Kenyan Culture Quest
A quest where you compare your
culture to the culture of Kenya.
by Jennifer Stemple, Second Grade Teacher
Kenmore Elementary School, Cecil County, Maryland, USA.
Created during the Maryland Technology
Academy, 2000.
Based on concepts from the Cecil County
Public School's Second Grade Multi-cultural Unit.
Last updated June 2004
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Introduction:
If you were to travel to another
country, or even another state, would everything be the same
as it is in your neighborhood?
Are all neighborhoods alike,
how or how not?
What can we learn from other
culture so that we can expand our view of the world?
What do you think is important
to discover on this quest?
What information from this quest
do you think will help you in the future?
Introduction
Your Quest
Process Resources
Evaluation Conclusion
Back to the Top
Quest:
In this quest,
you will be reading for information about the culture of Kenya,
and comparing it to your own. You will gather information from
a variety of sources (books, articles, and the internet) to help
you make your comparison. You will complete an organizer
to show the aspects of each culture (yours and Kenya's) and the
many similarities or differences you have found.
Introduction
Your Quest
Process Resources
Evaluation Conclusion
Back to the Top
Process... Your quest begins:
You will be working in small
groups, as partners, or as an individual for this project. No
matter who you are working with, YOU will need to keep YOUR OWN
organizer! Remember to use all of your strategies for reading for information. If you
get stuck and can't think of a strategy, go to the resources
section and click on "Strategies". You may also ask your teacher for assistance.
Read all the steps in this section before
you begin.
First:
Think about your own culture
and what it is like. You will be using this knowledge to help
you understand Kenya's culture. What would be a good way to compare
your culture to Kenya's? Read the choices and click on the one
that you would like to use, or use an idea of your own! (If you
decide to use your own system to compare, show it to your teacher
for approval!) Your group members do not all have to choose the
same organizer, you should choose the one that is best for you!
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Second:
Now that you have selected your
organizer, you are ready to begin your quest!
Take a few
minutes to look over your organizer and begin by filling in the
information that you already know about your own culture. Discuss
this information with your partner or group, and add any additional
information.
Keep in mind
that as you learn about the different aspects of the culture
of Kenya, you may remember parts of your own as well. That is
great! Just fill them in on your organizer as you think of them!
Your organizer
will not be exactly the same as every one else's. It is YOUR
OWN, however you will find that as you work with your partner
or group your organizers will be very similar!
Third:
Now you are
ready to go on the first part of your web quest! Remember to
fill in information on your graphic organizer as you find it!
Click the button to go to the first page!
Fourth:
Now you are
ready for the second part of your quest. Click on the button
to go to the next site!
Fifth:
You should
have read a lot of information about Kenya. Now use the classroom
resources to add any additional information.
Sixth:
Use the method
of your choice to answer the following questions based on the
information that you have read. (A word processing application
like: Apple Works, Claris Works for Kids, Kids Works, or paper
and pencil.) Remember to use your graphic organizer to help you!
If you can not answer the questions, you should go back to step
one and begin again. Don't forget to look at the rubric to help
you see if you have completely answered the question!
1. Using the information you have read, what would be the best thing about living in Kenya?
2. Using the information you have read, what would be the worst thing about living in Kenya?
3. Using examples from the web sites and other resources, show how important school is to the Kenyan people.
4. Choose one of the information pieces that you read to answer: How did the author help you understand the differences between the people of Kenya and the people of the United States?
"Just For Fun"
link. If you have time, or would like to, here is a link that
will take you to some Kenyan folk tales! (And folk tales from
other countries around the world.)
Or try a search of your own about Madarakah Day!
Resources:
There are a number of resources
available for you to use in this quest. Some of the resources
are on the internet, some are in the classroom, and some are
in the Media Center. There are also a number of strategies that you have learned will help you
when you are reading for information. If you forget the strategies,
come back to the resources section and click on "Strategies". You may also ask your teacher
for assistance.
Internet Resources - Below is a list of the web sites that you may choose to use to complete your quest. Keep in mind that visiting every site is not as important as reading the sites that you do visit. Check out the rubric for specific information regarding the number of sites that you need to visit.
http://www.geographia.com/kenya/
http://www.kent.wednet.edu/curriculum/soc_studies/kenya/africa_front.html
http://www.africanet.com/africanet/country/kenya/default.htmClassroom Resources - Below is a list of classroom resources that are available for use during your quest. You should use ALL of these resources during the quest.
Postcards from Kenya by Helen Arnold
New Story: Kenyan Runner 13th in World ChampionshipMedia Center Resources - Below is a list of some of the items available in our school media center. There may be additional resources as well that are not listed below. Check with the Media Specialist if you need help finding these, or any other resources that you might need.
Encyclopedias: World Book
Kenyan Cook Book
Evaluation:
This is a challenging task and
you should be very proud of the hard work that you have/ will
be putting in! Below are the rubrics that both you and your teacher
will use to evaluate your own quest as well as the quest of your
peers. Keep in mind that you may choose to put as much or as
little effort into your quest as you like. Your learning is up
to you so choose to be as intelligent as you want!!!
Rubrics for Questions:
1. Using the information you have read, what would be the best thing about living in Kenya?
2. Using the information you
have read, what would be the worst thing about living in Kenya?
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| Other | Identifies one aspect of Kenyan culture stated in informational readings, supports the aspect of culture with at least two details without elaboration, or one detail with elaboration. | Identifies one aspect of Kenyan culture stated in informational readings, supports the aspect of culture with at least two details with elaboration. |
3. Using examples from the
web sites and other resources, show how important school is to
the Kenyan people.
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| Other | Gives one or more examples about school with elaboration or two or more examples without elaboration. | Gives two or more examples about school with elaboration. |
4. Choose one of the information
pieces that you read to answer: How did the author help you understand
the differences between the people of Kenya and the people of
the United States?
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| Other | Gives one or more examples of techniques the author used with elaboration or two or more examples without elaboration. | Gives two or more examples of techniques the author used with elaboration. |
Introduction
Your Quest
Process Resources
Evaluation Conclusion
Back to the Top
Conclusion:
You have completed your quest
and should be proud of yourself! By now you have discovered the
answers to many questions including:
If you were to travel to another
country, or even another state, would everything be the same
as it is in your neighborhood?
Are all neighborhoods alike,
how or how not?
What can we learn from other
culture so that we can expand our view of the world?
What do you think is important
to discover on this quest?
What information from this quest
do you think will help you in the future?
You have also discovered one
of the most important answers of all - - that there are many
right answers to the key questions above! Information and learning
are what YOU make of them! Your own knowledge and life's experiences
influence the way that you understand things, and so what you
know and understand will be different then what other people
know and understand. Even so, you have discovered that while
people are very different, we often have the same wants and needs.
The need to be loved and safe. The need to have food, clothing
and shelter. The desire to have fun and celebrate life and our
beliefs! YOU have unlocked the key to understanding others and
as a result understand YOURSELF better!