Vanishing Cultures Series

Ten Themes of Social Studies (NCSS Standards)

Theme 1: Culture

The Vanishing Cultures series explores indigenous cultures around the world. This series relates directly to learning about different cultures and the importance of cultural diversity. Through the Vanishing Cultures series, children can familiarize themselves with the cultures home country geography and the specific cultural practices of that culture. They can also become aware of the challenges and social issues these Vanishing Cultures face.

Theme 2: Time, Continuity and Change

Each of these cultures has been around for centuries. All of them still practice some of the same activities as their ancestors. Their lives are inextricably tied to ancient ways of life and ancient traditions. History is ongoing and Vanishing Cultures explores how the ways of our forbearers shapes the landscape and life styles of people today.

Theme 3: People, Places and Environments

Each of the seven books in the Vanishing Cultures series includes a world map and a shaded area where the specific culture can be found. By first studying these maps, children can not only familiarize themselves with world geography but also the geography of six of the seven continents. Reynolds includes close up maps of the continent and environmental terrain that can be found there. As Reynolds emphasizes in the opening paragraphs, we as humans are connected to our land. We should all take lessons from these cultures on how they treat the environment.

Theme 4: Individual Development and Identity

Each book explores the actual life and daily practices of a child within the culture. Their own identity and development is laid out by showing the chores they do and the games they play. An American child can see the similarities they share with these children, through the games they play and the things they do with their family. We are not that different after all.

Theme 5: Individuals, groups and institutions

An individual culture is itself an institution. The cultural practices shape the way an individual grows up and perceives the world. Just as we are formed by how our parents raise us or what religion we adhere to, so too are these people formed by their spiritual believes and practices. We can learn a lot from how they live their daily lives.

Theme 6: Power, Authority and Governance

In reading the Vanishing Cultures series the class should spend time learning about the politics of the continent or country these cultures originate from. That way they can further understand how their practices and lives have been forced to change. Each culture itself also has their own hierarchical system based on gender or age. Those who hold more authority organize how the culture is run and maintained.

Theme 7: Production, distribution and governance

Each of the Vanishing Cultures has to provide for themselves by using what the land gives them. We can learn a lot about sustainability by exploring how they farm or hunt or herd. Our way of life is impeding on theirs and as members of the human family we have a responsibility to see that these ways of food distribution and livelihood do not end.

Theme 8: Science, Technology and Society

The Vanishing Cultures series emphasizes how advances in technology and modernization have changed the way these cultures survive. These cultures are vanishing in part because of advances in technology but also because of the world’s neglect.

Theme 9: Global Connections

One of the many goals behind Vanishing Cultures is to create an awareness of our interconnectedness. Automobiles and roads have taken resources and livelihoods from most of these seven cultures. While these issues may seem distant and foreign they directly relate to us.

Theme 10: Civic Ideals and practices

In exploring civics we can teach ourselves how to be effective citizens of the world and how to help our brothers and sisters around the world.

Activities: Vanishing Cultures

Amazon Basin

Environment/earth sciences: study the Amazon Rainforest before reading the book flora and fauna that can be found there, seasons…environmental issues today

Geography: learn about general geography of South America coloring a map of South America highlighting where the Yanomama live

Read book…after reading:

Reading comprehension:

-Vocabulary (word searches, crossword puzzles

Plantains, heris, machete, kapok, deer, tapir, shaponos, wayumi, shaman, rasha,

-short answer questions for discussion what kind of food do the Yanomama eat

What are their houses made of?

What chores does Tuwenowa perform? What chores do you perform?

How do Tuwenowa and his family find food? What do they eat?

Explain the fishing process

What do they do for fun?

-short essay writing: Explain the significance of the jungle to the Yanomama?

