Tag Archives: cultural literacy

Cultural Literacy: Ugly American

Although I never read the book, my travels abroad gave me an instinctual undersanding of the Ugly American as a type. Our students may have not had such a chance to learn about his first hand: for them, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the concept of the “Ugly American.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “Bang, Bang!”

Here is a complete lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “Bang, Bang!”

This Cultural Literacy worksheet on the historical idiom “Let Them Eat Cake” opens this lesson. This PDF of illustration, reading and questions, scanned directly from the Crime and Puzzlement book, drives the lesson. Finally, here is the typescript of the answer key to solve this heinous crime.   

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

It’s probably safe say that because demand is low for this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Latinism Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (“Thus passes away the glory of the world”) that it constitutes an adequate supply. The turn of the year seems like as good a time as any to post it, I guess.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, December 20, 2019: A Lesson Plan on the Demonstrative Adjective

Tomorrow is the winter solstice; the day sure seems to come up fast this year. After tomorrow, the days will begin to lengthen, which means warmer weather and more light is on the way. And who doesn’t want that? I like a few deep, dark winter nights, but a little, in the end, goes a long way.

This week’s Text, the last of 2019, is a lesson plan on the demonstrative adjective. I open this lesson with this Everyday Edit on worksheet on “Edison’s First Movie Set” (and if you and your students like working with Everyday Edit worksheets, the good folks at Education World give away a year’s supply of them under that hyperlink). If the lesson runs into a second day, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on slang. Finally, here is the scaffolded worksheet on the demonstrative adjectives that is the gravamen of this unit.

That’s it. Happy Hanukkah, Happy, Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’ll be back on Friday, January 3 with the first Weekly Text for 2020.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Short-Term Memory

Moving right along on this frigid morning (two degrees when I left my building at 6:03 a.m.), here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on short-term memory.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Pyrrhic Victory

Because it is a metaphor that remains in common use in the United States, particularly in good journalism, I think this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the term Pyrrhic victory and the concept it represents could find a place in the high school classroom.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

A Lesson Plan on the Sciences as a Cause of History

Here is a lesson plan on the sciences as a cause of history. I used this Cultural Literacy worksheet on class (i.e. social class) to open this lesson. Finally, here is the combination worksheet and note-taking blank that students use for this brainstorming and discussion lesson on how the sciences influence the process of history.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: The Quality of Mercy

OK, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Portia’s “Quality of Mercy” speech from The Merchant of Venice. I did find it interesting, when I went to check my recall of the character in the play who gave the speech (I’ve only seen the play once), and searched for “who gives the quality of mercy speech in the merchant of venice,” what I got as far as “who gives” and Google auto-filled with “a crap.”

Such cynical times we live in!

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

A Lesson Plan on the Crime and Puzzlement Case “Wedding Day”

This lesson plan on the Crime and Puzzlement case “Wedding Day” is the finale of the first of three units I wrote to accompany this material; believe it or not, I have 48 more of these lessons to post.

To teach this lesson, I generally start, after the meshugaas of a class change, with this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the American idiom “Get Someone’s Goat.” You’ll need this PDF of the illustration and narrative of the case of the “Wedding Day” to guide students through it. Finally, here is the typescript of the answer key that solves the case.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Rites of Passage

Alright: like Dwight Yoakam, I feel like I’m a thousand miles from nowhere this morning.

And here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on rites of passage. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several places where this would fit into either the English or social studies curriculum.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.