Help make these 14-yr-olds worldy!
May 6, 2010 8:05 AM
What are some short questions that will assess 9th graders' knowledge on differences in culture?
My brother is a 9th grade English teacher in rural Tennessee. In the last few days of the school year, he is taking a step back from Mary Shelley and Harper Lee and is instead having a week-long discussion with his students on differences in culture.
From his email: "Growing up in rural middle Tennessee, most of them don't know much about the world or disciplines other than farming...What I want to do is create a test they can take. The items on the test will be assessments of how much they know about other disciplines and cultures, and when we go over the test, we can talk about them. These questions can be silly or serious, philosophical or mundane...Here are a few examples:
What is a 1up? (answer: how to earn an extra try in a video game)
What is the holy book of Islam? (answer: Qur'an)"
My only contribution so far: Name the Ninja Turtles, then cite a famous work by each of the artists on which they are based.
Does anyone have any more thought-provoking questions?
My brother is a 9th grade English teacher in rural Tennessee. In the last few days of the school year, he is taking a step back from Mary Shelley and Harper Lee and is instead having a week-long discussion with his students on differences in culture.
From his email: "Growing up in rural middle Tennessee, most of them don't know much about the world or disciplines other than farming...What I want to do is create a test they can take. The items on the test will be assessments of how much they know about other disciplines and cultures, and when we go over the test, we can talk about them. These questions can be silly or serious, philosophical or mundane...Here are a few examples:
What is a 1up? (answer: how to earn an extra try in a video game)
What is the holy book of Islam? (answer: Qur'an)"
My only contribution so far: Name the Ninja Turtles, then cite a famous work by each of the artists on which they are based.
Does anyone have any more thought-provoking questions?
What is the major difference between Christianity and Judaism. (That would be Judaism's lack of belief in Jesus as the messiah, for those keeping score.)
What is a subway train?
Where were French Fries invented? (Belgium)
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:24 AM on May 6, 2010
What is a subway train?
Where were French Fries invented? (Belgium)
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:24 AM on May 6, 2010
Before I list these it's important to state my theory of quizzes gathered from much pub-quiz setting: most people should get 50%, and quizzes should be fun. Therefore, I think that every quiz should have some really easy questions, and some practical ones.
Which world religions share a god with Christianity?
Name n countries in Africa/Asia/South America/Europe (you can set N for yourself - I'd go for 5 or 10 but that bar might be too high for rural Tennessee).
Where was pizza invented? What are the main ingredients?
Who painted the Mona Lisa? (bonus question: draw it)
Name the planets in our solar system.
It's nice to do something engineeringy as a break (build a spaghetti tower over 1m high that can hold the weight of an orange, for example; or build a bridge between two tables; or using empty bottles and water play the national anthem).
posted by handee at 8:35 AM on May 6, 2010
Which world religions share a god with Christianity?
Name n countries in Africa/Asia/South America/Europe (you can set N for yourself - I'd go for 5 or 10 but that bar might be too high for rural Tennessee).
Where was pizza invented? What are the main ingredients?
Who painted the Mona Lisa? (bonus question: draw it)
Name the planets in our solar system.
It's nice to do something engineeringy as a break (build a spaghetti tower over 1m high that can hold the weight of an orange, for example; or build a bridge between two tables; or using empty bottles and water play the national anthem).
posted by handee at 8:35 AM on May 6, 2010
Where can you see the Parthenon?
Who celebrates Kwanzaa/Hannukah/Ramadan/Diwali?
Also, speaking as a graduate student in cultural anthropology, I think this is an awesome idea! :)
posted by torisaur at 8:40 AM on May 6, 2010
Who celebrates Kwanzaa/Hannukah/Ramadan/Diwali?
Also, speaking as a graduate student in cultural anthropology, I think this is an awesome idea! :)
posted by torisaur at 8:40 AM on May 6, 2010
A matching question, "match the (famous) public transportation to the city or country".
Underground - London
Subway - New York
L - Chicago
Shinkansen - Japan
posted by anaelith at 8:55 AM on May 6, 2010
Underground - London
Subway - New York
L - Chicago
Shinkansen - Japan
posted by anaelith at 8:55 AM on May 6, 2010
A few questions could ask for the locations of certain landmarks: In what country is...
