Oklahoma Academic Standard 2. The student will demonstrate knowledge of basic physical and human geographic concepts. 

Objective 2.4 Identify family customs and traditions as basic elements of culture.

In a Nutshell

The concept of culture can be effectively introduced by encouraging students to share and compare their family’s own customs and traditions, such as food, celebrations, and holidays, which reflect basic elements of culture.  

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Assist students in understanding the elements of culture by describing the communities human environment through the use of simple geographic representations such as photographs. 

• Provide opportunities for students to acquire new academic vocabulary and relate new words to prior knowledge related to the elements of culture. 

• Identify primary sources of information, such as cultural and family artifacts, and gather information about customs and traditions from such sources.

• Identify points of view and give examples of similarities and differences from family customs or traditions. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• traditions, family
• cultural elements such as language, dress, food 

• The concept of culture may seem unattainable with this age group; however, examining similarities in family customs, foods, languages, etc. can help students begin to understand the concept as one way that individuals can be identified as belonging to a group. 

Instructional Resources

Access suggested instructional resources correlated to learning standard and objective.