Lesson Plan

Today and Yesterday:  Comparing Cultures

Children work with a park ranger at a picnic table to clean and identify artifacts
Grade Level:
Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:
Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
30 Minutes
State Standards:
Ohio Standards 3. ESS.2, HS.3.3, GS.3.5, HS.5.2, GS.5.7, GS.5.8, GS.5.10
Thinking Skills:
Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.

Essential Question

● What are some basic needs that we all need to survive?
● How was life different in the past compared to how we live now?

Objective

1. Students will be able to understand that the basic needs for survival are the same between the past and present
2. Students will be able to compare and contrast artifacts from the past to present day tools and objects based on the function of the artifact
3. Students will be able to identify different materials used for objects between the past and present and why those material differ over time

Background

This lesson builds off of information contained in the “Prehistoric Ohio” reading regarding the lifeways of the People everywhere have several basic needs which must be met such as the need for food, water, shelter, clothing, shelter, transportation, and other people. We need to satisfy these needs in order to survive. Not every culture or group of people satisfies these needs the exact same way, which makes every culture unique and contributes to cultural diversity.

When comparing cultures we tend to focus on differences rather than similarities, especially when comparing cultures in the past to present day cultures. Past cultures are usually considered primitive or far less advanced than we are today. This is not exactly true. Past cultures had the same understanding, knowledge, and ability to change their world as we do today, they just did things a bit differently.

In this lesson we will compare some of the tools that the Hopewell used to satisfy their needs to the ones we use to satisfy our needs today. We will also talk a bit about why the tools in past might serve the same function as present day tools but are made from different materials. In the end we will learn that people in the past were not too different than we are now they had the same basic needs in life but were living in a different time and environment
 

Preparation

  • Printouts or booklets of the “Prehistoric Ohio” reading
  • Printouts or projections of the images in the “Resources” packet
  • "Basic Needs" worksheet
  • "Comparing Cultures" worksheet
  • Pens and pencils

Materials

This worksheet can be used for younger children or in place of the Comparing Cultures Worksheet. There are three columns: 1) basic needs, 2) You, 3) Hopewell – 2,000 years ago. There are four rows that correspond to basic needs: 1) food, 2) shelter, 3) Sites, 4) clothing. These columns and rows will be filled in at each phase of the discussion and can be used as a reference when comparing our culture to the Hopewell. This is a sample completed table but students may choose to organize theirs differently.

Download Basic Needs Worksheet - Teacher

This worksheet can be used for younger children or in place of the Comparing Cultures Worksheet. There are three columns: 1) basic needs, 2) You, 3) Hopewell – 2,000 years ago. There are four rows that correspond to basic needs: 1) food, 2) shelter, 3) Sites, 4) clothing. These columns and rows will be filled in at each phase of the discussion and can be used as a reference when comparing our culture to the Hopewell.

Download Basic Needs Worksheet - Student

This worksheet helps guide the discussion. There are three columns: 1) basic needs, 2) Today, 3) Hopewell Period – 2,000 years ago. There are four rows that correspond to basic needs (i.e. Food and Shelter, Protection from the Elements, Belief Systems, and Entertainment). These columns and rows will be filled in at each phase of the discussion and can be used as a reference when comparing our culture to the Hopewell culture. This is a sample completed table but students may choose to organize theirs differently.

Download Comparing Cultures Worksheet - Teacher

This worksheet helps guide the discussion. There are three columns: 1) basic needs, 2) Today, 3) Hopewell Period – 2,000 years ago. There are four rows that correspond to basic needs (i.e. Food and Shelter, Protection from the Elements, Belief Systems, and Entertainment). These columns and rows will be filled in at each phase of the discussion and can be used as a reference when comparing our culture to the Hopewell culture.

Download Comparing Cultures Worksheet - Student

Procedure

This lesson plan can be used in a full classroom setting or as group work.

  1. Read the Prehistoric Ohio reading together as a class prior to the activity
  2. Start a conversation about some of the basic things we all need to survive (i.e. food, shelter, clothing, etc.). Start by asking the group this question. Get at least food, shelter, and clothing but introduce religion/belief systems and entertainment. Use worksheet to guide your discussion. Fill in the Basic Needs column of the
  3. Discuss some of the ways we satisfy these needs today (i.e. food from grocery store, clothing from Target, shelter from houses made of brick or frame houses). Fill these items in on the Today column of the worksheet in the row that corresponds to the need these items satisfy.
  4. Talk about some of the ways the Hopewell would have satisfied these needs from the natural environment (i.e. animal skins, nuts, berries, etc.), Fill this in on the Hopewell section of the worksheet in the row that corresponds to the need it satisfies.
  5. Discuss the differences and similarities between our lifestyle today and the practices of the Hopewell 2,000 years ago. You may choose to discuss whether or not the Hopewell were more “low tech” than us today or inferior, make sure to talk about how they are not but just chose to satisfy their needs in a different way.

Vocabulary

  • archeology - the scientific study of the life and culture of past people through the excavation and examination of their settlements, relics, and artifacts. An archeologist is a scientist who studies practices of this field.
  • archeological sites - the physical remains of the past that can be studied by archeologists to answer questions about history and prehistory. Archeological sites may be building ruins, trash heaps, habitation sites, or ceremonial sites.
  • culture - behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, products of human work and thought typical of a group or population.
  • cultural diversity - the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society.
  • resources - a supply of materials that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively.

Assessment Materials

Assessment

Students will be assessed by turning in their worksheet at the end of the activity and their ability to compare and contrast the different cultures. The goal is to help students understand that the Hopewell, prehistoric American Indians, had the same needs we do today but had to do things differently. Additional questions could be asked such as: Why did the Hopewell have different ways of satisfying their needs? How would you satisfy these needs 2,000 years ago?
 

Contact Information

Email us about this lesson plan

Tags: social studies lesson plan hopewell culture education prehistory past and present food shelter clothing life american indian history and culture

Last updated: July 28, 2021