...the Eiffel Tower?
...Machu Picchu?
...the Colosseum?
...Uluru?
...Stonehenge?
...Burj Khalifa?
...Mount Everest?
...the Forbidden City?
...the Great Sphinx?
...the Taj Mahal?
...Dollywood? (just kidding)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:01 AM on May 6, 2010
...the Eiffel Tower?
...Machu Picchu?
...the Colosseum?
...Uluru?
...Stonehenge?
...Burj Khalifa?
...Mount Everest?
...the Forbidden City?
...the Great Sphinx?
...the Taj Mahal?
...Dollywood? (just kidding)
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 9:01 AM on May 6, 2010
Where can you see the Parthenon?
Everybody knows that; just up the road in Nashville!
Seriously though, would it be possible to introduce some culture locally? My brother and I grew up in rural middle Tennessee and we both ended up in the State Department! MTSU, Vandy, Fisk, Sewanee or other local universities might have resources he could tap into. He could even get some foreign students to come and speak to his class every once and a while about their homelands.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:18 AM on May 6, 2010
Everybody knows that; just up the road in Nashville!
Seriously though, would it be possible to introduce some culture locally? My brother and I grew up in rural middle Tennessee and we both ended up in the State Department! MTSU, Vandy, Fisk, Sewanee or other local universities might have resources he could tap into. He could even get some foreign students to come and speak to his class every once and a while about their homelands.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:18 AM on May 6, 2010
What is Bollywood?
Which culture practiced footbinding for almost 1000 years? (This one can spark a great discussion about cultural standards of beauty that'll go on for hours, as long as you bring some graphic pictures for them.)
What's the largest city in the world? (It's either Shanghai or Tokyo, depending on your definition of "city.")
What animals are sacred in Hinduism? (Cows and monkeys.)
What is nirvana? (They probably won't know the band or the Buddhist concept!)
Match the hamburger to the restaurant that sells it (Whopper, Big Mac, Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Six Dollar Burger, etc.)
Finish the pop music lyric. It doesn't really matter which one. Or you could play just a segment of the song and ask them to identify it.
This will depend on the culture in the area, but I bet they'll get a kick out of realizing they probably have various ad jingles/catchphrases memorized without even trying just by hearing it on the radio/tv. They could match the slogan to the product, or finish the jingle, etc.
Where can you go each year to celebrate Carnival?
posted by lilac girl at 9:25 AM on May 6, 2010
Which culture practiced footbinding for almost 1000 years? (This one can spark a great discussion about cultural standards of beauty that'll go on for hours, as long as you bring some graphic pictures for them.)
What's the largest city in the world? (It's either Shanghai or Tokyo, depending on your definition of "city.")
What animals are sacred in Hinduism? (Cows and monkeys.)
What is nirvana? (They probably won't know the band or the Buddhist concept!)
Match the hamburger to the restaurant that sells it (Whopper, Big Mac, Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Six Dollar Burger, etc.)
Finish the pop music lyric. It doesn't really matter which one. Or you could play just a segment of the song and ask them to identify it.
This will depend on the culture in the area, but I bet they'll get a kick out of realizing they probably have various ad jingles/catchphrases memorized without even trying just by hearing it on the radio/tv. They could match the slogan to the product, or finish the jingle, etc.
Where can you go each year to celebrate Carnival?
posted by lilac girl at 9:25 AM on May 6, 2010
Oh, ooh! You could also show them pictures of famous people and ask for their names. Several times during my student teaching this semester students asked me, quite seriously, who this guy was and I almost died.
posted by lilac girl at 9:27 AM on May 6, 2010
posted by lilac girl at 9:27 AM on May 6, 2010
Great ideas, folks! I'll be sure to pass the page onto my brother. Thanks! (And keep em coming!)
posted by robstercraw at 9:45 AM on May 6, 2010
posted by robstercraw at 9:45 AM on May 6, 2010
What culture are you from?
How is your culture different from another?
posted by Think_Long at 9:54 AM on May 6, 2010
How is your culture different from another?
posted by Think_Long at 9:54 AM on May 6, 2010
These are great ideas. I immediately thought of this blog, since it's about school lunches and could be an "aha" for the kids, i.e., "what do kids in other countries eat for lunch?" http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/
posted by MichelleinMD at 10:44 AM on May 6, 2010
posted by MichelleinMD at 10:44 AM on May 6, 2010
Match photos of global lanmarks with their native-language names (e.g., a picture of the Eiffel Tower and the name "Tour Eiffel").
