caddos Kiowas Kiowa Apaches Interpretive Areas _ Jacal Quilting American Indian Chuck wagon Fibers & Fabrics Layers of Culture Post office Puppet theater The Back 40 In~erpretive Structures Dogtrot log house Army fort Barn . Schoolhouse Adobe house Windmill 3 Early Elementary, Grades K-2 PREPARE PARTICIPATE PROCESS PRODUCE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• PREPARE Background Some children may have visited a museum before; however, a field trip with a group of peers is an extraordinary experience that few young children can forget. To ensure that all goes well and that youngsters get the most out of the field trip, the most important thing you as a teacher can do is to prepare your students. One aspect of the culture strand in the TEKS across the K-2 grade levels is a focus on customs, traditions, holidays, and celebrations. The content is additionally described as family, local/ community, state, national, patriotic, cultural, and past or present. Skills common across the K-2 grades are obtaining information from a variety of sources, sequencing and categorizing information, and identifying the main ideas. The following activities incorporate these TEKS. Pre-visit Learning Activities Jack-in-the-Box: All about ME (TEKS: Culture-Identify and compare family customs and traditions.) 1. Ask the students to ~ like a jack-in-the-box (and then sit down) when an item applies to them: o "If you were born in the United Stat~s . (national origin) o If you like tacos . (food) l o If you go to a church or synagogue . (religion) o If you have 4 or more aunts and uncles . (family ties) o If you'have ever been to a basketball game . (leisure time) o If you get an allowance . (attitudes about work, rewards) o If you have ever ridden in a taxicab . (transportation) o If you have ever been to a wedding . (custom, rituals) o If you have ever been to a 4th of July parade . (holidays) o If anyone in your family plays a musical instrument . (music) o If you have been to a dentist . (beliefs about health)" 4 2. As you give the preceding statements, write on the board the aspect of culture that is referred to, such as food, music, clothing, transportation, holiday, work, etc. 3. Ask: o "What is culture? (The beliefs, attitudes, values, and customs learned by a group of people) o How do you learn cu lture? (From your interactions with others over time) o What are customs? (Things we regularly do in a family, like a habit) o What is one custom in your family or what is someth ing you know always happens on your birthday? o What is tradition? (A set of customs that are repeated year after year) o What are some of the cultural groups of Texas?" 4. Tell them, "On our field trip to lTC, look for and remember one custom or tradition of a cultural group to share with the class when we get back." Culture Daisies (TEKS: Culture-Ident ify similarities and differences among people.) 1. Draw a large daisy on the board for the students to copy. 2. In the center of t heir daisies, have the students write their names. 3. Fill in the cultural categories in the daisy on the board and have the students fill in their daisy petals with: o My favorite food is . (food) o My favorite music is . (music) o My favorite holiday is . (holidays) o My favorite television program is . (lei;sure time) o My favorite sport is . (recreation) . o My favorite time to eat supper is . (t;lme orientation) 4. Have the students exchange drawings two t imes and then read the one they have. 5. Go around the room, having each student read the name of the person in the center of the flower and one culturally related favorite of the person. 6. Ask, "How do all our daisies relate to culture? How are we alike? How are we different?" (All daisies are about things that make up culture, while each of our examples may be different.) 7. Assign an aspect of culture to each student. "At ITC look for two examples of an aspect of culture, such as food or religious items, and share with the class when we return." 5 PARTICIPATE (TEKS: Skill-Obtain information from a variety of sources.) When you arrive at the Institute, a staff member wi II greet you. If you have made an assignment, review it with the students before the tour and mention it to your docent guide. You also might have the students identify objects they have never seen before to share on the bus returning to school. PROCESS & PRODUCE Post-visit Learning Activities I Saw a . (TEKS: Skills-Express ideas orally; categorize information; identify the main idea.) 1. Give each student a sheet of paper to draw, color, and write about an object that responds to "Yesterday I saw . " 2. When finished, have each student stand, hold his/her artwork up, and tell what he/she saw. 3. As each student speaks, write the item he/she saw on the board. 4. When everyone has presented his/her information, categorize the items on the board as they relate to the aspects of culture. 