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People learn culture. That, we suggest, is culture's essential feature. Many qualities of human life are transmitted genetically -- an infant's desire for food, for example, is triggered by physiological characteristics determined within the human genetic code. An adult's specific desire for milk and cereal in the morning, on the other hand, cannot be explained genetically; rather, it is a learned (cultural) response to morning hunger. Culture, as a body of learned behaviors common to a given human society, acts rather like a template (ie. it has predictable form and content), shaping behavior and consciousness within a human society from generation to generation. So culture resides in all learned behavior and in some shaping template or consciousness prior to behavior as well (that is, a "cultural template" can be in place prior to the birth of an individual person).

The world is a colorful landscape of different languages, skin colors, and different cultures. It's important to develop an appreciation for different cultures in order to become a well-rounded person who is sensitive to the unique qualities of others. One way to develop this appreciation is to try to learn about other cultures around the world.

Anthropologists learn about the culture of another society through fieldwork and first hand observation in that society. This kind of research is called ethnography . Since culture primarily relates to the way people interact with each other, it is not possible to adequately observe it in a laboratory setting. Imagine how much more would be learned about the actual patterns of interaction of a typical American family by living in their home rather than asking one of the family members in a college or university office.

I found this doing a search for cultural stories and think it might be useful to use as a framework to our PBL. This is a very detailed unit about storytelling done in a PBL format. It shares how storytelling is a universal way to communicate and includes stories from Alaska, Hawaii, Mass., and Mississippi. It outlines learning experiences, assessment ideas, desired results/understandings, worksheets, and essential questions. Although it is meant for 6-8 grades, I think we could still get ideas to help us plan backwards. Plus, folktales are examples of stories.

Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future - Albert Camus Culture is an integral part of every society. It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life. Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together. In the explicit sense of the term, culture constitutes the music, food, arts and literature of a society. However, these are only the products of culture followed by the society and cannot be defined as culture. According to English Anthropologist Edward B Taylor, culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Educators do not believe that all learners are the same. Yet visits to schools throughout the world might convince us otherwise. Too often, educators continue to treat all learners alike while paying lip service to the principle of diversity.

This PowerPoint provides a comprehensive overview of Folktales as a literary genre.

Jen has collected some great resources for our reference.

This wiki and group project is a great exemplar of an elementary level PBL. This project was the one we discussed during last night's Skype meeting.

Folktales global project from iEARN.

from Live Binders: collection of links to a variety of online story tools

Features & Benefits Large library of vividly illustrated books online Increases enthusiasm for reading and learning Improves literacy and reading comprehension Saves time and money over print books Use in a media lab, classroom or at home Use on interactive whiteboards or computers Use for individual or group reading Comes with quizzes, reading logs, and more Easy to find, organize, and share books... 24x7