Ask if anyomne knows of cultures where you get your mom's last name as your surname or otherwise trace your family roots through her instead of your dad. Use the remainder of the class to explain why matrilineal society isn't as weird as they think.
List the words for the numbers one through ten in several languages. Ask the students to sort them by language, and put them in order for extra credit. Follow up with the names of the week.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:51 AM on May 6, 2010
Ask if anyomne knows of cultures where you get your mom's last name as your surname or otherwise trace your family roots through her instead of your dad. Use the remainder of the class to explain why matrilineal society isn't as weird as they think.
List the words for the numbers one through ten in several languages. Ask the students to sort them by language, and put them in order for extra credit. Follow up with the names of the week.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:51 AM on May 6, 2010
Your brother could include some questions that highlight cultural differences in what is polite or impolite.
For example:
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:31 PM on May 6, 2010
For example:
- In some countries (e.g. Egypt, India), you must use only your right hand for eating or passing dishes at the table. The left hand is considered unclean.
- In Thailand, it's considered very offensive to touch someone on the head; therefore, patting little kids on the head is not seen as affectionate--it's considered very rude.
- In many Asian countries (e.g. Japan), you must remove your shoes when entering someone's home.
- In some countries (e.g. Brazil, Greece), the OK sign is a vulgar gesture, like giving someone the finger in North America. The same is true of the thumbs-up sign.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:31 PM on May 6, 2010
1. What would you order at a McDonalds in India? (meatless burgers - discussion on sacredness of cows to Hindus)
2. If you're watching a football game in Argentina, what shape is the ball? (discussion on popularity of football and baseball versus soccer in the rest of the world)
3. When you eat at home, you use a fork. What utensils do kids use in Japan? In India? In Thailand? (a: Japan - chopsticks. India - mostly hands, and only right hand. Thailand - *not* chopsticks, they use fork and spoon.)
4. You wear t-shirts and jeans to school. What do teenagers wear to school in Australia? (mandatory school uniforms)
5. What language is the most spoken in the world? (really, it's not English??)
posted by cranberryskies at 3:49 PM on May 6, 2010
2. If you're watching a football game in Argentina, what shape is the ball? (discussion on popularity of football and baseball versus soccer in the rest of the world)
3. When you eat at home, you use a fork. What utensils do kids use in Japan? In India? In Thailand? (a: Japan - chopsticks. India - mostly hands, and only right hand. Thailand - *not* chopsticks, they use fork and spoon.)
4. You wear t-shirts and jeans to school. What do teenagers wear to school in Australia? (mandatory school uniforms)
5. What language is the most spoken in the world? (really, it's not English??)
posted by cranberryskies at 3:49 PM on May 6, 2010
He could even get some foreign students to come and speak to his class every once and a while about their homelands.
THIS! I lived in Japan, where this is a Big Thing for the rather-hinterlands and the techy-suburbs alike. For people who have never met a foreigner, it's really neat to learn about the country and have some positive interaction with someone they can relate to by age/interest. (For the students, it was language practice, a paid-for day-trip, and a $50-100 stipend).
(I love your turtle question, and I like the quiz idea, yet I worry that some of these are almost insultingly easy. But maybe I really don't know the rural US... or maybe you're aiming for more of a bar-trivia format where the easy and silly work well.)
posted by whatzit at 12:02 AM on May 8, 2010
THIS! I lived in Japan, where this is a Big Thing for the rather-hinterlands and the techy-suburbs alike. For people who have never met a foreigner, it's really neat to learn about the country and have some positive interaction with someone they can relate to by age/interest. (For the students, it was language practice, a paid-for day-trip, and a $50-100 stipend).
(I love your turtle question, and I like the quiz idea, yet I worry that some of these are almost insultingly easy. But maybe I really don't know the rural US... or maybe you're aiming for more of a bar-trivia format where the easy and silly work well.)
posted by whatzit at 12:02 AM on May 8, 2010
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posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:21 AM on May 6, 2010