5. Arrange the drawings on a bulletin board and have the students brainstorm about various titles that represent the main idea(s) of the bulletin board. Select one and complete the bulletin board. Let's Pretend (TEKS: Skills-categorize information; ident ify the main idea.) 1. Tell the students, "At the Institute w~ saw many, many things. Today we are going to play 'Let's pretend.'" 2. Ask the whole class, "What did you see that you would want to own if you were a: . musician . grocery store clerk . post office clerk . soldier . cook . weaver . cowboy . American Indian family . priest/minister/rabbi . child playing 3. Go around the room, asking each student to complete the following, "At the Institute we learned about . " 6 Upper Elementary, Grades 3-5 PREPARE PARTICIPATE PROCESS PRODUCE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PREPARE Background The Institute of Texan Cultures is a treasure trove which can help students learn and understand such abstractions as culture, ethnic groups, customs, or traditions. Concrete examples of the concepts and content related to culture and history are numerous in the exhibits and structures on display. We encourage you to use class time before the field trip to introduce these concepts. The TEKS of the culture strand across the 3-5 grade levels ask students to identify, compare, or explain the similarities and differences among customs, celebrations, and traditions of various ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in Texas, the nation, and the world. The skills common to the grade levels are to identify problems and situations requiring decisions and to predict the consequences. Pre-visit Learning Activities Jack-in-the-Box: Holidays & Celebrations (TEKS: Culture-Compare national and ethnic cultural holidays and celebrations in Texas, the U.S., and other nations.) 1. As you ask each of the following, also write it on the board and discuss its origin. 2. Have the students IWLlJl2. like a jack-in-theybox (and then sit down) if the item stated applies to them. , f o "If you stay up late on New Year's Eve: . (U.S., Mexico, Vietnam: ceremonies welcome the new year and new beginnings) o If you went to a 4th of July parade . (U.S. independence; 1776) o If you go to the cemetery in May on Memorial Day . (U.s.; honors U.S. soldiers who have died in wars) o If you have turkey on Thanksgiving . (U.s.; early settlers ate wild turkeys with the native people to give thanks for their survival) o If you celebrate June 19th/Juneteenth . (day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, 1865) o If you have BBQs on Labor Day . (U.S.; honors the workers of America) 7 Q If you go 'trick or treating' on Halloween . (U.S., England, and Ireland) D If you have tamales at Christmas . (holiday, U.s., Mexico, Germany; different countries feature different foods) D If your family has a home altar for the Day of the Dead . (U.S., Mexico; a way to remember deceased family members) D If you wear a shamrock on St. Patrick's Day . (U.S., Ireland; honors a Catholic saint)" 2. Compare holidays by reviewing the list on the board and note if it is a Texas, U.S., or other country's holiday. Moving On: Now & Then (TEKS: Economics-Explain the economic reasons for exploration, colonization, and settlement in Texas and the U.S.) 1. Have the students stand: D "If you have lived in another town. D If you have lived in another state. D If you have lived in another country." 2. Ask, "What were some of the reasons your fami Iy moved?" List the reasons given by the students on the board and title NOW. 3. Ask, "What were some reasons that people came to Texas in the past?" List the reasons on the board with the title THEN. (Jobs, security, religious freedom, land) 4. "How are our reasons the same or different?" 5. "Sometimes the rulers of countries sent people to another country to settle an area. What are some of the reasons rulers did this?" (Acquire wealth, get more land, get rid of criminals) PARTICIPATE. .I (TEKS: Skill-Obtain information from a var iety of sources.) Field trips for students are limited in most schools today because of the time out of class and the costs associated with the trips, but there is no substitute for experiencing the real thing. Field trips offer wonderful opportunities for learning that students will remember for years. There are many cultural groups and cultural interpretive areas displayed on the ITC Exhibit Floor. During an hour tour, only selected groups can be discussed. It may happen that your favorite cultural group is omitted because of the number of daily tours. Each 8 1 area, however, offers exciting new tidbits for learning about the culture.s of Texas. During the tour you may want to have each student make note of a particular person and what he/she did to share with the class when you all return to school. PROCESS & PRODUCE Post-visit Learning Activities Cultural Borrowing (TEKS: Culture-Summarize contributions of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups; explain cultural borrowing.) 