Significance of dancing

Compare/contrast funerals

Art activities paint faces, make dye from natural ingredients

Social justice: human rights to the land

Environmental issues: maybe get the kids involved in local or international/national rainforest movements

Sahara

Geography: Where is the Sahara? What can you find there? People, animals, plants, struggles

Environment: Desert studies

Read the book…after:

Vocabulary

Hoggar Mountains, Blue men, couscous, hobbles, dates, atai

Short questions

How do the Tuareg live? How do they make a living?

What kind of items do they trade?

What do they eat?

What are their homes made of?

Why is their way of life disappearing?

What do the men wear?

How does Manda help his father?

Short essays

What does matriarchal mean? What do you think of this?

Coming of age? (veil)

What is trading?

What is the significance of the camel racing?

Art Activities cooking/eating (couscous, dates, atai)

-rock carving

Social Justice

Environmental Issues

Down Under: Australia

Geography of Australia history of colonization (aborigines)

Environment:

Vocabulary

Walkabout, dreamtime, string bark, bandicoot, carpet snake, boar, malaki, mangrove worms, crocodiles

Short questions

How do they make their homes?

How do they get water?

What do they eat?

Where does Amprenula and her family play?

Short essays

What is dreamtime? Why is the land so important to the Tiwi

Why do they burn the land? What are its benefits

Activities

Dreaming dance, basket making, pole carving (make a small spirit pole from someone you know that has died)

Social Justice

Environmental issues

Mongolia

Geography: Asia, Mongolia bordering countries etc, basics

Environment: high mountains, grassland, desert

Vocabulary

Gers, cows, goats, sheep, aaruul, koumiss

Short Questions

How do they make a living?

What are their houses like? Compare to other cultures

What is their connection to their horses?

Describe a typical day

When are the cows milked?

What do they do with dried dung?

Name all the different animals the Mongolians live with?

Short essays

Describe the celebration at the end of the book

Art activities mock celebration

Social Justice

Frozen Land The Inuit

Geography: North America, etc History

Environment: Hudson Bay, tundra, snow

Vocabulary: Inuit, Igloos, caribou, tuktu, paniq, inuksuk, ulu, Ptarmigan, hare, sastrugi, Kaylauzak

Short Questions

Explain the fishing process

What is life spirit

How do you build and igloo?

Describe the Kaylauzak

Short Essay

When did their way of life begin to change and why?

Explain the Inuit’s connection to the caribou?

Activities

Learn traditional songs, build an igloo if wintertime!

Himalaya

Geography: Asia, Himalayas Watch movie first! Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan

Environment: Himalaya highest mountains, rocky etc

Vocabulary: Sherpas, Tibetans, yaks, Namche Bazaar, chia, lowland, highlands, rupees, monastery, monks, Lama, Mani Rimdu, Namaste

Short Questions

What do they make their houses out of?

How do these people make a living? What do they trade?

Daily chores?

What do the Sherpas do?

How do the yaks help?

Short Essays

What is the significance of the prayer wheel

Activities: make rice drink, pretend to have Market day, make sand mandalas, put on plays to show how to be good and helpful

Study Buddhism! Tibetan Buddhism

Far North

Geography: Europe, Finmark

Environment: Sun shines all day and all night sometimes (summer)

Vocabulary: Samis, Lapland, land of the midnight sun, shaman, lavvo, yoiking, goatti

Short Questions

How do they make their homes?

What is the purpose of the mark on the reindeer?

Short Essays

How and why do they closely follow the seasons? Explain the cycle of the changing seasons

Reindeer? How do they use every aspect of them, nothing is wasted

Spring celebration: lasso throwing, reindeer race?

Activities

GENERAL/END of Series Questions:

Choose one of these questions to write a two page essay on:

In what ways are each of these cultures tied to the land and animals?

Many of these Vanishing Cultures believe that everything has its own spirit. What do you think of this? If we also believed that everything had its own spirit, what would our country and world look like?

Has this series made you think differently about your own life?

What could we do to keep these communities alive? Why should we?

In what ways are we similar to these Vanishing Cultures?

Each vanishing culture has its own celebrations? How are these celebrations similar? How are they different? Do we have celebrations like these?