Students consider the elements of a culture and then look specifically at some of these elements in France. Then they work in groups to research some of the cultural elements in an assigned Western European country. Finally, students explain the cultural elements of their own community.
Students are introduced to the experience focus on Western European culture and the lesson objective. They view an image of the Grand Palace in Paris and respond to a prompt on a class wall about what types of things they would want to experience when visiting another country, focusing on broad categories such as food, buildings, activities, and events.
Teacher MovesPreview the overall flow of the experience, including upcoming small-group work and country assignments. Review the objective with students. Lead a discussion of wall responses, highlighting examples such as local food, important buildings or sites, sports or outdoor activities, museums, and musical events, and explain that these are all elements of a country’s culture. Emphasize that students will explore cultural elements across Western Europe in the rest of the lesson.
Students view an image of French macarons and watch Destination: France to see examples of French cultural elements such as architecture, food, art, and landscape. Using the internet, they then research one French cultural feature (for example, food, holidays, sports, or literature) and post a brief summary of what they find on a class wall. As a class, they discuss and compare the different aspects of French culture they discovered.
Teacher MovesPrompt students to focus on specific cultural categories as they watch the video and conduct their brief research. Monitor wall posts and guide a whole-class discussion that draws connections among students’ findings and reinforces the idea of culture as including architecture, food, arts, sports, holidays, and other traditions. Before moving on, organize students into small groups and assign each group one Western European country (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, or Austria), ensuring that each country is represented.
Working in their assigned small groups, students research the culture of their designated Western European country using the internet. They collaboratively write a script for an informational video modeled on the earlier France example, ensuring it includes multiple cultural elements such as architecture, food, artists, writers, sports, and holidays. A designated note taker posts the group’s script to a shared wall. Students then read other groups’ scripts and discuss similarities and differences among the countries’ cultures.
Teacher MovesClarify expectations for the group research and script, emphasizing inclusion of a range of cultural elements and clear, organized information. Circulate to support research, help students locate reliable sources, and prompt them to explain why selected examples are culturally significant. After scripts are posted, provide time for groups to review and discuss each other’s work, facilitating whole-class conversation about patterns and contrasts across Western European cultures. Encourage interested groups to develop their scripts into full videos or slide presentations.
Individually, students imagine hosting a visitor from another country in their own town. On a class wall, they list places, activities, and experiences that would best reflect the culture of their community and explain why each is an important cultural element. They then read classmates’ posts and respond to at least two with a question or a positive, constructive comment.
Teacher MovesPrompt students to connect what they learned about Western European cultures to their own community by considering local food, landmarks, events, arts, sports, and traditions. Encourage thoughtful explanations of why each example represents local culture. Monitor online interactions, guiding students to ask meaningful questions and offer respectful, specific feedback that deepens understanding of how culture shapes different communities.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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