Social Studies – Grade 10 Close this window
  What's this?

Enhancing Cultural Identities

Recommend a set of proposals to enhance the cultural identities of identified groups in response to particular challenges and opportunities presented by globalization.


Outcomes References Related Resources

Suggested Activities

Students learn how groups might respond to the challenges and opportunities of globalization by formulating proposals to enhance the cultural identities of groups.

Examine strategies to promote cultural identity
If students have completed activities in Globalization and Cultural Identities (Critical Challenge), they might select issues that emerged from their investigation of Canada's founding nations (i.e., English and French), First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples or of other cultural groups (see References).

If students have not completed the activities in Globalization and Cultural Identities (Critical Challenge), invite them to identify a current issue in the news dealing with linguistic and cultural promotion; e.g., a local First Nations school implementing Cree language instruction; a community group using the Internet to connect with distant groups and resources to revitalize local traditions.

Ask students to examine strategies that groups use to promote cultural and linguistic interests. This is an excellent opportunity for students to explore Aboriginal issues as they relate to language and culture (see References).

Below is a list of topics that you may want students to consider researching to explore strategies:

Topics

  • language laws
  • linguistic rights
  • cultural content legislation
  • cultural revitalization
  • linguistic revitalization.

To meet the diverse needs of learners, consider reducing the number of topics.

Research strategies
Form small groups to research a case study in which an identified group used one or more of the strategies to respond to the effects of globalization. Ask students to define the situation facing the identified group (Who, What, Where, When, Why) and explain how the situations were addressed. Encourage students to identify both opportunities and challenges that globalization presented.

You may want to adapt one of the charts in Reporter's Log (Support Material) to structure and assess students' investigations of strategies.

Proposal for additional strategies
Encourage students to propose additional strategies that could help the identified group realize the opportunities of globalization and reduce the challenges. Direct students to examine the pros and cons of each possible strategy.

You may want to adapt the charts in Investigating a Problem (Support Material) to structure and assess this activity.

Defend effectiveness of strategies
Encourage students, individually or in groups, to select at least two strategies to defend–one that takes advantages of the opportunities of globalization and another that directly reduces the challenges of globalization. Ask students to explain why their proposed strategies are better, i.e., realistic and likely to be more effective, than the other options.

You may want to adapt the charts in Justifying My Choice (Support Material) to structure and assess this activity.

Give feedback on strategies (Gallery Walk)
Arrange for students to present their ideas to the class or to post their proposals around the room for a Gallery Walk. In a Gallery Walk, each student moves around the room to read each proposal. Using sticky notes notes, students may ask for clarification, suggest revisions or point out features they want to praise in the proposals.

Revise proposals
Encourage students to revise their proposals based on feedback from their peers.

Share revised proposals
After revising the proposals, encourage students to report to the class the major changes they made with an explanation of why they made the changes.

Last updated: May 30, 2008 | (Revision History)
Copyright | Feedback
Back to top