Antisectarian

Culture and difference

Culture and Difference (for secondary age)

Culture is a system of behaviours and beliefs passed from one generation to the next. The rules, language, religion, family systems, recreation and education that a group of people shares provide predictability and safety in their daily lives. They understand each other and the world around them has meaning.

(NB: To ensure children do not sidestep issues of sectarianism or religious intolerance, try to focus on the cultural differences due to religion and belief. In particular, consider discussing negative cultures which is where we become fearful or suspicious of 'the other'.)

Purposes of the curriculum 3-18 

This lesson contributes toward young people becoming:

  • successful learners able to make reasoned evaluations
  • confident individuals with secure values and beliefs,  able to relate to others and be self aware
  • responsible citizens able to understand different beliefs and cultures

Time:

40 minutes

Materials:

Copies of the 'Culture and Difference'

PDF icon PDF file: worksheet

Objectives:

Children will be able to define culture and recognise that some differences between people come from culture and some from personal traits and preferences. (Culture is a complex idea and teachers should have examples of cultural differences ready to help understanding.)

The session:

Write the following statements on the board:

  • No one is exactly the same as me.
  • I have many things in common with members of my family and my community.
  • Everyone in the world needs some of the same things I need.

Ask individuals to share their ideas that support these statements.

Point out that people in various groups often look at people in other groups as different.

Ask children to describe some of these differences. Why do people in one group behave differently from people in another group?

Explain that many differences are related to culture - ways of living, superstitions and beliefs passed down the generations, e.g. ceremonies for coming of age, birth and death rituals.

Working from the statements on the board, explain that:

  • Each individual has unique talents and preferences (giving examples)
  • Each of us learns a set of behaviours and beliefs from the people we grow up with (giving examples)
  • All people share basic needs (giving examples)
  • Explain that when we are talking about a set of behaviours and beliefs that a group of people has in common, we are talking about culture.

Ask children to complete the worksheet to help them explore and identify aspects of their own culture. They should answer each question, then rank each item as to how important they feel it is to their culture.

After completing the worksheet, ask the class (in small groups) to compare and contrast various aspects of their individual cultures.

In many schools children may share many cultural traits. Ask if there is one Scottish culture. Discuss characteristics of your area that might explain the similarities and differences among individual responses to the worksheet (e.g. geographic location and migration, range of religions and beliefs within your area - the Census data on this site, click here for help).

Evaluation:

Ask the class:

  • How does it feel to know you are part of a cultural group that shares many ideas and beliefs?
  • Does culture help to explain why other people sometimes seem different?
  • What are some things that you do that you learned from your culture?
  • What if you were part of another culture - how might you be different from the way you are now?
  • Are all of our behaviours related to culture or are some related to individual preferences and personality traits?
  • How can we use what we've learnt today to improve our community?