1. Have the students name the various cultural groups they remember from their field trip and list on the board. 2. Write the following artifacts seen at the Institute or objects of your own choosing on an index card and place in a hat or box. Buffalo Rice Icebox Tipi Longhorn steer Sword Sewing machine Record player Spurs Axe Coffee grinder Pasta Tuba Lard can Marble blocks Barbed wire Astrolabe Saddle Loom Torah Trunk Rocking chair Organ Plow Soldier's uniform Vaquero Cotton Gourds Cigar press Turkey feathers Wedding dress Pottery Paper dragon 3. Form the students into groups of 3 and have each group draw a card, repeating with each group until all the cards are gone. 4. In the groups have the students identify a cultural group associated with the object. Then, as e~ch group shares its response for the item, ask the other g'roups, "Can you name another group that uses or is associated with that object?" 5. "How do other groups learn about these items?" 9 ll' What Do We Do? (TEKS: Skills-Identify problems and situations requiring decisions and predict the consequences.) 1. In advance, type each of the following 8 problem situations onto separate sheets of paper or index cards: 10 o The Apaches were a nomadic tribe that traveled around the land that became Texas in the 1800s. As the European and Anglo settlers moved into Texas, the Apaches could no longer follow the buffalo herds that supplied their food, clothing, and other necessities. What do they do? o Josephine Lucchese, one of seven children and daughter of the famous San Antonio bootmaker Sam Lucchese, played the mandolin at 6, the piano at 10, and began voice lessons at 15 about 1918. She wanted to be an opera singer, but this was thought impossible unless she studied opera in Italy, which was not possible. What else could she do? o Henri Castro was a French empresario who brought 27 ships with 485 families and 457 single men to found a colony in the Republic of Texas. In 1848 the villages of Castroville, QUihi, Vandenburg, and D'Hanis, which they founded, were suffering from drought, cholera, and raids by the Indians. What should the new settlers do? o Rabbi Henry Cohen, a Londoner, came to Galveston from Jamaica in 1888. At the docks he saw the many, many people immigrating to Texas. They had no jobs and no homes, did not speak the language, and were in desperate need. What should he do? o Jovita Idar began her career as a writer for her father's newspaper, La Cronica, in Laredo. She wrote many articles criticizing the lynchings, the loss of Mexican culture, and the living conditions of Mexicans. In 19q; when she was working at EI Progreso newspaper, the Texas;Rangers came to close down the paper while she was there. What should she do? o The black Seminoles, escaped slaves who settled among and intermarried with the Seminole Indians, were forced by the government to move from Florida to Oklahoma, where the Creek Indians were making them their slaves. In 1851 Chief Wild Cat decided to take a group to Mexico to settle a land grant there. Would you as a black Seminole go with him? o The Canary Islanders lived on an island off the northwestern coast of Africa which was controlled by the Spanish. The King of Spain offered riches and a new opportunity to Islanders willing to go to the New World and settle the northern frontier of Spanish Texas. Would you as a Canary Islander go? o Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, left France with 4 ships loaded with supplies and people to settle a new colony on the Mississippi. His maps and astrolabe were not very accurate. After he landed near Port Lavaca, Texas, one ship returned to France with some supplies, and another sank in a storm. His settlers were dying. What could he do? 2. Have the students number off 1-8 and move into their groups, with all of the same number together. Pass out a problem situation to each group. 3. Tell them, "At ITC you learned about the individuals and cultural groups who settled Texas. All groups coming to a new place encounter problems and have to make critical decisions. Each group has a problem situation for which you must decide what to do. Select a writer for your group, and as a group: o Read the situation and identify the problem. o Write out the problem. There is no right/wrong answer. o Brainstorm all the decisions that might need to be made to solve the problem and write them down. o For each decision list the various options available to the person/people. Predict what will happen if they try each option, what the consequences might be for each option. o As a group, after you consider all the issues involved in making your decisions, arrive at a final decision: 'What do you as a group decide to do?' o Select a reader to present to the clcass your problem and the decision of your group." 