Learning Links
Family / Religion / Workplace / Laws / Holidays / Celebrations / Refugees / Homeless / Migrant Workers / Clubs / Moral Majority / Gangs
Related Concepts
Ethnocentrism / Ethnicity / Cultural Relativity / Pluralism / Prejudice / Discrimination / Group Norms / Equity / Customs / Conformity
Demonstrators should be read from bottom to top, but need not be demonstrated sequentially.
Elementary Demonstrators
• Recognize family similarities and differences.
• Recognize roles within various social groupings.
• Identify cultural bias and stereotyping.
• Recognize and respect various individual and group belief systems.
• Identify a social problem and seek positive change.
• Demonstrate an ability to function as part of a social system.
Middle School Demonstrators
• Compare the social institutions of different cultures.
• Examine the consequences of prejudice and discrimination (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity) on social systems.
• Analyze the impact of social institutions (e.g., religious, educational, occupational, and political systems) in society.
• Evaluate individual responsibilities within various social systems.
• Modify a social system to effect positive change.
High School Demonstrators
• Examine the societal implications of personal prejudices
• Analyze how individual and group beliefs affect social systems.
• Design strategies to resolve and effect change within a social system.
Sample Teaching/Assessment Strategies
Collaborative Process: Cooperative Learning / Community-Based Instruction: Field Studies, Mentoring, Service Learning / Continuous Progress Assessment: Checklist, Conferencing, Portfolio Development, Self-assessment, Performance Events/Exhibitions / Graphic Organizers: Compare/Contrast Structures, Graphic Representations, Time Line / Problem Solving: Brainstorming, Heuristics, Inquiry, Questioning, Case Studies, Creative Problem Solving, Debate, Oral History, Role- play / Technology/Tools: Computers, Interactive Video, Multimedia / Whole Language Approach / Writing Process
These sample strategies offer ideas and are not meant to limit teacher resourcefulness. More strategies are found in the resource section.
Ideas for Incorporating Community Resources
• Identify community action groups such as American Red Cross, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, SADD, MADD, or Friends of the Earth to determine how students can be involved.
• Invite a local government official to class to discuss how census data is important to the community.
• Survey local citizens to determine social changes occurring or needed in the community.
• Conduct interviews with senior citizens of the community about the type and functions of social organizations in the past.
Core Concept: Structure and Function of Social Systems
Sample Elementary Activities
• Identify different types of families and the different roles within families. Create and present a drama which demonstrates a variety of family structures and roles. PE
• Discuss a social problem such as homelessness or alcohol abuse. Investigate how these social problems could have an impact on students. OE, P
• Write and produce skits depicting appropriate responses when confronted with situations which could lead to inappropriate behavior (e.g., drug/alcohol use, shoplifting, vandalism). PE, OE
• Present an eyewitness newscast in which the reporter interviews Cinderella about how she copes with problems in her family life. PE, P
• Conduct a photo survey of conditions or situations in the community which are in need of attention (e.g., potholes in streets, vacant lots). Send the survey and a letter of explanation to a community leader. PE, OE, P
Applications Across the Curriculum
Variations on a theme: Families
Language Arts
• Dress as one of your grandparents and tell "A Tale My Grandparent Told Me About My Family." Explain the importance of this story to your family. PE, P
Science
• Examine the familial relationships of several different types of animals. Make comparisons between them and human families. Investigate the various roles individuals have in family relationships. OE, P
Mathematics
• Create a chart with suggestions for "How To Be A Good Family Member." Keep track of how many times classmates use the suggestions. Draw conclusions as to why certain suggestions are used more than others. OE, P
Arts and Humanities
• Create a dramatization of "The Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe" which shows the importance of family members helping each other. PE
Practical Living
• Keep a log recording the food your family eats in a week. Indicate any customs or beliefs of your family that influenced dietary choices. P
Vocational Education
• Investigate types of social services that are available to meet the needs of a family when a parent whose income is vital becomes unemployed. OE, P
Sample Middle School Activities
• Critique some older films, television shows, or radio programs in order to detect cultural bias and stereotyping within families from the 1950s and today. OE, P
• Create a picture book for preschool children which would help them cope with a family crisis (e.g., the loss of a pet, birth of a sibling). PE, P
• Establish criteria for responsible group membership. Work in a group and reassess the criteria. PE, P
• Develop a social-service action plan for your school or community (e.g., disaster-preparedness plan for the school). Present the plan to the school council or school board. PE, P
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
• Read a book about adolescents in another culture. Develop a comparative list of problems, issues, and concerns faced by the characters in the book and modem adolescents. Write a scenario which proposes a way of dealing with the problems. OE, P
Science
• Research the impact that various interest groups have had on science-related discoveries, inventions, or cures. Based on your findings, develop a presentation for a real audience which focuses on the ability of citizens to impact on society through group action. OE, P
Mathematics
• Use census data to create graphs of family structures. P
Arts and Humanities
• Read or view the play, Our Town. Create and present your own presentation of a play which accurately represents the social status of various people in your community. PE, OE, P
Practical Living
• Brainstorm to create a list of all of the social groups to which you belong (e.g., school, family, church, government). Write a journal entry which examines your role and status in each of these groups. OE, P
Vocational Education
• Design a flowchart showing the hierarchy of decision making in a local business. Evaluate its effectiveness. PE, P
Sample High School Activities
• Research and investigate the effect of alcoholism on family life in your community. Work to create a support group for people in the community who have experienced the effects of alcoholism. PE
• Develop a chart showing social stratification in the community. Create an action plan to address problems arising from this stratification and present the plan to local community leaders. OE, PE
• Research and investigate the frequency and effect of eating disorders in your school. Work to create a support group for students in the school who are affected by eating disorders. PE, P
• Write a social history (including the daily life of ordinary people) which focuses on a group(s) of people who usually do not receive sufficient emphasis in history textbooks. OE, P
Applications Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
• Investigate incidents of gender bias in your local community. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in which you take a stand on the issue. OE, P
Science
• Research ways in which Science has been used to justify, support, or eliminate prejudice. Draw conclusions about the uses of Science by different societies. OE, P
Mathematics
• Select a topic which deals with an issue of prejudice or bias. Formulate a valid question, collect data, display the results, analyze the data, and draw inferences. PE, OE, P
Arts and Humanities
• Design a poster which attempts to convey an effective anti-prejudice message. PE, P
Practical Living
• Investigate the availability and affordability of health-care services for a variety of social groups in your community. Examine social factors (e.g., prejudice, socioeconomic status) which may have affected the services provided. OE, P
Vocational Education
• Examine hiring practices in Kentucky for several occupations during the 1950s and for comparative occupations today. Determine the effect that prejudice has played in job opportunities. Support or refute affirmative action. OE, P