Grade 8 Unit 1 Teacher Information Sheets

Teacher Information Sheet #1: Patterns of Culture
Teacher Information Sheet #2: Sample Assessment Questions - Culture Unit

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Teacher Information Sheet #1: Patterns of Culture

The following illustrates the type of student responses to expect. It is not finite, and teachers should encourage and accept additional responses.

Cultural Patterns Description Examples Purposes/Functions

Economic The way that a cultural group organizes to meet its needs and wants. jobs/work, money, making money, mining, farming, salesperson, nurse,
exports, wood products from forests,
taxes to the government
To provide people with the means of earning money and getting and using resources to meet their needs.

Political The ways in which cultures make decisions, settle conflicts and govern themselves. government (types/levels), rules, responsibilities, rights, voting, leaders, citizens, citizenship, politicians, campaigns, laws To provide structure and order in society, and to provide a means of dealing with issues and problems that arise.

Kinship The ways in which a cultural group organizes the roles and duties of family members. Family structures, parents, sisters/brothers, living arrangements (extended/nuclear family), roles (male-female, elderly, children) tradition, marriage To provide support for each other and meet many needs of the family (e.g., for love and care). To set out lines of authority and responsibility for caring for the young and old.

Artistic The ways in which a culture expresses its creativity. music, visual arts, pottery, dance, literature, drama and theatre, television programs, sculpture, carvings, traditional art, decoration of functional objects To pass on traditions, express feelings, communicate ideas, explore human existence, create symbols of religious beliefs and rituals, capture the beauty of nature.

Religious The ways in which a culture organizes and practises a system of beliefs and worship based on faith and understanding of the forces that create power and order in the world. rituals, prayer, beliefs, special foods, churches, worship ceremonies, gods, values To explain the unknown.
To give hope and reason for being.

Education The ways in which cultural groups organize the teaching of children, formally and informally. language (communication), school, teachers, books, technology, apprenticing, technical schools, on-the-job training To educate students in the ways of the culture. To provide opportunities for children to learn trades and knowledge for future employment or work within the culture.

Recreation and Play The ways that a culture devises to have fun, entertain itself and relax. team and individual sports, games, dancing, watching television, listening to music, drama, hobbies such as stamp collecting and model making To interact with others in enjoyable ways. To make use of leisure time. To learn.

Teacher Information Sheet #2: Sample Assessment Questions -

Culture Unit

Note: These assessment questions are included as examples only. Teachers are advised to select those that will effectively assess the objectives they have chosen for the unit. It may be necessary to develop other questions. Teachers should use these questions as only one part of the continuing assessment throughout the unit.

1. Culture is best described as:

2. The cultural pattern of education is categorized as:

3. Learning the language of a culture is:

4. Nina's parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and aunt all live together. This is classified as:

Use the following information to answer questions 5 and 6.

After a delicious spaghetti supper the Kozaks sat down to spend a "family night" watching the video
Karate Kid III. Mr. Kozak, wearing his favourite worn-down moccasins, and carrying a bowlful of taco chips, tripped over the family's French poodle as he retired to the couch. The chips and dip became airborne and landed in Mrs. Kozak's lap, staining her new silk Chinese pyjamas.

5. Which one of the following statements best describes the Kozak family?

6. Which one of the following statements is the best reason for your answer in question 5?

7. Most of your culture is learned in your:

8. In some cultures a young man must always ask the parents of a young woman for permission to marry their daughter. This is an example of:

Use the following information to answer questions 9 and 10.

Needs and wants are defined differently. We may want many things, but we can live our lives without them. Needs are necessary so that we can live healthy, happy lives. There are many kinds of needs: physical, psychological, learning and spiritual. Each one deals with a different part of our "self".

9. Physical environment is:

10. Which one of the following statements best describes spiritual needs?

11. Which one of the following groups of words describes psychological needs?

Use the following information to answer question 12.

Somalia, a country in northeastern Africa, was once a very rich country. Its people were mainly farmers who fed their families by growing their own food. They built their own houses and made their own clothes with the resources of their country. The children of Somalia were well cared for and were very happy. They looked forward to their futures as proud members of Somalian society.
But, Somalia has had years without moisture (drought) and a lot of conflict. People in the country have started to fight among themselves. Many people have died as a result of starvation and war. Many children have been left homeless. Canada has helped Somalia and these children by providing them with food, clothes and shelter.

