Introduction to Cultures

Year Level

Year 2

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

42 students

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Unit Context

Unit Title: Creative Cultures Exploration
Lesson: 1 of 15
Lesson Title: Introduction to Cultures
Lesson Description: Students will explore the concept of culture, discussing what makes up culture and sharing examples from their own lives.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) – Civics and Citizenship and Intercultural Understanding
General Capabilities:

• Intercultural Understanding
• Personal and Social Capability

Relevant Content Descriptions and Achievement Standards from ACARA Australian Curriculum (v9):

• ACHASSK049 (Year 2 History and Social Sciences):
  Identify the origins and meanings of celebrations and commemorations, and explain how people participate in and contribute to events and activities that honour heritage.
  Note: Though focused on celebrations, this also involves understanding aspects of culture as shared identity and practices.

• Personal and Social Capability:
  Recognise that people belong to different groups and communities, and this contributes to their identity. Understand that culture is expressed in many ways, including language, customs, and values.

• Intercultural Understanding:
  Explore similarities and differences within and between cultures, and recognise how cultural practices shape identities and behaviours.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Define what culture means in simple terms.
2. Identify some aspects that make up culture (e.g., language, food, clothing, celebrations, family traditions).
3. Share examples of cultures from their own lives or family backgrounds.
4. Show respect and curiosity about other cultures represented in the classroom.

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Resources Required

• World map or globe
• Photos/pictures of different cultural activities (celebrations, traditional clothing, food, languages)
• Large chart paper and markers for class "Culture Chart"
• Sticky notes or small paper slips
• "Culture Collage" materials: magazines, scissors, glue, coloured paper (optional extension activity)

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up & Engagement (5 minutes)

• Begin with a friendly whole-class greeting and a brief chat:
  "Have you ever heard the word 'culture'? What do you think it means?"
• Write initial ideas on the board, acknowledging all student contributions.

2. Introduction to Culture Concept (10 minutes)

• Show a simple definition of culture:
  "Culture is the way people live, including their language, food, clothes, celebrations, music, and stories."
• Show pictures representing different cultural aspects (e.g., a birthday party, a family meal, traditional dance, different clothing styles).
• Point to the world map/globe and explain that people live in many different places and have many different cultures.
• Explain that everyone belongs to some culture or cultures, including their family, school and community.

3. Sharing Personal Cultural Examples (15 minutes)

• Invite students to share something special about their own family culture or traditions.
• Use guiding prompts such as:
  • "What food does your family like to eat?"
  • "Do you celebrate any special holidays or festivals?"
  • "Is there something your family wears that is special or different from others?"
• As students share, write their examples on the large class "Culture Chart" under headings (e.g., Food, Clothing, Language, Celebrations).

4. Class Activity: Culture Collage/Brainstorming (10 minutes)

• Option 1: Culture Collage
  • Students cut out pictures from magazines or draw symbols/objects that represent culture at their tables or in small groups and paste them on a large shared poster.
• Option 2: Sticky Note Brainstorm
  • Students write or draw one thing they have in their culture on a sticky note and place it on the class culture chart under corresponding categories.
• Encourage students to notice how many different cultures and traditions exist within the classroom.

5. Reflection & Closing (5 minutes)

• Gather students and discuss:
  • "What did you learn about culture today?"
  • "Why is it important to learn about the cultures of others?"
• Highlight respect, curiosity, and appreciation for diversity.
• Explain that we will learn more about different cultures over the next lessons.

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Assessment and Evidence of Learning

• Observation of student participation in discussions sharing their own cultural background.
• Contributions to the "Culture Chart" or collage demonstrating understanding of cultural components.
• Informal questioning during reflection, noting students’ ability to articulate basic understanding of culture and respect for diversity.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide sentence starters for students who need support, e.g., "In my family we celebrate...", "A special food we eat is..."
• Use visual supports and realia to aid comprehension of abstract ideas about culture.
• Encourage peer support and group work during the collage or brainstorming activity.

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Links to Cross-Curriculum Priorities

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures: Teachers can integrate examples of First Nations cultural practices, such as local celebrations or language greetings, to connect with students' local community and heritage.
• Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia: Acknowledge and discuss cultures represented in the classroom related to Asia-Pacific communities to foster respect and understanding.

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Teacher Reflection Points for Future Lessons

• How effectively did students grasp the concept of culture?
• Were students able to articulate and share their cultural stories comfortably?
• Plan for incorporating more First Nations perspectives explicitly in later lessons.
• Consider using multilingual greetings or cultural artefacts in future lessons to increase engagement.

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This lesson provides a strong foundation for Year 2 students in Australia to begin their journey exploring diverse cultures, aligned specifically to the Australian Curriculum (v9) with an understanding appropriate to their developmental level and interests. It encourages both personal connection and intercultural curiosity, setting up a respectful learning environment for the full unit of 15 lessons in "Creative Cultures Exploration".