Culture Grade 4

Grade and Subject(s)

Why is it important to learn about other cultures?

Overarching
Understanding
Goals

1
How can learning about other cultures help us to better understand ourselves?

What is culture? What can we learn about another culture?

3
4

How do we learn about other cultures?

Generative Unit Topic

Unit-Long
Understanding Goals
Sequence of
Understanding
Performances

Students will
construct an
understanding of
culture as the ways
of life of a group of
people. They will
identify the arts,
language, traditions,
beliefs, values, and
behavior as aspects
of culture.

Students will
compare and
contrast the
diversity of
cultures
throughout Africa
and within
Senegal, including
rural to urban and
modern to
traditional.

UGs

Introductory
Performance(s)

12
12

124

134

235

124

1234
5

Students will
evaluate the ways
in which their own
culture impacts
how they view the
Students will
world in order to
identify ways in
make nonwhich West
African culture has judgmental
observations of
shaped and
other cultures.
influenced US
culture.

Senegal

Ongoing Assessments

Class generated KWL chart

Reading of Africa Is Not a Country and
group discussion of diversity of cultures
across Africa
US or Senegal picture activity

The introductory performances will be assessed

informally. I will use anecdotal evidence to evaluate
students perspective at the beginning of the unit
and identify any misconceptions or biases students
may initially have.

Quick writes and think-pair-share of

essential questions
Two column notes of questions and
observations of photos from Senegal (twice)
Research and presentation on an aspect of
Senegalese culture

The guided performances will be evaluated on

completion, as well as thoroughness of ideas. I will
be looking for students to engage with the content
in meaningful ways, not to provide a correct
answer. Students will have the opportunity to select
from these assignments to include in their final
portfolios to reflect the evolution of their
understanding.
The presentations will be assessed on how well
students convey the material to their classmates
and will be graded with a rubric.

Final reflection surrounding essential

questions (part of portfolio)
Portfolio that reflects growth throughout
the unit

The culminating performances will be evaluated on

students demonstrated mastery of the
understanding goals. The student-selected final
portfolio will be assessed based on how well
students create a full picture of the way their
thinking developed throughout the unit. Standards
for success will be developed as a class.

Skill Strands
x 1

Research and informational writing

x 2

Objective observation skills

Understanding Performances

Guided Inquiry
Performance(s)

Culminating
Performance(s)

Students will
demonstrate an
understanding of
Senegalese
culture by
researching a
component of it
and selecting a
way to present
that information
to their
classmates.

Compare and contrast

x Major Focus

Reinforced

Unsupported/Required