12. The best description of physical needs changing over time in this article would be:

13. The economic cultural pattern is best described as the way a culture:

14. Janet lives with her parents, grandmother and two younger brothers on a northern Saskatchewan reserve. Janet's family is an example of :

15. If you were to go on a cultural exchange to another country, which statement might best describe the roles you might expect your host family to have?

16. The best example of an industrial society is people:

Use the following information to answer questions 17 to 23.

The Semajian culture has survived for over 4000 years on a very isolated island without any connection or communication with any other culture. The island is forested but the land is fairly flat. The people work together to make sure their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and safety are satisfied. Although their culture is fairly simple, the people enjoy a high quality lifestyle. They have developed sailboats for fishing and easily meet their basic needs.
In 1993, in the aftermath of a hurricane, a small Japanese freighter broke free. It ran aground on the reef surrounding the Semajian Island. The Semajians investigated the ship and salvaged the following items:
· a container full of bicycles
· large rolls of nylon sail cloth
· gold coins and precious gems
· some current movie videos and a video camera

17. (a) The discovery of these items will most likely cause the Semajians to:

     _______________________________________________________________________
     _______________________________________________________________________
     _______________________________________________________________________
     _______________________________________________________________________
     _______________________________________________________________________

18. (a) If the Semajian culture uses the found items, a logical outcome would be:

19. With the introduction of these technological items to Semajian culture, the most probable response to change would be:

20. Which one of the following items would Semajians find most useful? Explain why.

21. Why did you choose the answer in question 20?

22. Before the freighter came the Semajians met their basic needs without outside help. The best effect of using the found items would be an awareness that:

Use the following articles to answer questions 23 to 25.

The Elke
The Elkes are a people who live in Eastern Africa. They have lived in this region for thousands of years. They were a proud people who loved where they lived and their way of life. They were a nomadic people, moving around a lot. The environment they lived in was quite harsh. The climate and other factors such as drought forced the Elke to move in order to meet their needs for food. The Elke lived in harmony with the land. They had special places that they lived at specific times of the year.
But, things changed.

White Europeans came to this part of Africa looking for resources. They divided the land where the Elke lived into several countries. When the countries were formed, the people in the countries became citizens, or members of that country. Trouble began for the Elke because these countries would no longer let the Elke move in and out to search for food. The Elke were forced to live in one place.
Today, the Elke have trouble finding enough food to feed their people. It is very hard on them. Their families are breaking down and often children as young as five are on their own, looking after themselves.
The Elke may be able to survive as a people again, but it will take a lot of understanding and change for the Elke people.

The Haida
The Haida are an Aboriginal people who have lived along the west coast of Canada for a long time. Their environment was peaceful and rich with enough resources-fish, animals, plants, fruits-to feed themselves well. The climate was very warm. With so much of everything Haida families got along well together. The Haida became a strong and powerful people.
Haida buildings were made of cedar. Family members shared houses and put a totem pole in front of the house. The totem pole identified who the family was. It was very important to the Haida.
The Haida held potlatches. These were huge gatherings of families where everyone brought and ate vast amounts of food. The Haida played games, danced, told stories and generally had a very good time during these celebrations.
But, things changed.
White Europeans from England invaded Haida land. The Europeans wanted the land. They thought the Haida were savages so they set about to make them better people. They tried to assimilate the Haida into their own culture and make them into proper Englishmen. They put the Haida onto reserves where they fed and housed them quite well. The Haida had food to eat and houses to live in but were not becoming Englishmen.
The Europeans decided one way to force the Haida to change was to outlaw totem poles. They cut them all down and did not allow the Haida people to build new ones. They also banned the gatherings, or potlatches. They forced the Haida into schools to learn English. The Haida culture began to break down. The Haida lost their pride and had many problems.
The English were almost successful in destroying the Haida. Today, though, the Haida have revived the potlatches and are building totem poles again. Many Haida children are being taught the Haida language in school. The Haida are once again taking pride in their cultures.

23. Which one of the following statements is the best reason why the Elke and the Haida lost their sense of culture?

24. Which one of the following statements best describes how physical environments influenced the Elke and the Haida?

25. Which one of the following statements describes the common problem that both the Elke and Haida had that led to their loss of culture?

Read the following information and then answer questions 26 to 29.