11 Middle School or Junior High, Grades 6-8 PREPARE PARTICIPATE PROCESS PRODUCE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• PREPARE Background While some students in grades 6-8 who visit ITC may have visited before at an earlier age, they will always discover new insights and learning with each visit. The TEKS for grades 6-8 are, for the most part, different in the various grades, but the theme of diversity, the spread of culture, and the skill of problem solving cross the grades. The following activities address these themes while drawing on the history and culture of Texas as presented by exhibits and structures at the Institute of Texan Cultures. Pre-visit Learning Activities Culture in a Suitcase (TEKS: Culture-Describe some traits that define culture; analyze similarities and differences within and among cultures in different societies.) [Note: A variation of this activity would be for each couple to pack the items they would take with them if traveling to Mars as part of a settlement colony.] 1. Have the students work with a partner of the opposite sex to list the kinds of things usually seen in muse!Jms. (Objects, photographs, paintings, documents, books, etc.) : 2. Ask the class, "What groups of people were in Texas in the early days (1500-1860)?" and write them on the board. (See Facts about the Institute, page 2.) Using a world map, locate each of the countries mentioned. 3. Assign a cultural group to each pair of students-repeating cultures as necessary-and have the couple (male/female) "pack their imaginary suitcase" with items (make a list of items to fill their suitcase) that they want or need to bring with them to settle in Texas in 1880. Note: the American Indians may have come to this continent across the Bering Strait at least 12,000 years ago. 12 4. The items must be small, lightweight, nonbreakable, and take up minimum space. Couples must agree on the items being packed. 5. Go around the room taking one item from each couple and write it on the board. Have the class identify the aspect of culture related to the item. (Food, shelter, customs, beliefs, work, religion, etc.) 6. Ask the rest of the class to raise their hands: o "If you also have that item on your suitcase list (to identify commonalities acrosS cultural groups). o If you think you might see this item at ITC on the field trip. Why/why not?" 7. When done, ask why they th ink they were grouped in malelfemale couples? Obit uaries: Who Am I? (TEKS: Culture-Understand the role of real heroes in shaping the culture of communities, the state, and nation; understand the importance of writers and artists to the cultural heritage of communities; explain the significance of individual and group contributions from selected societies and describe influence.) 1. Divide the class into six teams and group them in various areaS of the room to play "Who Am I?" 2. Have each group number a sheet of paper 1-7; tell them, "As I read aloud each biography, decide in your group 'Who Am I?' and have someone on the team write down the name of the person chosen." 3. Read the following short biographies of people in Texas: o Jim Bowie: I was born in Kentucky and became a land speculator on the western frontier. I came to Coahuila y T ejas and was present at the battle q.f the A lamo. I fought from my bed and died of my wounds. My brother made me a knife which has made my name well ~ nown. o Barbara Jordan: I was born in 1936 in Houston, and I died in 1996. Many people wanted me as a public speaker because of my clear diction and booming voice. I was the first AfricanAmerican woman from a Southern state to Serve in the U.S. House of Representat ives. After I became ill, I taught at The University of Texas at Austin. 13 I o Quanah Parker: I was the last chief of the Quahadi Comanche Indians. I was the son of Chief Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker. I defended the Staked Plains of Texas until our way of life ended with the slaughter of the buffalo and the coming of the settlers. My people were forced to move to the Kiowa-Comanche reservation in southwestern Oklahoma. I am now buried at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. o Jean Laffite: I was born in France about 1780 and became a pirate. My brothers and I came to New Orleans and ran sh ips that raided in the Gulf and Caribbean. I assisted in the War of 1812 and set up my smuggling headquarters on Galveston Island. I left Galveston in 1820 to live the rest of my life on an island off the coast of the Yucatan. o Selena QUintanilla Perez: I grew up in Corpus Christi. My fan club manager shot me in 1995. As a Latino singer, I sang in English and Spanish and was becoming very famous when I was killed. A movie was made of my life story. o Juan Seguin: I was born in San Antonio in 1806. I was a captain and raised 37 men to serve as scouts in the Texas Revo lution against Mexico. My unit of men fought at the battle of San'Jacinto. Later, as mayor of San Antonio, I directed the burial of the defenders of the Alamo in 1837. I was the only Mexican Texan to serve in the Senate of the Republic of Texas. o Elisabet Ney: My father was a stonecarver in Germany. In 1852 I entered the Munich Academy of Art as the first woman to study sculpture. I created