Class Activities
Charboneau Learning Center
of The Literacy Project
15 Bank Row, Greenfield, MA 01301
413-774-3935
 

Social Studies

US History World History Cultural Literacy Economic Literacy Civics & Gov't Geography

Culture

To study culture is to study how the actions of others influence our thinking about the world and ourselves. Decisions and efforts made in the past may determine how we are seen and judged by others today. It is also to consider how we affect others.

Action

We have a responsibility to think about how our actions affect people we know, and also how they might affect others who are not even yet born. Even doing nothing has consequences.

We look for opportunities to get involved in the community even if the goal is just to learn something new. Speaking, voting, lobbying, writing, teaching and learning are all actions . . .with consequences.

Systems

Our culture is made up of many systems. Each of them contain all kinds of directions and possibilities. Some possibilities and directions are more desirable than others. It depends on who is doing the analysis.

Concepts

There are many ways to organize all the details, goals, and pressures we face everyday. Sometimes we start out with an organizing principal and see how well it applies to a collection of "facts. "Other times we need to find the right word that groups a bunch of details together.

Research & Questions

We can never really separate ourselves from culture – especially our culture. In some ways that is what makes it hard to question who we are and what we are doing. It's even harder to think about asking better questions that would move us closer to our goals.

Writing

Any writing can be a starting place. With practice we can use writing to think about our own ideas and questions. That's the point where we really start to read ourselves, and perhaps begin taking ourselves even more seriously.