Aboriginals of Australia
The early Aboriginals of Australia were a semi-nomadic people. They moved from campsite to campsite.
Aboriginal tribes were made up of clans, or land-owning groups. The clans were made up of extended families. The extended family included the father, one or more wives and all the children. Grandparents and other older relatives also lived with and were looked after by the family. The Aboriginal kinship pattern related each member to everyone from his or her grandmother to a neighbouring clan member.
Children learned by watching and by joining in. Wudu (a Mawanjum word meaning laying of hands) is another way children learned. Every morning and every night the mother and grandmother would warm their hands over the fire. Touching their children's eyes meant not to see evil things; touching their mouths meant not to use bad language; touching hands meant not to steal; and so on. They also taught their children about sharing.
The Aboriginal religion explained how everything was created. The people kept their religion alive through ceremony, song and learning. The British believed that Aboriginals had no religion at all and should be converted to Christianity.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, white missionaries and the governments separated mixed-race children from their Aboriginal mothers. These children were raised in white foster families or worked as servants. They lost all contact with their birth families. The missionaries and the government believed that these children would grow up to be like white people. The policy did not work well, because it ignored the Aboriginal peoples' own language, culture and history.

Inuit
Traditionally, early Inuit people were often on the move, travelling along the coast in search of the animals that provided food, clothing, tools, fuel and shelter. In winter they carried on their sleds everything an Inuit family needed to survive.
Much of the summer's work was concerned with preparing for the next winter. Meat and fish were smoked or dried and stored in caches in the permafrost so that they would keep for use in winter. As always, children helped with many chores. Children learned by watching their parents.
When Inuit groups met on the land or at summer camps, they participated in feasts, drum dancing and games. At these activities, their stories and legends were handed down from generation to generation.
Everyone shared in all parts of Inuit life. Adults were not separated from children. Men were not separated from women. There were no formal leaders. The Elders were respected for their wisdom and experience, individual men for their ability as hunters, and shamans for their help.
The Inuit were concerned with the good of the whole group. Arguments and squabbles were rare. (Although the Inuit language has over seventy words for snow, there is not a single word for war.)
Births, deaths and marriages were all treated as special occasions and certain rituals were always observed. The Inuit believed everyone had a spirit.
Inuit marriages were usually arranged by parents. An Inuit man usually spent up to a year living with his fiancee's parents so that the two people and their families could get to know each other.

26. On the table below, summarize the kinship patterns for the Australian Aboriginal and Inuit peoples. You should find two main ideas for each of the cultures.

Australian Aboriginal Culture	Inuit Culture
1.	1.
2.	2

27. Write a paragraph comparing the kinship pattern of the Australian Aboriginal people with the kinship pattern of the Inuit people. Be sure to use proper paragraph format.

28. Explain how the Aboriginal culture in Australia changed.

29. Explain why this change in the Australian Aboriginal culture occurred.

Cultural Patterns	Description	Examples	Purposes/Functions
Economic	The way that a cultural group organizes to meet its needs and wants.	jobs/work, money, making money, mining, farming, salesperson, nurse, exports, wood products from forests, taxes to the government	To provide people with the means of earning money and getting and using resources to meet their needs.
Political	The ways in which cultures make decisions, settle conflicts and govern themselves.	government (types/levels), rules, responsibilities, rights, voting, leaders, citizens, citizenship, politicians, campaigns, laws	To provide structure and order in society, and to provide a means of dealing with issues and problems that arise.
Kinship	The ways in which a cultural group organizes the roles and duties of family members.	Family structures, parents, sisters/brothers, living arrangements (extended/nuclear family), roles (male-female, elderly, children) tradition, marriage	To provide support for each other and meet many needs of the family (e.g., for love and care). To set out lines of authority and responsibility for caring for the young and old.
Artistic	The ways in which a culture expresses its creativity.	music, visual arts, pottery, dance, literature, drama and theatre, television programs, sculpture, carvings, traditional art, decoration of functional objects	To pass on traditions, express feelings, communicate ideas, explore human existence, create symbols of religious beliefs and rituals, capture the beauty of nature.
Religious	The ways in which a culture organizes and practises a system of beliefs and worship based on faith and understanding of the forces that create power and order in the world.	rituals, prayer, beliefs, special foods, churches, worship ceremonies, gods, values	To explain the unknown. To give hope and reason for being.
Education	The ways in which cultural groups organize the teaching of children, formally and informally.	language (communication), school, teachers, books, technology, apprenticing, technical schools, on-the-job training	To educate students in the ways of the culture. To provide opportunities for children to learn trades and knowledge for future employment or work within the culture.
Recreation and Play	The ways that a culture devises to have fun, entertain itself and relax.	team and individual sports, games, dancing, watching television, listening to music, drama, hobbies such as stamp collecting and model making	To interact with others in enjoyable ways. To make use of leisure time. To learn.