figures in marble of many important European people. After my move to Texas in the 1870s, I made statues of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston and many other famous people. My home in Austin is now a museum. :v 4. Determine which team had the most c9rrect answers. If no group has the correct answer for a question: save it for all to try to identify the person from the clues in their textbook. PARTICIPATE Each time you visit the Institute, you see and remember different things-and the exhibits keep changing. There is so much information displayed that there is always more to see. Before the 14 tour you may want to assign your students something to find and remember to share when they return to the classroom. For example: o "Discover an object you have never seen before and learn its use or function. o Discover a person you would like to have been and learn what he/she did. o Discover a place you wish you could visit and find out where it is located. o Discover a culture that you find interesting and learn more about it." PROCESS & PRODUCE Post-visit Learning Activities 20 Things I Saw . (TEKS: Culture-Understand similarities and differences within and among cultures in different societies; define the concept of culture; describe some traits that define culture.) 1. Have each student make a list of 20 things he/she saw at the Institute. 2. Have the students pair up, and, with their two lists of things they saw, have them identify the culture and the aspect of culture from the following categories with which each item is associated: Food Music Attitudes toward time Language/literature Visual art Customs/ ceremonieS Beliefs about religion/ gods Celebrations/holidays Modes of transportation Kinds of homes/shelter Beliefs about education/learning Values toward family and relationships Clothing A ttitude toward law/order/government Beliefs about work/jobs/money /economics 3. Conclude with "What is culture?" (Beliefs, attitudes, values, and customs learned by a group of people.) 15 Our Ancestors Are . (TEKS: Culture-Identify the diverse groupS that settled in Texas and trace their contributions: Skill-Categorize information.) 1. Have the students write a 7-sentence paragraph on anything they learned about a group of people who settled in Texas. Have them exchange their papers. 2. On the board create a chart entitled People of Texas with 5 vertical columns. Label the columns: Asian Americans, European Americans, African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans. 3. Go around the room having each student read his/her paragraph and add the national origin of the group. Add information in the proper category to the chart on the board. 4. When done, have the students return papers to the owners and write one sentence stating, "The big idea of this chart is . (for example) 'many diverse groupS have settled in Texas.'" 16 I Cross-Grade-Level Activities Creat e a Culture (TEKS: Culture-Identify institutions basic to all societies but which may vary from one society to another.) 1. Have the students number off 1-5 and form groups of students with the same numbers. Assign to the groups one of the following names for their "culture": Rose River, Cactus Desert, Orchid Mountain, Daisy Field, Snow Lily Valley, Tulip Plain, and Poppy Canyon. 2. In groups have the students create a culture for their place. The culture should include: o The physical features of the land (geography) o The weather and climate (geography) o The kinds of houses (shelter/geography) o The crops they raise or foods they eat (food/economics) o The kinds of work the families do (economics) o How children are "schooled" (education) o Their beliefs about God (religion) o How they travel (transportation) o Their recreational activities (values/customs/music) o The clothes they wear (geography) o The leader of their culture (values/government) o What they do when someone breaks a rule (laws) o A holiday they celebrate (values) 3. Have one person from each group tell about the culture they have created. :. 4. Review the similarities and differences in the cultures created. 5. Ask, "When cultures can be so different and diverse, what holds them together or united as one group?" 17 r Ii Letter to the Editor (TEKS: Culture-Summarize the contributions of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups; describe selected racial, ethnic, and religious customs and celebrations.) 1. Tell the students, "Write a letter o to the editor of your school newspaper, or o to a friend, or o to your parents." 2. "In your letter tell about a cultural group that came to Texas and their contribution to the state of Texas from the information you learned at the Institute of Texan Cultures." People (TEKS: Culture-Identify similarities and differences among people.) Read aloud the book People by Peter Spier (Bantom Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 1980, @ $10.95) available in most school libraries or can be purchased at a local bookstore. 18
|
|---|